Public comment on boat lifts and Sun Lake Road
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, May 19, 2020
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 13m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 90% of 63 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
There we go. 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 on or other business under their purview. Dude Teen operations and to safeguard the well-being and safety of all our citizens and staff, today's public comment will be handled differently. First we will take public comment from callers that have preue. After we read into the public record comments, documents, PowerPoints, or
videos that have been identified by members of the public to be read out loud or played at the meeting, not to exceed three minutes for each. This new format does not waive the request that when you address the board, comments are not directed personally against a commissioner or a 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 the three minutes are up. Please note that calls will be disconnected after the three minute mark. Madam Clerk. I know we have pretty much for the speak, so if we could go ahead and um Start with that.
Great. Can you hear me?
I can, thank you.
Great. So we had four people pre register. Three of the four um have called in. We will start with Mr. Santos Roman.
Mr. Sandos, please state your name and address for the record and start your comment.
uh Santos Roman [address removed]
Go ahead and start your comments or something.
Um I'm not sure what I need to be saying. I know I signed up. Uh this is for the Board of County Commissioners, correct?
Yes, sir. Um this is so you can comment on any item pertaining to the agenda?
Well this is my first time calling, I'm not sure the procedures of it.
That's quite all right. You can just share any comments that you have with the board at this time.
Um I don't have none in mind right now.
Okay, sir. Well thank you for calling. We appreciate that. that. Have a great day. That'll be it. Yes, sir. Uh thank you. You're welcome.
The next caller signed up is Mr. Daryl Whitlock.
Mr Widlock, if you could please state your name and address for the record and start your comment.
Yes, my name is Daryl Whitlock. I live at [address removed].
Okay, go ahead.
I like to address uh the board members today about an issue about the new boat lift covers that's being installed up and down our coast. And all around Florida right now. Last week I happened to talk to two actually three building inspectors. They was coming out inspecting my neighbor's lift. And the first thing came out of their mouth was that he had an illegal cover on his boat. It was the same aluminum cover that I actually had uh deposit of a thousand dollars down in
the same company to put on my list. And he says it's illegal, it's gotta be removed. And I talked to him uh for extensive amount of time about this issue.
It alters the structure of the boat lift. And I told them that my deposit was non refundable and why are they allowing people to do this? out there and they see it. day after day with these is the boat lift covers that's out there. And there's probably fifty and a hundred right in my neighborhood or right right around us. And he said There's a Pasco County Attorney has been telling them that they are illegal. I again I asked him, I says, How can we
do this? I says how about with we altered it and made a clamping system for it? And they did tell me that that would probably bring it in a gray area. that it probably allowed them to do it. But he didn't know what the the attorney would be saying about this. But I thought this should be brought to the attention of the board members uh to know what's going on here. I mean, really them building inspectors to me are there to help protect us as uh as neighbors and uh as
homeowners. And if this is illegal what's being done, why aren't they stopping them from doing that? And tell 'em the right way to do it or tell 'em not to do it. 'Cause I know all the way up and down the coast these are being installed in different counties.
Sir for your comment.
Other than that, that's about all I wanted to really put out there with it. Uh I did I did talk to him about that and I guess that he did say that with that all mine's gonna be altered this weekend. I actually this week. Um later this week this will be installing it. I did contact the company which is Waterway Boat Lip Covers. I think they're out of uh Pona Gorda. And they were making it where they could clamp it on to my lift. And I'm hoping that this does not Uh create a big problem for
me 'cause right now the way things have been going with This corona, the the coronavirus thing, a lot of people have been working. So a lot of us that put out anywhere from four to five, six, seven thousand dollars on these lists. For no reason if the county comes in and tells them we they're that they're illegal, that's a lot of money to come out of our pocket. Bring nothing.
Right. Thank you, Mr. Woodlock.
The last person who is on the phone is Ms. Julia Gartenick. And just to let you know, uh Chairman, we also have a public comment via email that they asked to be read into the record.
I I time out real quick. You can have either public comment
Oh okay, gotcha, gotcha, okay. Thank you. Go ahead.
Ms. Bartanek, if you could please state your name and address for the record and start your comment.
Ms. Bartneck?
Hello?
Ms. Bartanek?
Ms. Barginett.
We also have a public comment via email that they asked to be read into the records.
Ms. Bartanek? Yes, hi. Yes, ma'am, if you could please state your name and address for the record and start your comment. Yeah.
My name is Julia Bartonick and my address is [address removed] Yes, I'm
here. Okay. Go ahead and start unsart your comment.
Okay, yes. My comment is that I am calling to speak in opposition Again, D A twenty Yeah.
Zero zero six eight. And I am calling firstly to oppose this. Uh
And calling an opposition suggests three million dollars. to be spent spent on the extension of the Sun Lake Road. And this is for several reasons. Uh first and foremost we are in the midst of a pandemic and we are entering into hurricane season. And for such a large allotment of monies come out of the Pasco County taxpayers offer. is reprehensible and irresponsible at this time. If
we are going to build a road, which I am again for environmental reasons. We need to let the corporate stakeholders pay because they are the ones that are predominantly going to profit. over a Sun Lake Road extension up to State Road fifty two. So I'm speaking in opposition of the A twenty High Sink zero zero six eight and the allocation of three million four hundred and fifty thousand dollars of taxpayers' monies that will build
another unnecessary road when there are roads that are in need of repair and widening in Pasco County. Also, if we continue the slicing and dicing of Pasco's environmental system, we will become another concretized Tinellas County. We really do not want to be like Tinellas County because what makes Pasco County unique is that we do have some green spaces left. These green spaces are more valuable than
gold or diamonds. They are extremely valuable for aquifer recharging ecosystems and also for the health and welfare of our citizens. If Pasco becomes entirely a concretized city environment like Mellus, people are no longer going to want to reside here. And again, any construction from with taxpayers' money needs to go into to our existing infrastructure and we do not need to continue
the splicing and dicing of Pasco's ecosystems because we will suffer long-term consequences that are very, very detrimental to our community. Thank you very much.
Thank you, ma'am.
Um We have w one or two emails. I think it's two emails now that um
Put into the record if I'm not correct.
Yeah, so we we receive two emails, one to be read, the other one is just to receive and file.
Okay. So we can go ahead and read the one into the record please.
Okay, this email is from a Mr. Richard Somerville. He res uh his address is [address removed], and it regards agenda item number C thirty. Dear County Administrator Biles, please share this comment with the Pasco County Commissioners before the 519-20 County Commission meeting. I am against the County spending money on Sun Lake Boulevard as specified in Memorandum No. BA
20-0068 and Budget Amendment Number 2013. The allocated amount is three million four hundred and fifty thousand of ten million. This would allow the extension of Sunlight Boulevard from Ridge Road extension to State Road 52. I am against this allocation and against the construction of Sun Lake Boulevard. More land needs to be preserved for nature and wildlife and to prevent species extinction. More roads contribute to more automobile traffic and more air pollution and more commuting and
more greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate change. More roads means more development, which means more trees destroyed, which reduces the number of trees, which are important as carbon sink. Development also reduces the amount of carbon stored in the soil. Development also uses water and relies on stormwater ponds to recharge the aquifer that uses up more natural land. Floodplain compensation ponds, which are required if building in a floodplain, also
uses up more natural land. For the above reasons, I am against the allocation of 3.3 million four hundred and fifty thousand of ten million for Sun Lake Boulevard. Instead, please allocate this money to purchase lands for preservation, which will help wildlife and endangered species to survive. reduce traffic and help prevent climate change. Sincerely, Richard Somerville.
All right. Thank you, ma'am. That will do it for public comment. We will now end that.
The other letter that you got, where was that from?
It was from uh Diane Cobernic.
Thank
you.
Thank you. And
that would be up this afternoon public hearing.