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Commissioners Get Earful

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By LAURA FRAZIER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 30, 2008

Updated: 01/28/2008 05:44 pm

BRANDON - Growth management and county services were hot topics at a town hall meeting Thursday at the Brandon Recreation Center on Sadie Street.
Hillsborough County Commissioners invited residents of Bloomingdale, Brandon, Valrico, Seffner and Mango to the open forum and question-and-answer session. The commission holds such informal meetings quarterly throughout the county to promote face-to-face dialogue with constituents.

About 200 residents and dozens of government officials turned out for the meeting, which was televised live on local government station HTV22.

District 2 Commissioner Ken Hagan opened the floor to questions and gave speakers three minutes each to voice their concerns. Commissioners and county staff members responded to questions at the meeting, and others called in by phone or sent e-mail.
Buckhorn resident Ken Nailing praised Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputies and the county's parks department staff for responding well to his neighborhood's requests for help with traffic, crime and vandalism and parks facilities.

"Kudos to sheriff's District 4," Nailing said. "The deputies responded efficiently to our concerns and handled everything as if it were their own neighborhood."

Kevin Dorsey, president of the Buckhorn Homeowners Association, reiterated concerns brought up earlier in the day at a County Commission board meeting about a proposed apartment complex in Valrico. Dorsey, also president of citizen's group VOICE - Valrico Organizations Interested In Controlled Expansion - said he and his neighbors worry about increased traffic and building densities if the county approves the proposal to build the apartment complex east of Albertson's plaza at Bloomingdale Avenue and Lithia-Pinecrest Road.

Dorsey said he wanted to remind commissioners that neighbors oppose the proposal before the commission reviews it Feb. 7. About 75 people wore "Say no to apartments" stickers that Dorsey handed out before Thursday's meeting.

"Our community is against this because ... multiple-storied apartments don't fit in with the neighborhood," he said. Rather than increasing population and traffic in a congested area, Dorsey said, "We would rather have office condos or small shopping complexes ... things that support the residents who already live there."

Seffner resident R.J. Stipp appealed to commissioners to make good on a promise that a previous commission extended to him more than three years ago. He said he lives off Windhorst Road, and flooding nearby routinely leaves water standing 2 to 4 feet deep.

"In 2004, I was promised at a town hall meeting that a retention pond would be put in. This hasn't been done."

Public Works Director Bob Gordon told Stipp his staff is aware of the problem and trying to find funding to install a lift station that would remedy the flooding.

"We were out there last week pumping, but we can't leave the pump out there," Gordon said.

A few residents expressed resentment, saying the commission consistently fails to serve the best interests of its constituents.

Mark Nash said he grew up in Brandon and is "shocked and amazed to see what this area has become." Nash said growth is out of control, and he criticized at-large Commissioner Jim Norman's proposal this month to cut developers' impact fees to give them economic relief and jumpstart the local economy.

"I suggest doubling the impact fees," Nash said, earning a smattering of applause from the audience. "Stop letting the developers use you folks as their puppets. Stop the monkey-see, monkey-do, knee-jerk management style of this board."

District 1 Commissioner Rose Ferlita said the board is not interested in giving discounts to developers unless it benefits homeowners. She said the board agreed only to have staff examine Norman's proposal and bring it back before commissioners for further discussion.

Norman said, "I'm not trying to give anything to a developer. I'm trying to get people employed and get back to work again. If that's wrong, stand here and yell at me all night."

Several residents said the area needs more park facilities, maintenance and staff.

Deb Herr said she has been a team mom for seven years for the Valrico Rams youth football league, and the league has a long waiting list because there aren't enough parks or facilities to accommodate all the children who want to play.

"We have pages and pages of waiting lists, and I want to know why," Herr said, adding that youth football seems to get short shrift compared with other sports leagues. "Soccer is hooked up, but football, not so much."

Jennifer Fernandez, a single mother with children in one of the county's after-school recreation center programs, said she worries that county belt-tightening will result in cuts to bus transportation from schools to rec centers and understaffed parks.

"Please don't take parks staff positions away," Fernandez said. She asked commissioners to consider how vital parks staff and after-school programs are to families and children.

Hagan assured residents that parks services and facilities are a high priority for commissioners.

"In April, we will be looking at these things, and we expect to make significant improvements to park facilities countywide," he said.

The town hall meeting will air again on HTV22 at 1:30 p.m. Thursday on Bright House channel 622 and Verizon channel 22. A written recap of the meeting is available by calling (813) 272-5275 or writing to townhall@hills boroughcounty.org.

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523 or lfrazier@tampatrib.com.

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