Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on Amazon:

BUSINESS NEWS

Amazon expanding capacity at new Ruskin facility

TAMPA — After just seven months in operation, Amazon has announced plans to double its operational capacity inside its 1 million-square-foot Ruskin fulfillment center. The company also plans to add plenty of full time jobs.

The new construction — new flooring, new levels, robotics and other technology — will allow the company to add millions of additional items at the Ruskin location to permit faster shipping to Amazon.com customers, company spokeswoman Nina Lindsey said. Similar expansions have been done at other Amazon warehouses, she said, adding that it’s all about getting merchandise to the customers as quickly as possible.

Because the Ruskin warehouse is one of Amazon’s newest, it uses all the latest technology, including robots that can pick up entire shelves and deliver merchandise to employees filling customers orders or stocking shelves in other areas.

The first items just shipped out of the new warehouse off of Interstate 75 at the end of September. Already, the plant employs more than 1,000 people. The expansion is initially expected to employ hundreds of construction workers and eventually lead to hundreds more full time jobs at the warehouse once the work is complete.

Lindsey said she could not give a completion date for the work, but said once it is done the company is planning an open house to which the community will be invited.

SouthShore Chamber Executive Director Melanie Morrison called the expansion great news for people seeking jobs in the area.

“Amazon continues to be a major driver of economic growth and job creation in Hillsborough County,” Morrison said.

Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman called Amazon “a complete catalyst for change in this area. “Oh, my gosh, I’m not even worried about the construction,” Murman said. “The more jobs they have available, the better it is for people here. So many new homes are being built and Hillsborough Community College is adding a whole new wing. Growth is outstanding in south county and these jobs will help.”

Allen Witt, president of the Hillsborough Community College SouthShore campus, called the news “an historic moment for our community. Amazon’s initial presence has already translated into new businesses, housing starts, employment and a sense of renewed excitement in our area. The impact of this expansion on area families and business is immeasurable,” he said.

As for what new merchandise will be added, Amazon is mum for now. The company has a program called Amazon Fresh, which includes grocery delivery, but Lindsey said that service is not yet available in Florida. As to whether it could be added to the Ruskin warehouse, she said “we haven’t made any announcements to that effect.”

Anyone interested in employment opportunities at the amazon warehouse can visit www.workatamazonfulfillment.com. Already, some positions are available, Lindsey said. “I encourage people to go to the website. It’s a very simple online application process.

Commissioner Murman quoted extensively in this Tampa Bay Times article on Amazon:

Amazon to expand Ruskin operation, creating hundreds of jobs

• By Jamal Thalji and Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writers

Tuesday, May 5, 2015 9:32am

RUSKIN — Whether it comes to selling books or video games or tortilla chips, Amazon always has a plan.

Now the world’s biggest online store is ready to execute the next phase of its plan in southern Hillsborough County: Amazon announced Tuesday that it will double the operational capacity of its massive Ruskin warehouse and add hundreds of full-time jobs.

“This was always the plan,” said Amazon spokeswoman Nina Lindsey. “But now the timing is right.”

Amazon finished construction on the 1.1 million-square-foot fulfillment center in September and hired more than 1,000 workers to run it. The facility, at 3350 Laurel Ridge Ave., near Interstate 75 and State Road 674, has shipped millions of packages since.

But the company left room inside the cavernous $200 million building — it’s 10 times the size of the average Home Depot — to one day expand its ability to store and ship even more stuff to customers across Florida and the world.

The Seattle company decided the time for that expansion has come, Lindsey said. Hundreds of temporary construction workers will also be hired and work has already started inside the warehouse.

Amazon is adding more computer systems, conveyor belts, robotic mechanisms and storage facilities. But the company would not say when it expects to finish construction, when it will start adding full-time workers or how many it will hire.

“What we’re doing now is adding additional inventory space to increase the amount of items we’re able to store in the fulfillment center,” Lindsey said. “That means we’ll be able to increase our selection in the region, which will allow us to offer the super-fast shipping speed that Amazon customers expect from us.”

Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandra Murman applauded Amazon’s plans to add even more jobs. That’s exactly why county officials paid heavily in public incentives to lure the company here.

In 2013, the County Commission approved $6.4 million in property tax breaks over seven years. Together with the state, the county offered another $1.1 million to attract high-wage jobs.

“They knew that by being the first one, the lead, they would be the catalyst for change,” Murman said. “That’s what makes it so exciting”

Ron Barton, Hillsborough assistant county administrator for economic prosperity, said county officials toured the facility a few months ago. He said Amazon appeared to be using just half of the building and that it could eventually double its Ruskin workforce.

“It wouldn’t surprise me that the building could one day employ 1,500 to 2,000,” Barton said. “But that peak would be seasonal. It will ebb and flow.”

The 1,000 or so jobs Amazon brought to the area has already helped fuel the growth of Hillsborough County’s southern end and attracted residents who might not otherwise have come to the area.

“People are falling in love with our community,” said SouthShore Chamber of Commerce executive director Melanie Morrison. “People are coming here from other areas and discovering what’s down here.”

Murman said Amazon has done more than just provide jobs and a needed economic boost.

“They’re participating in the Firehouse Cultural Center, the chamber’s events, and they’re becoming an integral part of every activity that goes on down in south county,” Murman said. “I think it’s commendable on their part that they actually lived up to everything they said they were going to do once they got there.”

Frances Hereford, a lifelong resident who works at the cultural center, said Amazon’s presence has been a positive one.

“I can’t think of a better asset for this area to have right now,” Hereford said. “None of us like the traffic, but we sure want the jobs.”

Murman said the area’s infrastructure does need more attention. The roads are overcrowded, poorly maintained and there is scant public transportation. That will eventually happen once the county puts together a comprehensive transportation plan.

“Their growth even furthers the need for transportation improvements in that area,” the commissioner said. “We’re going to have many, many projects to help people move around the area, and not just on the commercial side but residents will be able to move around better.”

Hillsborough County’s ultimate goal is to leverage the success of Amazon to attract other distribution centers to the area. That could create a hub of warehouses that will create thousands of new jobs.

“Success begets success and I think that’s what we’re seeing here,” said Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. CEO Rick Homans, “and I think it’s also going to send a strong message to other distribution centers that this is a good market not only because of its proximity to Port Tampa Bay, but also because it’s the gateway to all of Central Florida.

“This gives us a strong story to tell.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on HART:

Hillsborough officials seek one voice on changes to speed up bus service

CAITLIN JOHNSTON

Tampa Bay Times

Monday, May 4, 2015 4:31pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough’s transit agency discussed plans Monday to expand the MetroRapid bus program, which provides expedited service in more congested parts of the county.

There’s one problem: Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority board members worry the plan is at odds with the county’s Go Hillsborough initiative, which seeks to build a transportation plan that could be the backbone for a 2016 referendum.

The HART MetroRapid program costs $1.43 million per mile to create and relies on adding traffic signal technology that gives buses priority in mixed traffic.

The bus rapid transit option discussed at Go Hillsborough meetings costs $54 million per mile. The vast difference in cost is associated with adding a dedicated travel lane solely for the buses in addition to using traffic signal priority.

“It’s time to wake up,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, who also sits on the policy leadership group overseeing the Go Hillsborough initiative. “We have to start speaking with one voice.”

Though HART is in charge of overseeing transit operations, the county has paid a national consulting firm $900,000 to learn what transportation improvements voters most want. The firm, Parsons Brinckerhoff, will use that feedback to present a draft transportation plan to the policy leadership group in June.

Simultaneously, HART is working on its multiyear financial and operating plan required by the state. Originally, this plan was to be completed next year, but HART CEO Katharine Eagan suggested moving it up to this summer in order to coincide with the county’s efforts.

Board members and county Commissioners Kevin Beckner, Les Miller and Stacy White echoed Murman’s suggestion that HART staff work more closely with Parsons Brinckerhoff.

If county commissioners vote to put a 1-cent sales tax for transportation on the ballot in 2016, it would be the second time officials asked residents to approve a tax in order to fund transit and road improvements.

“We cannot go down this road again where we are throwing out and comparing two different plans,” Beckner said. “That’s part of the reason why things got derailed in 2010, because we had competing plans out there that confused the public.”

The additional MetroRapid routes aren’t a new concept, Eagan said after the meeting. The routes were added in 2011 to HART’s long-term plan, which is included in information residents can peruse at the Go Hillsborough meetings and is available to Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Several board members also noted that none of the six proposed MetroRapid routes would provide service in south county, and the one that runs through Brandon does not link to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

In other news, board member Josh Burgin, who was appointed by the governor in 2012, announced that June’s meeting would be his last. It is unclear when Gov. Rick Scott will name a replacement, HART spokeswoman Sandra Morrison said.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune article on

Island Paws Party finds homes for furry friends

BY MARY SCOURTES GREACEN
Special Correspondent
Published: April 22, 2015

TAMPA — The pets had their paws crossed they would be adopted. Sixteen dogs — and a few tabbies — arrived for snuggles, smooches and adoption at the 2015 Island Paws Party on April 10 to benefit the Tampa Humane Society.

The old saying that you can’t buy happiness didn’t include the unmitigated joy of holding a puppy or kitten.

A sellout crowd — more than 200 — cooed and awed over the furry, four-legged Edmond and Ella, great Pyrenees mixes; Revi, a basset hound; and Wolfgang, a German shepherd.

Eight dogs and one kitten found happiness that night.

The rest were all in new homes by the end of the weekend.

“My husband and I are animal lovers,” says Nancy Newman, who, with husband Tom, offered their Davis Islands home for food and fanfare.

You would not believe everything the Human Society of Tampa Bay does, she says.

“It is amazing,” she says about the Humane Society’s veterinary care, behavioral work and outreach programs. “They do so much to help these animals get ready to go to their forever homes.

“My husband and I want to do anything we can to help.”

The fundraiser was successful.

“Events like this where we meet new people are really nice and the money that helps support the shelter is critical,” says Nancy McCall, director of Planned Giving and Grants for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.

Both Nancys were on the Island Paws Party committee that included Kris Boos, Jenn Fadel, Maite Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Elizabeth Harris, Commissioner Sandra Murman, Kelly Ray, JoAnn Strober, Cathy Suglia, Julie Tate, Brenda Trayner, Nancy Turner and Walter Woolf.

“We are very appreciative of the Newmans for the use their home,” says McCall.

In all, the one-night event brought in $20,000 for the Humane Society

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article on Women’s Exchange:

Exclusive: Women’s Exchange plays ‘matchmaker’ for female talent, board openings

Apr 20, 2015, 12:14pm EDT

Margie Manning

Print Editor-Tampa Bay Business Journal

A casual meeting at Starbucks has blossomed into an initiative by a group of Tampa Bay’s leading female business executives to find a seat at the board table for more women.

Now, the Women’s Exchange Forum is launching its website,www.womenexchange.org, a tool to identify potential candidates who are qualified for positions on corporate, nonprofit and government boards. It will allow Women’s Exchange to develop a pool of qualified candidates and a list of openings.

“Women will be able to go on the website, sign up and as we get to know them and their wants and desires, we can match it to a board or committee that can use their time or talents,” said Sandy Murman, chair of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners and a founding member of Women’s Exchange.

Murman and three other founding members — Karen Seel, Pinellas County Commissioner; Maruchi Azorin, owner of Villa Rosa Distinctive Linens in Tampa; and Bridgette Bello, president and publisher of Tampa Bay Business Journal— were sitting at Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) having coffee when they started talking about how to increase female presence on all types of boards.

While research by Catalyst and other organizations has shown that companies with a higher female board presence outperform other firms, women make up only about 17 percent of corporate board membership. Too often, Bello said, women downplay their own assets and positive qualities. “They need other women pulling them along,” affirming and encouraging them, she said.

The Women’s Exchange was established in 2013, with the organizers challenging themselves to use their influence and networks to encourage more women to achieve success in leadership roles throughout Tampa Bay, Azorin said in a written statement. To engage more than just the women they knew personally, they established the website, which is a database that provides “robust opportunities” for involvement, said Renee Dabbs, principal at The Voyageur Co. and a member of the Women’s Exchange board.

The website provides the resources that women across the state have been saying they need, said board member Deborah Cox-Roush, owner of C&L Creative Solutions of Florida. “This is a resource to help women engage in the appointment process. It raises much-needed awareness that the vacancies are there,” she said.

It also allows women to find organizations that women can identify as ones they want to make a difference in by getting involved, said Trimeka Benjamin, president of OrangeTheory-fresh ideas and a Women’s Exchange board member. She donated company time and resources to create the website, and while the emphasis for now is on filling local positions with women in the Tampa Bay area, she and others would like to see it go national.

“The sky is the limit,” Dabbs said. “I travel across the country and have exposure to women in various positions, and consistently they tell us this is what they need.”

When Dabbs speaks to groups, she finds many women already serve on nonprofit boards, but fewer are on corporate boards or government boards. “I want to see that dynamic change, so the women running the nonprofits in our community are sitting on other boards as well,” she said.

The organization already has helped a handful of women get board posts, and while the group doesn’t have specific quantitative goals, Murman said most public sector agencies put out quarterly lists of available appointments. “If we act on those lists and get a significant number — between five and 10 appointed each quarter — that’s potential 40 women each year we are helping to get ahead.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on BOCC meeting:

Stormwater fee to go up in Hillsborough, but unclear by how much

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 15, 2015 5:59pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough County is likely headed for its first stormwater fee increase in more than two decades. How much the rate goes up, though, is still up for debate.

There was general agreement during Wednesday’s County Commission meeting that additional funds are needed to fix and replace the county’s aging pipes. Commissioner Kevin Beckner said he lost his home 12 years ago to flooding in part because of an old stormwater culvert.

“I vow not to let that happen to any other citizen in our county,” Beckner said.

But commissioners could not settle on new stormwater rates, which have remained $12 for a residential home since they were introduced in 1991.

Instead, they asked public works staff to find out what is needed to eliminate the backlog of critical repairs within five years and recommend an increase based on that.

About 3,000 individual pipes or structures in the county are nearing the end of their life — some are more than 40 years old — and replacing or updating them would cost $60 million. Another $24 million is needed for neighborhood improvements to prevent future flooding.

The backlog increases by $4.4 million each year.

Public works staff presented commissioners with two plans: one doubles the stormwater rate for residents to $24 annually and another triples the fee to $36.

Commissioner Les Miller said tripling the fee was justified.

“Nothing is the same price as it was in 1991,” Miller said. “If we don’t do something now we’re going to really put ourselves in deep, deep, deep trouble.”

Miller was ultimately outnumbered and instead voted with the rest of the board to put off settling on a specific amount until the next board meeting.

“I’m not so comfortable going up to $36,” commissioner Ken Hagan said. “I would like ours to remain below the City of Tampa.”

The average Tampa resident pays $36 a year. Pinellas County residents pay $70 to $266 a year in surface water fees, depending on the size of the house. It’s $47 in Pasco County.

Under the existing structure, mobile homes, apartments and condos pay $6 per unit and commercial and industrial properties pay 1 cent per 1.5 square feet. Those fees are likely to increase as well.

In other matters Wednesday, the board unanimously requested a feasibility study of using solar trash compactors in Hillsborough parks. The idea comes from the city of Seminole, which has used the compactors at bus stops.

Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday honored former Florida governor Bob Martinez with the 2015 Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award.

Martinez, who also served as Tampa mayor from 1979 to 1986, is the 19th recipient of the award.

“You have provided tremendous leadership to our community, our state and our nation over the years,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. “Your service to others is an example to all.”

After leaving the governor’s mansion in 1991, Martinez served as “drug czar” for President George H. W. Bush. He has remained active locally through entities such as the Hillsborough Education Foundation, the Florida Council of 100 and Tampa Bay History Center.

“I love the community,” Martinez said. “I was born here and so was my wife and anything we can do to make it better is something that we do.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this WTSP story on Apollo Beach restoration: (Video clip as well)

Channel dredging brings back more Apollo Beach

Jenny Dean, 5:35 p.m. EDT April 8, 2015

Hillsborough County, Florida — Beach lovers will soon have another place to hang out, and residents who live on the water in south Hillsborough County will have a way to get big boats out on the bay.

The Apollo Beach Nature Preserve is closed now, but should reopen in time for Memorial Day with a fresh, new, sandy shoreline. That sand will come from newly dredged boat channels.

Video Link: http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/2015/04/08/boaters-dredging-channel-apollo-beach/25472997/

Channel dredging brings back more Apollo Beach

Len Berkstresser is the president of the Apollo Beach Waterway Improvement Group. For nearly five years his group has been raising money and working with the county to bring the project to reality. He says, “It’s not just an inconvenience, but it’s also a matter of property values.”

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman remembers when there was a Holiday Inn and thriving public beach in Apollo Beach, she’s been working with ABWIG to bring that back. “What I’m trying to do as a commissioner is make use of our waterway. We do not do enough of that, from the city all the way down the coastline.”

Hillsborough County has invested more than a million dollars in the project, installing jettys and breakwaters to ensure once the beach is re-nourished, the sand stays there. ABWIG has raised more than $300,000 from corporations and residents to do the dredging. That is expected to start next week, and all that fresh sand should be ready for residents around memorial day. ABWIG still needs to raise about $25 thousand to put the finishing touches on the project.

To see pictures of the project and find out how to donate visit www.abwig.org.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on HART:

HART board discusses transportation priorities, goals and budgets

• Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

Monday, April 6, 2015 7:51pm

TAMPA — The county’s transit agency began a three-month process Monday of reshaping its goals and budget for the upcoming fiscal year, including placing more emphasis on collaboration with other agencies.

Board members for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority discussed its vision and core values as part of crafting a new strategic plan. While CEO Katharine Eagan presented a comprehensive view of the organization’s current objectives — continuing to be an employer of choice, transportation agency of choice, and change agent for the area — board members chimed in with other objectives they’d like to see highlighted.

County Commissioner Sandra Murman wants more emphasis placed on collaboration with other agencies, such as the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority. Not only is this necessary for improving efficiency and effectiveness, but also for attaining essential funding for the agency, she said.

“The agency doesn’t operate in isolation anymore,” she said. “We need to strengthen our partnerships so we are also getting a piece of the pie.”

Board member Kathleen Shanahan said she would like to see priorities rearranged, with the efforts to be the leading transportation agency of choice receiving the most attention.

Much discussion centered around the agency’s limited bus availability outside the city, especially around south county. Feedback from a series of public meetings held by Hillsborough County staff show that residents in those areas are requesting more bus service, Murman said. However, providing that has proven difficult due to the size of the county.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever get to the point where we can serve every square inch of the county,” board member Karen Jaroch said.

As for the budget, Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Seward said the goal is to maintain the current level of service and provide limited enhancements.

HART is expected to get an additional $1.7 million in funding next year from property taxes, which make up 48 percent of revenue, Seward said.

Budget projections for the next five years show HART experiencing a shortfall starting in fiscal year 2018 if things progress on the current track. That shortfall is estimated at $475,562 and could rise to $2.3 million by 2020.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on child safety:

Crime & Courts

Efforts continue to prevent another Phoebe Jonchuck tragedy

By Anastasia Dawson | Tribune Staff
Published: April 1, 2015   |   Updated: April 1, 2015 at 10:53 PM

TAMPA — The Glazer Children’s Museum bustled Wednesday night with children jumping through fountains, spinning pinwheels and reveling in the general innocence and joy of childhood.

But one little girl missed out on the party, the victim of a short life mired by tragedy.

It’s been nearly three months since 5-year-old Phoebe Jonchuck’s father threw her into Tampa Bay from the Dick Misener Bridge. The Florida Department of Children and Families, as well as numerous other agencies in Hillsborough County, have been left to analyze what went wrong with Phoebe’s case and how her death could have been prevented.

A new initiative announced Wednesday at the statewide kickoff of Child Abuse Prevention Month may help that effort by better coordinating the many resources available locally to help endangered children.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman announced the board’s newest project, the Blue Ribbon Committee for Child Safety. Comprised of representatives from the county commission, the Children’s Board of Hillsborough Community, DCF, Eckered College, judges, juvenile justice, school system, and mental health and substance abuse agencies, the committee’s first goal will be improving data sharing among agencies and identifying problem areas that need attention.

“Child abuse is changing forms right now; it’s not just neglect or abuse, it’s parents who are mentally ill or really need help early on,” Murman said. “With so many support systems already in place, we all need to work together to come up with a plan and intervene earlier in these children’s lives.”

The committee, one of the first of it’s kind in the state, is an important step in tackling the problems that have plagued Florida’s child care agencies, said DCF Secretary Mike Carroll.

Every year, DCF investigates more than 200,000 allegations of child abuse and neglect across the state. “The issue with us is most of the families we’re working with are already at that critical care level, with substance abuse issues or domestic violence, and once they’re at that level it’s very difficult to help,” Carroll said. “We need to get better at stopping kids from getting to the point where the state needs to intervene, and we need people in the community to step up and be part of the solution,” he said.

Local businesses, public offices and schools across the state will display blue and silver pinwheels this month for the DCF’s Pinwheels for Prevention campaign. There is a critical need for adoptive parents, foster families and mentors, Carroll said, and the pinwheels should serve as a “call to action” for community members to reach out to children in need.

Some policy changes should also help in the effort to help children before it’s too late.

Since Phoebe’s murder, DCF now requires the statewide abuse reporting hotline to respond to cases involving a potential mental health crisis within a four hour time period. The agency also has a new child death fatality website featuring quarterly reviews from the new response team.

Legislators last year passed a bill in hopes of preventing more child deaths, but changes being considered this year would strengthen it. Under last year’s bill, 270 child protective investigators were hired for a “Critical Incident Rapid Response Team.” The new language would require a child protection team medical director certified in child abuse cases and heighten the members’ training and credentialing standards.