On 10.26.11, In Blog, By Murman

Internet sweepstakes cafés elude anti-gambling laws by having customers buy account cards that are used to play simulated gambling games on computers.

The outcome is predetermined, but to the player, who doesn’t know whether the card will generate a return, it is like being at a slot machine.

The operators decide how much they will allow the “gamblers” to win. Customers win or lose points at a predetermined rate. And the owners can adjust the odds whenever they want.

It is a predatory practice aimed largely at the elderly and the poor. Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office rightly want to put a stop to it. Sheriff David Gee has warned owners they appear to be “conducting gambling activities,” and his office intends to investigate and enforce the law. Sheriffs in Pinellas and Pasco have shut down similar cafes and arrested owners.

Gambling is illegal in Hillsborough except in a few specified areas such as the Seminole Indian property.

Other than being required to register with the state Department of Agriculture, there is no oversight of the operations and no accounting of the cash that flows through them. Most are located in strip malls.

These gambling facilities are growing fast. Three years ago, there were no sweepstakes cafés in Hillsborough. Now, there are more than 25.

Murman is pushing an ordinance that would outlaw the “gambling devices” found in the cafés.

The well-funded operators will vigorously fight it, but Hillsborough County commissioners should consider the opinion of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who found the electronic games constituted “illegal slot machines or devices.”

And commissioners also can find guidance from U.S. District Court Judge John Antoon, who in a detailed ruling upheld Seminole County’s similar measure.

He found the Seminole ordinance specifically described the cafés’ “simulated gambling machines” that made payoffs to those playing the games. He pointed out that “none of the video games at issue is banned on its own — only the play of such a game in conjunction with the possibility of a payoff is banned.”

He refused operators’ request to issue a preliminary injunction against the Seminole ordinance.

Hillsborough commissioners should not allow little casinos to open up around the county. They should put an immediate halt to the spread of these strip-mall gambling dens.

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Funding clears way for new south county YMCA

On 10.26.11, In Blog, By Murman

By Stephanie Wang, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, October 14, 2011

http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/funding-clears-way-for-new-south-county-ymca/1196453

 

RIVERVIEW — After securing $2 million in county funding, the YMCA is forging ahead with plans to open a new facility in south Hillsborough.

In partnership with Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation, the YMCA will expand recreational offerings in a growing region, said Cindy Sofarelli, senior group vice president of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA.

“It maximizes the efforts for the community,” she said about the public-private partnership. “It’s a win-win.”

The project is still in the initial planning stages. The partnership aims to build a YMCA facility on a 33-acre county-owned parcel next to Vance Vogel Park. The South Shore complex will contribute to the economic development of a burgeoning area located off the intersection of Interstate 75 and Big Bend Road, Sofarelli said.

The project has been in the works for nearly three years. In April 2010, the YMCA conducted an initial market study for community feedback and found residents showed interest in a full family facility, similar to the nearby Campo Family YMCA in Valrico, Sofarelli said. Their wish list included a gymnasium, sports fields and aquatics, which likely will be added to the South Shore complex in phases.

The new facility will provide a home base for existing YMCA programs run at places such as the South Shore United Methodist Church or South Bay Hospital, while also complementing the county park.

Because the project remains in its infancy, Sofarelli did not give any time frame for the start or completion of construction.

“It’s still a footprint right now,” she said. “I wouldn’t say it’s set in stone.”

The approval of the county budget in September cemented a key piece of financial backing: County Commissioner Sandy Murman set aside an annual allocation of $500,000 for four years for the project. The money will be given in reimbursements to the YMCA from sales tax funds.

Sofarelli estimates the YMCA will need to raise an additional $4 million to $6 million for the facility.

But the public-private partnership cushions the costs for both parties.

“In this day and time,” Murman said, “it’s the best recipe for putting something in and having some public benefit.”

Murman praised the YMCA’s past cooperation with the county in providing services and constructing new facilities, such as the Campo pool, using public grants.

“They did it by the book,” she said. “And it was really almost an example of how a project should be done.”

Still, Murman said the organization will be subject to any new rules and policies that may be implemented for groups receiving county funding following recent criticism of public dollars spent to build the Regent in Riverview.

The YMCA is expected to present a business plan Nov. 2 to the County Commission, Murman said.

Stephanie Wang can be reached at swang@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2443.

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Hillsborough sheriff warns Internet sweepstakes cafes to fly right

On 10.06.11, In Blog, By Murman

Demorris A. Lee, St. Petersburg Times
Thursday, October 6, 2011

http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/hillsborough-sheriff-warns-internet-sweepstakes-cafes-to-fly-right/1195463

In joining a crackdown already under way in neighboring counties, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is warning owners of Internet sweepstakes cafes to stop any illegal gambling or risk prosecution.

In a letter dated Oct. 3, the Sheriff’s Office writes to owners that it is “obligated to investigate all illegal activities occurring within our jurisdiction, including illegal gambling activities.”

The letter states that “according to our understanding of your operation, you are conducting business activities in violation” of state gambling laws.

The letters come as Hillsborough County commissioners are set to meet next week to take their own steps to regulate the cafes.

Sweepstakes cafes have been allowed to operate freely in Hillsborough, while in Pinellas and Pasco counties, Sheriffs Jim Coats and Chris Nocco have shut down such cafes and arrested owners.

In both Pinellas and Pasco, the sheriffs began their enforcement campaigns against the cafes with similar letters of warning. Coats and Nocco contend that the cafes foster illegal gambling.

Larry McKinnon, a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office spokesman, said Wednesday that the letters sent this week give owners the opportunity to make sure their businesses operate legally.

“If they are unclear about what the law says, then they should consult an attorney or the State Attorney’s Office for clarification,” McKinnon said.

The number of Internet sweepstakes cafes has soared in the Tampa Bay area recently.

Sweepstakes cafe customers purchase Internet time that they use to access casino-style games on cafe computers. Points won in the games can be redeemed for cash in the cafes.

Last month, Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously to direct staffers to draft an ordinance banning simulated gambling devices. The ban could exempt nonprofit groups.

Commissioners have scheduled a workshop for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to discuss regulating the cafes. If they can agree on language for an ordinance, a public hearing will be held Oct. 19.

Commissioner Sandy Murman, who wants the establishments banned, said there are at least 25 Internet sweepstakes cafes operating in unincorporated Hillsborough.

“The Sheriff’s Office is doing the right thing,” Murman said of the letters. “They are supposed to stop crime and illegal activity.”

The letters are arriving at cafes days before commissioners discuss local regulations, but Murman said the two events are not related.

“I don’t think anyone is operating on a timeline because of the ordinance we are proposing,” Murman said. “The workshop will allow both sides to present their case.”

Nancee Laursen, owner of the Enless II sweepstakes cafe on W Hillsborough Avenue, received one of the letters. She said she is running a legal business.

“I’m going to wait and see what happens,” Laursen said. “The fact is, it’s not gambling. If they are going to investigate, they should come into my store and let us know they are here so I can explain it to them. It’s completely black and white. It’s not gambling.”

But area law enforcement agencies point to Florida gambling statute 849.16, which states in part that any device is considered a slot machine — illegal in Florida except where specifically allowed — if it operates “as a result of the insertion of any piece of money, coin or other object” and if the user, because of “any element of chance,” receives anything of value.

Sweepstakes cafe proponents point to a different state statute on game promotions when they argue their cafes are legal. They say they are merely using sweepstakes games to promote their businesses.

A Pinellas cafe owner is challenging Coats’ decision to raid and close her Palm Harbor business. A federal court hearing in Tampa is scheduled for Oct. 14.

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Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tribune article on the Regent:

On 10.05.11, In Blog, By Murman

Regent may face state review
By From staff reports
Published: October 05, 2011

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2011/oct/05/menewso5-regent-may-face-state-review-ar-262848/

TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners have asked the state Joint Legislative Auditing Committee to review funding and operations at The Regent, a controversial community center near Brandon.

Commission Chairman Al Higginbotham sent a letter last week to state Sen. Jim Norman, chairman of the audit committee and a former Hillsborough commissioner, asking for the review of the center. Built with county, state and federal money, The Regent was sold to government officials as a community center and hurricane shelter. After the building was finished in January, however, it was criticized because of its lavish decor and lack of accessibility for ordinary residents.

Commissioner Victor Crist, a former state senator, suggested at the Sept. 21 commission meeting that the audit committee look at the center. Crist made the suggestion after a county auditor reported that $35,000 in county money had been spent on consultants and other inappropriate uses during construction. Commissioners asked the board running The Regent to return the money.

“From the holistic perspective, we really need to have the full bird’s-eye view of what this deal is and what has really taken place,” Crist said at the meeting, “and the best way to do that is to send a formal request from this board to the state Legislature and ask that the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee look into this matter.”

Commissioner Sandy Murman is also scheduling meetings with The Regent’s board to discuss the future management of the center. Murman has suggested that Hillsborough Community College, which owns the building, also operate it.

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Platt St. Bridge Closing Update

On 09.29.11, In Blog, By Murman

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As your Traffic and Safety representative, on behalf of the Davis Islands Civic Association board of directors, I want to keep you informed on the upcoming Platt Street bridge closure and its impact on Davis Islands. The Platt Street Bridge is closing this MONDAY, October 3rd, 2011. Yes, it will be hard to get used to, and it will be an inconvenience for over 3 months.

A public meeting took place September 27, 2011 at the Sandra Freeman Tennis Court facility with City and County representatives including Commissioner Sandy Murman and City Councilman Harry Cohen. Most comments and concerns voiced at the prior Hyde Park meeting were incorporated into the plan. The City and County agencies along with Tampa Police are working together and pledged to respond quickly to unforeseen conditions as a result of this event.

We were assured that Digital Traffic Display Boards will be installed at points ahead leading to the bridge to inform drivers. Sandy Murman will further contact the School Board to make sure that schools are aware of potential delays.  Be assured that the City and County staffs are communicating with MacDill Air Force Base and TGH to let them know of plans, detours and latest updates. We have asked that additional police officers, automatic telephone calls and possibly web cams be used to lessen the impact and speed police response during this period.

This event will not be easy for everyone, including Davis Islands, South Tampa, Harbour Island residents and TGH, but we are told every effort is being made and coordinated to minimize inconveniences and provide for safety during this event.

As we have stressed before, kindly factor time delays as you schedule your travels in and out of Davis Islands during this period. Please let your friends and neighbors know and think safety first as you travel in and out of our great neighborhood.

Being informed about this event will help lessen the inconvenience and prepare us for any eventuality. Traffic Diagrams and Maps along with more specific information can be accessed at;

http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/publicworks/traffic/platt/routes.cfm

 

Sincerely,

Antonio J. Amadeo, AIA

DICA Traffic & Safety Chair

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Port director gets two-year extension

On 09.20.11, In Blog, By Murman

By Steve Huettel, Times Staff Writer 

Posted: Sep 20, 2011 11:48 AM

TAMPA – Disappointing his critics, the Port Authority board voted today to extend the contract of director Richard Wainio by two years.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman first proposed a one-year extension. After her motion was rejected, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn proposed the two year extension, and it passed on a 4-2 vote.

Questions over Wainio’s future rose in July, when the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association called for the board to let Wainio go when his contract expires next March.

The group, which represents 47 companies doing business at the port, cited significant declines in cargo tonnage at the port since Wainio took over in 2006.

Operating income at the Tampa Port Authority was nearly $5 million in the black at the beginning of his tenure and was $1.1 million in the red last year, the group said. The number is misleading, port staffers insist, because it includes millions in depreciation from new construction. The authority isn’t actually losing money.

Much of the conflict is over personality.

Critics say Wainio doesn’t listen to their suggestions on port business strategy, has been disrespectful toward business leaders and creates a ”chilling effect” on public comment at board meetings.

Wainio says his critics don’t represent the views of the larger port community. In a recent e-mail, he wrote commissioners that morale at the agency is suffering from the attacks.

“My staff and I are irritated by the generally baseless, erroneous and repetitive accusations from several people who quite frankly have no particular knowledge or expertise regarding the issues,” he wrote ”

Wainio, 61, has served as the Port Authority’s chief executive since 2005. He earns $251,118 a year.

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Tampa Bay Water – Reservoir

On 09.20.11, In Blog, By Murman

Deal to settle Tampa Bay Water reservoir lawsuit comes up one vote short

By Craig Pittman, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Tuesday, September 20, 2011

A sharply divided Tampa Bay Water board voted Monday to settle its lawsuit against the company that designed its flawed reservoir, with HDR Engineering handing over $30 million — far less than the cost of a repair, which means the ratepayers would likely pick up the rest of the tab.

The regional utility’s management announced the settlement in a news release, and an HDR executive hailed it as the best possible solution.

But there was a problem. The settlement passed by a vote of 4-3 — and it turns out that’s not enough.

Late Monday, two Pinellas County commissioners who were on the losing side of the vote pointed out what was wrong: The rules governing Tampa Bay Water require at least five of the board’s nine members to ratify any legal settlement.

Votes to approve the settlement fell one short, so “it doesn’t count,” said Pinellas Commissioner Susan Latvala.

Latvala and Commissioner Neil Brickfield had voted against the settlement and then heard about the problem from county attorneys who were familiar with how Tampa Bay Water was set up, she said.

As a result, the board will have to vote on the proposed settlement again at its Oct. 17 meeting, according to spokeswoman Michelle Biddle Rapp.

But this time it will be different. Monday’s decision to settle the case, as with all previous discussions of the lawsuit, took place behind closed doors, thanks to an exemption in Florida’s open government law. No one in the public knew the terms of the settlement discussions in advance. Now they do.

“Stay tuned for another installment,” joked Latvala, who has seen the utility stumble repeatedly over glitches with its desalination plant and its relations with other government agencies.

For nearly two years, Tampa Bay Water officials have said they hoped the companies that designed and built the reservoir would bear most, if not all, of the cost of fixing its cracks.

Two of the contractors that worked on the reservoir had previously settled the utility’s claims for $6.75 million. Added to the proposed settlement with HDR, that makes $36.75 million in damages — which falls far short of the repair cost, estimated at $121 million.

The decision on how to pay for the rest — and whether it will mean a rate hike — will come next year, said Tampa Bay Water general manager Gerald Seeber. The staff is predicting rates might go up 10 to 15 cents per thousand gallons of water used. The average Tampa Bay area household uses about 8,000 gallons, so that would be 80 cents to $1.20 per month on the average bill.

Latvala, Brickfield and Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman voted to oppose the settlement, while St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse, Pasco County Commissioners Anne Hildebrand and Ted Schrader and New Port Richey Mayor Bob Consalvo voted to go ahead with it.

Two members weren’t there: Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda was recovering from surgery and Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe was attending a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit committee meeting. Sharpe could not be reached for comment, but Miranda said he’d be at the October meeting “even if I have to find someone to drive me.”

Nurse said he voted for the settlement because he was worried that even if Tampa Bay Water were to win, HDR would appeal and drag the case out for years. Hildebrand said any rate increase would be “just pennies.”

But Brickfield predicted water customers “are going to feel a lot like me — not happy.”

The utility opened the 15.5 billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir in June 2005 as a place to store water skimmed from the Alafia River, Hillsborough River and Tampa Bypass Canal. The embankment’s top layer is a mixture of soil and cement to prevent erosion. That’s what cracked in December 2006. Some cracks were up to 400 feet long and up to 15½ inches deep. Workers patched the cracks, but the fix didn’t last.

Last month Tampa Bay Water approved a contract with Kiewit Infrastructure South to repair the reservoir and also boost its capacity by 3 billion gallons for $156 million. The company has promised to finish in two years — during which the reservoir will be drained, forcing the utility to use its desalination plant more.

Craig Pittman can be reached at craig@sptimes.com.

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Hillsborough approves new Emergency Operations Center

On 08.31.11, In Blog, By Murman

MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 31, 2011

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2011/aug/31/menewso3-hillsborough-approves-ar-254213/

 

Just days after Irene ravaged the East Coast, Hillsborough County administrators used the proposition of a hurricane hitting the Tampa Bay area to sell county commissioners on the need for a $31.4 million public safety complex.

Commissioners voted 6-0 to build the complex, which will house emergency operations, fire-rescue headquarters and training, code enforcement and the county’s main computer servers, all in a hurricane-hardened building.

The county will borrow most of the money for the complex through a bond issue with annual debt payments of $1.78 million. Payments will be made with receipts from the communications services tax.

County Administrator Mike Merrill had made the complex a priority in his fiscal 2012 budget. He ran into resistance, however, from commissioners who questioned making such a large expenditure during a time of economic hardship.

So Merrill decided to make his case by squeezing commissioners and about 130 county employees into the present emergency operations center for a mock hurricane drill.

Emergency Management Director Preston Cook ran a video that, in faux documentary fashion, showed the impact of a Category 5 hurricane coming ashore in Tampa Bay.

“I didn’t want to dramatize it,” Merrill said, “but I wanted to make it as real as I can because I think it’s important enough.”

The sobering images of destruction in the video and the claustrophobic conditions in the 20-year-old emergency operations center seemed to wilt whatever concerns commissioners still had about the project.

“We’re here to protect and inform the people of Hillsborough County what’s going to happen if a hurricane happens,” said Commissioner Les Miller, who made the motion to build the complex. “The No. 1 thing we need to look at is the 1.2 million people we represent.”

The complex will be on county-owned land on Columbus Drive near Falkenburg Road.

A core building housing the operations center and computer system will be between 74,000 and 90,000 square feet and cover more than 20 acres. An auxiliary building will be more than 18,000 square feet.

The new buildings will be able to withstand a Category 5 hurricane, a storm with sustained winds greater than 155 mph. The current, 16,000-square-foot emergency operations center is built to withstand a category 2 hurricane with winds up to 110 mph.

Commissioner Sandy Murman asked Merrill to look at having a private business build the complex and lease it to the county.

Merrill agreed to look at a public-private partnership, but said the county can borrow money for construction at a much lower interest rate than businesses.

County officials want to have the complex finished when the 2013 hurricane season begins. Cook, the emergency management director, said the commission’s quick action confirmed his reasons for taking the job in June.

“This county understands preparedness,” Cook said. “This confirms that I came to the right place.”

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Former Ruskin firehouse is one ‘yes’ away from becoming cultural center

On 08.26.11, In Blog, By Murman

By Shelley Rossetter, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, August 26, 2011

St. Pete Times

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/former-ruskin-firehouse-is-one-yes-away-from-becoming-cultural-center/1187790

 

RUSKIN — A former fire station could become a community arts center by January, thanks to $100,000 allocated by commissioners in next year’s tentative Hillsborough County budget.

The opening of the Ruskin Firehouse Cultural Center hangs on the approval of the county’s fiscal 2012 budget, which will be voted on in September. If approved, the money would go toward improvements at the fire station on First Avenue, which was vacated by the county for a new one this year, said Sandy Council, president of the Ruskin Community Development Foundation, which is handling the project.

Construction would start as soon as the money was approved.

“A lot hinges on the final vote of the budget,” Council said. “We’re moving ahead as if that’s going to happen.”

As the first of its kind in the South Shore area, the cultural center would provide access to a wide selection of arts, Council said.

“It’s not just going to be visual art,” she said. “There will be theater, music, the whole spectrum.”

Meeting rooms would be available for rent, and the building would accommodate classes, workshops and visiting artists.

The fire station, which is owned by the county, would be leased to the foundation, which submitted a business plan and is awaiting final approval from the county, Council said.

Renovations planned for the building include bringing the facility up to code and making it handicap accessible. Council estimates that will cost at least $70,000.

In addition to the county’s money, the foundation is set to receive $60,000 from the Foundation of Greater Sun City Center once it gains possession of the center, Council said. Keller Williams and the South Shore Arts Council have donated an additional $6,000 toward the project.

It’s something the community has been seeking for a while, said Commissioner Sandy Murman, who helped secure the money for the center, which is in her district.

“Ruskin has often been overlooked,” she said. “This is going to be a good addition to south Hillsborough County.”

Though the center’s money is not part of the $2.5 million set aside by commissioners for the restoration of historical properties, the discussion that led to that fund also benefitted the center, Murman said.

Public outcry over the amount of money spent at the Regent, she said, brought attention to the need for community centers in other areas.

People in the arts community are excited, said Nina Tatlock, co-director of Big Draw Studios, an art studio in Ruskin.

“For the community, it will be a place where things can happen,” said Tatlock, who also serves on the foundation’s committee. “It’s where people from the community can come to participate in the arts, which we feel is an enrichment to the community.”

Besides drawing more attention to the arts in South Shore, supporters hope the center will create more interest in the area.

“The Ruskin area has great potential for economic development,” Murman said. “This could be the focus, the hub of where it starts.”

Shelley Rossetter can be reached at srossetter@sptimes.com or (813) 661-2442.

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Davis Islands, Harbour Island residents decry plan for Platt Street Bridge project

On 08.26.11, In Blog, By Murman

By Aubrey Whelan, Times Staff Writer

In Print: Friday, August 26, 2011

St. Pete Times

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/roads/davis-islands-harbour-island-residents-decry-plan-for-platt-street-bridge/1187801

 

DOWNTOWN — The plan to close the dilapidated Platt Street Bridge for much-needed repairs has been on the table for months now, county officials say.

But time hasn’t eased the frustration residents of Davis Islands and Harbour Island feel over the project that will eliminate a major link to and from downtown for 105 days, some time in early October.

They say the city hasn’t provided enough options for diverting traffic away from the bridge, contending that the closing will create a near-constant gridlock in and around the Platt Street area.

“Hopefully this (traffic plan) is a work in progress,” Davis Islands resident Joe Fontana said at an open house this week hosted by County Commissioner Sandy Murman. “But this is the same as nine months ago. That’s extremely inefficient.”

One resident said the traffic plan made her feel “claustrophobic,” while others expressed concerns about access for emergency vehicles in the area. They’re also worried that cars leaving from Tampa General Hospital on Davis Islands and St. John’s Episcopal Church School in Hyde Park — which send employees and students home around the same time — will further clog the area.

City transportation officials say the plan is a tentative one and are still looking for suggestions from residents as the project draws closer to its start date.

City transportation manager Jean Dorzback said while the traffic situation in and around Platt Street isn’t ideal, the city will “deal with it as best as we can.”

In part, the current plan will divert neighborhood traffic crossing the Hillsborough River onto Kennedy Boulevard and Franklin Street. Other alternatives will detour drivers onto Verne Street and Plant Avenue, which will soon allow three lanes of traffic through.

Commuters will be encouraged to take the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway across town to avoid Bayshore Boulevard. The Tampa Police Department will station officers at key intersections to direct traffic during the first few days of the bridge closure, and the city plans to post 30 electronic message boards around the area to warn drivers.

The county, which owns the bridge and is overseeing the $13.8 million project, is offering monetary incentives to its contractors to finish the job on time — $10,000 per day if the bridge is completed up to 20 days in advance and $10,000 penalties for every day past the 105-day completion window. The project is part of ongoing repairs to the bridge that began in January and have caused lane closures along the way.

But no matter what, officials say, residents will have to deal with occasionally frustrating traffic.

“The first few days are going to be awful,” said Martin Stone, the planning director of the state Expressway Authority. He was at Monday’s open house, handing out free SunPasses to help residents prepare for the months to come.

Despite all their planning, officials say they still expect some confusion in October.

“We’ve been promoting this for months now,” said Shannon Edge, the head of the city’s neighborhood and community relations office. “People aren’t going to realize it’s actually closed until the day of.”

Aubrey Whelan can be reached at (813) 226-3446 or awhelan@sptimes.com

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