HNS WEEKEND---AUGUST 28-29, 2010
HERNANDO NEWS SOURCE COMMENTARY
JOURNALIST? BLOGGER? OR SOMETHING MORE INCLUSIVE?
Hernando News Source is 15 months old now and still fighting the perception that this is a "blog." We've tried to correct people with that perception, because we would like to be known as a news site.
While the web software application used to create this site was developed for "bloggers," we use it because it is inexpensive and fit our needs at the time the site launched. We were also disappointed to find a Google bias toward traditional legacy media sites when we were refused listing on Google News with the excuse that Google does not accept one-page sites for inclusion. So maybe it's understandable that the "blog" perception is out there. What we do find intolerable is for that perception to remain among those who like to call themselves "journalists." Perhaps, given the current state of the legacy media, we should call them "dead-tree scribblers."
This week, as some might know, the editorial director of one of the two local newspapers called this writer a "blogger" while referring to himself as a "journalist." He did so in a published column in which he recounted the attendance of "a journalist and a blogger" at a budget meeting with the county administrator. Since we're unaware of any blogs he writes, we made the assumption that he considered Hernando News Source a blog and its sole writer and editor a "blogger."
On reflection, our first reaction to that was probably a little over the top. After all, we presume the self-proclaimed journalist might have been unaware of this writer's degree from the University of Florida's Journalism school and the six years of professional radio and television news experience that preceded a 27-year legal career. Maybe the "journalist's" incorrect perception of yours truly was one of someone who lacked formal training or experience jumping into his profession without going through a similar path of preparation and work in the field. We hope that it was not an expression of arrogance that only those who work for ink-on-paper employers qualify as "journalists."
Nevertheless, if those who consider themselves "journalists" prefer not to apply the term to new media writers such as those who from choice or circumstance operate on a bare-bones budget that doesn't include multi-page websites or flashing advertisements that come between readers and the latest news, maybe we should accept that. If we do, we come to the conclusion that there must be class distinctions within the profession of chronicling the news. There is the Aristocracy of the "dead-tree scribblers," and the Proletarian of the TV newscasters with their emphasis on the sensational and the visual, apparently with "Bloggers" as the untouchables of the media world at the bottom, as new media voices proliferate with the widest possible range in subjectivity and often little attempt at objectivity.
We've always tried to be objective chroniclers of the news at this site. Though we haven't always conformed to conventions developed over the years in the dead-tree media---for example, we don't withhold a story while we wait for some balancing comments from "the other side"---we have made conscious attempts at balancing coverage over time. Part of the thinking process here is that our readers want to know the news and are capable and informed enough to see not just two sides but also all the various shades of gray that go into most news events.
So if we are not admissible into the Aristocracy of "journalists," how should we think of ourselves?
Perhaps the most generic of terms could apply to all who follow the urge to tell the world, or even just Hernando County, what is happening. Instead of subjective terms like "journalist" or "blogger," it would seem we could all agree on "reporter." After all, whether it's done with conventional objectivity, some measure of subjectivity, or even outright advocacy (as commonly found in our "journalist" colleague's opinion columns and editorials), the bottom line is that we are reporting what we know and, depending on whom we are trying to reach and why, we write what we see, feel, think, hear, so that you, our humble readers, can try to cope with the reality of our shared world.
So please don't call this site a "blog" because it's meant to be more than that. And please don't call us a "blogger," either, because the most precise term for all of us who write about the real world is "REPORTER."
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WHAT'S IN A NAME? FOR VOTERS, IT MAY BE A TO Z
Last Monday we reported on how Spring Hill activist Brian Moore was banking on his alphabetical ballot placement ahead of state CFO Alex Sink in the Democrat primary for governor. In our headline we called it his "Alvin Greene" strategy, for the obscure South Carolina man who upset a better known politician with a last name farther down the alphabet in a primary earlier this year.
But Moore, who did not actively campaign and was best known locally for his advocacy of far-left causes and his failed Socialist candidacy for President in 2008, ended up with 23 percent of the statewide Democrat vote. It really appears that, faced with a choice of the little-known Sink or the even lesser-known Moore, many voters chose the first name on the ballot.
No big deal for Sink, who now goes to the November balloting as the first woman from a major party to win a spot in a general election for Florida governor.
But could it have been an even bigger deal for Brooksville favorite son Bill McCollum in his losing race against Rick Scott for the Republican nomination for Governor? Wait, you say, McCollum comes before Scott in the alphabet, what are you talking about?
What we're talking about is Mike McCallister. McCallister was - barely - ahead of McCollum among the three candidates in the ballot listing. Like Moore, nobody knew much about him. And he got more than 10 percent of the vote, while McCollum lost to Scott by three percent.
We're hearing rumblings that McCallister's entry in the race might even have been orchestrated to draw top line votes away from McCollum. A politically well-connected local figure noted that McCallister's website design had many similarities to Scott's and that his past work included involvement in the health care field, where Scott's notorious background proved less hindrance to success than McCollum backers had hoped.
To us, this sounds like one of the more reasonable conspiracy theories we've heard lately.
And since your commentator's last name starts with W, it's just one more reason for us to remain firmly committed to observing politics and not participating in it.
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Now here's our look back at the week's top stories which were reported first or only on the web at Hernando News Source, beginning with Friday and working our way back through Primary Election Day to the first of the week:
JARDIN TAKES STAND IN DOUBLE MURDER TRIAL
Robert Jardin took the witness stand Friday in his defense against two first degree murder charges. Jardin told the 12 jury members and two alternates that he went with two men he knew only as "Rick" and "Bub" thinking they were going to get cocaine. He said they pulled into the driveway of a home in a remote area and told him to wait in the car.
Jardin said he was later told to come in the house, where he saw the bodies of murder victims Patrick and Evelyn DePalma. He said he felt sick and drank milk from a jug to settle his stomach. Later, after the trio had left the home, he said he was warned not to say anything about what he saw, and he fled the vehicle. He said he later found a vacuum cleaner and a stereo that he recognized as being taken from the murder scene placed in the bed of his truck.
On cross-examination prosecutor Pete Magrino zeroed in on the number of times Jardin told lies to sheriff's investigators when questioned about the DePalma murders. Magrino also tried to bring out inconsistencies in Jardin's description of the events of October, 2006, when the elderly DePalmas were killed. And he also asked about conflicts with other statements Jardin gave investigators during two interrogations in 2008. Investigators and crime technicians testified Thursday that Jardin's DNA was found on the milk jug, and the vacuum and stereo were later discovered at Jardin's residence. And Jardin admitted he was "with the wrong people, at the wrong place, at the wrong time."
The defense rested, and the state had no more witnesses. After a short recess, Judge Jack Springstead gave the jury the choice of coming back after lunch for closing arguments and instructions, or coming back Saturday or Monday. The jury chose to return Monday at 8:30 a.m.
COUNTY SHORTFALL DOWN TO $331,313, ADVISOR WARNS ON RATINGS
Budget Director George Zoettlein told county commissioners in an agenda memo Thursday that he's succeeded in reducing the General Fund budget shortfall to $331,313. Zoettlein said he got the numbers down from over a million last week, and more than $10 million a few months ago, by some adjustments and cutting five positions. The memo says $200,000 is being saved by reducing investment interest, increasing balance forward cash by $156,395, cutting $200,000 from a special fund for cleaning up the former DPW compound, changing Reserve policy to gain $622,170, cutting five positions for $273,123, and "miscellaneous adjustments" for $15,396.
Meanwhile, Zoettlein's memo attaches a letter from county financial advisor RBC Capital Markets, which has a warning: continued use of one-time revenue sources and reserves to balance the budget "could result in the County's underlying ratings being downgraded, which would increase the County's cost of future borrowings and reflect a decline in the County's financial position."
The letter from Julie Santamaria of RBC says rating agencies "frown upon...hesitation in recognizing the need to increase taxes, use of non-recurring revenues for recurring expenses, changes in . . . previously approved reserve policies, deferral of payments . . . [and] deferring reductions of operating expenses, including reduction of staffing levels."
COMMISSIONERS URGED TO GET LEGAL OFFICE TIME STUDY
Lisa Hammond, the county's purchasing consultant, says the Chamber of Commerce focus group that reviewed the County Attorney's Office should "assist with conducting their recommended time study analysis." The three Chamber members whose presentation sparked a call for outside counsel proposals by Jim Adkins would provide an analysis that would be combined with staff research to craft a scope of services. Hammond says the County Board would then need to decide on whether to issue a Request for Proposals, where price could be a major factor, or a Request for Qualifications, where the emphasis would be on a firm's resume.
Hammond said the board needs to act within the next two months, since County Attorney Garth Coller's annual contract has a 15-day window for notifying him as to whether the contract will be renewed. This year the only meeting date where that could be decided would be on October 26.
Coller, who is paid $139,000 a year, has been Hernando's County Attorney for more than ten years. His staff of assistant attorneys has been reduced from four to two in the last year and a half.
THURSDAY
THREE ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTED HOME INVASION
Sheriff's deputies said Thursday that three men they arrested Wednesday have been charged with attempted home invasion, with bond set at $50,000 each. Investigators say the men, who were identified as 21-year old Edward Young Jr. of Brooksville, 21-year old Tony Lee Smith, Jr. and 20-year old Denzel Devon Smith, both of Bushnell, were approaching 25205 LaRuth Road early Wednesday when the resident, Eric Adams, spotted them and called deputies. Adams said at least two of the three men were armed. The suspects fled when deputies arrived, and all three were captured about three hours later in the Gordon Loop area with aid from a helicopter and K-9 units. Investigators said the trio have not been connected to a home invasion Tuesday night on Weatherly Road.
Later Thursday all three suspects were booked again on a second felony count for armed burglary. Arrest affidavits say the new charges were filed because the three men allegedly broke into a vacant home on WPA Road to use for surveillance of the Adams home.
JURY VIEWS JARDIN INTERVIEW, DETECTIVES DESCRIBE LINKS TO MURDER
The jury hearing the double murder trial of 35-year old Robert Jardin viewed a video of the defendant's first interview with sheriff's detectives Thursday. The investigators also testified about the evidence they found linking Jardin to the brutal slayings of Patrick and Evelyn DePalma in their Masaryktown home in 2006.
Detective George Loydgren testified about asking Jardin to come in for an interview about a bar fight in 2008. Jurors then watched Loydgren joking with Jardin about women and sex, saying he was satisfied that Jardin was not connected with the bar fight. The suspect's relief then turned to concern when Detecties Phillip Lakin and Randy Williamson then appeared and confronted him with pictures of the DePalmas. A suddenly sober Jardin insisted he knew nothing about their murders, then repeated two requests to end the interview and leave.
The 45-minute tape omitted the remainder of the questioning, because Judge Jack Springstead ruled that Jardin's rights were violated when the interview continued after his request to leave.
Williamson testified earlier in the morning, and Lakin was expected on the stand later in the day, with all three detectives describing evidence such as a key ring that was traved back to the victims, as well as a vacuum cleaner and other items from the DePalma home which detectives said they found in Jardin's possession.
The former strip club bouncer and construction worker was interrogated for 14 hours the next day, but most of that questioning was ruled inadmissible two weeks ago because of another violation of Jardin's rights.
DREDGE CHALLENGE DEADLINE IS FRIDAY
County officials say the next potential roadblock for the Hernando Beach dredge project comes Friday with a deadline for filing a challenge to the modified dredge permit. According to county documents received this week, some concerns have been raised about water quality in Minnow Creek, which has its headwaters east of the dredge spoil site at the old county sewer plant and runs along the north side of the site.
The revised permit contemplates large settling ponds, more equipment, and use of a chemical coagulant to separate sediment from dredge discharge. Officials are concerned that a challenge to the permit and resulting litigation could further delay the stalled project. According to a time-line furnished by dredge contractor Orion Services, the earliest possible project completion date is now July 4, 2011.
Hernando News Source learned Friday that no challenge is expected from Manuel LLC, and an amended agreement with the Manuels to account for the modified dredge permit is on Tuesday's County Board agenda.
Reports that some dredge contractor's equipment is being removed from the site have been confirmed by county officials. Orion Services said that equipment for dredging would likely still return later, after the new de-watering equipment and settling ponds are constructed and dredging can begin again.
C & D LANDFILL HEARING DELAYED, OWNER CHANGING PLANS
Opponents of a construction and demolition debris landfill at the end of Wildlife Lane in the east county have won a victory in the war over whether the facility will get a state permit. An attorney for neighbors fighting the landfill permit says a hearing scheduled for next week on the permit is being postponed while the landfill's owner revises his plans.
According to a letter from John Thomas, the environmental attorney hired by the landfill opponents, Out of Bounds is asking to modify its application to meet at least some of the residents' complaints. Thomas says a new stronger liner would be installed, and the firm would agree not to accept debris within a 500-foot radius of identified water wells. The discovery of a nearby well helped convince state regulators to withdraw a tentative permit and issue a denial instead.
But Thomas also says the "case is far from over." He says the owners have only committed to "consider" the changes and have asked for a six-month postponement of the hearing before an administrative law judge. And Thomas also notes that even with the liner and the distance from wells, the landfill could still tower 60 to 70 feet above grade and detract from life in the rural community near Cortez and I-75. Meanwhile, residents plan to continue a fund-raising campaign to help pay for Thomas and other legal costs.
WEDNESDAY
DREDGE CONTRACTOR RETURNING TO HERNANDO BEACH
Hernando Beach residents have told county officials that Orion Dredging Services trucks and trailers with equipment began arriving back at the dredge site Tuesday. The sighting came a few hours before Orion officials delivered a discouraging message to county staff on Wednesday. While some of the dredge contractor's workers are reported back in Hernando Beach, the firm's president said the low bidder on the dredge project can't start working again until a modified state permit is final and a request to add millions of dollars to its contract are finalized.
County Administrator David Hamilton said he's heartened by the return of some of Orion's equipment and workers and thinks that the contract issues can be worked out. County commissioners have said they won't approve the Orion request for $7.8 million more, which Orion says it needs to comply with provisions of the modified permit. A project timetable attached to Orion's response to the county's demand to resume work estimates that the expanded project scope will take 311 days to complete, with July 4, 2011, pegged as completion date.
Meanwhile, the modified permit is due to become final Friday, and Hernando News Source has been told that Hamilton and legal staff are still negotiating final details to prevent a challenge to the modified permit. Jake Varn, a lawyer for the Manuel family, told commissioners earlier this month that a new agreement for dredge spoils will be needed to avoid a legal challenge to the permit. County documents indicate that the last disputed item revolves around details of water sampling in Minnow Creek, which runs along the north side of the spoil site at the old Hernando Beach sewer plant.
HAMILTON: COUNTY COULD GO "OUT OF BUSINESS" WITHOUT CHANGES
County Administrator David Hamilton told a group of about a dozen people at a budget meeting Wednesday that the county could be "out of business" in two years. He showed graphs indicating that revenues plus reserves will exceed expenses in 2013 unless something changes. He noted that some funds, such as the Development Services enterprise fund, will be out of money even sooner. He told the gathering at the Spring Hill VFW that a big part of the organizational change he''s tried in instill in top management is the need to look long-term at the future of county government. Hamilton also defended the county sheriff's takeover of the jail, and he said the privatization of the jail just wasn't working under a contract negotiated a number of years ago under different conditions. Hamilton said "the general theory that government is always more expensive isn't necessarily true." He pointed to the sheriff's plans to run the jail "military-style," with organized inmate work crews inside and outside the jail.
NUGENT E-MAILS VICTORY STATEMENT TO SUPPORTERS
Sheriff Rich Nugent, the Republican nominee for the District 5 U.S. House seat, e-mailed a victory statement to supporters Wednesday. Nugent thanked supporters and said, "Our success was made possible only through your hard work and hours of volunteering." He added that it "was a hard fought primary [and] one that has made me a stronger candidate and our campaign team more focused and disciplined and that’s exactly how I plan to push on to victory this November."
Nugent pledged to "continue the legacy of strong conservative leadership in the United States House of Representatives that Ginny Brown-Waite has provided for our District these past 8 years," if he wins the largely Republican district against Democrat Jim Piccillo in November.
Nugent garnered 62 percent of the Republican vote in the district in Tuesday's primary, versus 38 percent for Tea Party candidate Jason Sager. His margin in Hernando was even larger, at 68 percent to 32.
SWFWMD BOARD CUTS MILLAGE RATE
The Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Governing Board reduced the proposed new millage rate to 0.3770 mill for the District’s General Fund, which is a reduction of a fraction of a mill from the current fiscal year’s rate of 0.3866. The move will reduce the district's ad valorem tax revenue an additional $2.65 million from the current fiscal year. The board's action came Tuesday at a district meeting in Wauchula.
The reduction is a change from the July 29 meeting, when Board members voted to keep the millage unchanged. This lowered millage rate, combined with a reduction in property values as certified by county property appraisers, will result in a $15.5 million decrease in ad valorem property tax revenue.
The last time the Governing Board lowered the District’s millage rate was three years ago, when the Board reduced the millage rate by 0.0354 from 0.422. Before that reduction, the millage rate held steady at 0.422 for the previous 13 years.
Two required public hearings on the District’s total budget will be held in September, with the second hearing scheduled September 28 at 5:01 p.m. at the District’s Brooksville Headquarters.
TUESDAY
NUGENT, ROWDEN, DUKES, SPRING HILL "NO" ARE EASY ELECTION WINNERS
Hernando Sheriff Rich Nugent won an easy primary victory Tuesday over self-proclaimed Tea Party candidate Jason Sager in the contest for the District 5 U.S. House Republican nomination. Nugent will face Democrat Jim Piccillo of Land O'Lakes in November to determine who succeeds retiring Representative Ginny Brown-Waite. Nugent is the odds-on favorite in one of Florida's most heavily Republican districts, although Piccillo presents himself as a conservative Democrat.
Sager's grass-roots campaign just didn't show the results his supporters expected, especially in Hernando County, home to both candidates. Nugent won almost 70 percent of the local Republican votes, while maintaining a district-wide 62-38 edge in percentage of votes.
Diane Rowden is on her way to a November race against incumbent State Representative Rob Schenck. The Democrat handlily beat political newcomer Jay Thompson and perennial candidate Dave Werder in the District 44 primary race. Rowden, a former Hernando county commissioner and school board member, will also have to decide when to move. She currently lives outside the district but has vowed to establish a residence in the district before she would take office, as state law allows.
Wayne Dukes, who's lost in two previous bids for the County Board, will take on incumbent Democrat Rose Rocco in November in the only contested commission race. Dukes won almost 50 percent of the vote in a three-way Republican primary. Ty Mullis got 27 percent to William Kingeter's 22 percent. Dukes may have a tough road ahead, as a number of prominent Brooksville Republicans have donated to Rocco's campaign already.
And in Spring Hill, voters gave an overwhelming thumbs-down to a referendum to grant ad valorem taxing authority to the Spring Hill Fire Board. The issues was hotly contested, with supporters urging a vote to "Cap the Fire Tax" while opponents questioned whether the current fire board would try to use tax authority to find other ways to raise revenue. Roughly six in every ten voters said no to the referendum, which now leaves the fire district in the hands of the Legislature. Lawmakers may be asked to authorize another referendum, and that could put the onus back on Hernando County to provide assistance in keeping the money flowing to the district.
In other races of local interest, incumbent District 43 State Representative Ron Schultz was locked in a tight battle with Jimmie Smith. There is no Democrat in the race, so whoever prevails in the primary goes to Tallahassee. As of Wednesday morning, Smith held a narrow 415-vote lead out of more than 31,000 cast, and a final result appeared to hinge on absentee counts Wednesday in the three counties covered by the district, including the northwest corner of Hernando.
And incumbent Hernando School Board members had leads in three races, with two of the non-partisan contests decided in favor of John Sweeney and Dianne Bonfield, who each won a second term on the board. Four-term veteran Sandy Nicholson was getting less than 40 percent of the vote in her three-way race and will face a run-off in November against Cynthia Moore, who finished in a solid second place over Mike Bainum.
Hernando's voter turnout was 22 percent, less than Supervisor of Elections Annie Williams had predicted, but still slightly higher than the comparable primary four years ago.
HOMETOWN HERO NOT A BIG HERNANDO WINNER
Hernando High graduate and Brooksville-raised Bill McCollum didn't take his putative home county by storm in Tuesday's election. In fact, McCollum got less than 50 percent of the votes of Hernando Republicans and was less than two percent ahead of multi-millionaire rival Rick Scott in local balloting for the Governor's race. Obscure candidate Mike McCallister was the choice of 10 percent of Hernando's voters. McCollum lost the statewide vote to Scott by a similar margin as he won in Hernando, a little less than three percent.
And Spring Hill's Brian Moore took 22 percent of the votes of Hernando Democrats in his campaign against heavy favorite for the gubernatorial nomination, Alex Sink. Statewide, Moore did even better, with 23 percent of the vote and almost 200,000 total votes.
DEVELOPER'S BANKRUPTCY LEAVES CITY HOLDING BAG OF BONDS
The Brooksville City Council met Tuesday night to figure out what to do about a $20 million default by the Southern Hills Plantation developer, who's left a lot of committed projects undone. Foremost among them were upgrades to city wastewater treatment facilities, a plan for wastewater reuse, and plans for a road from Cortez Blvd. to the development.
The agenda for the special meeting included a resolution that would demand payment of performance bonds securing the cost of the projects. Those bonds are for a total of almost $20 million.
The first step would be to demand payment from the various companies guaranteeing the obligations. The city is already involved in litigation over payment of a performance bond for the Cascades development, which was part of the original project proposed and approved for Hampton Ridge developers.
The company was one of Florida's most prominent at the time the city stretched its limits south to include the Brooksville Ridge property between U.S. 41 and the CSX railroad. But after emerging from bankruptcy court, Hampton Ridge is no more, its assets, but not its liabilities, now the property of GreenPointe Communities. GreenPointe is still in negotiations with Brooksville over an amended development agreement, with impact fee credits a major bone of contention.
COUNTY WORKERS GET PREVIEW OF DIM FUTURE
County employees met Tuesday for a preview of a future that looks ever more bleak for their continued employment. The session with County Administrator David Hamilton on Tuesday was the second in two days.
Hamilton told workers that the economic picture is dark for revenue collections this year and into the foreseeable future. He outlined the status of the current proposed budget and noted there is still a million-dollar plus gap between revenues and spending that needs to be closed. He said eleven jobs would be lost as the budget stands now. And he also noted that current projections show the county running out of reserve funds in two years, saying that the local government could be down to just the constitutional officers by then, with no money left to run traditional county government.
Hamilton's presentations to employees comes just ahead of public meetings in Ridge Manor, Spring Hill and Hernando Beach over the next six days, where he's expected to paint the same pessimistic picture of funding government.
CANVASSING BOARD REVIEWS, TOSSES IMPROPER ABSENTEE BALLOTS
In an election day morning ritual, the county Canvassing Board met briefly Tuesday morning to decide what to do with irregular absentee ballots. Several ballots with missing signatures and otherwise irregular and contrary to legal requirements were ruled unacceptable. The actions Tuesday were based solely on the outside of the ballot, and none of the ballots were opened.
The board, which consists of County Judge Don Scaglione, County Board chairman John Druzbick, and Elections Supervisor Annie Williams, will meet again Wednesday to count the rest of the absentees.
JUVENILE CHARGED WITH PULLING KNIFE AT SCHOOL
An 11-year old boy was charged with aggravated assault Monday for pulling a pocket knife on another student in gym class at Challenger School. An arrest affidavit says the boy got in an argument with with a girl, pulled out the knife, and reportedly asked the victim if she "would like your neck sliced." The affidavit says the knife was held about a foot from the victim, who fled the area and reported the incident. The boy was taken to the Hernando County Jail and booked on the charge before being released to his parents for home detention.
LOW TURNOUT FORECAST FOR PRIMARY ELECTION DAY
Hernando Elections Supervisor Annie Williams says she hopes she's wrong, but she's forecasting a 30 percent turnout for primary election day Tuesday. Early voting wasn't as busy as expected, and the lack of local races of particular interest, other than the Nugent-Sager congressional battle, probably isn't helping the turnout prediction. Williams said as she prepared to close her office Monday night that she and her staff "are all set and ready" for voters.
Williams said 454 poll workers will staff the precincts on Tuesday, and that two of those are volunteers who have been trained and elected to decline payment.
SPRING HILL CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR USES "ALVIN GREENE" STRATEGY
Brian Moore of Spring Hill says of his chances in the Tuesday Democratic gubernatorial primary, "Hope springs eternal and anything is possible in this volatile election year."
Moore, who ran for president two years ago on the Socialist Party ticket, qualified to run for the Democratic nomination for governor against state CFO Alex Sink. Moore says his opponent "has waged a relatively low-key primary campaign, thereby enhancing my chances for a surprisingly strong finish in this two-person race, where my name will appear first on the ballot."
Moore said in an e-mail to supporters Monday that he spent the weekend in Jacksonville and got face time on the TV news there. He also said he needs contributions of help "with unforeseen last-minute campaign expenses" and asked supporters to go to his website and contribute or send a check, to "be used frugally to get our message out to the legions of undecided voters."
GIAMMARCO CRITICAL OF FIRE DISTRICT RESPONSE TO TRUCK ACCIDENT
In a series of e-mails to Spring Hill Fire Chief Mike Rampino, controversial Fire Board Commissioner Rob Giammarco says the chief's response to last week's fire truck accident "is just not adequate." Giammarco, who was reprimanded by the Fire Board earlier this year for micro-managing Rampino with e-mail questions, told the chief that he "dropped the ball" by not doing more for the two women whose Raleigh Street home was damaged y an out-of-control truck. Rampino has blamed the accident on a "medical condition" suffered by the driver while practicing backing the truck to a hydrant near a fire station.
Rampino, who responded to several Giammarco e-mails on the issue over the weekend, said he has contacted the homeowners who had damage to their properties to see what assistance can be offered, but he also noted that "it is my opinion that we allow the process to run its course [s]o we don't jeopardize an[y] of the claims." And he said he would "continue to pressure the
insurance companies to move more rapidly."
Giammarco told Rampino he went to the scene of the accident last week to "see for myself the area and damage[ ] cause[d] by the unfortunate episode" and that he was "shocked at what I have observed and . . . amazed at the amount of sustained damage[ ] to property."
Monday Rampino told Giammarco that a county building inspector had been to the site where the fire truck backed into a corner of a home and reported that there were "no issues with the home being occupied at this time." Earlier he reported that the fire district boarded up some broken windows and made arrangements for protection of the interior from roof damage.
The e-mails were requested by Hernando News Source and provided promptly by Rampino.
MONDAY
BUS DELAYS ONLY MAJOR PROBLEM FOR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Some delays for buses to take students home from the first day of classes Monday were reportedly over an hour, as students faced late returns home. Sheriff's deputies were also tracking down some reports that students may have gotten off buses at wrong stops. And traffic problems were reported around some schools at dismissal times, especially in the California Street--Powell Road--Barclay Avenue area where three schools are concentrated.
Other than the bus issues, school officials had no reports of major problems on the first day of classes Monday. New school start times did cause some confusion for parents and students, who had a mix of good and bad reactions to the changes that were aimed at saving $750,000 in bus transport costs. As is usual when school begins, authorities reported some mid-afternoon traffic headaches
Officials were expecting about 23,000 students to show for classes, including about 600 freshmen, sophomores and juniors at the newest facility, Weeki Wachee High School. Administrators expect a final count of enrollment next week. Principals will likely be juggling classes and teachers while trying to meet the new class size requirements that went into effect this year.
CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT ON DREDGE ISSUES
Two of the candidates hoping to unseat County Commissioner Rose Rocco have spoken out on the Hernando Beach dredge project, which could cost the county more money than they have available for the work. Both Wayne Dukes and Ty Mullis said it may be time to re-consider going forward, now that the dredge contractor wants a revised contract for almost $13 million instead of its original bid of $5 million.
Dukes said he's spoken with other commissioners who say the project may stop unless the contractor makes some major concessions. The new work total is based mainly on extra work and equipment needed to comply with a modified state permit that calls for removing more silt from the dredge discharge. Dukes said long-standing issues over communication from county staff to citizens and state regulators led to the current problems and that his experience in construction contract review led him to believe the design was flawed from the start. He called it "another time our county government has failed us."
One of Dukes' two opponents said he wants to see a more complete economic analysis to determine whether the project's new higher costs are worth going forward on.
Ty Mullis says he questions whether local boat registrations and the commercial vessel fleet have enough numbers to make a per-user cost for the project viable. He said his own calculations suggest a range of per user cost from $8,000 to as much as $100,000 per channel user. He says he "would like to see the project left in its current state while vessel counts are done to see if this whole thing is even justified."
Rocco, who represents the Hernando Beach area, has declined to comment on the basis that the cost and contract issues are likely to end up in litigation.
WOMAN'S LAWYER SAYS JUDGE MAY HAVE SAVED HER LIFE
A lawyer for a woman who was taken into custody after coming to court in a highly impaired state says Judge Jack Springstead may have saved her life when he sent her for drug testing. Assistant public defender Barbara Jo Bell agreed with the judge when he said 30-year old Naomi Cox probably made it back to court last week only because of his intervention.
Cox was in court Friday, and her appearance elicited looks of amazement from the judge and others who last saw her when she stumbled forward and slurred her speech badly during a July court date. Springstead said she looked like "a new young woman," and Cox agreed. In July, Springstead sent her to jail for testing after she appeared in court under severe apparent impairment. She was reportedly evaluated by medical personnel at the jail and sent immediately to Brooksville Regional Hospital, where sources told Hernando News Source that she almost died.
Friday Springstead allowed her pending forgery case to be transferred to drug court, where she has a chance of avoiding a felony conviction if she stays clean.
I wouldn't worry too much about others. Despite being a news junkie, and receiving the Times and Wall St Journal each day, I have looked at the Times in a month. I get my local news here - and last I checked, there seems to be new content 6 days a week, which is more than the legacy media can boast. Keep us the excellent work.
Legacy media is transforming. Local papers are getting more and more content from AP, Reuters and other wire services. In Texas, there is a network news which is going to be broadcast.....without an anchor or reporters - just video and narration. Times, they are a changing.
Regardless of what legacy media refer to this site as, they should treat the site with the same respect as any other journalism - they might be looking for work one day in the near future.
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Kent, HTimes not what it used to be - 10 years ago they would never have allowed the crap that goes on in this county to go unexposed - keep up the good work.
Jim
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For what it is worth, Blog vs News.
I'm new to your website, but we have passed many times in the Courthouse. I started to watch the website for pretrial publicity on a recent trial. I have found your reporting to be very accurate and in depth, with little sensational... bull-crap shall we say!
It is refreshing to see a news story that deals with the facts, and not speculation from a reporter who has little knowledge of the subject at hand.
Blog or News? as far as I concerned you beat the hell out of our two local news papers .
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Don't doubt for a moment that trees are celebrating your success! The print media has been dying a slow death for the last 20 years and the only way they can strike back is to dismiss the quality of journalism that has begun to take over the web. You have singlehandedly made the locals attempt to become more current and they have failed miserably.
Ride it out if you can because the only thing holding you back at this time is an advertising stream to pay the bills and "their" advertising has dwindled to the point of making the decision to dismiss expensively gathered local news and instead filling their news hole with cheaply purchased garbage. That will come when the advertisers find that your reach is beyond the locals.
Keep up the GREAT work. Hint - find someone local to seek advertisers on a commission basis. Put together a demographics spreadsheet showing your readership including a display of bravo zulos from readers and current advertisers. Advertisers want to see numbers, numbers, numbers. And, never, never agree to kill a story because it might affect an advertiser.
Just a few thoughts from:
opaquely, a humble charter reader, pellucid
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