I submitted a public records request to the governor’s office. I asked for the documents that were supposed to have been sent to them from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) regarding Bob Dean’s residency issue. Here is the response I got. Continue reading
An Interesting Response
More Good News!
Updated to include a link to the judge’s ruling. Yay!
The swap agreement between Monroe County and the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District (District) cleared another hurdle today. The bond validation hearing went smoothly.
Four years after I raised the funding disparity issue, Key Largo taxpayers still haven’t seen a dime from the county to fix it. I was definitely not the first to bring it up. My predecessor and several sewer board members have also registered their concerns. This has been going on for years. The positive outcome of the bond validation hearing brings Key Largo taxpayers one step closer to basic fairness. Continue reading
Toppino Project History
Richard Toppino of Charley Toppino & Sons has recently been appointed to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) board. He will replace Melva Wagner who resigned in September after it became publicly known that she no longer lived in the Keys and was attending meetings by phone. Continue reading
Posted in Bubba System, Conflict of Interest, FKAA, State government
Tagged Conflict of Interest, Florida Keys, Rick Scott
Leave a comment
The Silver Lining
Keys government needs a good scrubbing. There’s no doubt about that. What’s happening at the school district right now is incredibly disheartening.
Even so, there are School Board members and Audit and Finance Committee members who are expressing strong disapproval and demanding answers. You might think, “Well, duh, isn’t that their job?” It is. What’s nice is that they are actually doing it. That, believe it or not, is the silver lining here. Baby steps, people, baby steps. Continue reading
Posted in BOCC, Bubba System, Monroe County, School District
1 Comment
Connecting the Dots – Richard Toppino
Richard Toppino’s appointment to the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) board is, in my mind, extremely questionable.
Mr. Toppino was very clear in his application for the position. He is an officer at two companies that do a significant amount of business with the FKAA. To be quite honest, the conflict was so blatant I didn’t even think Toppino would be seriously considered. I am surprised and disappointed by this decision.
It makes me wonder who’s pulling the stings? And to what end? Continue reading
Posted in Bubba System, Conflict of Interest, FKAA, State government
Tagged Conflict of Interest, Florida Keys, Rick Scott
Leave a comment
Gambling With the Future
A few days ago, I wrote a blog post about the county administrator’s contract renewal. While I acknowledged that the county administrator had done a good job in some respects, those successes have been overshadowed by inexcusable failures. The taxpayers are still paying the price for those failures today. Continue reading
Posted in BOCC, Bubba System, Monroe County
1 Comment
Interesting Choice
Gov. Rick Scott appointed Richard Toppino to the seat vacated by Melva Wagner on the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority Board (FKAA). It’s an extremely interesting choice as Toppino’s family business does a lot of work with the FKAA. Potential conflicts galore!
I don’t know Richard Toppino personally. He might be alright. But there were eleven applicants for the slot. I wrote about them here. Many with zero conflicts. Why choose this particular applicant?
Just sayin’.
Posted in Bubba System, Conflict of Interest, FKAA, State government
Tagged Conflict of Interest, Florida Keys, Rick Scott
1 Comment
One Week From Today
My understanding is that the bond validation hearing will take place on December 10, one week from today.
The bond validation hearing is the next step in putting the swap agreement into action. The swap agreement will allow for the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District (District) to trade its state money to Monroe County for unrestricted sales tax money. The District can then use that money to pay down debt and finally provide much needed financial relief to its ratepayers. Hopefully! Continue reading
It’s Time For a Change
From KeysNews.com: Gastesi requests contract extension.
I don’t care much for Gastesi. I think he’s sleazy and I don’t like how he operates. He’s been caught in numerous false statements and questionable acts – more than enough to terminate him for cause. In my opinion at least. Continue reading
Posted in BOCC, Bubba System, Monroe County
1 Comment
The Real Poop 