Emergency Services – Who, Where and How Much?

Posted on February 3, 2016 by M_Blank
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Please.  No more.

Commissioner Heather Carruthers has been spamming us with one idea after another lately.  First it was light rail.  Then it was the logo contest.  Now it’s this emergency services surtax, which thankfully hasn’t gained much traction.  It won’t be upon us until 2018, according to this news story.  But it will be interesting to see if the county continues to push it, and if so how they will try to spin it.

Carruthers and her friend, the iPhone Bandit, claim that if emergency services are paid for with a sales tax instead of property taxes, the cost burden will shift from local property owners to tourists.  I’m not convinced.  At all.  Unlike the county, I actually ran some numbers.  I’ll tell you where I got those numbers and walk you through my reasoning. Continue reading →

Posted in BOCC, Fire and Ambulance, Monroe County | 1 Comment

Peary Court – Many Questions

Posted on February 1, 2016 by M_Blank

question-mark-358143__340Update:  There are a lot of people way ahead of me on this.  Check out the discussion here.  I found the bit about comparable rents especially interesting.

The Peary Court purchase is a very small piece of the affordable housing puzzle.  Supporters of the purchase have formed a Political Action Committee (PAC) called Housing First.  Peary Court would only provide 157 housing units, and it is unclear exactly how affordable those units would actually be.

There certainly is a need for affordable housing in Key West and throughout the Keys.  I cannot argue against that, nor do I want to.  But Peary Court is shaping up to be another enormous taxpayer-financed purchase – $55 million.  According to this story at KeysNet.com, only one bank responded to the city’s Request for Proposals (RFP) to provide financing the project.  Clearly, the banks don’t think this is good business so why should the taxpayers? Continue reading →

Posted in Affordable Housing, Bubba System, Key West | Leave a comment

Disappearing Emails?

Posted on January 31, 2016 by M_Blank

monkey-557586__340There’s another Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) scandal brewing – potentially.  Apparently the FKAA’s  Technical Services Manager sent around an email saying that all emails that haven’t been accessed in one year will be deleted.  Here’s the story at KeysNews.com.

FKAA’s attorney, Robert Feldman, had this to say in response:

“Our IT department is cleaning up our servers, but we have everything archived. We are not destroying emails,” Feldman said.

Continue reading →

Posted in Bubba System, FKAA, Public Records | Leave a comment

Off Topic – the Iowa Caucuses

Posted on January 31, 2016 by M_Blank

Found this video about how the Iowa Democratic Caucus works.  Now I know!

And here’s a link that talks about both the Democratic and Republican Caucuses.

Posted in Off topic | Leave a comment

Peary Court – The Next Big Rip Off?

Posted on January 29, 2016 by M_Blank

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Update:  There’s a nice write-up at goodmorningkeywest.com on this.  It actually answers some of the questions I asked below.  And here’s a link to the Housing First PAC started by Key West officials to push the purchase of Peary Court through.

The City of Key West is hoping to purchase the Peary Court apartment complex to provide 157 affordable housing units.  I’ve heard from some folks in Key West that are concerned about this.  I try to concentrate on issues that impact the Key Largo area, in particular.  However, I’m learning more and more that these seemingly local issues are often interrelated.  What happens in Key West can affect Key Largo and vice versa. Continue reading →

Posted in Affordable Housing, Bubba System, Key West | Leave a comment

Logo Contest Receives Chilly Reception

Posted on January 28, 2016 by M_Blank

New Monroe County Logo2It’s always interesting to see what grabs people’s attention.  Monroe County’s logo contest has generated some discussion over at KeysNet.com.  There are some amusingly snarky comments on this particular article.  The comment about using a mugshot was my absolute favorite, and it inspired another logo design  at left.

There are not one, but two letters to the editor on the subject.  The first one was about renaming the county.  The second one pointed out that this is a pretty crappy way to treat graphic designers.  Graphic designers are professionals who ought to get paid for the work they do just like any other professional.  They shouldn’t be expected to do their work for free, enter a contest and maybe win a whopping $500.  Great point.  Glad somebody put it out there.

Posted in BOCC, Bubba System, General Stupidity | 1 Comment

Sewer District – Missing the Point

Posted on January 28, 2016 by M_Blank

piggy-bank-970340__180Apparently the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District (District) voted to leave the folks in Monroe Park high and dry.  The District will not be providing service to that area despite the fact that there is state money available to do so.  Commissioner Norman Higgins was the only dissenting vote.

Here is the article from the Free Press.  Basically, the rationale for not providing service is that it doesn’t make good “business” sense.  Let’s be clear, the District is NOT a business.  It is a government entity charged with the responsibility of providing sewer service within a specified geographic area.

None of the sewer projects in the Keys make financial sense by the narrow text book definition.  Does that mean we simply let the marine environment go to pot?  Of course not!  Water quality underpins the economy and way of life in the Florida Keys.  This is what I mean when I say the District is missing the point. Continue reading →

Posted in Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District, KLWTD, Wastewater | Leave a comment

Toppino’s Appointment File

Posted on January 26, 2016 by M_Blank

puzzle-210785__340At the end of December I submitted a public records request to the Governor’s Office of Open Government.  I asked for Richard Toppino’s appointment file.  I got it on Friday.  There are a few items of interest, but first some general comments about the appointment process itself. Continue reading →

Posted in Bubba System, Conflict of Interest, FKAA, Public Records, State government | 1 Comment

Logo Contest – Disappearing Tax Money!

Posted on January 22, 2016 by M_Blank

New Monroe County LogoMy Friday habit is to crack open the Blue Paper first thing.  It turns out Monroe County is having a contest to update their government seal!

I think my entry is a winner for sure.  It’s modern with clean lines.  It’s eye-catching without being gaudy.  The logo really sums up what the county is all about:  they make our tax money disappear as if by magic.

I’ll submit and see what happens.

Posted in BOCC, Bubba System, General Stupidity, Monroe County | 1 Comment

Like Pulling Teeth -Toppino’s $9.5 Million Subcontract

Posted on January 21, 2016 by M_Blank

Maury PovichUpdated:  Fixed broken link.

Getting information from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) is like pulling teeth sometimes.  Good thing I don’t mind pulling teeth.

A while back, I asked the FKAA to provide a list of subcontractors on all it’s current projects.  It is standard practice to require a contractor to provide a list of subcontractors.  I got back this response saying that their contract documents include no such requirement.  That is so bizarre, I felt compelled to dig deeper.   Continue reading →

Posted in Bubba System, FKAA, Wastewater | 4 Comments