Tribune are still in denial

The Tribune editorial board is at it again in rail cheerleading mode, only this time they are starting early with the attacks on the skeptics.

The usual naysayers are attacking an outreach program seeking Hillsborough residents’ views on transportation.

But citizens should be glad that “Go Hillsborough” is seeking their ideas and concerns as county leaders try to formulate a comprehensive transportation plan.

With more than 36 workshops scheduled, residents will have plenty of opportunities to voice their opinions.

Yet some are already deriding the process. Part of the opposition comes from those who oppose any effort to expand mass transit, particularly adding rail. The cost-benefits of any transit system needs to be thoroughly vetted, but the idea that urban counties in Florida, now the third-largest state in the nation, can continue to rely exclusively on more road building seems preposterous to us.

What seems preposterous to us is the Tribune cannot understand the will of the people. We shall remind them of the transit referendum slaughters they and their supporters forced on us:

• Hillsborough 2010: 58% - 42% Referendum defeated
• Polk 2010: 62% - 38% Referendum defeated
• Pinellas 2014: 68% - 32% Referendum defeated
• Polk 2014: 72% - 28% Referendum defeated
• Alachua 2014: 60% - 40% Referendum defeated

The "naysayers" that will pay for this have made their position well known. In every referendum in the areas since 2010 with substantial elements of transit or rail, the "naysayers" have resoundingly said NO!

In the upside down world of the big money and transportation politics, the proponents continue to lose, and revert to name calling, yet the "naysayers" understand reality and continue to win.

But the Tribune refuses to listen.  

They are transit denialists.

Realists understand that vast majority of people will not take transit, so they do not want to pay for something they will not benefit from.

Realists understand that Hillsborough has immediate needs in transportation solutions, but we cannot afford to wait 10 years or more for billion dollar rail solutions that few will ride.

Realists understand that the vast majority of residents use our roads every day, and Hillsborough County has avoided investing in roads.

Realists understand Hillsborough County blew the CIT tax, which had a substantial component for roads, only to be mismanaged to the point where there is no money for roads.

Realists understand that spending billions on transit and rail solutions on the promise of "build it and they will come" is political fairy dust.

Realists understand that Hillsborough County is expected to grow by 600,000 new residents by 2040, independent of transit and rail plans, and the vast majority of them will never ride transit.

Realists understand that rail goes where rail goes, not where people go.

Realists understand people will only change their transportation habits if its cheaper, faster, more convenient.

Realists understand math.

Fix Our Roads First!

Realists understand that we need to Fix our Roads First!

The Tribune states

[The Transportation for Economic Development Policy Leadership Group] has hired Parsons Brinckerhoff, an engineering firm with transportation expertise, to help develop the plan after collaborating with the public. The company has compiled the pertinent information on local transportation needs and costs, so citizens will have the details they need to evaluate proposals.

Realists understand the Parsons Brinckerhoff is a reliable rail supporter.  So reliable, they are willing to engage in corrupt practices, as they've been at the heart of many of the largest public works boondogles, and been fined for corrupt and irresponsible business practices.  Just a few samples

Big Dig Management Consultant and Designers To Pay $450 Million  For PB's role in over $12 billion in cost overruns and shoddy construction on Bostons Big Dig.

Taken for a Ride?  The main consultants for Mecklenburg's light rail system are big, powerful companies. They also have a notorious history of scandal, massive cost overruns, engineering snafus and deceiving the public.

Seattle Area Big Dig: Brought to Us by Parsons Brinckerhoff  Even the DailyKos questions the wisdom of hiring PB.

EyeOnTampaBay has also published several posts on the questionable engagement of Parsons Brinckerhoff locally.

Realists understand Parsons Brinckerhoff is an unreliable partner.

To reiterate one of the recurring points the Tribune and rail proponents repeatedly make, 

The Go Hillsborough outreach is part of the Transportation for Economic Development Policy Leadership Group’s effort to develop a transportation plan that will meet residents’ needs and sustain the community’s economic growth.

What they are saying is they need to spend this money... billions, with billions going to rail solutions, which only rail for some magical reasons can spur economic development, and our economy will take off and jobs aplenty!

But somehow it keeps occurring without the magic fairy dust of rail.

The New York money center bank Citigroup, already a powerhouse employer in this market, is considering a plan to add up to 1,163 jobs averaging a hefty $75,000 and $90 million in capital investment at its Sabal Park campus near Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County.

It's not a done deal. Citigroup has other locations where it could place such high-paying jobs, which involve work in accounting, legal, human resources and operational support. The deal here depends on whether state and local authorities can agree on an incentive package of just under $15 million — and whether Citigroup finds a better deal elsewhere.

...

The boost in Citigroup jobs — in number and average pay — is big even amid Hillsborough's recent robust run of job recruiting coups. The last financial deal of this magnitude was the agreement with financial services firm USAA, announced in late 2013, to add up to 1,215 jobs by 2019 and build a 420,000-square-foot facility in Brandon to accommodate its expansion. Those jobs, in contrast to those planned by Citigroup, pay an average of $47,581.

No, it's not a done deal. Hopefully it will be. And it may cost $15 million in tax incentives and breaks to get those jobs.

But its worth it.

Realists understand that $15 million for over 1100 high paying jobs by 2016 is a better deal than spending billions on rail and some jobs that may materialize in 10 or 20 years from now.

Only denialists don't understand that math.

GoHillsborough enabling lies and insults

Hillsborough's grand planning for transportation or transit, whatever, since the Tribune has continuing difficulty with their headlines and difference between the two, has started the next phase with announcement of GoHillsborough.

From the new GoHillsborough web site

Our community is facing some tough choices related to the very complex issue of transportation. Quite simply, we are experiencing significant shortfalls in funding just as our population is expanding and our congestion is rapidly increasing, putting greater pressure on our already declining transportation system. The reality is that unless we come together and deal with this right away, our quality of life — our time with friends and family– and our economic stability are threatened.

Lots of platitudes with the right attitude.  But threatened?

They're doing the social out reach thing across multiple channels, including public meetings, "voices", then "choices", etc. As if they've not heard it before, wandering around Hillsborough County, listening to voices and their choices, same as the last decade.

GoHillsborough also has the social outreach side, as they have a Facebook page, Twitter and YouTube channel.  Just like EyeOnTampaBay!

Then there's this from the Tribune February 13th.

Hillsborough County officials took action Thursday to make sure any public comments arising out of upcoming meetings on transportation improvements remain open to the public as well as civil.

...

Because the stakes are so high, debate arising out of the upcoming public outreach effort is sure to be highly charged, county officials say, and some commentary on county Facebook and Twitter sites could be offensive.

“We will be looking at any inappropriate comments,” said George Walton, senior vice president for the county’s consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff. “We may have to take them off, but they will still be available if you want to dig them out.”

Emphasis mine. Looks like they have yet to kick in the moderation on the Facebook site.

February 7 post spreading lies and misinformation about NoTaxForTracks

This seems to violate the "courteous, respectful and appropriate" comments from the GoHillsborough Rules of Engagement.  Walter John Slupecki, behind the moniker "No Tax For Tracks Hillsborough Truth Page", never counters with any substantial argument or defends his position.  This post also violates GoHillsborough's Rules of Engagement to "Identify Yourself" with first and last name.

February 7 comment slamming the Governor

Not quite up to the GoHillsborough standard of respectful and polite with regards to our Governor, yet they still keep this obviously derogatory comment despite the warning from the GoHillsborugh moderator.

Then there's this:

Feb 8 comment about Tea Party out to destroy Tampa Bay

Again, on February 8, more lies spread about the Tea Party, which has never stated anything about "Defund, Slash, Privatize agenda".

We reached out to Beth Leytham, who is subcontracted out by PB to run the social outreach and marketing and PR campaign, something the BOCC specifically stated they did NOT want. She responded that we can reply back and engage on the Facebook site, though she indicated she did note our concerns.

Is the site to collect feedback ... "Voices" and "Choices" on transportation solutions, or to post lies about others, and then counter their accusations?

Recall George Walton of PB stated they “will be looking at any inappropriate comments. We may have to take them off."

These posts are now 5 to 6 days old.  How bad do the comments have to get?

Hillsborough County does not even own the GoHillsborough.org web site, but you paid for it.

The domain name is registered to a local ad agency Chappell Roberts. Why does an ad agency own the url? The CEO of Chappell Roberts is the marketing and communications executive board member of the big rail advocate Tampa Bay Partnership. There are NONE of the disclaimers on the website that is normally on a website owned by a taxpayer funded entity or government. Does this provide a way to skirt our Sunshine laws? Who owns the data? Is the data gathered and content on this website subject to public access rules? The county is paying a million taxpayer dollars for this effort so why doesn't the county own the domain name? Does the county own all the data associated with this effort? Shouldn't this effort paid for by taxpayers be totally transparent to the public? If so, where are the disclaimers that state the information/data gathered on the website is public information? 

We've asked County Commissioners and staff these questions but have yet to receive any answers.

Similarly, what are the implications for the Facebook page?

You paid for this.  Your tax dollars at work.  Nearly $1 million dollars.

Where is the oversight?

They just started engaging the public and are already out of control.

The Fog is lifting over the New Pier

 Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD

Today and tomorrow seven design firms present their plans for the new Pier at the Coliseum in Downtown St. Pete.

On the surface, this might appear as a simple dog and pony show, but in reality it is a critical step in the new Pier Process. There are total of seven presenters with four presenting today and three tomorrow. Presentations start at 9:00AM each day.

The selection Committee consists of:

Kai Warren - A former president of the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association and a former board member of St. Petersburg Preservation.

 Gary Mitchum - Associate dean of the University of South Florida College of Marine Science.

Melanie Lenz - Vice president of development for the Tampa Bay Rays; managed the design and construction of the Rays' spring training facility in Charlotte County.

James Jackson Jr. - Architect for the city of Tampa and a St. Petersburg resident,

Michael G. Meidel - Director of Pinellas County's Economic Development department and past chairman of the Florida Economic Development Council's executive committee.

Michael Connors - St. Petersburg's public works administrator; the group's chairman

Following these presentations there will be an on line Survey beginning February 23 to March 6 where the public can indicate their preferences. Following the Survey, the Selection Committee will

Sunday February 8, 2015 A Visit to the 2015 Florida State Fair

Friday was a perfect day to go to the Fair. The weather was great. We arrived at the fairgrounds around 11:30 and spent the next few hours thoroughly enjoying all the fair has to offer.

                                              

The front exhibition hall is full of vendors and exhibits and be sure to check out the Alessi Bakery booth. Don't miss the Strawberry Shortcake

Back in the live stock exhibition area are plenty of animals for you to see, pet and feed. Being an Indiana farm boy, Theresa had to drag me out of the steer judging arena.

Back out on the midway I captured our walk in a photo gallery you can see all of the pictures at 2015 Florida State Fair. Be sure to click on the link.

There is a lot to see and do at the Fair this year. If you planning on heading over to the fairgrounds here are some tips:

1. Those discount coupons at Walgreens are no longer available once the Fair opens.

2. You can buy your tickets on line at Florida State Fair they are $13.00 General Admission.

3. Senior discounts are only available on February 9, 10, 11 and 12.

4. The Web site is easy and works really well, buying your tickets on line will save you a wait in the ticket line. Don't forget to print the tickets and take them with you.

5. Parking is free.

6. Taking some sun screen might not be a bad idea if you are visiting during the day.

7. Comfortable shoes are a must and there are a limited number of places to sit.

8. Water is widely available and not over priced.

You can easily spend an entire day and maybe two at the Fair. It is a whirlwind of activity with rides, food, exhibits, live entertainment and some of the best people watching around.

E-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net. Or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Twitter@DOCONTHEBAY. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos

City of St. Pete and the Arts at a Crossroad

Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD

Thursday Wayne Atherholt presented his plan for the $200,000 for Arts funding. It met with mixed reviews from City Council.

It would appear that the Kriseman administration would rather move to a sustainability model as opposed to a subsidy approach. Several times deputy Mayor Tomalin reiterated the Administration's position of developing sustaining models which will bring customers to artists and the arts community as opposed to supporting individual artists.

City Council has complained in the past about a steady stream of requests from the arts community for money and funding. Nothing will serve to continue the stream of artists and art projects with their hand out than a continuation of subsidies.

Essentially giving public funds to artists who create art, pile it up in a corner of their studio hoping someone will wander in and buy it is just not a sustaining model. Not for the arts community and certainly not for the City.

Atherholt's plan, with some reasonable tweaking, will do much more to serve the arts community than doling out money through some arts group that will, 1) not really resolve the arts business problem and 2) will likely lead to complaining, controversy and misuse of the funds.

It will be a tough sell to switch the focus from supporting starving artists to a mechanism that will cause them to be successful business people as well as artists. There are several on City Council who are pushing to continue the subsidy approach to dealing with the arts. Some of it is genuine concern, some with an eye toward the upcoming election.

Creating a community of subsidized artists doesn't really address the concept of an arts community or an arts "destination". It just creates another group of people getting a government handout. The whole concept of "starving artists" is that they will finally get hungry enough to create something that will sell and work to sell it.

Kriseman and his team are trying to head in the right direction. City Council needs to carefully think through their approach.

If the arts as a community and a business is to thrive in St. Pete the best thing the City can do is to support the arts community and the arts business. Not give money to people to create art that has no market.

E-mail Doc at: mailto:dr.webbsmail@gmail.com or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Twitter@DOCONTHEBAY. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter.

Sometimes PSTA just can’t seem to get out of it’s own way

On my way home Saturday I was driving down 83rd Avenue North. When I got to 9th Street, where there is a light, there were two PSTA buses one on each side of the light on 9th Street.

When the light changed the bus going north moved quickly across the intersection, only to realize that there was not enough room for the two buses to pass side by side.

They kind of got wedged in and neither could move.

As traffic backed up, the bus drivers surveyed the situation, blocked drivers got out to help. For a few minutes things looked a bit hopeless.

Finally with a little help from the public and some careful maneuvering both buses escaped their plight and made it down the road.

There was a small traffic jam but that cleared in just a few minutes.

In the interest of full disclosure, there is some construction at the 93rd Ave. and 9th St. intersection, which has narrowed the lanes.

There was really no harm, no foul and the wedged buses brought smiles to most faces.

The situation does beg the question of whether PSTA should be looking at smaller buses, since both of these appeared to be pretty much empty.

It does reinforce the point that these big buses are well…big. There needs to be a lot of careful planning if we ever really start considering special bus lanes.

E-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net. Or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Twitter@DOCONTHEBAY. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter. See Doc’s Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos

Sunday February 1, 2015 PSTA a bleak future

Opinion by: E. Eugene Webb PhD

This past Wednesday Brad Miller, PSTA CEO, laid out the PSTA fiscal forecast for the next few years. Things are dismal to say the least.

By fiscal year 2018, PSTA faces an almost insurmountable capital and operating budget deficit.

In many ways this is a self inflicted wound.

At this point, given the horrendous defeat the Greenlight plan took at the poles and all of the improper and inappropriate activity of PSTA leadership and its supporters to get the Greenlight plan adopted, it is hard to say that a more conservative approach might have worked.

PSTA and its Board would like the voters to believe they are responsible for the current PSTA plight and that Greenlight was defeated because voters were greedy and didn't want another tax.

I for one don't buy that for one minute.

As I have stated before, the Greenlight Ordinance was the worst tax initiative Ordinance I had every read. You can go back in my Posts and refresh your memory about the Greenlight Ordinance at GreenLight Pinellas - An Analysis of Ordinance 13- 34 .

As I sat through the Wednesday PSTA Board meeting, it was hard to feel very sympathetic for an administration and a Board that tried to put one over on the public and got their hands slapped.

Public transportation here in the bay area is in real trouble. In Polk, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Manatee County voters have rejected grand plans to build transit systems. I don't know how many times public transportation authorities and their Boards of directors have to get boxed about the ears before they realize a more conservative approach is more likely to work.

In his comments to the Board, Miller mentioned a more "regional" approach, that is simply political speak for we have to get these funding issues out of the reach of actual public approval. Those watching PSTA, Hart and other transit authorities must remain diligent.

Mayor Bob Buckhorn's public transit funding idea of a "local taxing district", Saintpetersblog, Janelle Irwin: Tampa Mayor’s push for special taxing district could be St. Pete transit win, is not likely to fly either since it would tax a small area and apply the tax to a county wide problem. Not the brightest idea for a guy thinking about running for Governor.

Miller proposed some ideas to smooth out the PSTA budget problems, and the whole issue of Federal and State funding remains a big unknown.

The PSTA Board has three new members and a new Chairman. On February 18, they will take up the PSTA funding issue in a budget workshop. They have a lot to chew on.

Where will PSTA go, how will it get there and where will the money come from? The PSTA Board has some tough decisions to make, and so far this Board has been lackluster at best.

Let's hope that some new blood and a new Chairman can make a difference.

E-mail Doc at: dr.webb@verizon.net. Or send me a Facebook (Gene Webb) Friend request. Twitter@DOCONTHEBAY. Please comment below, and be sure to share on Facebook and Twitter. See Doc's Photo Gallery at Bay Post Photos