Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

Cross Bar Ranch is a wellfield in Pasco County. You can find it North of CR 52 and just East of US Hwy 41, just south of Masaryktown. Pinellas County purchased the property decades ago, and has been pumping water from there for Pinellas residents since 1980.

Because fresh water isn’t abundant in Pinellas, the 12,000+ acre piece of land was important to the county. But now that Tampa Bay Water exists to ensure everyone gets what they need to drink, they no longer need the property. Pasco County wants the State of Florida to help them buy it (scroll down), and some folks simply want to keep it from being developed.

Since at least 1992, the county has had to pay someone to “manage” the property. The water meter must be read to find out how much is pumped out, and report that to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Oh, and they must “manage” the population of wild hogs. And as of the beginning of October, Albert Roller will get $2.7 million over the next five years to continue to do just that.

But some folks say that Roller has a funny way of managing the property. Rumors persist that there are lots of parties going on at the Cross Bar Ranch. And it’s been suggested that some Pinellas County officials (perhaps Utilities director Pick Talley?) use the land as a private hunting lodge. In addition to the wild hog population that Roller must keep down, there have been allegations of deer hunting there, too. Albert’s brother lived on the property, too, and Pasco County Deputies say Ralph Roller molested a boy there. Ralph is no longer welcome at the Ranch, though.

Much of this is rumor. Any outsiders that gets onto the property are sent away, so no one has seen any “hunting lodge.”

I’m just wondering how I can get a gig that pays half a million dollars a year to kill hogs and read a meter.

Over and over again lately there have been revelations from Hillsborough County alone with it’s transit planning. Long range planning. Beltway planning. Just today the St. Petersburg Times ran a story about the Tampa Chamber of Commerce visiting Charlotte, North Carolina and being wowed by Light Rail and kept thinking of the Tampa-centric possibilities…

And I worry.

Oh, I’m on board with improvements to transit in the area. But that’s the thing — the area. The region. The greater Tampa Bay metropolitan area. Not county-by-county, separate-but-equal systems that continue the short-sighted, go-it-alone plans that usually end with wider roads, or more roads and complaints that we (read: a single county entity) can’t afford this, that and the other thing, won’t support anything other than roads and citizens should be happy with what they have.

More of the same. More of the insane.

This year, local legislative members in the state house and state senate helped deliver a regional body to organize and govern area transportation needs. The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority was born during the regular legislative session. Of course, Charlie Crist cut seed money to get TBARTA started, but that was to be expected with a property tax backlash and state budget shortfalls.

With the lack of start-up money in mind, let me introduce you to TBARTA’s web presence.

Also with the state-money-cut in mind, let me remind you who ultimately has control of TBARTA — we do. Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Where there’s a start-up money crunch, those seven entities could have and should have put forward a pittance of cash each to get things going.

What we’re seeing — though each of those counties are represented in TBARTA by elected officials — is a pittance of faith in the concept. Hillsborough is stressing further go-it-alone planning and approved milking it’s community investment tax money for county road improvements. The other counties continue their day-to-day operations without thought toward this new joint entity.

You’re not going to see administration and coverage coordination in the local bus systems because the counties will keep their transit systems to themselves when it’d be easier to toss that to TBARTA’s rule. Perish the thought that PSTA and HART become a unified entity that is no longer dictated by the whims of close-minded, ideological county commission members. Perish the thought of improved transit between the biggest (population wise) counties of the region. Perish the thought that local officials will put faith in the new organization with responsibilities and funding to pay for them.

Yes, TBARTA is a fledgling entity that has only met a handful of times — it’s next meeting is Friday morning at 9 AM at the Hillsborough County Center in downtown Tampa — yet one has to wonder if local government is going to breathe life into it or condemn it to irrelevance and ultimately death for the sake of traditional go-it-alone bullheadedness?
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Update:: Tampa Rail pointed readers to the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority official web site. That is a correction to the web site which I stumbled upon that I thought was TBARTA’s official web presence. The domains were provided by the Tampa Bay Partnership.

A year ago, Alex Pickett wrote about SYSCO foods. The thrust of the article is that much of your dining out experience is affected by this huge conglomerate of food service, and that SYSCO keeps on growing and growing.

SYSCO — an acronym for Systems and Services Company — is North America’s largest food distribution company and has more of an impact on our food supply than nearly any other company in the country.

Well, they are growing again. They got the ok for $5 million in incentives from Pasco and Zephyrhills to build a new distribution center there.

According to the August 17 edition of SYSCO’s Market Update, much of the foods this time of year come from Mexico, Canada, and California. In addition to some domestic farms, vegetables are imported from Peru, Guatamala, British Columbia, and Chile. Florida is mentioned once; Florida lemons will be harvested later this month.

SYSCO “The Future Of Foodservice” can be found at http://www.syscowcf.com/index.htm

Lost in all the hubbub of the wetlands decisions made last week, Ken Hagan actually came up with an idea. How about that! After five years of just sitting there on the Board of County Commissioners, Hagan finally had a unique thought.

He believes Pasco County residents should pay a toll to drive into Hillsborough County. Hey - I said he had an idea, I didn’t say it was a good one.

After initially laughing at his plan, the rest of the BOCC decided to check into putting a toll plaza up at the county line on Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

He wants a toll plaza on a regular old pothole-filled road. Spending any more time on this ridiculous idea is nothing but a waste of your tax money.

Note:  Some links below may be right on the line of NSFW.

Did you pick up your copy of this week’s Planet? Page 13 has an interesting advertisement. Nudist colony… uh Nudist resort ummm… Clothing Optional Luxury resort Caliente is throwing a Summer Solstice Party. On Sunday, June 17. Featuring the Johnny G. Lyon Band poolside from 1 to 4pm.

This will be interesting, indeed. There are lots of things to consider. Summer Solstice is June 21, so they are celebrating a couple days early. We’ll be poolside, so I know I will worry about someone splashing water on the electrical equipment. June 17 is Father’s Day - should I bring my dad? So many things to consider, it feels like I’m forgetting something…

Oh… What to wear.

Now before you ask, the answer is a definitive “highly unlikely.” I can’t speak for the other guys. Ray Blade can get behind his big bangin’ drum kit. Both Benny and Johnny wear those low slung guitars. Me? I’m just a lousy singer. I got a cowbell, a tambourine, and a microphone. Those three items duct-taped together won’t be enough to hide behind. Plus we have those choreographed dance steps. So for me, the answer is an absolute “probably not.”

I mean… The thought of shaking a tambourine sans britches gives me shudders. I don’t even want to consider the effects of dancing the JGLB Shuffle bare. Not even my wife wants to watch me whacking the cowbell in the buff. So in my mind, the answer is unquestionably “I doubt it.”

Of course, if the clamor is so much that a dozen of you show up and each buy the band a round of drinks, then I suppose I could… Scratch that. With no hesitation, the answer in no uncertain terms is…

Aw, just show up and you’ll find out. You can get a day pass for $30, and less if you are already a member.

My co-workers watch the news every day while eating lunch in our planning office. By the time I get there, the news is finished and Montel Williams is usually shouting about something. I almost always turn off the television and enjoy my nutritious meal in silence. However, the other day I left it on and paid the price in lost brain cells.

Montel’s guest was talking about her traumatic experiences with a video voyeur. Whatever. One woman’s creep is another woman’s dreamboat. Seems this particular Peeping Tom set up a camera to film Montel’s teary-eyed guest getting out of the shower (in a well-lit bathroom with open-for-the-world-to-see shutters) every day for six years. Please. I’ve had healthier relationships that didn’t last as long. The “victim” cried through two commercial breaks and compared herself to a rape victim. Three times.

I know. B*tch has probably never been raped. Perp does a whole lot more than just watch your boobies.

The other day, a Pasco County woman choked on a piece of steak. Her boyfriend called 911 and was horribly mistreated. Several dispatchers, who should be fired if they hadn’t resigned, either wouldn’t or couldn’t explain the Heimlich maneuver until finally someone walked the distraught and hysterical man through the process. Boyfriend tried and failed and the woman died.

Lesson: If you are naked and yawning and stretching in front of an open window, don’t be surprised if someone notices. And takes pictures.

Lesson: If you are heavy, it’s difficult to work the Heimlich maneuver on you. So enjoy those dead animals *cautiously*.

In both cases, others acted in horrendous and/or criminal manners. In both cases, the victims played a part in their own demise.

Just thought someone should point that out.

This tidbit was sent in by Sticks of Fire’s other reader Mike.

Zephyrhills News editor Gary Hatrick has been fired from his job. “I was not at all surprised,” he said.

Neither are we.

It seems Hatrick compared Z-hills city councilman Daniel Burgess to Adolph Hitler. This, of course, upset Burgess’ mommy, who called the paper to complain. Burgess is 20, and on the city council. - Hey Burgess, tell your mom it’s time to let go.

The latest commentary again compared Burgess to Hitler, and asked if he was hiding behind mommy’s apron strings.

But that may not be Hatrick’s undoing. The TBO article says the newspaper’s owner, Barry H. Scripps, wasn’t too keen of Hatrick’s office collection of 160 Superman figurines.

So one guy plays with dolls, and accuses the other of being immature.

I guess that’s just how they roll in Z-hills. Thanks for the tip, Mike!

A story in Thursday’s Tampa Tribune tells you all about the Tampa Bay Partnership’s plan to allow you to decide future land use patterns in Tampa Bay. You might remember Joel talked about this exercise using 400,000 lego blocks last May.

Coordinated by the Tampa Bay Partnership, the exercise is called Reality Check Tampa Bay. From their website, you can read more about the effort, sign up as a volunteer, or nominate someone (including yourself) to participate.

Anyone wanna play with legos?