Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

The teaching of the theory of evolution was made a requirement just last month. But now, Ronda Storms has introduced a bill that will allow teachers to contradict the theory of evolution. If the bill passes, educators will be able to teach anything they want, including pastafarianism:

Florida Sen. Ronda Storms, a Republican from Valrico, is taking on the theory of evolution.

On Friday she introduced an Academic Freedom Act designed to tweak the state’s recently adopted educational standard that calls for science teachers to teach evolution.

Storms said the new bill merely says teachers should have the freedom to teach what they want, including theories that may contradict the prevalent theories of biological and chemical evolution…

The bill does not specifically mention pastafarianism, but basically, if a teacher wants to present the beliefs of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, this bill would protect them.

Way to go, Ronda!

Update 1130am:  Replaced last paragraph. 

In preparation for upcoming mandated property tax cuts, Hillsborough County Commissioners Rose Ferlita and Al Higginbotham want to talk with the city of Tampa about merging both parks and recreation departments to save money.

Higginbotham says it makes no sense for both him and his neighbor to each buy a lawn mower, when one mower could do the job on both lawns.

But in an email to the Tribune, Mayor Pam says that the county doesn’t weed whack, or edge the driveway, or even put out any inviting gnomes:

“If our well-run department were to be merged into the larger bureaucracy of county government which serves its residents throughout the unincorporated area, we would lose out in determining the quality of our parks and programming as well as responsiveness to our citizens.”

She also suggested the county’s more conservative values would ruin public recreation, bringing up Ronda Storms attack on gay themed displays at libraries.

Of course, Hillsborough didn’t say if they would run this combined parks department or if the city of Tampa would be in charge. I wonder if Hillsborough County would even consider Tampa run their parks department (ha ha ha).

I use local parks, but only for recreation - I have no experience with other amenities such as after school care or organized sports - so I don’t really care if it is run by the city or the county. As long as it is safe, convenient, and easy to use. After all, it’s just a park.

I could have sworn that I remembered the current county commission reversing the ban on gay displays at libraries.  If they have, I cannot find it online.  After reading Mayor Pam’s entire email on the St. Pete Times website, and looking at Wayne Garcia’s piece about it, I see that the ban is still in effect.  All government facilities should be inclusive of all of our citizens, so it does matter who runs the parks.

Of course, it matters more who runs our government.

Once again, Ronda Storms uses her colorful language skills to dis an entire class of citizens.  But this time I happen to agree with her.

We wrote about the recent tax cut hike, and briefly mentioned a million dollar allocation for a noise wall at Cheval.  The Tribune’s Mark Holan’s article on Saturday tells us of a bit of the history about the Great Wall Of Cheval (the bold below is always my emphasis).

Cheval residents and the Florida Turnpike, operators of the Suncoast Parkway, have been fighting about the wall since before the road opened in February 2001. A sound wall provides a buffer along both sides of the road, but there are gaps. On the east side of the road, the gap includes the eighth fairway of the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay…

The state says two rounds of noise tests show there isn’t sufficient benefit for spending the money to close the gaps. The opening next to the golf course “isn’t benefiting enough people to warrant the wall,” [Florida Turnpike environmental manager Raymond] Ashe said Friday…

Apparently TPC wants to help improve their customers’ games, and have decided to blame the highway traffic.

The state says two rounds of noise tests show there isn’t sufficient benefit for spending the money to close the gaps. The opening next to the golf course “isn’t benefiting enough people to warrant the wall,” [Florida Turnpike environmental manager Raymond] Ashe said Friday…

So the State won’t pay for it. But Norman wants it done. And is willing to spend $1,000,000 of your county money for it:

Norman wants… to coax the state into a partnership to complete the wall. He linked his effort to the [previously] planned widening of the Veterans Expressway… “They’re eight-laning up to Van Dyke, which is a quarter-mile away from this gap, and… it’s going to greatly impact one of our communities,” Norman said.

The million-dollar county offer surprised state transportation officials, who are unaccustomed to offers like this… “In the past, we have not had any local government funding for any noise abatement” said Matthew Click, intergovernmental coordinator for the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. “This is also precedent-setting because they are asking us to consider construction outside the identified project area.”

The main thrust of the article suggests Jim Norman offered to help those poor, destitute Cheval residents with their noise-abatement wall because they contribute to his election campaigns.  I didn’t want to believe that.  I mean, no one expects direct help from an elected official simply because they donated money to the campaign, right?  But I don’t see any other plausable explanation.

Back to Ronda Storms: Norman suggested that plugging the gaps could cost $5 million, and the county should offer to throw in the $1M:

“I tell you, it’s pocket change,” Storms said.

“For who?” Norman asked.

“For the people who live in Cheval; they spend that on hot dogs on Saturday,” Storms replied.

Blair suggested that Cheval make use of the commission’s property tax cut, saying they “could take the millage reduction, put it together, and build two walls.”

Aye, aye, aye! So, not only do I agree with Ronda, but Brian Blair is making sense too? I gotta see a doctor.

Hey, as county commissioner, Jim Norman should be looking out for all his constituents, including those who happen to live in Cheval. But Jim Norman works for all of us in this county. This wall will never benefit anyone outside of that neighborhood, and only a few people within the neighborhood. If the State says they don’t need the wall, then they don’t need it.

Commissioners Ronda Storms, Brian Blair and Kathy Castor voted against the $1 million allocation. Ken Hagan, Tom Scott, Mark Sharpe, and Jim Norman voted to spend your money on this. November is right around the corner.

So Mark Holan has a cute little piece about a Myspace page that parodied our favorite BOCC loudmouth.

Storms discovered the profile Sunday during a routine search of her name on the Internet.

Routine search? You must get some pretty wacky stuff if you run that search I thought. So I tried it. When I google “Ronda Storms” I got mostly county websites, the Weekly Planet, and a slew of gay rights sites. I googled (yes I use the word as a verb) “Ronda Storms Myspace” and I got this cached page of the old myspace site that is offline now.

I understand searching for your name since there are real security concerns that she has for herself and her family. As Addison also mentions, complaining that you are being parodied on one of the most popular and overpopulated websites in the world is just asinine though.  Not to Ronda:

“I can’t let it go unrebutted; I can’t let it go unremarked.”

Well actually you can. In fact I have heard of a book that addresses this very issue. I forget the name of the book but as I recall the line went something like this.

If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

I haven’t been to church since I was ten years old, so maybe they changed that part.  You don’t have to respond to every critic, Ronda.  I hear the Internet is just full of critical people and there just aren’t enough hours in the day to respond to all those who don’t like you.

Yesterday our favorite elected board got together to discuss the effects of a county mayor on the Environmental Protection Commission. As happens with this board from time to time, the conversation degraded into insults.

After Storms brought up an alleged illegal zoning discussion from a closed-door meeting six years ago,

Storms: …your credibility is in shambles.

Castor: …do you have any dignity whatsoever?

Storms: …at least I have integrity.

Castor: Little to none.

Seven more months of this.

Update 21 Apr 2006 10:42am:  The cover of the print tbt* has photos of both commissioners sporting black eyes (doctored).  Addison says there is no difference between commission meetings and the Jerry Springer show.

If this is how it really happened, I wonder what Ronda Storms really expected to gain by picking a fight with Ernest Hooper of the St Pete Times.

But Hooper does make two points that are right on target. Storms has promoted the interests of her district very effectively for years now. In a representative government, those elected are expected to protect and forward the goals and beliefs of her constituents (small minded and pushy as they might be) and she has done this very effectively.

However, Storms has also left the county terribly vulnerable to expensive court judgements and legal fees - money which could be better spent elsewhere.

I had hoped that over time she would also realize that an elected leader is expected to represent all their constituents and reflect the best aspects of our society, not just those most likely to get us re-elected. From gay rights issues to questionable zoning demands to interference with local law enforcement to conflict with the City of Tampa she always seeks confrontation and division.

At its core, leadership is about bringing people together by choice to create something that is greater than the sum of it’s parts. Appealing to “the better angels of our nature” to bridge gaps and solve problems rather than the heavy hand of anger and threat.

It looks as if Ronda Storms may be investigated and sued in regards to her recent intervention in a licensing issue.

Defending her choice to stir up a hornet’s nest, Ronda Storms really really wants you to know that Joe Redner Enterprises is a “sordid entity.”