District – Unresolved Issues

Posted on June 28, 2016 by M_Blank

skull-527550_960_720I saw this story about the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District.  Looks like Tobin and Gibbs are still at it.

The fundamental debate is about how much control the board should have over staffing decisions – hiring, firing, salary, etc.  On a more basic level, it’s about transparency. A run-down of media coverage is provided here.

Comm. Gibbs has staked out a very extreme position.  He’s said the general manager is the “captain of the ship” and the “captain’s word is god”.  Hmmm…what if the board of the Rural Health Network had taken that position?  How long would the alleged thievery have gone on?

Fortunately, there’s nothing to suggest that the District is facing similar issues, but the board needs to be vigilant.  It’s not just about detecting wrong-doing (which is not the issue here).  It’s also about making sure the District is doing the best it can for the ratepayers. Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, KLWTD, Wastewater | Leave a comment

Dim Bulbs Discuss Canal Restoration

Posted on June 27, 2016 by M_Blank

light-bulb-503881__340I’m very uncomfortable with Monroe County’s canal restoration projects.  I discussed my thoughts here.  The current Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is incapable of managing a project of this magnitude, or of any magnitude really.  I don’t trust them to water my plants, let alone handle my tax money.  The latest story at flkeysnews.com does absolutely nothing to inspire confidence.

The county doesn’t know how much it will cost to complete the projects – somewhere between $200 million and $700 million.  At the high end, the cost rivals that of the wastewater projects, which were $430 million within the unincorporated area and about $800 million county-wide.  We know the cost of the canal projects could equal that of the wastewater projects, but will it have a comparable impact on Keys-wide water quality?  What are we getting for our money? Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Canal Restoration, Financial Condition | 1 Comment

The Swap Agreement and Cudjoe Regional

Posted on June 21, 2016 by M_Blank
wrench-717684__340

Finding the right tools.

This post about that “wacky” presentation by the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) generated a couple of interesting comments.

There’s one in particular I want to focus on today.  But I’ll start by saying this:

I get that Cudjoe Regional customers are upset.  They have every right to be.  But demanding that Key Largo’s $17 million in state money be diverted to Cudjoe Regional is ethically wrong, morally reprehensible and financially unsustainable.  Key Largo will pay $1,700 more per EDU for their sewer project than their neighbors in Cudjoe Regional.  Overall, Key Largo taxpayers will pay $26 million more – almost $2,000 more per EDU than their neighbors in the other unincorporated areas combined.  People need to know and understand this. Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Cudjoe Regional, Monroe County, Wastewater | Leave a comment

Editorial – Society of Jerks

Posted on June 17, 2016 by M_Blank

I saw this editorial on http://www.flkeysnews.com this morning.

We have a problem in this world because, more than ever, we tolerate, coddle and even encourage jerks to the point where we’re becoming a society of jerks.

Yes, it’s true. Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Off topic | Leave a comment

The County’s Sewer Expert

Posted on June 17, 2016 by M_Blank

backhoe-413903_960_720Update:  I found the iPhone Bandit’s resume.  I’m not seeing an “extensive background” in wastewater.  I guess the Citizen was leading us around by the nose again.  I wonder if they even looked at the resume before writing that article.  I’m guessing no.

It’s funny what I find digging through the archives.  I was researching something else about the Big Coppitt project and found this story on KeysNews.com from 2008 entitled “Commission taps sewer expert to lead county“.

Roman Gastesi is a sewer expert?  It’s hard to believe based on how the sewer projects turned out.  Why is he hiding his light under a bushel?

From the article:

The Monroe County Commission last Wednesday chose a new county administrator who has an extensive background working on one of the Florida Keys’ most important issues — wastewater.

Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Monroe County, Wastewater | Leave a comment

What the County Doesn’t Say – Long Term Debt

Posted on June 16, 2016 by M_Blank

BOCCMonroe County loves to brag about its financial condition.  Certain county commissioners love to claim that financial responsibility is a huge priority for them.  Hmmm… Continue reading →

Posted in Big Coppitt, BOCC, Budget, Cudjoe Regional, Financial Condition, Monroe County, Wastewater | Leave a comment

Carruthers and Her Cronies – Forgot One

Posted on June 15, 2016 by M_Blank

deceive-1299043__340Comm. Heather Carruthers proposed the Emergency Services Surtax (ESS) back in January.  The idea was to “shift” more of the cost burden of fire and emergency services from locals to tourists.  Unfortunately, the “white paper” written to support this proposal didn’t contain enough evidence to show that this is really how it would work.  To make matters worse, county staff was extremely reluctant to answer questions or verify statements made in the “white paper”.

So I did my own digging.  The results of all that can be found here.  According to my research, low-moderate income locals would actually pay more.  Essentially, the justification for the ESS turned out to be false.  The ESS wouldn’t help most locals at all.  It would hurt them.  A lot.  Especially renters. Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Elections, Fire and Ambulance | Leave a comment

Great Idea – Upper Keys Community Resource Council

Posted on June 15, 2016 by M_Blank

hands joining-770559__340Saw this story in the Free Press.  Several groups have come together to help people who are struggling in the Upper Keys.

Patrice Schwermer is the co-chair of the Upper Keys Community Resource Council (UKCRC).  She explained the group’s mission as follows.

Schwermer explained that while one church may have the funds for bus passes, another would have gift cards for the grocery store, and it was a struggle for one organization to meet all the needs that a family may have. She noted that Key West has a more fully developed network to guide people in times of trouble, with organizations such as the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition and Catholic Charities leading the way.

“Through these agencies, there’s a continuum of care,” she said. “They work well together.”

In this post about the Human Services Advisory Board (HSAB), I mentioned my concern that many HSAB agencies are run by boards exclusively from one geographical area.  That area is primarily, but not always, Key West.  On paper, many of these agencies serve the entire Keys.  But with zero representation from the Upper Keys, for example, how effectively can they serve the area?  Continue reading →

Posted in Human Services, Monroe County | Leave a comment

C-905 Dispute and Projects in General

Posted on June 14, 2016 by M_Blank

street-32607__340I swear I wrote about this somewhere before, but I can’t find it.  Anyhow, KeysNet/Reporter/KeyNoter has a story up about the C-905 bike lane project on their fancy, new website – www.flkeysnews.com.

This is the project where the contractor narrowed the lanes on C-905 by about six inches in order to install the new bike path.  As a result, the speed limit had to be lowered from 55 mph to 45 mph.  Oops.

It sounds like the county is going to settle.  They get $200,000 knocked off their bill.

How did this happen?  How did the county get so far into the project without realizing that the road wasn’t wide enough?

I understand mistakes happen, but these snafus are a regular thing.  At least this particular project didn’t go way over budget – as far as I know.  Things are bad and seem to be getting worse.

Posted in BOCC, Monroe County, Paving | Leave a comment

“Wacky” BOCC Can’t Even Buy Respect

Posted on June 14, 2016 by M_Blank
hot-air-balloon-401143__340

Who put this guy in charge?

I wrote here about an astonishing presentation prepared by a Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) staffer.  Why so astonishing?  For one thing, it’s a tacit admission that the Cudjoe Regional project is a failure.  There’s no more pretending that it’s the best, most super-whamodyne project in all the world.

It’s a refreshing change from Monroe County’s non-stop spin.  Although, even the county has backed off a little bit.  Even they’re not delusional enough to keep patting themselves on the back over this thing.

The presentation has a lot to say about who is at fault for the disappointing outcome and why.  The FKAA fails to mention what role they might have played in the whole thing.  That might be addressed in another post, but we certainly know that the FKAA does not behave in a way that inspires confidence.  Their own shady behavior and lack of transparency has done a lot to exacerbate perception problems and erode public trust. Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Cudjoe Regional, FKAA, Monroe County, Wastewater | 4 Comments