Commissioner Murman mentioned, and quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on wage theft:

POLITICS

Hillsborough commissioners approve program to fight wage theft

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff 
Published: October 21, 2015   |   Updated: October 21, 2015 at 10:35 PM

TAMPA — Workers who are cheated of wages now have an ally in Hillsborough County government.

County commissioners, by a 5-0 vote, approved an ordinance Wednesday that makes county government the entry point for workers who feel they were illegally denied wages. Commissioners Ken Hagan and Al Higginbotham were absent.

Commonly known as wage theft, such practices can include working employees off the clock, denying them their last paycheck or failing to pay tips or overtime. Hillsborough County ranks second in the state in documented cases of wage theft, according to a recent study by Florida International University. Miami-Dade County is first.

The ordinance’s sponsor, Democrat Kevin Beckner, said the plan was a “hybrid” that borrowed from established wage theft programs in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. Beckner had originally pushed for an ordinance modeled on Miami-Dade’s version, which handles wage theft cases through its consumer protection department. Pinellas County recently adopted a wage theft ordinance based on that model.

But Republicans, who hold a 5-2 majority on the commission, resisted the Miami-Dade model, saying they didn’t want to grow county government by adding new employees. Beckner’s plan called for hiring one employee in the second year of the program at a salary of $45,000.

The new ordinance makes workers and employers go through mediation in the courts administration office of the 13th Judicial Circuit. The county already funds that office, so using mediators from there wouldn’t cost any additional money, Beckner said.

Based on other counties’ experience with wage theft legislation, about 70 percent of wage disputes are settled in mediation, Beckner said. Those that aren’t will be go before a hearing officer.

“The current hearing officers we use are all volunteer attorneys,” Beckner said in an interview before the meeting. “They do this sometimes to build a resume for a judgeship or some other position. We want people who specialize in employment law.”

Borrowing from the Palm Beach County ordinance, the Hillsborough system will use lawyers from Bay Area Legal Services to represent workers before the hearing officers and, if necessary, in circuit court. Bay Area Legal Services provides free civil legal services to qualified residents and non-profits.

The county will budget $100,000 a year for legal services aiding wage theft victims before hearing officers or in a courtroom.

Though she voted with the majority, commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman again expressed concerns about the ordinance, saying it would be simpler just to send all workers with wage disputes to circuit court and pay Bay Area Legal Services to represent them. That is similar to the way Palm Beach County handles the problem.

It was Murman who, at a May 20 commission meeting, first broached the idea of following the Palm Beach model. Her comments came two months after Beckner had rolled out his ideas for a wage theft ordinance modeled after Miami-Dade’s program.

Public records obtained by the Tribune showed Murman had been communicating with the Florida Retail Federation prior to the May 20 meeting. The retailers’ group generally opposes wage theft laws and sued in state court to kill the Miami-Dade ordinance, arguing that it violated the state constitution.

In an e-mail obtained in the public records request, the retail federation’s general counsel thanked Murman for her “willingness to listen,” and said the group favored a plan modeled on the Palm Beach County ordinance.

On Wednesday, Murman said something needs to be done because current state and federal laws meant to protect wage earners are weak. But Murman said she preferred the Legislature pass a stronger statewide law because leaving counties to craft their own ordinances creates confusion.

“I feel like we’re complicating the situation, not really making it better,” Murman said.

In the spirit of compromise, Beckner also incorporated a suggestion from Republican Commissioner Victor Crist to have the wage law cover self-employed subcontractors who are not paid what they are owed by a larger company or general contractor.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on museum funding:

POLITICS

Hillsborough sets museum contribution at $325,000 each

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff 
Published: October 21, 2015   |   Updated: October 21, 2015 at 09:42 PM

TAMPA — Museums and arts venues that apply now and then for money from the Hillsborough County Commission will get an annual grant of $325,000 from now on to put toward building preservation.

Commissioners voted 5-0 Wednesday in favor of a capital asset preservation matching grant program. Commissioner Kevin Beckner, who came up with the idea, said the program would impose some order on funding for some of the county’s biggest attractions.

And because the grant requires a match, it will encourage fund-raising by the non-profit groups to raise their $325,000 share.

“The challenge we’ve faced every year is these organizations coming to us for money,” Beckner said in an interview before Wednesday’s meeting. “This gives them an opportunity to fund capital improvement projects, protects the county’s investment and solves the budget issues we deal with every year.”

The agencies eligible for the funding are the Glazer Children’s Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry, the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts, the Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa Theatre and Lowry Park Zoo. Adding other eligible agencies would require commissioners to revise the policy they approved Wednesday.

Julie Britton, vice present of development at the Straz Center, called the new funding policy a “tremendous opportunity and great initiative.”

“First and foremost it’s a tremendous acknowledgment that major cultural institutions need to maintain their facilities in a state of the art, relevant way, over and above our annual operations costs,” Britton said after the meeting.

“It gives us an opportunity to meet our capital needs,” Britton said, “and it’s been crafted in such a way that it will allow us to leverage funding from other public sources and from the private sector.”

Another important facet of the program is flexibility: The non-profit agencies can lend their yearly allotment to another eligible organization that may need more than its $325,000 share for a large building or preservation project. The loan is made with the understanding that the money will be returned later when the lending agency needs it.

“I put that in place to purposely let them work together and encourage collaboration when they come up for their capital improvement programs,” Beckner said.

Matches for the grants must be at least 25 percent cash. The rest can be expenditures, irrevocable pledges and documented, in-kind contributions. Other requirements are that the total project budget will be covered by committed, available funding sources; and that the work must be done by qualified professionals and licensed Florida contractors.

Several commissioners congratulated Beckner on the new policy.

“This helps them to improve their fund-raising and it encourages them to fund raise,” commission Chair Sandy Murman said. “It’s providing them a hand up and matching the grant gives them the muscle they need to get additional funding.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this 83Degrees article on Tampa Bay Wave:

Tampa Bay WaVe moves into new downtown digs

JUSTINE BENSTEAD | TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2015

Tampa Bay WaVE grand opening.

PHOTO BY DIANE EGNER

For the local tech community, there are few names as well known as Tampa Bay WaVe. Now, the growing WaVe has settled into a new location in the third floor space at 500 E. Kennedy Blvd.

The “by entrepreneur, for entrepreneur” venture centre, tech accelerator, and coworking space has helped create 107 companies and 424 jobs in the local region, Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman told guests at WaVe’s grand opening on October 16.

“Economic development is where it’s happening — technology is where it’s happening,” Murman said during the event. “We need the startups — we need to help them become bigger and better.”

Tampa Bay WaVe President Linda Olson reminded event attendees “three years ago, we were still a zero-budget, all volunteer organization.”

“Boy, have we come a long way,” Olson said. “I’m so excited to see where we’re going to be three years from now.”

Commissioner Murman praised WaVe’s role in bolstering the local tech community.

“We see this as the place where our Steve Jobs is going to be found,” Murman said.

County, City, Community: Invested in Tampa’s tech future

“This is a big milestone not only for the Tampa Bay WaVe, but also for our community,” WaVe Board Chairman Mark Swanson said during the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Swanson likened the event to a graduation ceremony, noting, “It takes a village to raise a startup.”

Recruiting companies and helping support growing companies are important aspects of economic development, Swanson says, but “one of the biggest things I’m excited about is how our community has embraced entrepreneurship and innovation as what I call the ‘third leg’ of the stool of economic development. We are growing companies today by helping our startups — helping new companies start new services.”

Mentorship and feedback from members of the local tech community are crucial components to helping startups grow, Swanson says.

Tony DiBenedetto, co-Founder of local tech company Tribridge and a long-time Tampa Bay WaVe supporter, spoke about Tampa’s status as a tech community and the importance of local support during the grand opening.

“Tribridge has 650 employees, and we started as a tech startup here,” DiBenedetto said. “This community lifted our company off the ground from startup.”

The City of Tampa is a first-time investor in Tampa Bay WaVe, and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn credits early investors in the local technology community, like Chuck Sykes, for recognizing that “keeping intellectual capital in the Tampa Bay area is dependent upon creating the jobs of the future.”

Taxpayers “need to know that [their money] is being spent wisely and not being wasted on frivolous things,” Buckhorn explained during the ribbon cutting ceremony. “I’m not an easy sell. I’m all about ROI.”

“What we are doing here is creating the jobs of the future,” Buckhorn said.

Build, Launch and Grow: WaVe’s mission to create change

Tampa Bay WaVe has brought $14.2 million in outside capital into the local marketplace, Murman said. “Those are outstanding numbers.”

WaVe was created in 2008 and, with USF as a grant partner, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit won a $1 million U.S. Department of Commerce i6 Challenge grant in September 2012.

That grant helped create the FirstWaVe Venture Center inside Rivergate Tower, a co-working space for local entrepreneurs; it also helped develop WaVe’s Accelerator program, which helps startup businesses succeed.

In spring 2015, the USF-Tampa Bay WaVe partnership announced that it had earned a second i6 Challenge grant, for $500,000, from the 2014 Regional Innovation Strategies program.

In August 2015, WaVe was selected as a recipient of a $50,000 Growth Accelerator Fund Grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). This grant will help WaVe grow support for startups led by women, veterans or other underserved populations.

The SBA presented WaVe with the $50,000 check during the grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony.

Along with the SBA funds, TriBridge donated $30,000 to Tampa Bay WaVe; Sykes Enterprises donated $25,000; and Florida Blue, who in 2014 partnered with WaVe accelerator company HealthBox, donated $15,000.

“This is what makes jobs now. It’s not even just about the future,” DiBenedetto said. “We are a tech community. We don’t have to wait.”

Opening doors for startups in Tampa Bay’s tech space

The Tampa Bay WaVe grand opening included ‘chair yoga,’ lunch, an interactive exercise break, tours of the new space, CitySleekers car washes, a FirstWaVe company showcase and product demo, and the product launch of FirstWaVe company iTrekkers.

The event was “bustling, warm, welcoming – and crowded!” says Kiki Schirr, Fittr chief marketing technologist and co-founder. “I couldn’t believe how many people attended.”

Fittr, a company whose mobile application helps users track fitness goals, is in the accelerator program at WaVe.

“The new space is much more flexible, and will be better suited to the varied needs of startups in the community,” Schirr says. “Plus, they’ll be opening a coffee shop on the fourth floor, which will be very nice!”

WaVe’s new space, on the third floor of the building at 500 E. Kennedy Blvd, is owned by the McIntyre Thanasides law firm. It is slightly smaller than their former offices, but longtime WaVe Round Table member Chris Sanfilippo prefers the new offices.

“We’re still downtown, still in the mix of everything,” Sanfilippo says.

Plus, a new break room with a kitchen area, where coworkers and WaVe members can score snacks and unlimited coffee for $5 a month, helps to create a community vibe that the former offices lacked.

“It brings everyone closer together, whereas before, we didn’t have the watering hole to gather. Now we have that, and we’re all kind of together, we’re bouncing ideas off each other,” Sanfilippo says. “Some of the best ideas or recommendations I get come from just chatting with someone while making a cup of coffee.”

For example, Sanfilippo says, his company doesn’t focus on development; but at WaVe, “There are usually half a dozen people around who can help you and point you in the right direction.”

Rank KO, Sanfilippo’s self-funded reputation management company, moved into the former WaVe offices in January 2015. At the new digs, there are two windows, a glass wall, and room to grow. With four full time employees and one part time, Rank KO is currently hiring for a full-time writer.

Along with limitless cups of coffee and a community vibe, working at WaVe means being part of a “pretty positive environment. You get a lot of constructive criticism going on,” Sanfilippo says. “That’s probably one of the biggest takeaways I’ve gotten working at the WaVe. Getting feedback and advice from others who have walked in similar paths is pretty huge.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on her County Job Fair:

BUSINESS NEWS

Job seekers pack County Job Fair on HCC campus

From staff reports 
Published: October 16, 2015   |   Updated: October 16, 2015 at 07:31 PM

About 800 people packed into Hillsborough Community College’s Student Services Building Friday seeking jobs during the County Job Fair held on HCC’s Dale Mabry campus.

The job fair was hosted by Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, in association with CareerSource Tampa Bay and HCC. About 55 employers participated in the free event, including Busch Gardens, Bright House Networks and Amazon.

After the job fair, a virtual job fair was held to allow job seekers to apply for employment online at a special web page. That online job fair will continue through the weekend, said Murman, who spearheaded the event and attended.

“It’s giving people across the county a chance to have access to employers hiring in a different part of the county. We’re trying to offer the employers more possibilities, and the job seekers more options,” Murman said of the virtual job fair . For those who don’t have computer access at home, they can access the job fair from computers at any public library, she said.

“Some people might not be able to get to the job fair location, so we’re hoping this will be another way to join employers with potential employees.”

Murman said that by posting the jobs available in advance, the response was overwhelming. “We had major companies like Mosaic, Progressive Insurance, West Florida Health. We had a lot of the major employers in our community,” Murman said. “The results we got back and the response was overwhelmingly positive and people felt like it was really about the quality of employers we got there.

“It was very successful and we’re very happy we’re getting people back to work,” Murman said.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune article on the ferry:

POLITICS

Kriseman pushes ferry linking downtowns in Tampa, St. Pete

BY CHRISTOPHER O’DONNELL
Tribune staff 
Published: October 15, 2015   |   Updated: October 16, 2015 at 09:19 AM

A commuter ferry service may be still years away but weekend ferry rides across Tampa Bay could be running in as little as a year through a pilot program pushed by St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.

The city leader is working with ferry promoter Ed Turanchik on a plan to run a ferry service between the downtowns of Tampa and St. Petersburg through the winter months.

One or two vessels would be rented from ferry services in the northeast that close for the winter, Turanchik said. Temporary floating docks could also be rented for the project. The estimated cost is $1 million, with ticket sales offsetting some of it.

Kriseman this week pledged $350,000 toward the plan from the $6.5 million the city received as a settlement in the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Voters’ rejection of the Greenlight Pinellas referendum in 2014 highlighted the need for creative solutions to the region’s transportation challenges, he said.

“We need to start providing alternative means of transportation so we can get people out of their cars, reduce our carbon footprint and be more sustainable,” Kriseman said.

Turanchik, a Tampa attorney and former Hillsborough County commissioner, represents HMS Ferries, the firm pushing for a commuter service carrying servicemen and women and civilian employees between South Hillsborough and MacDill Air Force base.

That project is on hold pending an environmental study to find a terminal site in Apollo Beach. The study may not be concluded until July, Turanchik said.

The winter ferry program would be aimed at tourists, snowbirds and residents who want a day out across the bay. The crossing would take about 50 minutes. Tentative sites for the temporary docks are the Tampa Convention Center and the Vinoy Basin in St. Petersburg.

Ferries would also run some evenings for special events like Tampa Bay Lightning games and the 2017 NCAA National Championship game at Raymond James Stadium, Turanchik said.

On a more practical level, it would give a genuine read on the level of demand for a weekend recreational hops between the two cities, which is also part of the proposed permanent ferry service. “My personal belief is if this gets set up, it’s going to accelerate the other project,” Turanchik said. “It’s an extraordinary way of traveling; you get to have a cup of coffee and enjoy gorgeous sunsets.”

A high-speed ferry service was one of Kriseman’s campaign pledges and he has supported the commuter ferry plan.

“It was amazing to me that coastal communities like St. Petersburg or Tampa don’t have any ferry system in place and don’t have water-taxis of any significance in place,” he said.

His plan to use the BP money must still be approved by St. Petersburg City Council members, some of whom want more of the money spent on sewer improvements.

Other hurdles may include finding political support on the Hillsborough side of the bay.

Turanchik said Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman supports the project. But Tampa officials said Thursday they have heard little about the proposal and are focused on transportation initiatives including Go Hillsborough and the expansion of the TECO Line Streetcar System, seen as important to the success of Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s $2 billion redevelopment of the area around the Amalie Arena.

“This is just one of several transportation initiatives,” said Bob McDonaugh, Tampa Economic Development Administrator.

Kriseman plans to pitch the idea to Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn at a meeting next week.

He said he has no qualms about working with Turanchik, whose failed attempts to bring the 2012 Olympics and commuter rail to Tampa have led some to dub him a dreamer.

“I think if you’re not dreaming and shooting for the stars, you’ll certainly never reach them,” Kriseman said. “You’ve got to try new things and see if you can put it together.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on Rick Homans:

BUSINESS NEWS

Homans moves from EDC to Tampa Bay Partnership

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff 
Published: October 12, 2015   |   Updated: October 12, 2015 at 09:15 PM

TAMPA — Rick Homans, who for the past three years successfully rewrote the handbook for economic development in Hillsborough County, will jump into a more regional role later this month.

Homans, president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation since 2012, will take the reins of the Tampa Bay Partnership. He was selected after the Partnership conducted a national search for a new leader. He officially joins the Partnership as president and CEO on Nov. 9.

Homans steps into the vacuum created when former interim CEO John Schueler stepped down in June. Schueler took the position beginning in 2013 following the resignation of longtime Partnership president and CEO Stuart Rogel.

Homans’ move came as no surprise to local leaders, who had known for awhile this change was in the works, said Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman.

And no one appears worried it will be a setback for the robust economic development the county has experienced in the past couple of years.

“My personal thoughts are that Rick really took us to a new level when he came on board and I think he developed a really good economic development machine with a good staff. Everything will run well,” Murman said.

“I’m just happy we’re keeping him here in the Bay area,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “I really have grown to like and respect Rick. He’s been a big part of all the progress we’ve made over the past four years and an integral part of the team that coalesced and convened and executed on the plan and the vision” for jobs and business growth.

“He’s done this without any drama,” Buckhorn said. “The results are speaking for themselves.”

Since becoming leader of the EDC, Homans and his staff have worked to lure more than 12,000 high-paying jobs to Hillsborough County. New and expanding businesses, just this year, planned to spend $121 million in the area, which includes a $23.5 million investment planned by Johnson & Johnson and $18.3 million that Tampa Tank and Florida Structural Steel is investing to expand at Port Tampa Bay’s Port Redwing in Apollo Beach.

The EDC staff remains on the hunt for a Fortune 500 company willing to move its headquarters here. Homans said that hunt, which his team has worked closely on with Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s development team, will remain an EDC task once he departs.

“The Lightning and SPP have strong partnerships with both the Hillsborough County EDC and the Tampa Bay Partnership,’’ said Jim Shimberg, chief operating officer of Strategic Property Partners, the joint real estate venture between Cascade Investments and Jeff Vinik. “We look forward to working with Rick in his new role as CEO of the Partnership as well as on a continuing basis with the EDC on our efforts to bring thousands of high paying jobs to Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay area.”

Murman said J. P. DuBuque, who will serve as interim EDC director, has served side by side with Homans as vice president of finance and administration for nearly three years and is up to taking over that weighty task. “I think there will be barely a blip on the screen.”

University of Tampa President Ronald Vaughn, who serves as EDC chairman, said DuBuque has “worked tirelessly to help lead the transformation of the EDC. His institutional knowledge, financial acumen and relationship building with investors, elected officials and partners will ensure a seamless transition as we focus on the continued pursuit of our strategic goals.”

The EDC will conduct a national search for Homans’ replacement.

Homans’ new focus will be on developing a strategic plan to bring the voices of regional business leaders together.

“What I’ve been doing here at the EDC is in the trenches, on the ground economic development,” Homans said. “We’ve built a super strong organization, but our success is driven in large part by the power of the region. I think you look at the things like the Bay Area legislative delegation and the business leadership and we haven’t yet harnessed that power to effect positive economic change. That’s the opportunity ahead of us.”

“Choosing a leader with both an economic development background and public policy experience is a major asset for Tampa Bay,” said Bay Area Legislative Delegation Chair Sen. John Legg. “[The legislative delegation] looks forward to strengthening its relationship with Rick Homans and the Tampa Bay Partnership as it works toward making the Tampa Bay region the pre-eminent business destination in the country,” Legg said in a written statement.

Homans said one of his jobs for the Partnership will also be to work with the CEOs of every economic development corporation in the region to find out how to add “real value and compliment their work and support their activities to help them get even better results. I know from where I sit at the EDC we need that kind of regional support. I look forward to developing that program with these partners.”

“This is a pivotal moment for the Tampa Bay Partnership ,” said Partnership Chairman and Fifth Third Bank (North Florida) Regional President Brian Lamb. “I am confident that Rick is the right person for the job as his extensive experience closely aligns with the strategic direction of the organization, which will focus on solidifying ‘one voice’ for the region.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Business Observer article on Rick Homans:

Tampa Bay Partnership selects new CEO

BY: BUSINESS OBSERVER

October 12, 2015

TAMPA — Rick Homans has been named the next president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership, effective Nov. 9.

Homans comes to the Tampa Bay Partnership as “the ideal person to lead the charge in improving the region’s competitiveness and economic prosperity,” said Sandy Murman, chairwoman of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, in a statement.

Most recently, Homans served as the president and CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. for nearly four years. His experience helped set him apart as a candidate.

“I am confident that Rick is the right person for the job as his extensive experience closely aligns with the strategic direction of the organization, which will focus on solidifying ‘one voice’ for the region,” Tampa Bay Partnership Chair Brian Lamb said in the statement.

The Tampa Bay Partnership is a regional organization focused on stimulating economic growth and development. It serves eight counties surrounding the Tampa Bay area.

– See more at: http://www.businessobserverfl.com/section/detail/tampa-bay-partnership-selects-new-ceo/#sthash.SpZipw7S.dpuf

Commissioner Murman quoted in this NewChannel 8 article online regarding her county job fair:

Nearly 50 employers to participate in Tampa job fair

Press Release

Published: October 9, 2015, 1:05 pm

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, in association with CareerSource Tampa Bay and Hillsborough Community College, will host a County Job Fair from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 16th, at the Hillsborough Community College Dale Mabry Campus, 4001 W. Tampa Bay Blvd., Tampa, FL 33614.

Nearly 50 employers and vendors are expected to participate, some who will interview potential employees on the spot, while others will provide online links to jobs. These employers have hundreds of positions available in both part-time and full-time work.

“We are very excited this year to have employers like Amazon, Bay Care Health Systems, Mosaic, Brighthouse Networks, Progressive Insurance, Wellcare, and many more. The most important thing that we can do in County Government is to help our unemployed or under employed citizens to find jobs. When more people are working, more people are saving and spending money at local businesses, and the economy continues to improve,” said Commissioner Murman.

In addition to the employers listed above, the following businesses have confirmed for the event:

• Hillsborough County Consumer & Veteran Services
• Cricket Wireless
• Binder & Binder
• Alorica
• Life Safety Services
• In the News, Inc.
• University of South Florida
• Sodexo
• Environmental Protection Commission Hillsborough County
• Convergys
• Lee Moffitt Cancer Center
• Hillsborough County Human Resources
• Doorstep Deliver
• HART – Hillsborough Area Regional Transit
• West Florida Health – Tampa General
• Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library
• LabCorp – Laboratory Corporation of America
• Manpower
• IT Authorities
• HCI Group, Inc.
• TCS – Time Customer Service
• RITA Staffing
• General Dynamics IT
• Hillsborough County Public Schools
• Circle K
• Arcadia Home Care
• Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
• Florida State Fair Authority
• Casper’s Company
• Pepper Contracting Services
• One Touch Direct
• Verizon Wireless
• College Road
• Secure America LLC
• Goodwill Temporary Staffing
• Tampa Family Health Centers, Inc.
• AnswerFirst Communications
• Troy University

The 2015 County Job Fair is free and open to the public. For more information call David Robinson at CareerSource Tampa Bay at (813) 930-7868 or email Mr. Robinson at robinsond@careersourcetampabay.com .

Learn more about Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra L. Murman by visiting her Commissioner page online.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on wage theft:

Hillsborough commissioners reach compromise on wage theft plan

• Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 7:56pm

TAMPA — The Republican-controlled Hillsborough County Commission voted Wednesday to move forward with a plan to help victims of wage theft recover lost income through a hybrid model that stresses mediation.

The plan — a compromise between models in Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties — would rely on an administrative hearing process in state court to resolve contested claims. If mediation is unsuccessful, the county would provide claimants representation through Bay Area Legal Services, a nonprofit provider.

County staff projected the new system could see about 250 cases annually. Of those, about 18 percent, or 45 cases, would fail mediation and require further action.

Democratic Commissioner Kevin Beckner championed the issue throughout 2015 and pushed for the county to mimic the Miami-Dade model, which relies on county staff to handle all intake and mediation. In July, the Pinellas County Commission unanimously agreed to draft a similar wage theft ordinance.

However, Hillsborough commissioners were concerned about the county taking on the new responsibility and expanding government. Instead, several pushed for evaluating the Palm Beach model, in which wage disputes would remain in the court system and victims would need to take legal action against their employers.

Studies show Hillsborough is one of the worst counties in Florida for wage theft. These disputes occur when employers withhold earnings or benefits from employees, whether by forcing a worker to stay late, stealing tips or intentionally misclassifying an employee as a contractor. Many cases involve service or construction jobs and affect low-income workers.

Commissioners voted 6-1, with Al Higginbotham opposing, to move forward with the mediation services model. A public hearing on the ordinance will be scheduled for the next board meeting Oct. 21.

“This is going along a lot better than I thought it was going to go,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. “I’ll be honest with you, I kind of wish we were treading into this a little more slowly and just doing the Palm Beach model and trying it out to see how it goes.”

However, Murman voted to support the hybrid mediation services model, which she said intrigued her and had the lowest cost of the three.

“Even though we’re not at the original conclusion going with the Miami-Dade model,” Beckner said, “I think we’ve come up with a really great model.”

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3401. Follow @cljohnst.