Public comment on movie theater and dental clinic

2:59Thank you, Mr. Steinsny. Um now is the time for public comment. Citizens are given an opportunity to comment on any item coming before the board during this public comment section. The board also takes public comment on items to be placed on a future board agenda and other business under their purview. Due to the COVID nineteen operations and the safeguard the well being and safety of our citizens and staff, today's public comment will be handled differently. First, we will take public comment from callers that have pre registered and are currently Yeah. After we will read into public comments, documents, PowerPoints, or videos that have been identified by members of

3:29the public to be read out loud or played at the meeting, not to exceed three minutes for each. The new format does Not waive the request that when you address the board, comments are not directed personally against a commissioner or team member, but rather directed at the issues. This provides mutual respect between the board members and the public. For those participants calling in, after stating your name and address for the clerk, the timer will be activated and we'll start a countdown. After two minutes, one beep will sound, letting you know that only one minute remains. After the time is up, two beeps will sound, indicating

4:00the three minutes are up. Please note the calls will be disconnected after the three minute mark. Madam Clerk, I see we have I think five people pre-registered to speak and also a number of emails to be read. to the record if we could go ahead and bring on the first caller please. I think Paula, you're controlling that today.

4:19That's correct. Ms. Chairman, the uh five that have pre-registered, um I've been informed only two are actually called in, and we can start with the fourth call uh the registered uh individual, which is Mr. Larry Ratan.

4:33Thank you.

4:35Good morning. Please state your name and address for the record and start your comment.

4:39Uh my name is Larry Rutan. Uh and I forgot the second part. My address is uh [address removed].

4:51Go ahead.

4:52And uh I'm uh good morning. My name is Larry Ratan. I'm the owner of Zupper Hill Cinema Tent. Uh I'm here today to ask your permission to open my theater. Uh Governor DeSantis' l last message said, clearly said, that phase one was completely open. Then he waved his hands like an umpire calling calling uh runner haunt safe at home. Uh movie theaters are in phase one. I'm very glad that restaurants, gyms, and

5:22bowling alleys are allowed to be open, but somehow I think theaters have been overlooked. We are much safer than those businesses because of the several reasons I listed in the cover page I sent to your commission. Two very important items that I forgot on that list was number one, was that we do not expect to be inundated with large amounts of business. Uh we are going to be playing older movies or just recently released movies uh because

5:52Hollywood has not opened up anything new lately. So we're not expecting a large amount of business. Secondly, I forgot that Pasco County infection rate for the coronavirus is relatively low compared to other counties. Pinellas County has opened up the theaters and Okeechobee County is also opening up theaters, movie theaters. Uh Pinellas County has got a far higher infection rate than Pasco County and especially in Zephyrhills.

6:23Mm-hmm. Uh the the cover page I I sent you uh has a very safe opening plan. And uh I would like to open the theater so that I can pay some bills. keep some employees on the job. and allow the public to get to back to some sense of normalcy. Um Uh the page the cover page I sent you explains uh very safe Opening. Uh the second document I sent you It was for safety protocol

6:54for reopening the theater. And the third document I sent you was a photograph of what 25% occupancy rate occupancy rate looks like. Actually I'd like to request fifty percent occupancy, but beggars can't be choosers. I would go with twenty-five if you so say. Can I answer any questions?

7:15Thank you, sir. Uh so during public comment we don't do a question and answer, but I think we will I'm getting an answer that you can listen to in one second, sir.

7:26Okay, I I I can hear you but it's just like a a an echo.

7:30Okay.

7:33Hello?

7:34Did did you have uh anything else to add, sir?

7:38Uh I'm I very much apologize, but all so I can hear is an echo and and talking in the background. I'm

7:44Mr. Riton, um the Chairman was asking if you had any additional comments.

7:49I do not have any additional comments other than the what I have on the documents that I sent. Uh center a commission.

7:57All right, sir. Thank you so much for your comments.

7:59Yes, ma'am, thank you so much.

8:01And and so hopefully z he's able to hear this um what I say now. Um Pasco County um never closed um movie theaters. Um that is up to his discretion. If he follows the C D C um guidelines and the health department guidelines, um that is up to him if he would like to open or not. Um Pasco County again did not do any additional orders. Uh we only follow what the

8:28So, yeah. I'm right. Yeah. So that is up to his discretion. Um

8:38Madam Clerk?

8:40Yeah.

8:56Just call me.

9:00Madam Clerk.

9:03I'm sorry, my I was on mute. Uh the next caller is the fifth registered individual, Miss Tammy Napy.

9:12Please state your name and address for the record and start your comment.

9:17My name is Tammy Nappe.

9:18My

9:19address is [address removed]. And I'm Right. Gonna talk about the closure closure of the Department of Health of Pasco, uh the Pediatric Dental Clinic.

9:35Commissioners, um the Florida Department of Health is closing its pediatric dental office. This office has served Pasco County's poorest of the poor children for over 25 years. In addition to the office on Little Road, a satellite office at Cox Elementary serves children on the east side of Pasco. Besides the clinics, we have fully equipped hygienist staff dental bus which visits Pasco Elementary Schools providing two sealants, oral hygiene instruction, and courtesy checkups. With

10:05Florida already in the bottom tier for underserved pediatric oral health care access, the termination of these programs seems ill-advised at best. For years low income parents have looked to the Department of Health Dental Office to provide care for their children. As you know, oral health is directly related to the body's overall health. The loss of this office will be profoundly felt by the underserved and already higher risk for poverty-related illness families in

10:35Pasco. We thirteen ladies who staff these offices have over a hundred ten years of combined Department of Health service. The service includes mandatory shelter duty during hurricane and flood emergencies. And during these times we have been separated from our families for days, but never once have we been recognized for this mandatory frontline service. We are dedicated public servants who will now lose our participation in the FRS retirement system, our access

11:06to the health insurance and possibly doctors we've had for years. The la the very last thing any of us expected to lose was was what we came to believe was job security directly related to helping impoverished kids and certainly not in the pandemic when unemployment rates in Florida are already staggering. My purpose here today as a member of the Pasco community is to voice my opposition to this closing and ask the board to also support the opposition, even though your own opposition would

11:36be little more than just a moral support. closing this facility will have an adverse effect on parents, children, and certainly on the dedicated staff of soon to be employed. former public servants. Thank you for your time.

11:55So if I'm not correct that was the last um person we have signed up for public Comment live public comment we do have Um apologize. We do have some emails, Madam Clerk. Um

12:09Chairman, those emails are for the afternoon session public comment.

12:15Okay. So we have nothing for the morning when it comes to the emails. Okay, great. Thank you so much.

12:25Okay.