Accusoft Open House
On 11.11.11, In Blog, Community Involvment, By Murman
On 11.04.11, In Blog, By Murman
Commissioner Sandy Murman presents a commendation to John Kirtley, recognizing him for his leadership, dedication, service and passion for high-quality education and school choices for low-income children.
On 10.31.11, In Blog, By Murman
South Tampa-Hyde Park Patch
Oct. 28, 2011
http://southtampa.patch.com/articles/q
The Hillsborough County program promotes job creation by offering a wage reimbursement to small business owners.
From Hillsborough County Government Online:
Hillsborough County’s new Small Business Job Creation Program still has more than $265,000 available for small business owners to hire new employees.
The Board of County Commissioners approved the Small Business Job Creation Program, spearheaded by Commissioner Sandra L. Murman, on March 16.
The program is designed to promote job creation in Hillsborough County by offering a wage reimbursement to small business owners. The reimbursement would pay small businesses up to 50 percent of three months’ total salary for new jobs created, capped at $3,900 per new employee. It is estimated that this program will encourage the creation of approximately 200 jobs, offering a total of $500,000 to local small business owners.
Within the first week of accepting applications for the reimbursement incentive program, three local businesses were pre-approved to receive the reimbursements, allowing them to hire three new employees each. Currently, 40 businesses have now applied for the funds creating 73 new jobs.
“Businesses are taking advantage of these jobs, boosting efforts with many incentive packages to help them grow, locate, or hire in the community,” Commissioner Murman said. “The program is still available and business owners can help us reduce unemployment by using this program for assistance to hire new workers.”
To qualify, small business owners have to attend a minimum of four hours of business workshops and/or counseling sessions and meet specific requirements, such as having 10 employees or less; jobs created must be full-time and last the required three-month employment period; businesses must have a Hillsborough County business tax receipt; new employees must be residents of Hillsborough County; businesses must be located in Hillsborough County; and businesses may be reimbursed for up to three created jobs. Additional requirements are listed on the program application.
Small business owners can download an application and more information from the Hillsborough County Small, Minority Business Development Section’s Web page at: www.hillsboroughcounty.org/econdev/. The applications will be accepted on a first-come/first-serve basis until the program funding runs out.
For additional information, contact the Hillsborough County Small, Minority Business Development Section at (813) 914-4028.
On 10.27.11, In Blog, By Murman
Commissioner Murman presented a Commendation to Coach Michael Valdes of the Palma Ceia/West Junior League Softball Team for their appearance in the Junior Softball World Series recently.
On 10.27.11, In Blog, By Murman
On 10.27.11, In Blog, By Murman
Commissioner Murman presented a Commendation to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue for winning the International 2011 Heart Safe Community Award recently.
On 10.27.11, In Blog, By Murman
By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 19, 2011
Updated: October 19, 2011 – 6:12 PM
TAMPA —
Hillsborough County may soon place a moratorium on Internet sweepstakes cafés, the proliferating strip mall parlors that offer computer games resembling video slot machines.
County commissioners voted 7-0 today to have the county attorney draw up an ordinance that would require the cafes to get county licenses and be regulated by county inspectors. Once the existing cafés are licensed, no new parlors would be allowed to open until May 1, 2012, when the Florida Legislature concludes its regular session.
Commissioners will get a look at the ordinance Nov. 2 and then schedule a public hearing for Nov. 16. They can pass the new regulations at that meeting.
The moratorium motion came from Commissioner Sandy Murman, who considers the cafés illegal gambling houses that need to be shut down. County Sheriff David Gee agrees, and has sent written notice to café operators saying he will prosecute them if they are participating in illegal gambling.
Café owners and lawyers representing them say they are offering a legal sweepstakes in which the winners are predetermined, not chosen as the result of the computer video games. They sell Internet time on computers and patrons get phone cards that allow them to play games that look like slot machines.
Murman put a May 1 end date on the moratorium to see whether the Legislature will act to regulate the sweepstakes cafés. There are several bills already filed, some of which would leave it up to local governments to decide whether to allow the parlors to stay open.
“Let’s take care of our own people in our own county right now and see what happens” with the Legislature, Murman said.
On 10.27.11, In Blog, By Murman
By Bill Varian, Times Staff Writer
Posted: Oct 19, 2011 04:47 PM
Noting their speedy proliferation, Hillsborough County commissioners initiated steps Wednesday toward ordering a moratorium on Internet sweepstakes cafes.
Commissioners voted unanimously to ask their staff to create a licensing requirement for existing sweepstakes cafe owners for their consideration at a future public hearing. Once those cafes are registered, the window would quickly close for new sweepstakes cafe licenses.
Commissioner Sandra Murman noted that the Legislature is scheduled to take up several bills next year dealing with sweepstakes cafes. In the meantime, cafe owners have filed lawsuits to ban their operations in other nearby counties including Pinellas.
The license and moratorium approach would give commissioners an opportunity to halt their fast spread in the county while enabling them to see how the state and courts address regulation of them.
“I’m just trying to find something as a stop-gap measure right now,” Murman said.
Murman presented commissioners with a map produced by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office showing the locations of at least 28 cafes that have opened in unincorporated areas. Since the map was produced less than two weeks ago, Murman said eight new locations have opened.
“Let’s take care of our people in our county right now,” she said.
On 10.26.11, In Blog, By Murman
By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: October 19, 2011
TAMPA —
A proposal to restructure the current makeup of the Hillsborough County Commission won enough support from commissioners today to go forward for further debate.
Commissioners voted 7-0 to hold a workshop later this year on changing the current board makeup of four single-member districts and three countywide seats, by adding another single-member district and reducing the countywide seats to two.
Commissioner Les Miller, the board’s only black member, proposed the change, saying it would bring government closer to the people.
The current system was set up in 1983 and was partly a reaction to a scandal that saw three commissioners jailed for taking kickbacks.
But 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.
“We need to have smaller single member districts so people can get closer to their commissioners,” Miller said.
Adding a district would also make it more likely that one district would tilt toward a Hispanic representative, Miller said. A coalition of Hispanic groups pressed the commissioner earlier this year to increase the Hispanic population in District 1, represented by Sandy Murman, to 36 percent. Commissioners rejected the idea.
Miller was supported by two board members who served with him in the Florida Legislature: Murman and Victor Crist. Murman noted that all 40 state senators and 120 House members serve geographic districts. She said she found the commission structure, with countywide seats, “odd.”
Crist said reducing the geographic size and population of commission districts would reduce the amount of money candidates would have to raise to run a campaign.
“I just appreciate smaller government because it gives greater access to your elected officials,” Crist said, “and frankly a process where it’s easier for the everyday person to run for office and get elected.”
Other commissioners expressed concerns. Kevin Beckner, the only other Democrat on the board besides Miller, said he appreciated the current structure because it allows voters to cast ballots for a majority of the board: the voter’s district representative and three countywide commissioners.
“By changing to that system, we’re looking at diluting the voice of the majority and the representation of the majority,” Beckner said.
Commissioner Mark Sharpe said a board dominated by district representatives could lead to a “Balkanization” of policy, with commissioners fighting so hard for their districts that they ignore the welfare of the county as a whole.
Commissioner Ken Hagan, who also expressed concerns, said he would second a motion to hold a workshop to discuss the matter further.
Restructuring the commission would require a referendum to amend the county charter. Managing County Attorney Mary Helen Farris said an ordinance calling for a referendum during the November 2012 election would have to be ready by May or June of next year.