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

Are Hillsborough commissioners on verge of consensus days before crucial transportation vote?

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Friday, April 22, 2016 8:11pm

TAMPA — Just days before a critical vote, Hillsborough County commissioners say they’re confident they will pass a transportation sales tax increase for residents to consider in a November referendum.

But the scope of the tax could be considerably less than the 30-year, half-cent proposal that county staff, local political leaders and consultants have recommended.

That’s according to three commissioners — Kevin Beckner, Victor Crist and Sandy Murman — who have stood on or near the fence during the past several months of debate on Go Hillsborough, the county’s transportation initiative. They’re expected to vote on a plan after Wednesday’s public hearing.

“The consensus from what I hear in the community is a long-term tax plan is not going to pass in November,” Murman said Friday. “Something more reasonable may have a shot and it won’t divide the community.”

Even that position is a significant shift for Murman. In November, she opposed any sales tax increase and until recently was still pushing a package that included a 5-cent gas tax, the BP oil spill settlement and higher mobility fees on development to pay for roads and transit.

Now, Murman appears more closely aligned with Beckner and his proposal to send to voters a 10-year referendum that could be renewed each decade. On Friday, Beckner said he is willing to consider a 20-year tax hike, but not 30 years.

“A 30-year time frame is just an awfully long time frame for voters to weigh in again,” he said.

A half-cent sales tax increase, if approved by voters, is projected to bring in $117.5 million a year.

One option floated Friday is for commissioners to pass a shorter-term tax. In the meantime, as shovels start moving dirt, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority would conduct a countywide transit study and examine the feasibility of buying rail lines from CSX Transportation for commuter rail. With those studies in hand, the county would go back to voters in four years and ask for a longer, and maybe bigger, sales tax increase.

“By the time that information comes back to us, there is a pretty clear picture of how we integrate urban and suburban areas,” Murman said, “we have a clear picture of the cost and what we need for a good transit system to move people around in our community.”

But Commissioner Les Miller brushed that off: “What does that do for us in the meantime when the county’s roads are continuing to deteriorate?”

Miller also said a 10-year tax “gets us nothing” and would prevent Hillsborough from unlocking federal dollars. Miller, like Commissioner Ken Hagan, supports the 30-year, half-cent option.

Crist, for months an undecided swing vote, said he wants to get something done. But he preferred a compromise that could pass the commission 5-2, instead of a narrow 4-3 vote. Commissioners Stacy White and Al Higgingbotham will likely vote against any sales tax increase.

“For this to make it at the polls, the board is going to have to get behind it,” Crist said. “And if it barely squeaks through the board it may not squeak through the electorate.”

But anything less than 30 years would lose the support of one of the transportation initiative’s biggest cheerleaders: Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

Buckhorn and the Policy Leadership Group, an organization of elected leaders from the county and three cities (Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City), endorsed a 30-year, half-cent tax in November. That option was also recommended by County Administrator Mike Merrill and the group’s consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff.

A 10- or 20-year tax would kill the rail system that would connect downtown Tampa to Tampa International Airport that the city plans to build with its share of the tax increase, Buckhorn said. Without a dedicated, 30-year revenue stream, he can’t get the bonding to make it affordable.

No train would significantly lessen the amount of money dedicated to transit in Go Hillsborough.

“If it’s a 10-year tax then they can count me out because I’m not going to waste my time,” Buckhorn said. “It doesn’t solve any of our needs, it wastes a lot of our time and political capital on an initiative not worth pursuing. At some point some of those commissioners are going to have to demonstrate political courage.”

The current half-cent proposal has stiff opposition from tea party Republicans — who say Go Hillsborough is a Trojan horse for rail — and, ironically, some Democrats and conservationists. The Democratic Party of Hillsborough County nearly voted last week to officially take a position against the 30-year, half-cent sales tax plan because it didn’t have enough transit. At the last minute, the vote was delayed a month.

Still, by any measure, last week was the best stretch in months for the controversial transportation plan.

Commissioners on Wednesday unanimously approved a $905 million list of transportation projects to complete in the next 10 years, including hundreds of intersection, road and sidewalk improvements, new and widened roads in suburban Hillsborough, bus rapid transit in Brandon and a ferry connecting MacDill Air Force Base and SouthShore.

And on Thursday the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce, the largest business group in the county, endorsed a half-cent sales tax increase — for at least 20 years.

Murman believes the commission is close to a consensus. Approving a project list was particularly important, she said, because it demonstrated the county has a plan and voters aren’t just handing over a blank check.

“We’ve done it before on tough subjects,” Murman said, “and I think we’ll do it again.”

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Observer article on Rock Ponds ecosystem:

At Rock Ponds: Celebrating the restoration of Florida’s unique beauty

By MITCH TRAPHAGEN

There likely could not be a more appropriate way to celebrate the opening of the largest habitat restoration project in the Tampa Bay area than with the release of wild birds that had been rehabilitated, nursed back to health from injuries. Those birds will join thousands of their feathered kindred, along with mammals of all kinds, animals that have populated the now-restored area for the ages.

Years ago, it could have been the site of a power plant. But the delicate, yet durable eco-system of Rock Ponds was purchased and then restored by multiple agencies and volunteers, headed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s Surface Water Improvement and Management (SWIM) program.

The Rock Ponds restoration project, located on County Line Road near Cockroach Bay in Hillsborough County and bordering the Manatee County Line is, at 1,043 acres, the largest restoration project in the history of Tampa Bay. In comparison, New York City’s famed Central Park totals 843 acres.

“Welcome to Rock Ponds!” exclaimed Brandt Henningsen, Ph.D., who, along with Nancy Norton, was the project co-manager, during the dedication ceremony held on April 13.

“This project is an amazing example of cooperation,” Henningsen said. “We had over 33 different organizations and agencies working on this, and 26 of those were unpaid. We had 1.550 volunteers that provided over 6,400 hours of volunteer time. And we have more plans for the future.”

While Rock Ponds is the largest restoration project in the Tampa Bay area, it is one of 96 restoration projects in the area completed since 1989.

“We have restored more than 4,600 acres of habitat around Tampa Bay,” Henningsen said. “That’s more than 7.2 square miles.”

Henningsen went on to thank the many people involved, including representatives from Tampa Bay Watch, revealing the public-private nature required to complete the project.

The area is stunningly beautiful with freshwater and estuary wetlands marked by pines and hardwood hammock trees. To the west, on a clear Florida morning, ships can be seen traversing Tampa Bay while the St. Petersburg skyline glimmers on the horizon. Further to the south, the faint outline of the Sunshine Skyway marks the horizon, appearing as sculptured art and land bridge.

But the beauty of the Rocks Ponds area itself dwarfs that vista. Today it has been restored to Florida’s abundant natural beauty, with birds flying across the serene waters and trees with the abandon their ancestors enjoyed long before development came to the Sunshine State.

“This project is really opportunity amazing. It’s amazing what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Robert Beltran of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Beltran went on to thank the many county, state and federal officials who all joined in to make the immense project possible, including Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman and Senator Bill Nelson.

And the sheer scale of the project required a near unprecedented level of help and cooperation.

“We moved 1.6 million yards of dirt,” said Joe Rodi, the operations manager for QSG Development, the principal contractor on the project. Rodi compared that much dirt to an area the size of a football field and as tall as the 42-floor Bank of America Tower in downtown Tampa.

The volunteers came from organizations as varied as the Boy Scouts, numerous area schools — ranging from East Bay High School to private and public schools in Tampa — Hillsborough County Public Works, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and area businesses, along with at least 1,500 individual volunteers.

The entire project involved the planting of more than 980,000 upland and wetland plants, and included the largest one-day volunteer marsh planting effort in the history of Tampa Bay, with 289 volunteers installing 40,000 marsh plugs in November 2015.

Already officials and volunteers have seen the results of their efforts, with sightings of snook, mullet and tarpon in the waters; great egrets, roseate spoonbills, sandhill cranes, pelicans, ospreys and bald eagles nesting in the trees; and bottle-nosed dolphins, deer and bobcats enjoying the clean, fresh air.

And, importantly, they are seeing the work they completed, nature being nursed back to health, beginning to take root on its own, with the growth of new seagrasses and other plant life.

At the end of the ceremony, Ed Straight, president of Wildlife Inc., released birds that had been nursed back to health after injuries, into their beautiful and expansive new home. Included was a sandhill crane that was injured by a golf ball, a hawk that had been hit by a car, an osprey and a crested caracara, also known as “Mexico’s Eagle,” the largest falcon in North America.

“Some of the birds are anxious to go, some may not fly away quickly,” Straight said. And then, adding with a smile, “If they fly into the crowd, you don’t have to run faster than the birds can fly, you just have to run faster than everyone else.”

There were no such worries. Despite how they arrived there or from where, all of the birds seemed to know they were home. The osprey and hawk immediately took to the air, while the sandhill crane and crested caracara simply stepped out of their cages and calmly took stock of their new surroundings before flying off into freedom.

Rock Ponds is a treasure of stunning beauty that is unique to Florida. It is a home and respite both for wildlife and for us. It existed for ages before development arrived and now, thanks to the dedication of numerous organizations, scientists and volunteers, the largest restoration project in the history of Tampa Bay will exist for the ages to come, and for the people who come after us. The years of work restored the land, and now nature is taking over that work. Like seeing an osprey or a hawk fly off into a new home, Florida is truly amazing and beautiful.

“This project is a labor of love,” Henningsen said, gazing out at the healthy and beautiful vista, the result of humanity’s passion and work alongside nature’s miracles.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article on MOSI:

Hillsborough commissioners talk money with MOSI

Apr 21, 2016, 7:07am EDT

Plans by the Museum of Science and Industry to relocate to downtown Tampa should give a boost to fundraising.

That should also help close a $176,000 operating deficit, Mike Schultz, MOSI board chair, told the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners on Wednesday.

County commissioners approved a report from MOSI detailing plans to relocate from its current site on Fowler Avenue near University of South Florida to downtown, likely within the planned Urban Waterfront District being developed by Strategic Property Partners, the real estate company controlled by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment LLC.

“MOSI at a new downtown location will be sized and operated to be financially sustainable over the long term,” a feasibility study said.

The museum has operated at a deficit for several years, and Commissioner Sandy Murman asked Schultz, who is president and CEO of Florida Hospital’s West Florida region, how MOSI will reduce the shortfall and balance its budget.

There will be additional revenue at a reinvented MOSI once the museum moves, but that’s three to five years away, Schultz said.

“The big question is, between now and the time we move. We have a number of things we’re working on,” he said. “We need to continue to work on revitalizing the exhibits at MOSI and Molly [Demeulenaere, MOSI president and CEO] has a very good plan over the next 24 months to do that in a way that makes sense.”

MOSI also has redirected some of the $2 million from a gift from Florida Hospital in 2014. The gift was designed to convert the IMAX DOME Theatre to 3D digital technology.

“It doesn’t make sense to spend a lot of money on a domed projection, when were not sure we’re going to have a domed theater in the new location,” he said. “We’ve redirected some of the money to help with the financial deficits that we’re currently experiencing.”

Fundraising over the last two years has been difficult because of the financial condition of the museum, Schultz said. “I think this will stir interest in the community as to a new life and a new opportunity for MOSI.”

The feasibility study projects total estimated operating expenses of $13.6 million in a stable year of operation at a downtown site, and earned income of $11.3 million.

It also projects additional fiscal benefits for Hillsborough County and the state, including $54.4 million in economic impact in the county and $66.4 million in economic impact in the state.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this BayNews9 article on transportation plan:

Hillsborough commissioners approve transporation plan dependent on sales tax hikeg list of road improvements included in the transportation plan relies on a proposed half-cent sales tax increase for funding.

By Dalia Dangerfield, Reporter Last Updated: Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 5:31 PM

TAMPA — 

Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday approved an initial transportation plan that could be funded by a sales tax increase.

• Plan includes long list of road improvements
• Funding would come from a half-cent sales tax increase
• Tax increase must go through a referendum

The plan includes a very long list of projects, including but not limted to:

• Sidewalk repairs at schools like Clair Mel Elementary
• More lanes added to Progress Boulevard along the I-75 overpass
• Converting Big Bend Road into a six-lane roadway

The potential transportation projects are contingent, however, on a controversial half-cent sales tax referendum. Hillsborough commissioners have not decided whether to put that referendum on the ballot.   “We take one step at a time,” said Hillsborough Commissioner Sandra Murman.   If the referendum on the tax increase does make it on the ballot, it’s unclear whether voters will give it the green light. With that possibility in mind, commissioners agreed on a contingency transportation plan, just in case. Soon, the public will be invited to weigh in on that contingency plan, as well.   A public hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday at the All People’s Life Center on Sligh Avenue.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this WFLA article on Citrus Park Extension:

Controversial Hillsborough County road project may get green light

The Citrus Park Drive extension has been in the works for years

By Chip Osowski

Published: April 20, 2016, 3:53 pm  Updated: April 20, 2016, 7:25 pm

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla (WFLA) – A controversial road extension project could soon get the green light in Hillsborough County. The Citrus Park Drive extension project has been in the works for years, and money issues and public opposition have kept it on the back burner.

The project would extend Citrus Park Drive from Countryway Boulevard to Sheldon Road, creating another east-west corridor for commuters in northwestern Hillsborough County. Currently, motorists are limited to Linebaugh Avenue, the main thoroughfare through Westchase.

Many residents in and around Westchase look forward to another corridor to alleviate traffic. Lindsey Smith is one of them. “I would love the Citrus Park extension to go through,” Smith said. “We live over by the mall so it would be an easy access to the library and other things like the park.”

Vanessa Vogt lives in the Eagles and thinks it would make her commute less stressful. “Traffic in the morning and the evening, too much,” Vogt said. “Tampa’s roadways, I think, are very congested. Any help we could get with that would be perfect. ”

Those opposed to the project live in the neighborhoods that line Citrus Park Drive and the proposed path of the roadway. Glen Muir is concerned the increased traffic will make the street in front of his neighborhood a racetrack.

“For me, I don’t really see the point. Personally, as a resident living here, we’re a little isolated. We don’t have issues with cars racing down this road all the time,” Muir said. “I think once you open it up, you could end up with that and some dangerous situations.”

Blanchard Stanaland is another area resident who has reservations about the extension. He enjoys walking his dogs on the sidewalk that borders the dead end road.

“I like the privacy. I like being able to walk my dogs without it being a four lane highway,” Stanaland said. “I’d rather not have to see and deal with traffic. That’s part of the reason we moved here. It’s so private. ”

The project would be funded under a proposed transportation sales surtax.  The county is holding a public hearing on the matter on Wednesday, April 27th at 6pm at the All People’ Life Center at 6105 E. Sligh Avenue in Tampa.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman represents the area of the county impacted by the extension. She hopes to give the project a green light.

“It is a shovel ready project. All the permits, it’s ready to go,” Murman said. “And I will fight really hard for it because right now people only have one way to get in or out of Westchase and that is Linebaugh Avenue.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this StPetersBlog article on transportation:

Hillsborough Commissioners approve Go Hillsborough project list

MITCH PERRY

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the list of projects to be built in the unincorporated areas of the county in the Go Hillsborough plan. The BOCC will vote next week on whether to put the half-cent sales tax on the November ballot.

Commissioner Sandy Murman was the most vigilant board member to question county officials about specific projects on the list, though she did acknowledge her pleasure in that half of the money, and a third of those projects on the list, are all located in South Hillsborough, an area that she represents and says has been left out of getting vital bus routes.

“I say amen,” she said, smiling.

“Does that mean we’ll get your vote?” asked County Commissioner Les Miller. “We take it one step at a time,” Murman responded.

Murman has already declared she won’t support the proposal. Miller says he will be voting for it.

Murman challenged Deputy County Administrator Lucia Garsys regarding whether specific routes, like a HART circulator in South Hillsborough County, were on the list of projects. Garsys said ultimately that HART CEO Katharine Eaganneeded to provide written assurances on the timing of when that would come online.

In a separate motion, Commissioners unanimously approved an amendment offered by Kevin Beckner that would produce a “comprehensive, integrated transit systems plan,” which would be executed jointly with the county, HART, the Florida Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Planning Organization all involved.

“We’re doing all this, but we gotta make sure it connects to a bigger system, and that everybody connects into a bigger system,” concurred Commissioner Sandy Murman.

“I think we fully need to have a regional perspective,” added Commissioner Ken Hagan.

County Administrator Mike Merrill says that would require a change in the final project list. He promised commissioners he’d have an update list to distribute to them by week’s end.

Board members realize that next Wednesday night’s public hearing on the proposed transportation tax could be a lengthy process, and some commissioners thought that the three-minutes usually allotted for public speaking should reduce to two minutes. Ultimately, Commission Chair Les Miller said he’d keep it at three minutes, for now, subject to changing that when he sees how many are in attendance on Wednesday night.

The hearing is 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 27. It will be at the All People’s Life Center, 6105 E Sligh Ave. in Tampa.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune article on Anti-bullying town hall meeting:

EDUCATION

‘Blind Side’ actor delivers anti-bully message during town hall meeting

BY GEOFF FOX Tribune staff

Published: April 18, 2016

Updated: April 19, 2016 at 07:51 AM

TAMPA — Quinton Aaron is a massive man.

While his prodigious size helped him land a starring role in the 2009 Academy Award-winning film, “The Blind Side,” in which he portrayed football player Michael Oher, it also made him an easy target for childhood bullies.

On Monday night, the burly, 6-foot-8-inch Aaron, 31, spoke of those past experiences during an anti-bullying town hall meeting moderated by Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman at Blake High School. More than 100 parents, students and school officials attended.

“I was always a skinny kid, kinda tall, had a big forehead and crooked teeth,” he said. “I got beat up and thrown down stairs, stuck with pencils. None of it stopped until I started talking up. Telling is the best defense you have. The people in school are there to protect you. It doesn’t matter if you’re called a tattle-tale or a snitch.

“Bullying won’t stop until you stand up for yourself and tell adults what’s going on.

These (bullies) don’t fear getting in trouble. As long as you don’t say anything, they won’t get in trouble.”

Once Aaron told his mother of his problems, he said she hounded school officials until the problems ceased.

“You have to speak up.” said Aaron, who in 2012 started a foundation in his name to raise awareness of bullying and childhood obesity.

Besides Aaron, panelists included Hillsborough County Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins, law enforcement representatives and mental health professionals.

Bullying includes “situations where an individual takes aggression against another person, not just teasing. It’s repeated attempts to harm another person,” said Oliver Tom Massey, division director in the University of South Florida’s Department of Child and Family Studies.

“There’s cyber-bullying that doesn’t even occur face-to-face: texting, Facebook, making fun of people on the Internet,” Massey said. “At one time we thought (bullying) was a rite of passage that we all experienced, but that’s not true. Bullying can cause serious problems.”

Bullying also can be perpetrated physically, verbally, through social media and other ways. Victims may experience lower self-esteem, social isolation, anxiety and lower academic performance.

Some even commit suicide.

Eakins said that school officials work to ensure that “every classroom is conducive to learning, for students to feel safe, secure and cared for.”

“Whenever there’s a situation where that’s not the case, we need to take it very seriously,” he said. “We want students to stand up for other students and for students to know that the adults at school are their advocates.”

Former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor acknowledged that bullying has affected nearly everyone at some point.

“When I was young, I was about 6 feet tall in second grade and weighed about 50 pounds,” Castor said. “It’s all about not only what you do about it, but especially, the younger kids here in the front row: Don’t turn your head when you see someone being bullied.

“People need to learn how to settle disagreements. We have to respect the fact that we’re all different.”

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times article on Anti-bullying town hall meeting:

Students, parents and educators take on the issue of bullying in Hillsborough schools

• Dan Sullivan, Times Staff Writer

Monday, April 18, 2016 9:10pm

• Previous

TAMPA — More than 100 people filled the auditorium of Blake High School on Monday night to hear a panel of community leaders, educators and students talk about bullying.

They spoke of ending bullying entirely. They spoke of the importance of students speaking up — to teachers, to school administrators, even to law enforcement — if they feel targeted.

But when the panel turned to the audience for questions, the complexity of solving this problem became apparent.

Christina Carter, an 18-year-old senior at Blake High, told the story of her experience as a target of “cyberbullying.” It happened last year, she said, and the harassment escalated when one girl threatened her life in a social media post. She filed a complaint in February and the case was recently reopened.

Yet, Carter said, she still attends classes with the same group of students.

“The bullying hasn’t stopped because people don’t realize they are bullies,” said Carter. “What is the solution?”

Hillsborough County school superintendent Jeff Eakins spoke of doing more to prevent such incidents. The school district should develop programs to focus on bullying, he said, the way it focuses on academics. Still, even he seemed stunned by Carter’s story.

“That’s horrible that you have to deal with that type of an issue,” he said.

Monday’s event was the second time the school has hosted a panel discussion on the issue of bullying. Branded an “antibullying town hall meeting” it brought together a panel that included Eakins, former Tampa police Chief Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, and actor Quinton Aaron, who portrayed NFL player Michael Oher in the 2009 movie The Blind Side.

Aaron, in particular, seemed taken aback by stories of students being harassed. The 31-year-old actor from New York City spoke of his own experiences of being bullied while growing up and of going to great lengths to make sure teachers knew about it.

The burden of dealing with such abuse lies not just with students, he said, but with school administrators, too.

“Adults, teachers, when someone comes to you with something like this, you have to do something,” he said. “We have to pay attention to these complaints and take action.”

The tone of the discussion started out with a pointed accusation from Christine Tollens, whose daughter is a seventh-grader at Monroe Middle School. The mother said she has complained repeatedly to district officials — and Eakins himself — about the bullying her daughter has experienced. But Tollens said she has received little help from the school district.

“You’re sitting there so cute and pretty, but you haven’t answered any of my emails or phone calls,” Tollens said. “What are you doing to fix it?”

Eakins said he would personally meet with Tollens after the discussion. Later, Tollens asked a second question about what should be done when teachers are the ones who bully students.

Larry Sykes, the district’s chief of schools, fired back.

“You have canceled every meeting I have asked for,” he said. But Sykes then added that he would still meet with Tollens to discuss her concerns.

The questions became less confrontational after that exchange, as students asked the panelists about problems such as what to do if their bullying concerns are not taken seriously?

Aaron hammered on this point: if one adult doesn’t take a student’s concerns about bullying seriously, then they need to keep complaining until they find an adult who will.

“There’s always someone you can talk to,” he said. “Speak up

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on local jobs:

BUSINESS NEWS

Hillsborough, Pinellas unemployment rate drops

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff

Published: April 15, 2016

Updated: April 15, 2016 at 03:49 PM

TAMPA — Hillsborough and Pinellas counties both had an unemployment rate of 4.2 percent in March, down from 5 percent a year ago and lower than the state’s figure of 4.9 percent. The state unemployment rate was down 0.1 percent from a revised February rate of 5 percent.

Gov. Rick Scott announced the March job numbers from a woman-owned small manufacturing company Beneficial Blends LLC in Tampa that plans to nearly quadruple its workforce over the next three years, from 20 employees to 90.

Scott said Orlando and Tampa continue to rack up the most new jobs and Erin Meagher’s Tampa coconut oil business is an example of the type of company making it happen.

Florida businesses have created 36,900 private-sector jobs since January, Scott said, a 3.2 percent growth rate that has consistently outpaced the nation’s for four years now.

While the overall news is good statewide and locally, some businesses are still struggling and making cutbacks. America’s Auction Network, a 24/7 live auction company located in St. Petersburg, filed a warn notice with the state this week saying it plans to lay off 192 employees on June 8.

In Pasco County, the March unemployment rate stood at 5 percent, down from 5.8 percent a year ago. In Hernando County, which has consistently had the highest unemployment rate in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area for several years, dropped to 5.8 percent from 6.9 percent a year ago.

Meagher, who calls herself “chief coconut” at the company, said she has gotten help from the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. to connect with employees, but has not taken any financial incentives to grow her business.

The former high school business teacher started her company six years ago and now imports two 1,000-liter containers of coconut oil per week from Sri Lanka and the Philippines to her 34,000 square-foot packaging warehouse, north of Tampa International Airport.

The coconut oil, which she calls brain energy, is packaged, labeled and shipped out to Publix Supermarkets under the Greenwise label and under other private labels to various businesses. She also sells packets of the Kelapo extra virgin coconut oil mixed with ghee, or clarified butter, a combination that can be added to coffee for a brain boost, she said.

Her manufacturing facility is certified organic, fair trade, kosher and vegetarian friendly.

The Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. assisted Beneficial Blends by facilitating connections to CareerSource Tampa Bay for workforce screening and recruiting services.

“We are near the top nationally in woman-owned businesses,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman said. She called Meagher’s business a win for women and for manufacturing, one of the areas Scott said the state is focusing on to diversify Florida’s economy.

Hillsborough County just invested in a manufacturing academy to help train work forces for that growing sector of the economy, Murman said.

Florida ranks among the nation’s top 10 states for manufacturing and is home to more than 18,600 manufacturing companies.