More Cat Debate

Posted on April 5, 2016 by M_Blank

siamese-cat-408761__180There’s another good letter on KeysNet.com about the feral and/or free-roaming cat issue.

Trap-Neuter-Release Works by John Donnelly.  There is evidence to believe that it can.  I found this site, which takes an in-depth look at TNR.  It is critical of TNR, but not reflexively so.  The take-away here is that TNR on its own is problematic, but TNR combined with other methods can be effective.  Another method cited is providing sanctuary – sterilization plus cat enclosures for non-adoptable cats.  Notice that this site, as critical as it is of TNR, does not recommend euthanasia as the first or only option. Continue reading →

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KeysNews.com – Fiddling While Rome Burns

Posted on March 30, 2016 by M_Blank
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Quit fiddling and put out the fire already!

I saw this editorial on KeysNews.com a while back:  Fiddling While Rome Burns.  I like it.  It’s well done.  Some of the local Keys governments leap from “shiny object” to “shiny object”.  There’s no plan.  There’s no data.  There are no logical priorities.  If there’s an opportunity to waste time or money, they’ll gladly take it.

There’s an adage that’s been very helpful to me in life:  If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority.  To be effective you have to decide what’s most important and then spend your time and resources on that.  Monroe County government does the exact opposite. Continue reading →

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Big Coppitt – Missing Documents

Posted on March 30, 2016 by M_Blank
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Don’t ask any questions, just pay up.

Update:  Missing document found.  See here.

There’s no question that Monroe County spending on Cudjoe Regional is out of control.  That project now costs over $22,000 per EDU.  (An EDU is equivalent to one single family home.)  But Cudjoe Regional wasn’t the county’s first wastewater project to go so far off the rails.  That would have been Big Coppitt, which cost over $21,000 per EDU.  In both cases, county-wide taxpayers were expected to come to rescue.  We taxpayers financed almost half of Big Coppitt and over 60% of Cudjoe Regional.  I’d say we’ve certainly earned the right to ask questions and have those questions answered truthfully.  Wouldn’t you agree? Continue reading →

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Butterflies, Mosquitoes and County Stupidity

Posted on March 29, 2016 by M_Blank

SchausSwallowTailBigI found this thought-provoking article about the Schaus swallowtail butterfly and pesticides.  It’s pretty interesting when combined with the possibility of releasing genetically modified mosquitoes and the threat of emerging mosquito-borne illnesses (like the Zika virus).

There’s also this very aggravating story about the county’s “dilemma” when it comes to buying land with state money.  If they’re not prepared to go forward with $5 million in land purchases this year they might lose the opportunity for future money. Continue reading →

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Upper Keys Animal Control – Seeking Clarity

Posted on March 24, 2016 by M_Blank

kittens-555822_960_720My letter to the editor was published on KeysNet.com.  There’s another one about “cat hoarding”.  My letter is about the county’s mishandling of the issue – specifically by inflating the number of animals handled at the Lower Keys shelter and the Middle Keys shelter.  I can only guess this was done to obscure the differing funding levels.  Or perhaps there’s another SUFA-type situation brewing.  It’s impossible to say at this point.

The other letter , I think, is supposed to be a defense of the Upper Keys animal shelter.  The blame for the high cat population is placed squarely on “those people” from Miami.  A nebulous problem without a solution. Continue reading →

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Another Appointed Board

Posted on March 23, 2016 by M_Blank

puppetI ran across this item today about the Lower Florida Keys Hospital District board.  Mr. Harry Bethel wrote the governor about the conduct of the board.  Here are a couple of his concerns.

In his letter to the governor, Bethel questions the absolute authority and possible conflicts of interest surrounding Dr. Mehmet Aylin Atilla’s oversight of the contract between the hospital and a group of emergency room doctors called MD4ER. Bethel also questions Atilla’s authority to bring disciplinary charges against local doctors and the contracted ER doctors’ apparent failure to contact a patient’s primary physician when that patient is brought to the emergency room.

Bethel also addresses the fact that for 11 months last year the emergency room doctors, who bill separately from the hospital, did not accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, the largest insurance provider in the county. During that time, patients with BCBS insurance who visited the emergency room at Lower Keys Medical Center were charged significantly more for emergency room doctors who were considered “out-of-network” because they were not properly credentialed by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

This excerpt really got me. Continue reading →

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More About Feral Cats

Posted on March 23, 2016 by M_Blank
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How many kitties do you see?

My letter to the editor about the high kill rate at the Upper Keys animal shelter has been published in the Free Press and the Blue Paper.  It basically calls out the county for lying about animal control in the 2015 State of the County report.

Even though I’ve gotten used to all the county’s lying, I have to admit that it still shocks me from time to time.  This animal control situation is one of those times.  What would it take to improve the kill rate at the Upper Keys shelter?  Another $50,000 per year?  Another $100,000?  The numbers are so small in the scheme of things.  Why would county staff mislead the public about something like this?  I’ve caught them in lie after lie, but even I’m shocked they would stoop this low. Continue reading →

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Peary Court Reaction

Posted on March 23, 2016 by M_Blank
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It’s getting crowded in here.

The Key West Citizen wrote an interesting editorial on the failure of the Peary Court referendum, “What’s Worse:  Bad Decision or No Decision“.  It’s a disjointed follow-up to the editorial written before the referendum, “Peary Court:  A gift horse or white elephant“.

The premise of the newest editorial seems to be that the purchase of Peary Court should have gone through even if it turned out to be a bad decision.  Hmmmm.  I’m 100% sure I disagree with that.  The editorial waves away questions about the steep price and the condition of the units.  Strangely enough, the earlier editorial spotlighted these issues and urged caution. Continue reading →

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Feral Cats and Marsh Rabbits

Posted on March 22, 2016 by M_Blank

Another perspective on the feral cat issue can be found at www.bigpinekey.com.  There’s an interesting article about endangered marsh rabbits.  It’s another chapter in the feral cat debate.  Do feral cats play a role in the decline of the marsh rabbit?  That’s unclear.  Again Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) is suggested as a way to reduce the “feral”cat population, which is a good thing in and of itself.

 

The Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (FKSPCA) runs the Key West animal shelter and has recently took over operations of the Middle Keys shelter.  The FKSCPA has a small-scale TNR program.  Forgotten Felines of the Florida Keys (FFFK) also runs a TNR operation, as does the Grayvik Center in Ocean Reef. Continue reading →

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Connecting the Dots Update

Posted on March 18, 2016 by M_Blank

I updated the Connecting the Dots page to show the relationship between Heather Carruthers and her campaign donor, Julia Fondriest.  Ms. Fondriest serves as an officer in the 3406 North Roosevelt Corporation and also stands to benefit to a great extent from Carruthers’s “tax shift” proposal.  Interesting that.

It’s always good to know who’s who.

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