Hernando
County should be real proud of the fact that after 53 years as the designated headquarters
of the 16-county Southwest Florida Water Management District, Rick Scott has
decided the District’s head office should be moved from Hernando’s regional airport
to Tampa. Brooksville’s historic patriarch, Alfred McKethan - the fellow
responsible for it being located here in the first place when the district was formed
in 1961 - is probably seething (may he rest in peace).
While
the move has been in the tea leaves for anyone concerned to see, it is still a
jolt. Or, is it? Knowing what I knew then, I asked former
County Commissioner Dave Russell a few years ago if he knew about what was happening and if there was concern that a very significant employee base was about to
be taken away from Hernando County (based on Scott’s slingblading of district
staff and basin boards) and the response was basically no response. As if to say, who cares?
This current
and actual turn of events revealed late Friday afternoon in the email below to all
district employees from district staffer Robert Beltran raises several
questions.
For one, I wonder what role Blaise
Ingoglia’s little skirmish with Scott over the Republican State Committee chairmanship
played in this embarrassment for Hernando County, Ingoglia’s home county. Ingoglia is our state House member as well as
the state Republican Committee Chairman.
You’ll recall how he unceremoniously yanked that appointment away from
Scott’s favored son a few months back and assumed the mantel himself, much to
the embarrassment of State CEO Scott. Such
quid pro quo, screw me and I’ll screw you, mentality is common in Tallahassee, where ethics are as ephemeral as flatulence in a windstorm and foul
play is fundamental human behavior.
Though it will surely be denied, it would not surprise me one wit. Our boy Blaise, under any circumstance,
should be red-faced PO’ed.
Blaise, was
this on your radar? Where are you?
I wonder
if Senator Wilton Simpson, Hernando’s fair-haired rising star of the Florida
Senate was aware this was going to happen, and did he bless this diss of one of his most important district
counties? If he did … wow! Says how important he believes his political
future depends upon being on the in
with the folks in Tallahassee and that his constituents back home can go pound
sand. Hopefully, on the other hand, if
he did not know, he will start raising sand instead, and lots of it, QUICKLY!
Wilton, say it isn’t so!
With all the talk by the
Hernando County Chamber of Commerce and County Commissioners about Hernando’s
lagging economy and the need to bring in new blood (jobs and money), I wonder
how indignant the Chamber and the Commissioners are going to be when they learn
one of the more significant payrolls in the County is leaving for Tampa. Don’t be misled by Beltran’s attempt to
deflect the reality by saying there will be no staff reductions here. He can say that because it has already
happened right in front of the Commission’s noses over the last three years and
without a peep from the Chamber. Additionally,
his email is glaringly contradictory. On
the one hand he suggests the employment base is in Tampa and that’s a main
reason to move the district there, while on the other he claims doing so will not
impact staff numbers here. If there’s no
impact, why do it if not just to stick
it to Hernando County/
Is this local reaction a ploy by
the Republican Party in Hernando? To bow
low and say nothing in order to not appear disloyal to Tallahassee and spotlight
the mounting incompetence of Rick Scott and the potential collusion of our two
state legislators whose sights may be beyond any loyalty to Hernando County? Everyone in the County should be outraged
that this is happening, especially the County Commissioners, the county’s
legislative delegation and the Hernando County Chamber of Commerce. Will they not now say something? Anything?
So far, the silence is deafening.
Guess all us unqualified and unavailable Hernando County country yayhoos should all just go pound sand.
Sandspur
Subject: FW: Message from the
Executive Director: Resolution Designating the Tampa Office as the District
Headquarters
From: Internal Communications
Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 1:22 PM
To: All_Users
Subject: Message from the Executive Director: Resolution Designating the
Tampa Office as the District Headquarters
Dear Staff,
I wanted to let you know
that based on the findings in the District’s Business Plan, there is a
presentation and resolution on
Tuesday’s Governing Board agenda recommending that the Tampa Service Office be
designated the District’s headquarters or principal office.
The Business Plan, which
was developed by staff,
has identified an immediate need to begin planning for staff succession and
recruitment to ensure our future success. This is due to retirements and
potential turnover within the next 10 years. As you are already aware, the District has consolidated
Regulation and Legal staff in Tampa. Most of the Governing Board
meetings and all of the Advisory Committee meetings take place in Tampa. One of
the main reasons for this is that the Tampa Office is the most centrally
located District office, and provides better operational efficiencies and
accessibility to our customers. Looking to the future, the Tampa Bay region has
the largest labor pool and a highly educated labor force to recruit from.
The District is not anticipating closing any
offices and there are no immediate
plans to move additional staff to Tampa. In addition, there will be no changes
to the level of service provided to any of the District’s regions.
In fact, most staff and external stakeholders won’t
notice any differences as a result of this change. If you have
additional questions or concerns, please discuss them with your manager or
bureau chief.
Robert R. Beltran,
P.E., BCEE
Executive Director
Phone: (352) 796-7211,
ext. 4605
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