Commissioner reports and committee updates
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The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Jan 28, 2025
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The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Jan 28, 2025
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What was said
Machine transcription of 59m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 90% of 332 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
I'm gonna take a long time here.
Um
Let's see what I'm gonna have here first. I've got several things this week. Um Had the opportunity to Twenty twenty five emergency surface. Emergency services uh recognition ceremony they had this week in Newport Ritchie, uh where you it recognizes those that do exceptional in the nine eleven. Service area. Um Several winners in that, but actually I actually
I wasn't gonna speak until I guess after but it I wasn't very clear when I was supposed to speak but I took the chance to speak first. So I actually thanked each and every one of them for the work they do for our citizens. And um It w it was a great thing that we uh We were able to thank them and see what they do in their job. It's 911, you never know what call you're gonna get, but we have exceptional leaders in amongst the group. But always because I spoke first I didn't know
who won any of the items. But the fact of it is, I felt the same about each and every one of 'em. doing the best job they can at nine one one. So but there were a lot of good leaders and potential leaders in the future. No matter who takes that next call. So Job well done. I couldn't do that job, but They do it very well. So Uh Glad to be able to be there. Uh also I had a a tour out to Moffat along with the rest of you to
to view what was going on at Mopart with the development An update there in land lakes and uh We did that on last Friday. So Very very good info, very good. Um Feedback on on what what we approved and what we're looking for in the future and It's you know, it's pretty amazing that when you take What do you call that? Is it proton? Proton, yeah. Therapy? Yeah, that therapy. It
pinpoints down to the size of a dime. which in previous radiation treatments are all for cancer. It would do larger areas. Which when it does that larger area it kills good cells along with the bad cells. This this type. service will be where it takes care of individual spots that that need to be done. And also they're gonna in the future they're going to be uh Making um Sale protection. So and I don't know how
that works, uh but uh it's very exciting to think that they could put sales in where some of this happens it would fill in on a person's body that had been in terrible cancer issues, so Very, very uh very good for the future of of Pasco County that coming in. And along with all that you got all these new ho hospitals and things coming forward. Advent sputting hot 124 beds at Um Sun Coast
and Fitch 4 on that south. Southwest corner there. Uh they're they have a nice clinic, been doing a good job there. They're adding 124 bed hospital to that clinic. And it will be Well needed with all the growth and all the citizens we're bringing in to to our county. Um Another thing also uh I'll give you an update on their I didn't know if I'd have anything on the Tampa Bay water, but we were talking yesterday about uh
about our water issues and we were Taken uh Water that's permitted like on uh Ag Mart property out in for the citrus and for also uh Production of grass and For all that is that would move that's basically a farm product. Well we're taking those wells And removing that pumping uh approval there over to different
areas in Tampa Bay Waters area that we actually are able to p pump more water and get more water for for our people.
Because they had an ag ag well, right?
Yeah, those were ag wells and they were moving that Like if they had five hundred thousand uh uh gallons of production, they would they would close that off there but move it to another Okay.
So I think it was about Seven. seven hundred thousand or seven up to about six or seven million. Eventually when you add all that up, it really mounts to a lot of work. I get tired of hearing it from our citizens and public comment. the gentleman that came up I I know he has issues to worry about certain things. But the fact of it is we're not out of order. We're doing a lot of things at Tampa Bay Water to m like this. To provide more water for our citizens. And
we have order. The only people I know of in the past or short past. that ever said anything about Um being short of water and out of water was Zephyr city of Zephyrhills, which is a city of pure water. Which doesn't make sense. They s they really made a mistake because they got people thinking they don't have water anymore. And it's going all over the county. The fact of it is they have we've offered them Um Uh Mike and
myself and and I think David Allen at the time we met with uh City of Zephyrhills and offered them pretty much all the water they would need in the future. So We have water in the future and there's there's promises of making D SAL better. Uh we'll get more water out of that eventually if we go to saltwater wells. It'll have to take salt out, but they're very deep wells and provide water cleaner, cheaper to use and desouth than what we do now. So
those are Those are projects we're looking at in the future and even another reservoir. Our reservoir I think is at fifteen point For Bayonet Po Yeah, I don't know. as of yesterday. I think they were gonna hit the fifteen point five B is what it holds. But that very close. But you We can copy, we have the land out there to copy that reservoir and I think that's one of our better projects we need to be doing. for the future
of our our county.
So uh have they
It's really tri county action.
Yeah. Um do we know what's gonna happen with the Howard Curran Water that's been dumping into the bay yet? Who's on the you guys are on the
right-of-way.
Any answers from that one yet?
No, I hadn't heard anything about that.
Well what what's our deadline?
I'll give you what I gave because I commented on that.
He's always jumping in there right away.
But
always always good information.
We'll get to you then on yours and you can mention that. I've got
two or three years to choose the next projects that will actually add water to our present system. Right today a lot of people don't realize that that fifteen point five billion gallon Reservoir? You can pump into it two hundred million gallons a day and you can use out of it two hundred million gallons, that's what Our Tri County area is actually using now that In our water system is about two hundred million gallons.
Yeah.
Yeah, a day.
So
So Metro,
if you want, we can just tie it right into what he's saying. 'Cause so the the Harvard current plant, when I mentioned that, and that's like fifty-five million gallons a day going in. They're having trouble with seagrass into the bay. Uh the having trouble with seagrass uh was good for a while. So it's advanced w wastewater treatment. But I said with all this development going on as you see on the map here, I says for years we've tried to get you to let us take that reclaim water. swinging up to Pasco, rehydrate, and to me it's even better for them 'cause now Mother Nature does the work, the water flows
back down, the extra water flows that would go out of the rivers would actually help them without having to do a thing instead of spending money. But I says at least at a minimum you guys should the city of Tampa and Hillsboro should work together to find out if we're gonna need more water. Let's go run a pipe. From there. to Southern Hills Row and put the water out where you need it. And uh you know, putting those developments coming in. So they told me they had to struggle with the uh developers to actually bring in and reclaim water. I says, Well t I says, Come work with our staff, we'll show you how you do it because they want it,
they like it, they're
issues with uh Well a lot of that that's inside the city of Tampa and all there's a lot of concrete, a lot of streets. It's hard for them to put piping in those areas. But they gotta have the thought that they bring that reclaim down to these new developments and have them put in that pipe which we do in our our county.
get the idea that they can do that, but it it's their form to do. I tot actually total And Jack was right behind me speaking but he I was saying basically we kinda echoed him on the fact that Send your reclaim order to us 'cause for Oh
yeah, we'll take it. It
takes four homes it takes four homes for one home to water with reclaimed water.
We our Parks Department doesn't have enough reclaim.
So if you don't mind, Commissioner Oakley, just while we're tagging this here. So I I patched out the flyer. Uh Mike Carbell's got one as well. So one of the things the Hillsborough County did was they sold the water rights to Tampei Water. Yes. So go to go to your second page and it shows you that the uh actual groundwater use was three hundred and forty four gallons per day. Uh flip to page three. And it shows you that the quantity required is three forty four. they're getting paid for that quantity One point two million dollars from Tampa Bay Water. Now, when
I saw that, I had voted against the project from before because I knew they didn't always take our water stuff and I thought we were overpaying for the water last month. Um Um and I says there's a there's a problem there. But I looking at this I thought a little bit more about it. I says, you know We had Jasmine Lakes Palm Terrace Aqua Utilities that we bought at we had a couple of bad wells there. And I talked to them about taking it over. They said, No, we don't really need it. We don't want it. Now those are water rights that can be used in tripled to the center part of the to county if we use them. But
they didn't they didn't take it from us, but we're buying it from Hillsborough. We bought it from like
Land O'Neill. I says, Well why aren't we looking at buying from Pasco County too? I said we should be benefiting from this. I said as a matter of fact I've got the F2A properties up and down the coast, which we should want to buy anyway, that would actually save our citizens a lot of money. So when we're done with that, um they said they'd talk about it with us. Uh and then I talked to the uh gentleman from US Water. uh who done all the conversions for us. And I talked to those guys in the back, they go, there's actually well credits you can probably get and get reimbursed philindric system. So
think about that. We got money from Aqua, we can get money from Lindrick. That's gonna tee us up to go buy a whole bunch more. And all these other utilities are out there
are well
money. Money. They're getting one point two million dollars.
But
Tampa Bay Water is buying their water rights for one point two million. But
we bought Lindrick and Aqua, so what do you think?
There's still water rights that are in that system.
Oh.
So we can get
it still pump with those wells?
No, I don't I don't think that's the right-of-way. No, we switch those to to region. But there's benefit because you get the permit. The permits the value. Permits have value. Permits have value, there's the money, and I think we should be looking at that. And then when we look at like the systems Night Florida, uh Lindo Lakes, Heritage Lakes. Let's go look at all the ones down in 19. And let's go get the value and find out what it is and let's go put a bigger plan together to buy out the rest of the F G too.
I would like to do that. I'm gonna be bringing that up in my discussions.
Well you gotta wait on me to finish. So Yeah.
Commissioner Starkey you want a presentation as you got them. Yeah, no, I'm
glad. I mean
we need
to know
what's going
on. So then we also at the end of the day yesterday we um We went and met with uh the folks over at HA. Um To let you know we actually ran into the CEO. Uh Mike Irvin. And we talked to him for a while and actually Uh He knows people I know from down in Polk County. Uh It was a very good conversation and all. A lot of people don't know it. I didn't know it till yesterday. They pay forty
eight million dollars in admiral on tax to Pasco County.
Yeah, because they're a for profit. I had this discussion with them yesterday.
And he also reached out and said he would be willing to team up with us and I'll let Mike know that to m have a meeting with him. to team up to help with some projects. So And in my advantage. That's financial help. It's not good. And but Very good hospital. But one thing he wanted me to ask if we could do it. is set up where all the commissioners and what staff you want to but to go to ACA and get a tour of
their hospital.
But we're going to do that.
Oh the the new one?
HCA.
No,
right there at Middle and
The Trinity H C A?
Little in fifty fourty one, yeah.
Oh I've been fifty four. My mom died at my mom was there. She didn't die there, she died at home. I've been there.
Right. But yeah, he's invited us to go all all go as a tour and I told him I'd present that today. Yeah.
I don't mind going again?
So if we can set that up With Mike Ruby. Joanna, that'd be great. All right. I'm done.
Okay, very good.
All right.
Committee report from Spring Coast Steering Committee.
So the f way the funding works within the Spring Coast Steering Committee Um we have the presentation mic, or who's gonna kind of go through the the s scoring Bramford?
So there's two different kind of pots of money. So with with CFI funding and other funding, there's a there's a little bit of money in the long term.
The the binder that we borrowed?
I have it.
Oh you have it?
Yeah.
Oh okay.
We
just go to we can just
go we can just go
Yeah, I'm sorry. We're good.
So anyway, so There's a lot Until so right now the money in CFI is pretty much on hold or to diminished amount because there's six hundred million invested And the South Hillsburg County Transmission Line Project.
and the Polk Regional Cooperative where they're looking for their water because their water is is brackish in the center of the county. And so the funding is has died down quite a bit. So the the cooperative funding initiative funds are capped at about two and a half million a year. Where everybody who's in the Southwest Florida Water Management District is competing for that two and a half million dollars on the project. Oh, so much. And then there's an additional uh in their long term funding plan, it also includes uh
about six million a year. For Springs projects in the north region the the what they call the uh the the B Map or the Basin Management Action Plan, which is where the septic to sewer projects are happening. Predominantly largely, but that's in citrus and Hernando.
Right.
But Good news is I sent it to Link, the link to Mike, through FDEP Uh there's a there's uh a grant. uh link for different projects that we can apply for and Mike has that and he can cascade that to You all Um
in when he sends it out or if he wants to know if y'all want it. So there were a handful of projects submitted uh this year for Springs funding. Uh and the only two applicants this year were Pasco and Hernando County. And Pasco has submitted for three projects and Hernando submitted for two. Our predominant project is the Wesley Chapel wastewater treatment plant expansion phase one. And This is the highest scoring project. that the committee reviewed, which ultimately
we review and it goes back to the district governing board and then they'll they'll vote on it. And we rank number one because this is removing twenty-seven thousand six hundred and forty-eight tons per year of nitrogen. out of that system. And um So that's part of the reason why I ranked really high Um And as they went through the funding Our score on that project was 105 points, which ranked it high. And our other two projects ranked four and five of the five projects
and they were they rank medium Um, but they'll likely not make the cut, and that's the Air Pika Air Pika Septic Dos Sewer project that scored 62, that's the lowest point. And then the Wiki Watchy Sceptic to Sewer project was scored eighty two. Um and then Hernando's private package plant connections which is over near the Springs is eighty nine and Um District A, Hernando County, District A, Phase 1, not really sure what that is. Bayonet Residential Committee, that scored 94. So depending
on what the governing board says, which is where our staff comes in, because our staff presents There could be a potential for the lower rank Pasco projects. But for sure we have districts, seemingly districts have support For the the wastewater treatment plant and how much
was how much were we asking for in that one?
Does who who th who out there knows what we're asking?
I was gonna ask Adolfo Gonzalez to come forward. My handy binder. So the total project cost is nine million. Uh and seven million requested in fiscal year twenty-six with a two million dollar applicant share.
Only too many? So it's not a fifty fifty.
Not not for these. But the the interesting let staff get to it. We have more dates to review. Where is it that we
We'll get to you on there if we can.
Where is it?
So when do they pick these?
So the schedule, there's there's a schedule. So the schedule goes so the steering committee dates um
That's for next year's. That we just met
So the final evaluations for approval are on eight on February nineteenth. And then um July ninth. Uh is the approval of the funding process. So That's about halfway through the through the year. And I think in here we had a price per ton.
So our price per ton, which makes this is a big reason why it's gonna score it's scored so high. So the money's invested, it's gonna cost us eleven dollars per ton to remove Nitrogen, which is in my time with Swift Mun here I d I don't think I've seen a price that low per ton or remove nitrogen out of But anyway, Guy egg a lot smaller than me's up here. So I'll let you take it
away.
Go ahead.
Uh good afternoon, Commissioner Oakley, Utilities Engineering and Contract Management Director. We applied for two grants on behalf of Pasco County. One was a $9 million Springs grant, which is the one Commissioner Weightman just finished talking about. The other one was a seven million dollar grant from Southwest Florida Water Management District on the and that's for the Wesley Center project, which is a four and a half million gallon per day expansion of the existing treatment facility. The total project cost we think is going to be around two hundred eight million dollars. The nine million dollars covers
the design portion in this fiscal year. We've spread out that cost over the next four fiscal years.
Okay, so we're getting ready for a future Massive expansion. Okay. I was wondering where we were getting our matching dollars, but it's only for the design. And so we don't have to do fifty fifty on that, so that's good.
No th the cooperative funding initiative the rules it's it's shovel ready projects, so that's what helps score. But until You know, the the expansion is done down in South Hillsboro. Which is we voted on it when I was on the governing board then. Until that one's done, the Polk Regional Water Supply Cooperative and Minnesota River and others. the funding will be limited. But the good thing is There's ability for us to get started if s our team puts together the right projects and
submits in the right ways and plus talking with Mandy Rice, um assistant executive director Hookmud with the D E P grants portal. So for our grants team, so we might be able to shake the trees and
Good.
Get some more money for water infrastructure out of it.
I think Commissioner Mariano wants to comment on the Arapica septic to the right-of-way.
But I I heard that with the Land O' Lakes one we were. Ranked very high and then right below it. What I thought was the C Pines project that it would actually bring both those projects where they should be funded. And just with with the governor's signature. So well you're telling me something different I heard.
Zera Pika. No, it's not the same.
That's the same.
Alright,
so you just
put
you
just want
the Arab Pika?
Yeah, that's because that's in that zone that covers the B
map.
Yeah, it's
the B map. area is and the funding that was set as came down from Tallahassee is pretty much designated for that to be in that bull zone.
Uh so let me ask staff. So this one here is this Ara Pika, does that include sea pines or not?
I don't think so.
I think you know that was part of Wilton and all them cleaning up Crystal River and all those springs all along that edge. My recollection.
Oh, there we go. Commissioner Mariano. No, the the Air Peak uh Dira Pika grant request Did not Include sea pines. Seapines was part of a different grant application package that was um bundled with the stormwater improvements for the area as well. Right. So maybe it's a different thing we're just talking about. Okay. Thank you.
All right.
So my next items I have a couple more items. First slight thing. Senator Pasado for inviting us out to his groundbreaking at um the Lynn Engeline on the north side of Fifty two is gonna be a nice facility. Uh Mr. Reaper actually I think either sold the land at a discount or gave it gave it to uh tax collector or worked out a deal. for the site and it'll be a great area to service our folks and Center Pasan always does a great job in serving not just Pasco but other folks who
come in and need taxpayer services. Uh, two other pieces. I'll save I'll save one 'cause these might get lengthy. So on our tax discussion Um I didn't find the right place to put it, but I talked with Amy and Mike about this. I think it's time that we broach the forty percent of new revenue that goes to the Sheriff's Department every year. And I've talked to the Chase and the Sheriff about this, or or Chase about it. We talked to the Sheriff I think it's time that we look at as we're looking at MST
user how you want to structure the budget. We were really handcuffed. with just giving forty percent off the c off the top. There's no secret that I personally I want to give me meaningful tax breaks. to our taxpayer and I'm sure you all have different opinion what that money can be used for or not be used for. But I like to structure it differently and explore uh a law enforcement MSTU Um and I think it's time we do that explore for all the constitutionals with the
exception of the taxpayer, and here's why. I think if you're not going to be able to It it bothers me a bit that the constitutionals, they're elected and they have budgets, but yet they have no control of their budget. And we've seen over the years issues with the clerk office when I came on and back forth with the sheriff. in what they and what needs are. I think if a constitutional Wants a tax increase, then they need to make a business case and say I need more money and why? instead of the onus just necessarily being on this board. I think everybody who,
you know, this board's a fiduciary, right? And we're we're s it's our number one job. to be a fiduciary to the taxpayer monies that we take from them with no choice of their own. I think it's time if we set up an MSTU and understand the cost, to Mari Commissioner Yeah's point of If we if we look at the MSTUs, if it's worth doing for the smaller budgets like the property reason or the tax collector. What that would mean for municipalities, right? What we what that may what we may lose if it's even worth doing. But
I think it's time that we're not going to be able to do that that we potentially look at this idea That way those constitutionals, I think it gives them more control over their budget. and more say so, hey, I need an increase for this or that or the other and they make a business case to this board or future boards. And um so I'd be curious to explore that during this budget cycle, what that may look like. um and get the others other constitutionals to to to see and I think it give them more
you know, more hands on with with with their budgets. Um and it just be I think potentially a cleaner accounting Um and so I wanted to bring that up for discussion if there was any other thoughts on Yeah.
Well I have some questions but I'll go to my board first.
Um
I I made my point about the MSTU how I feel about it. Um I think if you're gonna go to a tax increase in any form at all You need to put a lot of information out there. We we don't get a lot of information with the Sheriff's budget. I think Penillas County gets like a nine hundred page document. We get we get like twelve pages, fifteen pages. So if you really want to get to it, that should we we where we get into. Uh I d I don't I don't mind the discussion because I keep on seeing emails like we're we've got sixty we're ranked sixty-two out of sixty-seven counties for the number deputies got well that
doesn't count looking at the whole budget. So If you want to look at everything that opens it up, um It's worth worthy of discussion.
So um I don't know what that means, um, with it with taking the whole their whole budget to an MSTU. Um Does do businesses pay uh for MST or is it just residents? But it n takes out the cities.
Takes out the cities.
So I guess I'll learn a lot more when we talk about the parks budget. But my My challenge and my discussions with the sheriff. are that I feel um kind of echoing what you're saying, Commissioner Mariano, that We don't get a we don't get to understand their budget like we understand ours. And um I would very much like them to participate in the
budget process the same way Our county departments do so that we can Um, you know, there's just more transparency. I agree, 900 pages versus twelve. And I think he's agreeable to that. I had a discussion with him and Um Uh you know if it if it Like he thinks it will and most most likely will end up with them getting more money than they're they're willing to take those steps because they feel they're they're underfunded. And when you look at the total
amount we give them versus other counties. It certainly is less. So but we just don't have that understanding of where all the money's going and And you know, is is everything being run as efficiently as possible? And I think it's a good thing to have eyes on to to let the public and and others have eyes on how the money's being spent. Um, that's a responsibility we have to the taxpayers. And um that are but our constitutionals don't have to peel that back. Um So
uh
I don't know what that means to take all of their budget to an MSTU, but again I guess we'll have those discussions when we do some kind of workshop On a We want to take the parks that way. Um, what are the pros and cons? Is there anyone else I know Hillsborough County I think funds their parks through MSTUs, multiple MSTUs. Does anyone else fund their constitutionals through MSTUs? I don't
know. But I just it's it's basically
The MSTU will grow as the county you know, as the county grows and the tax base grows, so it's incremental. I also view the MSTUs as a way to be a very important thing to do. to protect the sheriff's budget and all the constitutional's budget. You have We saw a couple of years ago my first budget cycle, which I'm sure don't start shaking. Uh,
that the one I brought my
magazine to. But remember Dinner w when we we made we made the decision to give everybody haircut and it was a drop of a hat, the board made a decision with unintendedly it cut the sheriff budget six hundred K. That's how quickly Say in the future. you prepare for the future, right? This board makeup is very different. And they might potentially have a rub with law enforcement that defund the police options with the MSTUs, I view it as is a stopgap. There's multiple, you know, public hearing to
change it. You have to go through multiple public hearing Yeah. It gives the people who support law enforcement opportunity several times to come and speak to the board versus just the board unilaterally Making a cut, right? with no say necessarily to the public. I view MSTUs differently and use a certain way because it like in the same that same premise goes with parks. It helps protect what that money's used for for in my opinion a true generational funding fix.
And it slows the role of maybe emotional decision making because of the process where you really have to be methodical in the decisions that you make because of the structure. And so I think for a budget as large as the Sheriff's Office, for example, I think for the long term health of the department and for future sheriffs It gives them uh uh a more more confidence in the ability to project for their budget needs in the future based on growth Uh but
also you know, if they also want to come back to the board and say, hey, I need a tax increase I need it more money. It's going to be making a business case for a true tax increase with multiple hearings, so then the public gets to see versus just unilaterally raising it. And I think that's a very good exercise that government should go through, especially with large ticket items. Um and so and that's the same again, the same premise to the parks or anytime we use it. And I think it's important that Commissioner Mariano's points we understand if we lose the municipalities if
we go that route, what that what that means. But we might lose up front, but in the long term Just like with the fire MSTU, that fund is growing very healthily, very quickly. And it's funding D Shift and everything else. The same thing would happen. It would compound the fund. going going forward. And then there wouldn't be this you know, potential conflict between the board and constitutionals over their funding. It would also give the opportunity for constitutionals like for example if we went up M STU
for the supervisor of elections and the property pressure's office. They know they need they have the ability to come in and say, hey, Roll back my MSTU and then they have the ability to have KA lower the taxes because they don't need as much. So, you know, it's just a different way of looking at it. For me, it's in my Uh excitement over the budget. It's it's a restructuring of the budget in a way that really Narrows down. What the funds are for and for me in my opinion it adds
more transparency to those dollars. Um but that's just my take on it and I'd I'd really Like to see what all that means. And what's the best fit for Pasco County? So
so we need an MSTU workshop, it
sounds like.
hopefully
I made some sense. Who knows?
All right. What else you got there?
Um another
The prayer we do in the morning I don't like it. I think it's I think it's awful. And if we're going to have a prayer, I think we need a real prayer. The clerk made a real nice prayer a couple of years ago. At um uh the Y M C A prayer breakfast. And So I don't know if there's an appetite to change that prayer. We have a second vice chair rotate a chaplain every year like Hillsboro does. But I think it's time as well I think we all are You know with our
belief system that it it's time to Not have such a benign paragraph, whatever you want to call that. Um and I'm hopeful that there might be A real heartfelt prayer every morning. for this county and for the work that that we do and the people that work here.
I'd like uh Jeff to speak
on that. It's been this way we have it now It's been that way for many years and it was because there was issues And having I guess a pastor before to be able to give that prayer. The prayer we have now is a good prayer. The prayer is not based on any religion.
That's where I am with it.
And that's that I think is a reason to leave it like it is.
I'm looking for the
most part. I'm looking to see a Christian faith based prayer. And as the other counties do, there's a chaplain, they say a prayer. It's not whatever this is. uh in our county and it'd still be read by the clerk. or a board member.
We haven't we have other religions represented up here. So no, I'm I'm not okay with that. Why would I wanna I'm bringing it up for discussion.
I'm just telling you what I think about it. It's just because it's been some been something the way it's been for a long time doesn't mean it's right. I think you've seen that with me in in this. Like I wanna see something different.
I I was thinking that the same thing even as as far as maybe having like um you know a different pastor or something in the community. Um At our board meetings.
So here's the challenge because we'd ha in my mind we'd have to rotate the different faiths. Um and then you open it up. to some that maybe you don't want to be up here. Um And I don't know if we can legally say Okay, we'll have a rabbi, we'll have uh What are they called in the Moslem faith? I don't even know.
But in
the state legislature, We'll have uh Christian Catholic or whatever, Protestant, and then we're gonna have the Satan worshipper. and the this and the that and we don't wanna open I don't wanna open that door.
The only in the state legislature they have a d a d uh someone lead the prayer. And it's just a non denominational prayer.
That's what
we do. We do a non denominational. He's saying to do a Christian prayer. That
prayer that
we raised. Norma I mean it is whatever it
is
a Christian prayer. And they they will pick the pastor. They will introduce that this person, pastor, whoever.
And have rabbis too up there, if I'm not mistaken. I think there are Jewish members of of the legislature. And they they get to be representative.
County Attorney here, when you open the door, How wide do you have to open it?
At Swift Mud, Madam Clerk. We'd say a prayer before Swift Mud. Each board member says a pledge in the prayer. And it's a prayer. And I don't want some daggum attorney telling me what we can and can't do. This board can make in the decision and make what we want to do. He can give his opinion, but Hillsboro has a chaplain and we have a bet that's a better way than what this is.
Um Commissioner Mariano, did you want to speak before the county attorney? Or do you want to let the county attorney
speak?
Even like in their opening ceremonies.
Uh pastors, or not pastors, but But one person is a little bit more than a lot of people.
And you look at look at just what happened in Inauguration. Started off with a rabbi. Then two other Um religious folks were up there. I don't see what the problem is and if you're gonna set it up. Others are doing it. Um I think it would mean more if you did have a person doing it as well. And If the president can do it, if the state legislature legislature can do it, if Port Ritchie can do it, there's no reason we can't do it. And I want to see it done as well.
Okay, County Attorney.
Madam Chairman M The the Prayer that you are saying Now was developed in two thousand and six. By the prior county attorney. Um it was designed to comply with federal law. And the decisional things that had come out from the from the Supreme Court at that time. There have been changes over the years. Um
But you are still governed by the law that is controlling from the eleventh circuit and The Brevard County Administrator. As I've said to this board before, Brevard County got in trouble for allowing its board members to have religious prayer before the board meetings.
Um What would the current Supreme Court do? I have no idea. Um but The
And there is nothing that says that you can't have a religious prayer as long as you ha as long as you Um Rotate faiths. Um you would have to I think I have rotation. Right. I have seen no I have seen nothing that says that a local government can have a faith-based chaplain to give all of its
invocations. Um In fact, that seems to squarely go against what the Eleventh Circuit decided in the Brevard County case. Um
Yeah, I
Mr County Attorney?
Yes, sir.
Madam Chair? So we're not looking for, I don't think, a prayer. I think that's the problem with what we have is just it's so such a generic thing that it doesn't Do much. What we're looking for, I think, is a series of different people that can come up and pray and let them just pray. Whatever they want to say.
You you can you can set up uh such a system that would be that would pass the pass the tests of that have been promulgated so far in federal law. The problem with that is it's all denominations and in fact Some of the what you would consider to be non denominations are also have have to be given an opportunity.
So the process would open up and we would obviously have to manage that process and maintain equity as as that goes. So
Yeah, yeah. I've had the opportunity to sit on this
Uh I'll albeit unofficially and filling in, but going back to nineteen seventy seven, I've been sitting in these board meetings. and uh at different points in time and there was rotation of commissioner of uh ministers and pastors and it was a logistical nightmare uh at the time. Uh of course at the time we the board met almost weekly in most cases, four times a month. Um and uh but
uh it logistics plays a big role in that as the uh as uh attorney Steinsnyder was saying uh in balancing and it got awkward uh at points in time. And therefore it went in the direction of now, I do I disagree that it needs to probably be updated or refreshed? Uh no, I I agree with you because I'm the guy reading it, you know, and along with uh Um Clerk Alvarez Soles. But uh the purpose is again is ecumenical.
Um and uh the rotation of pastors and ministers opened a myriad of issues in the past.
Well Hillsboro has a board chaplain just like second vice chair or whatever and it's just And that person reads or thinks about something and says something that's you know, it's human. And I like that style. And at Swift Mud when we did it. We just went down the order of the thirteen governing board members. Hey, it's your turn to say the prayer and pledge. You want to do it? Some would say yes, some would say no. And it was a nice way to kick off a meeting. It wasn't robotic And Cold like
this. Well statement. Why not? But it was controlled by the this body, by the body, it wasn't out in the public, which I think is a better probably a better fit to be contr you know, amongst this body and not
Do we want to have um some new um um prayers or whatever we're calling it. Um opening prayer um brought to our attention to vote on to change and update it.
There's a nice
one. Mike, you have the clerks
Uh I think just for
d
we don't have to decide it today.
Okay.
Well I I don't have anything else. I think it's a nice I think it's a nice way to retailer what we have going on with Clerk Alvarez Sol's
Okay. I'm I'm I'm good to refresh what we say. But I just don't want to open that door to revolving show up here personally. Um So but I'm I'm so if you have some things just email them to us. Maybe get three, send three to us. And if you guys find any that you like? Or something that's said somewhere else that moves you a little more? Send it to all of us and we can take a vote on it.
Let me throw more dare out. I think the uh Pastor. The pastors have r said they would actually coordinate all this for us as well. You could put a committee together to
I don't I don't want to open that door because I Mm. We when you open that door. It's a wide opening.
Yeah.
And why do we want to put ourselves and the public to that? Because We are elected
office.
There are there are there are some that would come up here that you don't want to hear what they have to I mean I don't want to. Um Right, Commissioner Oakley? Yeah, that's I mean I don't know why you want to go that way.
If you gonna do it that way I'll I'll step in when it's all over.
Yeah, same. I'm just not gonna be part of that. Um but We can improve what we say.
For sure. You could have a a time of silence that you say a prayer yourself to yourself. B.
Yeah, and there are places that do it like that. But I'd rather I'd rather try the let's get see if we get a bet something better, something a refresh. Um I think once you say the same thing over and over again too much, maybe it gets it is stale. Well it gets stale, yeah. Yeah.
And it has been a long time. It was stale when it was made. Yeah, it's no meaning.
It don't even
make sense.
Well the words have a lot of meaning if you but they like you say they'd be
It's too much. Yeah, that they're kind of vanilla.
It's lost. It's it's lost.
All right. Thank you. That's all. No more, no more. Commissioner Yeager.
All right. So just uh quick update on Human Trafficking Board. Um they are working on their strategic plan and budgeting, um, thinking they're gonna need a little more money for 2026. To push some T V ads um at prime time spots to get the messaging out. And also just making sure that they are hitting all the places need be like hotels, hospitals, any things we're not thinking of to make sure we're getting our
messaging and branding out. So that's that's for the board. Um this I gave everybody a copy. Um there's been a recent alteration in the Florida statute regarding towing vehicles and vessels that may warrant a review of the county's resolution 22-188, which among other things establishes maximum towing rates for disabled vehicles. As such, I would like to ask my fellow board. Board members to agree to have the county attorney work with staff to review and update the resolution
22188 as necessary to ensure compliance with the statutes and update to establish rates for ancillary services that are not currently covered under the resolution. So basically there's um tow truck people they're picking up um items uh for free and not getting paid for them. Yeah. So we just wanna we just wanna make sure so I gave everybody the the compensation sheet, but if we could uh relook at that, that would be great.
And my commissioner items, I'll try and go super quick.
The chair asked me to speak at the USF REACH program, so as a guest speaker, and that stands for Regenative Leadership Empowerment for the Advancement of Community Health. This remarkable six to eight month leadership course brings together participants from Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco County, Department of Health, along with various community partners to strengthen leadership skills and advance public health. During my presentation, I spoke about local policymaking and emphasized the critical role of collaboration
between public health organizations and community leaders. We discussed the importance of creating inclusive policies that address the unique needs of each community and how working together can amplify the impact of public health efforts. So that was very interesting and then the the um the kids presented the students presented um their projects and we gave them feedback. It was um very interesting. So next slide. So um this I love
this slide so much. Um this gentleman down there with the with the fire hat, he is a veteran and um He was getting Um He basically was working for free just to get shelter, so he wasn't able to make any money because the it would be cover his housing. So um I hooked him up with um Kathy and the Veterans and he is being uh he was in
a hotel for a few months so he was able to save money and now he has his own place. So um I partnered with firefighter charities and this was so cool because We came blazing with sirens on and the neighbors are all peeking out their windows seeing what's going on and he was blessed with um things for his home. So he he was just so moved and um it was just like this beautiful moment that I wish everybody could be there. So
his name is Dwayne and um He he served in the Navy and um he's on his feet and doing amazing. So thank you to firefighter charities, thank you to Kathy. Yeah. And um Just Pasco Prad.
What's that other fella you helped Bob? What's his name? You helped him in the storm.
Oh sh
they look like brothers.
No, they're not. No I was wondering if that was him. No, I have all my little friends. One day I'll give an update on all of them. So I still keep in touch with them and see them all and um they're all doing great. But this gentleman we um we've kind of been mentoring him. We'd have him over like uh twice a month for for dinner and things like that. So it's been great having see his life uh Come full circle. So some people bring in
straight pets and she brings
in straight people. I do.
Um Madam Chair? Yes,
Commissioner
Mariano. Commissioner Yeager, do
you want
to make a motion for this?
Yeah, could you make a motion to Would it be to receive and file my um? Should
I have the county attorney look at
the county attorney look at the ordinance for the uh tow towing?
You can
yeah. I
I'm in favor.
I took it as as general consensus from the board, but motion is fine.
Okay.
I apologize. You had you had brought the new legislation to me and then we got storms and
Just sit when I drop the ball.
These people are doing for free. Oh.
Aye.
Okay, all in favor? Aye.
Aye. Okay. So there so there was an issue that was raised and may I can if if we're gonna go down this path the the the that doesn't isn't covered by the statute Um apparently there are several of the towing companies. Guardian is one of them that is picking up things at off right of way. Yeah. our direction. and then they're going
to the their yards and being stored for free.
Mm-hmm.
Um Um So the question is how does the board wanna deal with that? Because If Public Works is asking them to tow.
And it goes to the yard.
And then they hold it and they dispose of it at their cost.
Right. So I that but that becomes your general fund liability. I'm if it's not their their liability. And I I just don't know where the board wants or do we you want us to come back with options on that?
I I wouldn't mind some options 'cause I had a situation where we had some people that were doing work for volunteer during the storm. Over at C Ranch. They had the vehicle in the the Walmart parking lot. The Walmart parking lot manager did not ask them to tow it and they towed it away on 'em and they hit 'em for like a bill of a thousand bucks. So I don't mind looking to look at everything anyway, in case other things come up.
Well I'll talk with administration, we'll come back with a with some sort of a proposal to deal with that issue. And also
can maybe when we're looking at that the the people that Um Toe. We we were talking about rotation. Yeah, where they're just like piranha. The second somebody goes in the store it's like they tow their vehicle. Okay. And um it happened to someone I know and they were like, Well, it's three hundred dollars c cash So they were trying to you know they're they they have all this revenue and they're not even claiming it because they're making people pay cash when really you should have three forms of payment. I never pay cash just so
they 'cause people don't report that to IRS and they put it in their pocket. Yeah.
Okay. It's a
never pay cash at the dry cleaners, that's my little tip there.
We'd like to clarify the record for the direction on that last uh Attorney Science Later.
The motion that was passed I think we're looking for clarification on that or didn't catch it in the course of the discussion.
So it would be update the update the ordinance to comply with statute and to um Provide uh update the resolution to provide for costs that they potentially can recover. If the county um asks for their services.
Okay. Thank you.
Okay, Commissioner Mariano.
Do you have my pictures? So at Tam Bay Water it was kind of neat. We had a little presentation on the water awards. Um happy to say the Pasco education, this education's school education board got a uh an award. No first time I've seen him do do that. There was a presentation done with um uh with with the Timpa Bay Butterfly Foundation and they do work all over the region. And uh My thinking was they part of the money they got for the grant is to go spend money on plants that Make
butterflies come around. And I thought it was something where I reached out to her and I said, I'd like to reach out with you, maybe try to give you some funding. Uh to help you with our own. uh tree mitigation fund where we can actually if those plants fit that maybe we can help um work with you in Pasco County. So uh I'm gonna give it to the administrator to take a look at it. But that's a flyer what they got on there, but nice presentation. And again, Tampay Water looked at it, they liked the program so they enhanced it, so I think it's a good idea. an
opportunity coming up I'm gonna mention to the school boat as well as the uh there was a Marine Academy too that got a sponsorship of money too. We've got an academy, I think we should be looking for that next year as well. But Um So I brought up earlier when we talking about the homeless population as far as Brazilian peppers. Is there a will for the board to actually look at putting it into ordinance? I know I think Hernando County did one. And maybe we only make it we only enforce it when we're having these homeless issues when we decide to
Uh well I think we need to start going after it um just like the Kogan grass. You know Hernando County. You cannot have Brazilian pepper on your property. And we have turned our backs to it and we so therefore it's spreading, spreading, spreading. So
so I I think last so last time we brought this up we get in a whole myriad now and it's bringing coming back to me now. We get to a whole bunch of other things. I wanna just isolate on Brazilian peppers and keep it at that. So if it's
already doing Cogan grass. So I would add it to it.
And that's good. So let's do do Cogan grass, but just add Brazilian peppers, not get into that hole that are. Two pages of documents of other things. And then if we can enforce it, we'll say if you've got homeless people we're going to make you enforce it and or choose choose our uh strategy from there. But maybe have staff bring us back something. So I'll make a motion staff brings back something about Brazilian pepper ordinances that we can look to implement.
So specifically, can I ask clarification here? Um this is to outlaw these? I mean we Eradicate within
X amount of time.
So and if they don't it's a code violation and then
We want to set a procedure up, but yeah, bring something back along the
time.
I'm just trying to get a little bit more.
I mean we would treat it like a pool fence or something like that. I we'll w we can work the details out, but
The commissioner is asking The county to go in and remove the Brazilian pepper. It would be in areas that could cause a brush fire That are it's not being controlled on understand on the property.
Yeah.
Or that allow people to hide behind live behind it.
Yeah. I deliberately didn't
Just what Jeff
said.
Okay. Oh anything else?
That's all I have to think. Oh actually one more thing.
I'm sorry. Oh, the motion motion seconds
second all in favor?
Aye.
Okay. Okay. So just today I got a notice from someone who was with the company that took over Knife Florida. Where they were Charging them wrong. wrong. And they What Florida?
So in this they found out that they were in violation of the Florida Administrative Code rules and its tariff. So I'd like to probably work with David and um Mike to kinda look at What are the violations may have been going on? There's like three of them on here. And I want to try to do a an awareness to the people out there that This private utility has been trouble for many, many years. All they do is sewer and no water. Their rates are like triple what our rates are. Very detrimental to the area. And we've tried to buy them
before Bob Baum and Sold. Nye wouldn't sell to us, Nye sold to another company. that company we tried to get to them, uh they still wouldn't sell to us. So I wanna go go to the public and find out what other how they've been treated, what they've been going through and if I can get if I see there's more and more violations I wanna forward them all to the PSC to create a to create a record and file and give these people some leverage. Would it be more appropriate for your office to handle that, Jack, versus uh I can but I might
need some coaching. As far as like things to look at.
Okay. Thank you. That's all I have.