HNS WEEK IN REVIEW---OCTOBER 31-NOVEMBER 1, 2009
This is our weekly look back at those local news stories that were reported first or only at HernandoNewsSource.com over the last seven days. As usual, our real-time coverage of the County Board meeting on Tuesday not only beat the competition but also attracted our second-most single-day site visits ever. Thanks to our viewers for relying on HernandoNewsSource.com for the best and most timely coverage of Hernando County news.
ANIMAL RESCUE OWNER ALLOWED TO KEEP SIX PETS
The county brought the fitness petition after a malnourished horse had to be put down, and several other impounded animals died. Animal Services officers testified that Mas did not have the resources to care for the 200 cats, dogs, horses, birds and livestock on the property. Mas called the action "horrible persecution", claimed the county wanted to auction the seized animals to make money, and continued to blame a local newspaper for sparking her problems with the county.
SENTINEL CHICKEN TESTS POSITIVE FOR ENCEPHALITIS
Hernando County officials say a sentinel chicken in an area west of US 19 and north of The Heather community has tested positive for the Eastern Equine Encephalitis virus. The test results were confirmed Friday by a state laboratory in Tampa.
Eastern Equine Encephalitis is a virus disease transmitted to horses and humans by mosquitoes. Birds are the source of the virus. The Hernando County Mosquito Control Division has placed small chicken coops at various locations to monitor the presence of various types of encephalitis viruses through periodic testing of blood samples.
"Mosquito Control employees are increasing inspections, surveillance,and treatment in the affected area, said Dr. Guangye Hu, Mosquito Control Director. "However, we want to remind residents that they need to be vigilant to keep their lawns clear of objects that hold even theslightest amount of water in which mosquitoes will breed." Dr. Hu also advises precautions to prevent mosquito bites by keeping exposed areas of the body covered or using insect repellent with DEET if outside when mosquitoes may be present.
This year, there have been 69 horses, 174 sentinel chickens, and 100 live wild birds tested positive for the virus in 33 Florida counties. This is the first chicken in Hernando County that has tested positive.
HERNANDO OFFICIALS IN MEETING ON REGIONAL WASTE SOLUTIONS
Rocco 
StapfHernando County Commissioner Rose Rocco and Utilities Director Joe Stapf were among officials from seven north central Florida counties who met Thursday to talk trash. Specifically, Ocala.com reports that the meeting was aimed at starting a discussion about regional solid waste disposal.
Stapf said the county landfill was near capacity and hoped a new cell opening next year would give the community another 10 years or so of capacity. He said the landfill site has room for two additional cells, if necessary, but dealing with state and federal environmental regulators was difficult. A permitting delay threatened to postpone the new cell past a critical deadline until recently.
Meeting participants reportedly zeroed in on three obstacles to a regional solution:
- Specific legislative authority will likely be needed.
- Cities within each county need to be brought on board.
- Imbalances in current costs to residents need to be addressed.
Rocco asked staffers for each county to report on per-resident disposal costs at the next meeting. Those charges now range from zero in Sumter, through Hernando's $65 per year, up to Lake County's $184.
PECK SINK---PARK OR PRESERVE?
SPRING HILL FIRE FRAUD PROBE RESURFACES
Commissioner John Pasquale said he had done his own checking before he knew about Rampino's probe and agreed with the no-fraud conclusion. Giammarco was the only vote in favor of an outside investigation.
FIRE BOARD FIREWORKS AS TEMPERS FLARE
The fireworks started even before the first agenda item, when Chairman Leo Jacobs re-took the seat he vacated temporarily two weeks ago and warned board members they should not be asking questions of fire district attorneys or staff. Jacobs said questions to staff should come from the board. Despite requests from Commissioner Rob Giammarco, who's made a habit of asking questions in and out of meetings, Jacobs wouldn't clarify the direction any further.
Another citizen denied he was stalking Commissioner Amy Brosnan, who made that suggestion at the last meeting when her residence in the district was called into question. Civic activist Anthony Palmieri brought the issue up again with documentation from the Property Appraiser suggesting Brosnan does live outside the district and simply had her name put on her parents' deed after her election last year. Brosnan waved her drivers license and said she lived in the district.
But when Giammarco had an item added to the agenda to ask about a delay in getting handheld electronic data units in the hands of fire inspectors, Pasquale accused him of blindsiding Chief Make Rampino. Rampino had said he couldn't respond to some of Giammarco's questions because he didn't know the issue was coming up and didn't have the paperwork in front of him.
That held to the final exchange of the meeting during members' closing comments, when Jacobs told Giammarco he should go to the chief and ask his question ahead of the meetings so the chief could be prepared.
Giammarco professed confusion as he left the meeting, about the direction not to talk to staff and then the later command to do so. He said he would continue to ask questions and gather information as he saw fit to ensure he was doing the work district taxpayers elected him to do.
TWO BURNED IN RESCUE FROM NOBLETON FIRE
A 75-year old wheelchair-bound Nobleton woman was seriously burned and a grandson-in-law was treated for minor burns in a mobile home fire at 29062 Friar Street in Nobleton Tuesday night. It's the second Hernando mobile home fire in little more than two days, but the first with injuries reported. A double-wide in Brookridge was severely damaged by an electrical fire Sunday. Tuesday night's blaze in Nobleton was also traced to electrical problems.
A sheriff's report says Gloria Bowman was sitting in an electric recliner inside the home when the chair caught fire. 39-year old Brian Walker suffered burns on his hands when he raced into the home, lifted the disabled woman from her chair and dragged her outside where he tried to put out the woman's flaming clothing. Both Bowman and Walker were transported to Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness for treatment. The report says Bowman was transferred to the Shands Burn Center in Gainesville for treatment of second degree burns on 25% of her body. The single-wide mobile home was heavily damaged by fire and smoke, according to the sheriff's report. The fire marshal reportedly determined that the fire began in the recliner's electric motor and found no evidence of foul play.
HOUSING AUTHORITY HELPS BAIL OUT HOMELESS COALITION
MonroeThe Hernando County Housing Authority voted to help bail out the Homeless Coalition Wednesday when Joe Monroe asked for help in making up a funding deficit. Monore was representing the four-county advocacy and service assistance group. He said the current economic crisis has led to increases in homelessness. The Coalition has already secured funding assistance from the Hernando Realtors' Association and Hernando Progress. But Monroe said they still needed $2,000 to close a deficit and help fund a local match for grant funding aimed at computer programs to allow direct service agencies like Jericho to keep track of who receives what assistance. Authority Director Donnie Singer said interest earned on two Authority business accounts was enough to meet the request, and the AUthority voted to have him cut a check this week.
ATTORNEY GENERAL REJECTS LAWSUIT AGAINST HOUSING AUTHORITY
In a recent letter Attorney General Bill McCollum's office says it will not bring a lawsuit against the Hernando County Housing Authority. Derrel Thomas got a ruling from the Florida Human Relations Commission allowing him to seek the Attorney General's help in suing the authority on a claim of housing discrimination. An attorney for the authority said in an e-mail to members that the Attorney General's refusal to bring the suit does not end the case but does bring it one more step to closure. Thomas' claim was previously rejected by a federal court.
FORMER COMMISSIONER DAVID RUSSELL SR. DIES
COUNTY BOARD EXPANDS IMPACT FEE REDUCTION PROPOSAL
Despite urging from Commissioner Jeff Stabins and several public speakers, the County Board told staff to go forward with an impact fee reduction hearing at their next meeting, across the board for all construction. The move adds the fee reduction to commercial and industrial as well as residential, which was an expansion from the original concept directed at the last meeting. Staff estimated the year's impact fee collection loss to be 1 to 1.2 million dollars, at permitting levels of the past 18 months. A final decision will be made after a public hearing at the November 10 board meeting.
Stabins suggested that a twelve-month fee cut back to 2001 levels would not revive the construction industry as builders said, and he added a concern for how to pay for capital improvements. Speakers generally opposed a fee reduction as a taxpayer subsidy for builders. But four commissioners made it clear they want to see all impact fees reduced. The fee reduction has been pushed by local home builders who say their buyers need a monetary incentive to build and that putting the construction industry back to work would benefit the county.
The County Board did agree with staff that administrative and collection issues from deferred residential fees presented more headaches than solutions and will look at deferring payments only for commercial and industrial fees. Staff will also review changing the fee collection point from building permit to certificate of occupancy.
JUDICIAL PROJECT STILL BREATHING
Stabins 
MerrittReports of the demise of the County's judicial expansion project were apparently exaggerated. Though staff recommended no action on the project until "a future time," commissioners and County Administrator David Hamilton said Tuesday they would continue looking for ways to move on the project.
Commissioner Jeff Stabins said he favored moving forward now with the ongoing process of seeking a public/private partnership to build and operate new judicial facilities. Stabins' view was endorsed by Chief Circuit Judge Dan Merritt, Sr., who said new judicial space was urgently needed and that he didn't want to see the project dropped. [AUDIO] Hamilton pledged to work with the judge and said the judicial expansion was not being taken "off the burner, just put on the back burner" instead. The Board voted to move forward as quickly as possible with a new jury assembly room on the first floor and conversion of the old third floor room to what Merritt called a "utilitarian" courtroom.
COUNTY ATTORNEY GETS NEW CONTRACT
County Attorney Garth Coller got a new contract Tuesday. The pact was negotiated between Coller and board Chairman Dave Russell. The document is a self-renewing one year contract which does away with the attorney's $300 per month car allowance and requires two advertised public hearings if the board wants to fire Coller. The board approved the contract after getting a report from a Chamber of Commerce focus group which gave the attorney's office an overall good review, although it did suggest a cutback in support staff and additional measures to tie productivity to budget.
FLOOD MAPS GET COUNTY BOARD OKAY
County commissioners voted Tuesday to approve flood maps for southwest Spring Hill, most of the west-central part of the county, the Powell Road area, the Tooke Lake watershed, and the Spring Lake/Hickory Hill area. The maps were three years in development by SWFWMD and consultants and revised several times after public input. With the maps now in effect as the "best available data," building permits in the affected areas will be required to comply with flood map levels, as will governmental improvements such as roads.
TAX COLLECTOR RETURNS SURPLUS FUNDS
As she does every year, Tax Collector Juanita Sikes returned excess fees and commissions to the county Tuesday. Sikes appeared at the County Board meeting and said she was returning $3,352,553 to all taxing authorities this year, including $2,479,878 to the county general fund. Sikes said that was almost 90% of the state-mandated general fund allocation to the Tax Collector's office. She also noted to commissioners that she has had reduced hours for staff in her office for several years, in line with the county's own efforts this year to cut payroll costs.
SPRING HILL MAN ARRESTED ON GEORGIA CHILD PORN CHARGE
A Spring Hill man was in custody Tuesday on a Georgia warrant charging sexual exploitation of a minor via computer pornography. 45-year old John Cappelli was arrested Monday and taken to the Hernando County Jail to await reference to authorities from Forsyth County, north of Atlanta. No other details of the charge were given in the arrest affidavit released to news media. There was no immediate information available from the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office.
LATEST SUPERINTENDENT APPS MOSTLY OUT OF STATE OR RETIRED
The latest batch of applicants for the permanent Hernando school superintendent job are mostly from out of state, and features several retirees looking to go back to work. Not including interim superintendent Sonya Jackson, who has said she wants the full time job, there are not 12 applications on file for the top administrative post. Latest to arrive are applications from Bryan Blavatt, who retired last year as superintendent in Boone County, Kentucky; Henry Hastings of Grosse Point Park, Michigan, who's most recent experience is five years as an education "consultant"; Gene Levenstien, who lists a Florida address and cites administrative experience in several Long Island school districts; I. V. Foster, Jr., current superintendent of a 3200-student K-8 district in Markham, Illinois; and Mel Persi, a self-described "people person" who lives in Ft. Lauderdale and cites 31 years of administrative experience in New Jersey state and local school jobs.
COUNTY WORKERS RATIFY UNION CONTRACT
TWO CHARGED IN SPRING HILL DISTURBANCE
Gracteroly 
StrunkTwo Spring Hill men were arrested Sunday for assault on law enforcement officers and resisting arrest when they allegedly got in the way of deputies responding to a report of shots fired. A sheriff's report says a crowd of about 100 people were gathered at 12102 Killian Street in northern Spring Hill when deputies arrived after they were advised that shots had been fired. The report described the crowd as belligerent and says 18-year old Shayne Gracteroly and 20-year old Matthew Strunk refused to cooperate. They were arrested after the reports said they threatened the deputies and tried to prevent the deputies from taking them into custody. The report also says a deputy tried to use a Taser of Gracteroly, but the stun weapon malfunctioned.
8TH GRADER ARRESTED FOR SEX CRIME AT EXPLORER
A 14-year old Explorer eighth grader has been charged with lewd and lascivious molestation on a child after he was recorded on video in a stairwell with a female student. According to an arrest affidavit, the suspect grabbed the victim and held her while touching her, rubbing against her, and trying to put his hands in her pants. The victim was ultimately released when she said she needed to use the restroom and then ran to a classroom. The affidavit says the suspect initially denied doing anything beyond pulling her wrist while walking her down the stairs. When told the incident was on video, he claimed the victim offered to perform a sex act. After booking at the Hernando County Jail, the teen was taken to the juvenile detention facility in Ocala.
FREE FLU SHOT CLINIC DRAWS CROWD
More than 600 people got vaccinated for H1N1 flu Sunday as the Health Department held a free clinic at Nature Coast Technical High School. A department spokesperson said that 556 people were in line a half hour before the clinic opened at 1 p.m. They were given tickets with appointment times throughout the six-hour vaccination session. By the time the clinic closed, about 630 doses were administered. Department officials say other doses of both intranasal and injectable vaccine have been distributed to local physicians' offices and there are no immediate plans for additional free clinics. More vaccine supplies are expected later this week to be distributed to hospitals, EMS and doctors' offices for direct patient care.
BROOKRIDGE HOME HEAVILY DAMAGED BY FIRE
A double wide mobile home in Brookridge was severely damaged by a fire Sunday afternoon. Hernando County firefighters arriving at the scene at 7312 Mina Avenue reported that the structure was about 50 percent involved in flames. Reports from the scene indicated that it took almost half an hour to bring the fire under control. Two occupants of the home were alerted by a neighbor and escaped the fire without injury. They were identified as Duane Scholey and Deborah Magill. A sheriff's report says the cause of the fire was an electrical short in the main panel of the home.
GAS PRICES JUMP ANOTHER 16 CENTS
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