Commissioner reports on shelters, trails, tourism, telephone poles

1:56:08I was wondering if you voted on the I. You must have heard that too. I heard nothing. Okay. All right. Um I think we're done. So back to your commissioner. We're back to Commissioner Oakley and we're on Commissioner Yeager.

1:56:24Okay, okay. I guess it's well I want to start with um I am working with um Andy Fossa, and we are working with the Lighthouse of the Blind and the Deaf of Hard of Hearing for Hurricane Shelters. So we're going to utilize a school on the east side and on the west side in the gymnasium to have a special special section where they can be cared for. We're gonna make sure Sure, we have the appropriate signage, and we are going to be getting the ASL logo so it

1:56:54would be on all social media, and also make sure that we have a contract with an interpreter. We are also trying to get some money for iPads, and we would utilize a program called VRI. So we're just trying to make sure our citizens with disabilities.

1:57:22Commissioner O maybe many public entities have to um get new iPads or whatever every so often. And they can you might be able to get them donated when they do the refresh.

1:57:35Okay.

1:57:35Yeah, so you have to look at it.

1:57:38So um and this is um I went with the early learning coalition. I'm on the the board there and we visited three preschools and um one of them we read a book to and the other two we just we I don't know we were there it was like three hours so um and these kids were so cute they they didn't have like strange or danger they were coming up uh wanting to play with us And it was just the it was the highlight of my week. It was great. So and this

1:58:08was the Premier's Breakfast, which I know a lot of you were there, so and that was great. Kathy Pearson had an award. She was on vacation, but she was recognized for all her amazing work. So um, and that's all I have.

1:58:27Commissioner Mariano. Uh just had a couple of things. One was at Premier Breakfast as well.

1:58:33Let's say what a what a great turnout again. They do a great job presenting what they do. Speakers are great. Just uh just doing a great service for us.

1:58:46And we had the beach tennis tournament up at uh Sunwest Park. And uh one of the players has actually won the uh championships for the ladies on on Sunday. Um But we got a little issues up there that we can deal with. When when the water gets up, there's no drainage put underneath. The sand is not the same quality that it used to be. So Keith is looking at putting in a plan to put some drainage in so that you can have this a little bit better sand, number one.

1:59:18So there's a way to put a retaining wall in. It could probably bring another row of a seven courts that could be out there, which beach tennis. We had people coming from Brazil. Uh Puerto Rico, Texas. Matter of fact the the American team that won Saturday uh was from Texas and uh they played a great game w right there.

1:59:36But are they playing in sand with those rocks?

1:59:38Well they did play on that that was a part a little to the side. Okay. But we was kind of draining down at the end. But if you look at all the water in these fields, it was just tough to go. And again, they didn't put drainage in place. And again, the sand quality is not what it used to be. Uh he got he got us some sand in the just is not as good and and the players made comments of it. Matter of fact, the American team that actually won on Saturday was afraid to play on it almost didn't play. And the gentleman who was in the finals for the men, uh, in the in the finals in the last game, he was playing with a student. It was really

2:00:08kind of cool. So he had the teacher and the student playing together, and they got all the way to the finals. And uh right down to probably halfway through, uh, he came down hard and hurt his knee and he couldn't finish the game. He had to fall foot off. So I I don't want to see that again. The only negative complaint was really to that situation. They loved the park. They loved seeing the wakeboarding out there. They loved seeing the floatable out there. The trail around the park. They were like throwing because they're all they're all families there. And they played

2:00:38music all the way through. And they just they just had a great time. They want to come back again. And I told them I was going to work on making some improvements. out there and we're gonna work on that with uh with Keith as we as we speak now. But um that's all I got. Thank you.

2:00:54Um Nothing? Okay, one of you two. Nothing. No

2:00:59me?

2:01:00Okay, to me, it's

2:01:01to

2:01:01you. Okay, um well we mentioned already about keep Pasco beautiful. Um Uh you can go to keep Pasco Beautiful Or dot org to sign up. That Okay, that's that site visit to G and H with the Congressman Bilarakis. I also went with him He asked me to attend. Um he's it's not on here, but he spoke you can go to the next picture. He spoke to um The city of New Port Richey He he got a a congressional allocation for them to build senior housing. um

2:01:31in the city of New Port Richey and He was having a lot of trouble getting that through. And he got a lot of money for them. So um he asked me to go and support, so I did. Hopefully That's moving forward. If you know anyone in the city of New Port Richey.

2:01:47No, we've we're moving on to a different location.

2:01:50Oh, so we're leaving the uh recreation. Yeah. Well I told 'em if they don't want it we'll take it but I don't know. Are they staying in the city or are they moved to a

2:01:59we're just looking around right now.

2:02:00Okay. Um

2:02:02uh no because we would have had to um there was a senior center on on the parcel, so we would have had to knock down that senior center and we did not want to do that.

2:02:12Oh I was told it was going behind the w the the weight the skateboard part where those trees are in the back corner. Yeah,

2:02:18no. So we're we're just looking at a new piece of land.

2:02:21So Okay, my staff attended the ribbon cutting for the Elfers Spur Trail extension. This is an extension of the Pinellas Trail along the former railroad border that's owned by the City of Tarpet Springs. It stretches 1.2 miles northwest from the city's North Anclope Nature Park to Anclote Boulevard, and it connects with the Pasco County's Anclote Coastal Trail. Trail which needs some trees along it, along Anclove Boulevard. Um And

2:02:53some of that's in Penales County, so we need permission from Penales County to um put some trees along it, shade it a little bit. We built the trail in Penellas County with a a an agreement and I'm pretty sure it agreed it was also we could put some landscaping on it. Um The refurbished Alpher Spur will include mid block crosswalks, advanced warning signage of Dixie Highway, US nineteen, Alter Nineteen, and L and R Industrial Boulevard. They received a Florida Department of Environmental Protection The Recreational Trails

2:03:23Program Grant to offset the cost. This is kind of a big deal because it connects to our coastal enclave trail that one day is going to connect to Sunwest Park, right Jack? To me the coastal enclave trail is the best trail in the county. So beautiful. Um okay I was a guest judge for the Chopped Competition. Um and we had two of the three contestants here Um, Jacques what I can't remember his first name. Jack Hakeem. Oh yeah, Jack Hakeem and Mike Wells. Um as we all

2:03:53know Mike doesn't touch anything healthy. He only eats meat and bread. Um so it was so funny to see him uh cooking here. Um of course he brought in a professional chef right there on on his right and um and Jacques hired this award winning professional chef. Um But Mike didn't win one thing. I did vote for hit for his appetizer, but um it was very good. But I I couldn't convince my other judges

2:04:24to uh to award it to him. Uh but Jacques won two and um the lady in the middle won the for the entree. And um but Mike did bring in the most money, so he was happy. Okay, um that's a great event if you guys ever have a chance to to go that's a lot of fun. So this is something I've been meaning to bring up.

2:04:45We have an ordinance, I mean our rules in this county are that tires have to be kept cu in a covered l location. They cannot be exposed to the elements. Um, one it's unsightly, but two, it's more from the Department of Health. When they they trap water And then there's mosquitoes and the mosquitoes have disease. And we are not getting this done. Somehow we have forgotten that these are our rules. So I had um Jenny just run out for an hour today and just take a few

2:05:15pictures on US 19 of what's going on. And this is going on all over the county. So we need to um especially if you see people are are getting very sick right now from some of these mosquito-born diseases, we need to enforce our our regulations. and tell them they can't they cannot be piling their tires outside. Um okay last week uh I don't think I took any photos, but um I was at the Governor Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism in Orlando. Oh that oh

2:05:45there is one? Okay, so actually the governor was there and the governor's wife was there. So it's the first time since Governor Scott that I think that we had a a governor at the governor's conference on tourism. Um they were they were rolling out a new campaign. It was pretty cool. Can you go back? Can you go back? Um Uh uh f and and it's the new campaign in Florida is called Florida's. If you remember they had Pitbull. And then they had another singer, I can't remember who the other one was. Well, this time it's

2:06:16Jimmy B they're honoring Jimmy Buffett and he has a song named Floridays. And um So the this guy that's in that with the guitar. That's Jimmy Buffett's guitar. And my husband knew who he was right away, Mac Mac and Nenny or something like that. He's one of the coral reefers. Yeah. And um and then the other guy to the left is the president of Jimmy Buffett's Margaret Ritoville Inc. uh you know, his business entity. And um I I had to leave uh the second day at the end of the day, so

2:06:46I didn't get to stay for the night time, but the co the coral reefers were playing. They are at at the tourism so uh uh Did I say it right, coral reefers? Coral reefer band. Coral reefer band, yeah. But um you'll be hearing this. Probably a

2:06:58few reefers.

2:07:03Um so uh anyway, uh tourism numbers are up and and um they're doing better than they thought they were going to. So we didn't uh win any awards this year, but we're hoping for next year. We have some great ideas. Um There were some really interesting awards that were given out that gave us pause to think. Um Okay.

2:07:25Yesterday, driving home. Driving up Stark. Oh, okay, this was sent to me by Mike Cox, former county commissioner. Uh He says this is happening all over the place. You know, duke's coming in and putting in new polls. Um but they're leaving the old ones. And there's there's like a wire. They're cutting off the tops of the old ones. But there's one wire left on the old ones, which I think is a telephone wire. Um, so imagine the visual clutter 'cause

2:07:55I can't I can't stand those telephone poles to begin with. But now they're leaving another one everywhere? So I just I need to Try and figure out what's going on. You know, I I want our county staff to reach out to Duke and say, is this temporary? I mean usually the telephone lines are on their polls. And I'm I'm and I'm just guessing that's what's left. Didn't I send you two pictures?

2:08:19You can see there's still a little There may oh I don't even know if there's one on that one. But they're just cutting off the the the tops of the old poles and leaving 'em. So, not okay. Um all right, so the sports facilities companies began the management operations. This is my t T T D C update besides the governors conference. So the new company has uh officially begun at Wiregrass Sports Complex and um we are uh

2:08:50looking forward to great things from them. And I just wanna say, Commissioner Mariano I think you need new sand out there at Sun West. I agree. Commissioner Yeager, um I saw online the discussion about the park out at Moon Lake. Um And you know what? We need to fund parks. We we we did not fund their maintenance budget. And so this is what this is what happens when I showed you what's going on. I showed you Green Key Park