Sandy Murman

Written by

Mike Deeson

Tampa, Florida — When your state is number one in the nation for identity theft you would think politicians would enact stronger rules and regulations to keep its citizens’ driver’s license number a secret. Well, here in Florida, not so much.

The 10 News Investigators found a computer program that allows anyone to plug in your name and your birth date and poof–there’s your 11-digit number. It’s legal, it’s easy and the state allows it to happen.

“The state shouldn’t be in the business of making it easier for folks who want to engage in identity fraud. They ought to make it as hard as they possibly can,” said a surprised Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn when we caught up with him and told him his driver’s license number.

“Where did you get it? How did you get it?” said an equally surprised Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman.

“That’s scary man. I thought it was a little bit harder to steal your identity, that’s all it takes?” said Dale Savage a county worker who was taken aback by the computer trick.

“You would think with the increase in identity theft you would think the state would be doing a lot more to protect identity. I would hope this is something that the state would consider changing,” said former police officer Kevin Beckner.

While many people agree with the mayor, Savage and Beckner, it appears the division of motor vehicles makes it a piece of cake. The reason it’s so easy is Florida has a unique code and if you have a birthday, a name and a middle initial you can get anybody’s driver’s license number.

“The person who takes the identity, and is the short-time user who knows he is going to get caught versus the one who acquires the identity and wants to become that individual, that’s the one you’ve got to worry the most about because it is almost impossible to get rid of it,” said Oscar Westerfield, the former Assistant Agent in Charge of the Tampa FBI Office.

Westerfield maintains having someone’s driver license number is a major aid to identity theft.

Westerfield also points out another possible huge problem. If someone posing as you is arrested, skips bail and then a police officer pulls you over, looks at your real license, you could end up being bars.

“That’s shocking that an average person can get private information. That is not good and I hope officials at the state will take action immediately,” said Commissioner Murman.

But until, and unless, the legislature takes some action, the only immediate response appears to be the one open to criminals who want to steal your identity and they can count on the division of motor vehicles as a willing partner.

Tampa Bay Business Journal by Mark Holan, Staff Writer

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 5:41pm EST

The Tampa Port Authority    The Tampa Port Authority Latest from The Business Journals Two schools of thought on executive raisesAviation Authority’s Burton leads in voting abstentionsTampa Port board proposes joint lobbying deal for transportation agencies Follow this company board’s decision to approve a 7 percent pay increase for port director Richard Wainio appears to end, for now at least, efforts to oust Wainio from the agency he has helmed since 2005. It also seems to close a year of contentious debate about executive pay and performance at some of Tampa’s most visible public agencies related to economic development and transportation.

The Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association    Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association Latest from The Business Journals Philip Hale nearing contract deal with HARTTampa Port Authority to discuss director’s contractScott picks two for Tampa port board Follow this company led the public effort to remove Wainio. There were Tampa business leaders who also attempted to scuttle Wainio’s contract, and weren’t shy about contacting the media – but preferred staying off the record with those concerns.

Wainio’s pay increase to $268,500 a year includes a 1.5 percent cost of living adjustment, which he previously declined when it was given to other port employees in January. Wainio’s pay has not been increased in three years.

The new contract also increases the port’s contribution to Wainio’s retirement account by $4,000 a year to $49,000, and boosts his monthly car allowance by $100 to $750. The car allowance has not been increased since Wainio arrived at the port.

While the final vote was unanimous, it came after months of wrangling over whether to extend Wainio’s contract.

Port board member Patrick H. Allman, general manager of Odyssey Manufacturing Co., offered several last-minute amendments to tighten the deal. Allman and Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman in September voted against Wainio’s two-year contract extension.

Their effort Tuesday to limit Wainio to only a 1 percent increase received no support for other board members.

One of the tweaks provides paying only Wainio’s out of pocket expenses for his family health insurance up to $39,000 a year. The director does not belong to the port insurance plan.

“This is not a windfall,” Wainio said. “I’m not getting free insurance and pocketing the money.

Another last minute change added language that Wainio can be dismissed for “willful misconduct” rather than “for cause.”

The board rejected Allman’s proposal to create performance measurements for Wainio that were not mutually agreed upon.

Murman said the pay increase sends the wrong message to “Joe and Mary in Riverview” who are worried about paying bills in a tough economy.

But board member Carl Lindell Jr., owner and chairman of real estate firm Lindell Investments, argued that board squabbling was sending the wrong message to Wainio, who could have his pick of other port jobs, including an opening in South Florida.

“We could jeopardize the port,” Lindell said. “He still makes less than many directors and we could loose him over a few dollars.”

Mayor Bob Buckhorn, while asking about a few details of Wainio’s contract, was mostly silent during the debate.

Last month Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist voted against a $50,000 raise for Tampa International Airport    Tampa International Airport Latest from The Business Journals Two schools of thought on executive raises2011 Up & Comers: Chris MinnerCuban diplomats’ visit to Tampa canceled Follow this company chief executive Joe Lopano, Miller’s replacement, who took the job in January.

Three private sector members of the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority    Hillsborough County Aviation Authority Latest from The Business Journals New voting policy for Hillsborough County Aviation board on runwayConnections of the WeekAviation Authority’s Burton leads in voting abstentions Follow this company board, lead by Tampa attorney Steven Burton, pushed to give the raise to Lopano, who finally declined the increase.

At the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority    Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Latest from The Business Journals 2011 Up & Comers: James FogartyPhilip Hale nearing contract deal with HARTRapid Staffing wins HART’s small business award Follow this company , Philip R. Hale quietly replaced former chief executive David Armijo, who was fired amid allegations he intimidated some employees, gave special treatment to others and misused small amounts of travel money.

Armijo was paid $185,000 annually. Hale just got a $150,000 contract.

By Bill Varian, Times Staff writer

In Print: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

St. Pete Times

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/ken-hagan-wins-rough-and-tumble-battle-for-hillsborough-commission-chairman/1201954

TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners selected Republican Ken Hagan as their chairman Tuesday after weeks of jockeying among board members who wanted the position.

Then commissioners tentatively agreed to a new system of choosing a chairman that they hope will reduce the lobbying and strong-arming that goes on before each year’s selection. It would allow each commissioner a chance to serve as chairman on a rotating basis.

Commissioner Les Miller said he came up with the idea in part due to intense lobbying in the weeks before the board’s annual organizational meeting. He said he thought it was inappropriate that outside forces would be weighing in with such vigor on what is essentially a ceremonial post.

He also didn’t think it was fair that board partisanship would prevent him, as a Democrat on a board with a heavily Republican majority, from serving in the role.

“I think it would take the politics out of it,” Miller said.

Each year’s bid for the chairmanship attracts a great deal of lobbying by friends of commissioners. The position carries no real power, though the chairman collects an extra $10,000 in pay.

But with this year’s choice comes added cache: The chairman will be front and center as the county’s representative when the 2012 Republican National Convention is held in Tampa.

Miller said he began getting phone calls over the summer about the pick. He said east county Republican activist and campaign fundraiser Sam Rashid engaged him in an animated call in which he enlisted Miller’s support to return Al Higginbotham for another term as chairman.

“The conversation was pretty rough,” Miller said in a recent interview. “I just think that’s not proper.”

He said Rashid claimed to have four votes already and was seeking added support.

Rashid acknowledged calling Miller and other commissioners, but said the conversation was cordial and that he never intimated that he had votes lined up. He called Miller’s depiction a “mischaracterization or outright lie.”

He said he wasn’t particularly adamant that Higginbotham return as chairman, but said that, out of fairness to others, he didn’t think Hagan should get it. Hagan has served three prior terms as chairman.

Several commissioners said this year was particularly ugly. Higginbotham said he faced brutal attacks but did not elaborate. Sandy Murman said the lobbying was “out of control.”

“It’s never been to the degree that it was this year,” Hagan said. “The comments and threats being made were beyond disturbing.”

Commissioners voted 5-2 for Hagan, with Higginbotham and Mark Sharpe in opposition. The vote came after a nomination for Sharpe by Higginbotham failed to win a majority. Sharpe has been jilted several years in a row in bids for the chairmanship. Higginbotham declined a nomination by Commissioner Victor Crist.

Democrat Kevin Beckner proved to be the swing vote against Sharpe, denying him the more high-profile post at a time when he is challenging fellow Democrat Kathy Castor for Congress.

Murman was unanimously approved as vice chairman, and Miller as chaplain.

Under Miller’s plan, which must win future approval, the chairmanship would rotate starting in November 2012. The first two years would factor in seniority, at the suggestion of Beckner.

It would make Sharpe chairman next November, and Beckner the chairman the following year, if they are both are still in office. After that, the chairmanship would rotate sequentially through each commission district, starting with the District 1 seat now held by Murman.

If the person in the seat up for the chairmanship has been in office for less than a year, that district would be skipped. The vice chairmanship would also rotate sequentially so that the person who serves in the post is next in line to be chairman.

Commissioners would still elect their chaplain, who gives an opening prayer before each meeting and is third in line to fill in as chairman when absences occur.

Bill Varian can be reached at (813) 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com.

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 15, 2011

TAMPA —

For the third time in four years, Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan has been appointed to a one-year term as the board’s chairman.

On Tuesday, the board voted 5 to 2 to approve Hagan’s nomination, which was opposed by outgoing Commission Chairman Al Higginbotham and Commissioner Mark Sharpe.

Higginbotham said he was the target of “vicious attacks” from “outside influences” lobbying other board members not to nominate him.

“It was an aggressive campaign,” Higginbotham said, declining to say who was behind it. “I have a reputation as someone who doesn’t have an open door for lobbyists and have been making hard decisions on the budget, and that makes some people unhappy.”

Higginbotham nominated Sharpe to replace him.

The behind-the-scenes wrangling leading up to Tuesday’s board reorganization meeting prompted Commissioner Les Miller to propose changing the annual nominating process to rotation, giving each commissioner a one-year stint as chairman after 2012.

“This would take the politics out of the process,” he said. “I was shocked to be getting calls a month before this from people asking me to support certain nominations.”

Miller’s proposal was backed by a majority of the board, which voted 5 to 2 to proceed with drafting an ordinance and to hold two required public hearings on the measure.

Commissioners Higginbotham and Victor Crist voted against the measure, saying they wanted more time to study Miller’s proposal before proceeding to public hearings.

Commissioner Sandy Murman, who was appointed vice-chairperson, said the behind-the-scenes manipulation over selecting a board chairman has gotten “out of control.”

“Our process is flawed,” said Murman, who backed Miller’s plan. “We need to change it.”

Crist said he also heard from individuals and groups seeking to influence the nominations, but questioned why anyone would bother trying to sway the vote.

“The chairman has no more influence than any other member of this board,” he said

Commissioners will hold the first public hearing on the proposal on Dec. 7.

By STEVE ANDREWS | News Channel 8
Published: November 11, 2011

TAMPA —

Hillsborough County commissioners say they are dismayed that the county has no uniform policy for how background checks on potential job candidates are conducted.

Each county department or agency conducts its own background checks in its own way, according to the county’s human resources department.

“That is shocking,” County Commissioner Victor Crist said.

 “It just doesn’t make sense, why would you want to do that?” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. 

Questions about job candidate background checks arose following an 8 On Your Side investigation that revealed Fire Rescue Chief Ron Rogers and Sharon Subadan, deputy county administrator, failed to look into a child abuse case involving Preston Cook before they hired him in June as the county’s director of emergency management.

“I feel as though we’ve been let down; I feel empty handed,” Commissioner Al Higginbotham said.

A 1993 Orange County Sheriff’s Office charging affidavit states Cook “took an electrical cord and whipped the child about the arms, stomach, back, knees, legs and ankles.  The injuries consisted of numerous linear and loop marks, several of which had broken the skin.”

Cook was charged with felony aggravated child abuse by maliciously punishing a child.  He eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor child abuse.

Higginbotham said he absolutely would’ve liked to have known about the crime before Cook was hired, but Subadan and Rogers failed to include the details because they hadn’t looked at them.  They took a closer look after News Channel 8 started asking questions about Cook’s past.

On his job application, Cook admitted he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in 1995.

Subadan and Rogers both say the information on Cook’s application matched a Florida Department of Law Enforcement criminal background history as well as records on file at the Orange County courthouse.

The county officials said they asked Cook about the incident during the interview process and he said he was arrested after he spanked his child.

Like Crist and Murman, Higginbotham said Rogers and Subadan sang Cook’s praises.

“They told me that he was very experienced; he was well respected within his ranks and his industry.  They said he had an arrest and that they had done the appropriate research and that it had met their standards of satisfaction,” Higginbotham said.

Higginbotham said that hiring and firing is the responsibility of the county administration.

Both Crist and Murman say even if they had known details about the child abuse incident, given Cook’s experience and clean record since, they would have supported his hiring.

“He was just way qualified and it happened many, many years ago, nothing since.  To me, the case is really closed and I overwhelmingly approved him,” Murman said.

Higginbotham agrees the incident took place many years ago, but says he’d have to consider many issues before committing one way or the other.

Higginbotham, Crist and Murman agree on the need for thorough and uniform background checks.

“There should be a uniform policy and I am certain after this incident and after Mr. [Mike] Merrill [county administrator] and I speak, there will be a policy in place to make sure that we don’t have a sensitive matter of this sort arise again,” Higginbotham said.

Written by

Mike Deeson

Tampa, Florida — In this economy most people feel lucky just to have a job much less getting a huge raise. But for some people working for the taxpayer it’s big bucks, big raises and big bonuses. Salaries, raises and bonuses most of us could only dream about and sometimes at five times the median household income here in the bay area.

How much do state employees make? Look up salaries here

“People are hurting right now, it’s just bad timing,” said Hillsborough Commissioner Sandy Murman.

That’s particularly true about Tampa’s Port Director, Richard Wainio. Wainio makes $251,118 a year.

The 10 News investigators have found out that while it’s somewhat under the radar, Wainio is negotiating for a seven percent raise. That would bump him up to $268,500. Add another $49,000 in benefits and he up to $317,500. He’s also in line for huge bonuses.

Wainio did not want to talk to us about the proposed salary increase, perks and bonuses partially because he was traveling, but also because he said it wouldn’t be appropriate to talk about it without first talking to his board members.

Some of his board members have plenty to say about the proposed increases that were quietly put together by Board Chairman Lawrence Ship.

“It’s somewhat egregious, some might say arrogant to expect you can get a seven percent salary increase,” said Murman who also serves on the Port Board is upset with the proposed raise and she’s not alone.

“We need to reward good people but we need to recognize there are people out there making a choice between paying their mortgages and buying their medicine,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “Those kinds of big numbers and those kind of perks you really have to tread lightly.”

Hillsborough School Superintendent Mary Ellen Elia doesn’t tread lightly when it comes to bonuses. Elia who makes $263,000 a year and has received an additional $184,889 in bonuses including money for increasing students in Advanced Placement classes for the five years she has been in charge of schools.

Asked how she justifies the thousands of dollars in bonuses when 60 percent of the students are failing the AP tests.

“Part of the work that is done with AP is we get students ready for the exam and there is work that has been done that show if a student is in a high level course it is a great place for them to be,” said Elia.

When pushed about the bonuses, Elia only wanted to talk about the $55,000 she gave to charity and not the $134,000 she kept.

“I appreciate you taking the interest in it thank you,” said Elia.

Then there’s Judith Lisi, the head of the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts, who proves big bonuses can come to non-profits.

Although government forms say Lisi made $1 million last year, the chairman of the board says that amount reflects a change in the tax code. He says Lisi only made $400,000, however she did get a $100,000 bonus. Keep in mind taxpayers contribute $583,000 a year to the performing arts center.

A $100,000 bonus is great but how about a $187,508 raise would be even better. Dr. Steven Klasko, Senior VP of USF Health & Dean, makes $752,617 a year and he received a 25 percent bonus courtesy of you the taxpayer.

By Jodie Tillman, Times Staff Writer

TAMPA – Hillsborough County commissioners moved forward Wednesday with a proposal to change the make-up of voting districts, part of an effort to give more political power to the county’s exploding Hispanic population.

In a 7-0 vote, commissioners directed county attorneys to draft an ordinance that would keep the County Commission with seven members but change how they are elected.

Currently, four of them are elected from districts within the county and three are elected countywide.

The new ordinance would move one of those three countywide commissioners into a single-member district instead -making five commissioners elected from within districts and two elected countytwide.

The proposal has got a long road ahead. Commissioners would have to vote by May whether to put the ordinance before voters in 2012. If it does go to voters and they approve, the change would take effect in 2014.

Commissioner Les Miller, a Democrat who is pushing the proposal, said his hope is to carve that new district out of predominately Hispanic neighborhoods.

Hispanic groups pushed, without success, to include a larger Hispanic population in a voting district during the redistricting process earlier this year.

Hispanics make up 25 percent of the county’s population, up from 10 percent in 1980. No member of the County Commission is Hispanic.

“The County Commission, God bless us all, we do not show the diversity of this county,” said Miller.

Miller said that, more importantly, the change would make the board more responsive to constituents by reducing the size of the districts. Each single-member district commissioner currently represents more than 307,000 citizens.

“The time has come for us to be closer to our constituents,” he said.

While fellow commissioners lauded Miller for his intentions, they were reluctant to commit to supporting his proposal.

Commissioner Sandy Murman, a Republican, said she wants county officials to estimate how much the change would cost. “That’s going to be a big decider for me,” she said.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe, also a Republican, said he likes the idea of smaller districts. But he said commissioners would be jumping into another highly politicized process, even with good intentions.

“You can gerrymander for good, you can gerrymander for bad,” said Sharpe.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner, a Democrat, said any ordinance to change a district would need to be specific enough to reflect what Miller says are his intentions – smaller districts and more minority representation.

Otherwise, he said, the process will get shaped by partisan interests. He called this year’s redistricting process “the most obvious act of political theater” he’s ever witnessed.

That redistricting plan passed with the support of all five Republican members and Miller.

Victor DiMaio, who represents the Hillsborough Hispanic Coalition, said Miller’s proposal is better than nothing. But the coalition’s priority, he said, is to expand the board to nine members, something that Miller said he does not support.

DiMaio said the board is not a true reflection of the county’s diverse make-up. “You need to have someone who speaks the language,” he said.

The coalition, which is made up of about two dozen minority groups, already plans to appeal the redistricting maps approved by Hillsborough commissioners earlier this year, he said.

Reach Jodie Tillman at jtillman@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3374.

By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune
Published: November 09, 2011

TAMPA —
A proposal to restructure the Hillsborough County Commission inched closer to the ballot box on Wednesday, with the board directing county staff to draft a proposed ordinance that would, if approved, put the question to voters in the 2012 elections.
Commissioners voted unanimously to have staff to draft a proposed referendum to change the current make-up of four single-member commission districts and three countywide seats, by adding another single-member district and reducing the countywide seats to two.

The proposal was floated by Commissioner Les Miller, the board’s only black member, who argues that it would make county government more accessible to the people.

“The county is never too old to change and the time for change has come,” Miller said. “This would bring us closer to the people.”

Still, several commissioners expressed concerned about Miller’s proposal.

“I don’t like the Balkanization of communities, I like the melting pot,” said Mark Sharpe, who holds one of the countywide commission seats. “This is going to open up an enormous can of worms. It’s a major change.”

The current make-up of the board was established in 1983, partially as a reaction to a scandal that saw three commissioners jailed on federal charges for taking kickbacks.

Miller said the county’s explosive growth since that time – from 650,000 residents counted in the 1980 census to more than 1.2 million people now – has made the single-member districts unwieldy. The four current commission districts average 307,000 people. Adding a district would reduce the average population to 247,000 people.

“Right now we represent more constituents than any other county in the state,” he said.

Miller said the changes also would boost Hispanic representation. Hispanic groups pressed the board earlier this year to alter districts to increase the Hispanic population in District 1, held by Sandy Murman, to 36 percent. Commissioners rejected the idea.

“Our commission needs to represent the racial diversity of our citizens,” Miller said.
From here, the county attorney’s office will draft an ordinance with proposed ballot language, which would have to get pre-clearance from the U.S. Department of Justice.

If the DOJ signs off on the wording, the ordinance goes back to the commission for public hearings and a vote, which must be passed by a super-majority of five votes.