Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

More on the Armory:  In an odd last minute “friendly amendment” the Business Journal reports Ronda Storms asked that the City donate the Armory for use as a homeless intake center.  She cited the Homeless Coalition’s request for $4 million for a facility in her amendment.  Kathy Castor said Storm’s suggestion was “mostly tongue-in-cheek”

“Commissioner Storms was sending a message to the city. She has difficult relations with the city of Tampa and looks for an opportunity like this to send this type of message. It was not based upon any research.”

I am not sure how the Homeless Coalition would be expected to provide facilites for the National Guard troops elsewhere which is a requirement of the proposal but I am sure Ronda was just trying to be helpful.

The county threw a monkey wrench into Central Park redevelopment. And they have created a new “affordable housing” department.  So now that they have those items successfully on the back burner, they decide it is again time for to clamp down on adult businesses.  While unrestricted growth gets only lip service.

After learning that Tampa Bay is 3rd behind Las vegas and Cincinatti (Cincinatti?!?!) in the number of adult oriented businesses, the county is on the prowl again.

The county has tried and tried again to restrict adult business and regulate your personal life.  The results are always the same.  Nothing changes.  Except for all the tax dollars wasted to create a bluster.

And it flies in the face of that recent study that says we must embrace (heh) and celibate er… celebrate those things that make us different. Why do they insist on fighting a part of what makes this area unique?

Two years ago, the county deemed city demands too high, and killed a deal to redevelop Central Park Village. This time around, County Commissioner Tom Scott made last minute demands, causing the city to postpone their vote a week. If the city doesn’t agree to the changes, the movement is in jeopardy because of a June 30 deadline.

As I’m sure you are aware, Mary Ann Stiles is leading the effort to elect a county mayor.    She reports that her petitions have now passed legal scrutiny by the Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections.  This only means that the format is proper.  Today began the signature-gathering process.
Just so you know, the Tampa Tribune supports the measure, blogger Michael Hussey does not.  Like us, Howard Troxler is not sure.  If you have links to more editorials, please leave ‘em in comments.

The signatures of 38,850 registered Hillsborough County voters are needed by July 6, so if you want this on the ballot, download both petitions (REPLACING THE CURRENT APPOINTED ADMINISTRATOR WITH A NONPARTISAN ELECTED COUNTY MAYOR) and (PROVIDING COUNTY MAYOR WITH VETO POWERS; PROVIDING BOARD POWER TO OVERRIDE WITH TWO-THIRDS VOTE), sign and mail them to Taking Back Hillsborough County Political Committee, 315 Plant Av., Tampa, FL,  33606.

I also encourage you to leave your personal editorials for and against in the comments below.

The Planet reports that Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair’s Bus Study has been completed. Apparently, the study shows that HARTline unfairly helps city residents more than the county’s. What a shocking surprise!

Also, like the Sticks, the Planet can’t help themselves from linking to that dreaded photo.

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.

City Council members make $30,742/year. There are seven of them. County Commissioners make $88,919/year. There are seven of them, too. For $837,627 each year, this is what you get:

Your City Council passed an ordinance today requiring bar owners to comply with more stringent noise rules, that come with a stricter penalty. In a neighborhood they sell to travelers as an Entertainment District.

Meanwhile, down the street at the County building, your County Commissioners voted Wednesday to take an outrageously expensive poll. On the ballot this November, you will see a referendum asking if you think adult businesses should be illegal. The Supreme Court has already said nude dancing is protected by free speech, so this amounts to nothing more than a very expensive opinion poll.

Is Mayor Pam worthy of a second term? Better yet, would she accept it even if she got a unanimous vote?

Running a growing metropolis, making tough financial decisions and trying to corral elected knuckleheads of both the city and county variety has got to be harder than quantum physics on most days, yet Pam for Tampa has managed to do the best she can with few complaints from citizens.

Amazingly, some of the complaints the I-Lady hears happen at the regular neighborhood town hall meetings her administration holds at places like Plant High, where she addressed a few hundred people Tuesday night. Since the average age of the audience was easily classified as old, she pretty much knew what she was in for.

One such elder who had previously complained about a pothole on his street now isn’t happy because it was replaced by a bump in the road. A woman close to his age didn’t like all the extra traffic caused by the four-laning of Himes Avenue between Euclid and Gandy. The most vocal complaints came from longtime South Tampa residents who don’t like all the new condo projects disrupting their neighborhoods.  TampaGold has video highlights of the program.

The Mayor can only limit so much real estate development, either through zoning restrictions or increased fees. The latter has developers in a dither lately, and now they’re rumbling about supporting upcoming candidates who will be, umm, friendlier to their plight.

Registered voters still outnumber developers in Tampa, and they need to make their voices heard if they like the way Pam Iorio does her job, or even if they don’t. A good start might be to turn out to the next town hall meeting near you, at least to help scale back the average age.

Future meetings are set for April 11 in New Tampa, August 1 in West Tampa and September 12 in East Tampa. They’re held from 6 to 8 p.m., well before bedtime!

Even when meeting for important issues, your elected officials still can’t get anything done. Ridiculous.