Staff and clerk reports on Leisure Beach and passports

1:28:47Okay. Hi, County Administrator. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of quick things. First, I would like to recognize Troy Lampsen of our lead animal care tech, who actually received a Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Florida Animal Control Association conference. So congrats to Troy. And also out at our parks, five of our beaches now in West Pasco now feature Moby mats, which help people with difficulty walking to actually get Out and to be able to enjoy the beaches. So I think that that's uh that's

1:29:18a positive thing. Um I I I was prepared to talk a little bit about Leisure Beach if if you want to. Certainly. So you know it came to our attention that we had some we've had some civic associations that want to beautify their community, and these these communities are located within their rights of way, within county-owned rights of way. And as such, whenever there's work done within a county right of way, we require right-of-way use permit, if there's certain improvements, then we we want license and maintenance agreements as well because you know we need to make sure that everything and liability is taken care of and that you know if folks are coming

1:29:48in to plant things we want to make sure that site triangles and all the technical things are taken care of. I in the past I think there were some different ways of doing things, but when we when we went forward with a new fee schedule and adopted a new fee schedule, there was about a thousand dollars, I think, or even twelve hundred dollars for a right-of-way use permit like license and maintenance agreements that came with that. And so that turned into appearing to be a little bit of a hindrance for a lot of these what I would call legitimate civic associations and HOAs wanting to do the right thing and beautify their. Community.

1:30:19And so what really two things that I would I would ask the board for today is we had a very specific instance with Leisure Beach community that I would ask that you waive waive the fees for the license and maintenance agreement and right-of-way costs because they were doing the right thing. But to also have us come back and amend the fee schedule for right-of-way use permits to essentially not charge or minimally charge whatever maybe there may be some basic intake in administrative costs that would be lower, but to be

1:30:49able to handle that for these civic associations and neighborhood groups that want to do the right thing in their in their streetscapes and allow us the the flexibility to not assess those fees. So just those two separate items if if if the board is interested I I would would love a motion and direction

1:31:06I I strongly encourage we do that because when you get a group like Leisure Beach and if you saw the even the entryway they they make it look really nice. They maintain the grass all the way through. They want to come in and do landscaping. They were going to spend I think five thousand dollars on plants and trees and whatever all the way through. And I said, look, I said I appreciate you doing that for our right away to make your community look better, but I've even got a landscaping grant that I want to see. It took about two months of time for Colleen to go back and forth. between getting an answer from staff to what the permit was gonna be, how what the

1:31:36cost was gonna be, how did it get it all done and then the final thing, not only was it the fifty dollar fee, but the twelve hundred dollars on top of that, and they were just getting frustrated. It was during American cleanup.

1:31:45Mm-hmm. That's

1:31:45when they wanted to when the time battle up. So we're trying to make it all Get citizens to take care of their proper you know properties for us, I think is a great thing. They want to make the community look better, it's a good thing. Right? Instead of dealing with code like you've got to deal with in that situation. So I would love to see a motion that we So what what's the motion

1:32:02you need?

1:32:03Go ahead. No, go ahead. Yes sir.

1:32:05So really really really two things. One for the case of of this leisure beach right away permit that the board waive the fees uh associated with that action. And secondly, to uh direct us to go back and amend the fee schedule for civic associations, HOAs that want to do beautification projects and right-of-way that we can either reduce or eliminate the fee. I would want staff.

1:32:26Eliminate.

1:32:26Yeah.

1:32:27Eliminate. We we have this problem with Gulf Harbors.

1:32:29I'll make that motion.

1:32:33I'll second it. I have a second. Any further discussion? Uh I just commend it.

1:32:37What's the motion to eliminate?

1:32:39Eliminate. I I took it as eliminate.

1:32:41Okay. Eliminate and amend I will vote yes. I appreciate Corbolic coming with a tax and fee cut. There we go. We did it. I'm surprised.

1:32:51So better be happy with it.

1:32:56Do you want a second and I'll withdraw my second you got it.

1:33:00All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Mike, thank you very much. Uh you you've jumped on this when you've heard about it to go through and thanks for taking it forward this way. Thank you. And thanks to Nikki Spiritual She did a great job helping us to get the the language we needed as well. And Colleen, thank you for doing a great job helping it make that happen. And the the the people went out there they did the work and uh I told them how to go apply for the grant. So thank you. Anything else? Okay.

1:33:28County Attorney. I don't have anything for you today. Okay. Thank you. Clerk McConfell.

1:33:34Yes, um one thing. Um Mr. Govert was talking about how Um the tourism is back into normal here in Pasco County. I can tell you that passport applications in my office are Record numbers. We held a Saturday event because offices are usually closed on the weekends. So we held a Saturday event this past Saturday for four hours and within that four hours we had a record number of passport applications, three hundred and nine passport

1:34:04applications, and that's processing about seventy-seven applications an hour. The line here in Dade City was out of the office, down the hall and to the stairwell in the government center. Yes. Um, and a question I usually get when I'm out and about is, you know, what is the turnaround plan for the passport agency to process passports so I can give that information A routine passport is between eight to eleven weeks at right now. Which is actually pretty good.

1:34:35considering the volume that is being sent to them. And then expedited is between five to seven weeks. So you have to pay extra fee for expedited. Now, there is a way to get it even sooner for, let's say, um urgent travel, which is a non emergency case, you need to go in an emergency and get that. You have to go to the actual passport agency. So the closest one is either Miami or Atlanta. And you can get in um get one on an urgent basis within a fourteen days, fourteen

1:35:05business days, or let's say um there is an emergency uh situation, they'll process it within three days. So So is that the same for renewal? No, renewal you mail in. Um so you can mail in your renewals. But um how what's the turnaround time? Um, for renewals, I don't know the turnaround time up. I'm assuming that it is the same as um doing it uh routine. But I am not certain.

1:35:32And it's so something to know about the passport, 'cause I have this coming up on mine, is that um Mine expires I think in December.

1:35:41Mm-hmm.

1:35:41Um, but there are some countries who won't let you in yeah. If you're within six months. So I'm correct. I'm I've got a trip in April and a few a few out of the country coming up and I've got to get my Renewed.

1:35:54I'll look for the um renewal uh turn on time

1:35:57and I'll let you know. Thank you.

1:36:01It's all also somehow I am flagged and every time I leave a country I have to go s talk to somebody. I don't know what's going on with me but Apparently I'm a terrorist suspect. Mr

1:36:12Did she say she was on a terrorist watch list? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know

1:36:16how it happened. I

1:36:17am

1:36:17not happy about it and I have complained to Homeland Security.

1:36:22No, I'm I'm done. Thank you.