Commissioner Murman quoted in this 10News story on rape kits:

Newly tested rape kit from 2009 leads to arrest

Mike Deeson, WTSP5:41 p.m. EST December 16, 2015

Winter Haven, Florida — New and promising information on a 10Investigates investigation into testing rape kits.

A rape kit that had gone untested since 2009 was finally sent to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for testing and it has led to an arrest.

Earlier this year, 10Investigates explained after we made public records requests to law enforcement agencies we found thousands of kits went untested. Some of the police agencies immediately started clearing the backlog.

Attorney General Pam Bondi made it a top priority to have the kits tested and other media outlets began examining untested rape kits in their own backyard. That led to the arrest of 43-year-old Rodrecius Hamilton.

The Winter Haven Police Department uncovered a number of untested kits after a request by the Lakeland Ledger. Hamilton’s DNA was already in the system and it matched the DNA from an untested kit.

On Wednesday, Hillsborough Commissioner Sandy Murman said every police agency in the state needs to clear the backlog.

Murman told her fellow commissioners, “I think it would go a long way to help some of these victims and help with some of the criminals that are out there. I know that testing costly — it would be 9 million more dollars — but I wanted us to send a letter to the governor to state the concern about the backlog of these kits and encourage the governor to push FDLE to address this backlog as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, Winter Haven Police reached out to the victim and apologized for the detective who was working the case. I asked what happened and the only answers were he dropped the ball and he is no longer with the department.

Also on Wednesday, Congress included $45 million in its budget for testing rape kits nationally next year.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on rape kits:

Hillsborough commissioners to Gov. Rick Scott: Address untested rape kits now

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 16, 2015 12:17pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners sent a symbolic but united message to Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday: Address the backlog of untested rape kits now.

Commissioners voted 7-0 to send Scott a letter urging him to push the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review all untested kits immediately.The FDLE confirmed for the first time in November that there are more than 10,000 untested rape kits, but they lack the resources and workers to tackle them in a timely fashion.

It could take up to $9 million to hire the extra hands needed to eliminate the backlog.

The letter was urged by Commissioner Sandy Murman, who said the tests could help prove the innocence of inmates convicted of rape. They also have the potential to help solve cold cases.

“There have been so many improvements in technologies,” Murman said. “Many of the older kits have been sitting on the shelf for years and that’s before (DNA) testing was common.”

Scott has requested funding from lawmakers to speed up the testing of incoming evidence in crime labs, but his budget released in November didn’t include any new monies for FDLE to address the backlog of older kits. The Florida House is weighing a bill that would require the kits be tested by mid-2017.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune article on transportation:

POLITICS

Vote on Go Hillsborough tax increase not likely before February

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff

Published: December 13, 2015

Updated: December 14, 2015 at 07:31 AM

TAMPA — Once slated for December, a Hillsborough County Commission vote on a sales tax increase for transportation projects is now likely to come no earlier than February, County Administrator Mike Merrill said.

The vote has been postponed because of problems scheduling a commission workshop on mobility fees, a vital component of the overall transportation plan called Go Hillsborough. Mobility fees, once adopted, will make developers pay more toward transportation improvements connected to their new subdivisions or commercial projects, county leaders say.

The workshop is now scheduled for Feb. 4. Barring some unforeseen developments, Merrill said he thinks the county commission could vote at its Feb. 17 meeting to set a referendum for next November on a half-cent-per-dollar sales tax increase.

If passed, the money would raise $117 million a year to finance more than 400 projects, including new roads and road resurfacing, bike and walking trails, expanded bus service and a pilot commuter rail in Tampa.

“We’re going to spend January talking about projects and the plan, and then talk about revenues in February,” Merrill said. “I think it will still be my plan to bring the ordinance to the board for both the mobility fees and the sales tax at the second meeting in February.”

In some ways, delaying the commission vote on the tax could be a good thing for proponents. Go Hillsborough is still under the cloud of a sheriff’s office investigation Merrill requested in September. Investigators are looking into suspicions about back-room dealings in the hiring of the Go Hillsborough consultant, engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.

Merrill said the investigation will be completed by Christmas, removing an obstacle that has stymied public deliberations on the transportation plan and tax. If no criminal activity is found, the public discussion can get back to what’s in the transportation plan.

“I think it’s great that they’re taking the time to focus on projects,” said Kevin Thurman, executive director of the pro-mass transit group Connect Tampa Bay. “I think some of the politicians have been focused on the politics of this. That’s not where the voters want us focused.”

Thurman was referring to efforts by the tea party and other conservative groups to use the Parsons Brinckerhoff controversy to derail Go Hillsborough. At recent county commission meetings, the anti-tax activists have urged commissioners to shut down Go Hillsborough, thus scuttling the tax vote next November.

At least two commissioners seemed to have been swayed by the scandal.

Commissioner Al Higginbotham, saying Go Hillsborough had “lost its way,” reneged on a campaign promise to support whatever plan came out of the city-county transportation Policy Leadership Group. The group voted 8-3 on Nov. 5 to recommend that the half-cent tax go on the ballot.

On the eve of that Policy Leadership Group vote, Commissioner Sandy Murman rolled out an alternative plan for transportation, financed by a variety of taxes and a mobility fee. Murman thus became a no vote, after months of equivocation.

The uproar over the Parsons contact began with a WTSP-TV report that suggested public relations consultant Beth Leytham played a role in getting the engineering firm hired. Leytham, who has worked under contract for Parsons, was later hired by the firm to do communications and public outreach for Go Hillsborough.

Leytham denies playing any part in getting Parsons hired and said she is cooperating with the sheriff’s office investigation.

“I’m going above and beyond to be cooperative,” she said. “I fully intend to sit down and be interviewed when they’re ready. I want to be interviewed.”

Merrill said delaying the final commission vote on the referendum is not a bad thing. A delay will give the county time to talk to the public about specific projects so people will know what they’re voting for if the sales tax gets to the ballot.

“The most important thing is that we get everybody focused on the plan — what folks are getting out of it,” Merrill said. “It’s really about a thriving economy and jobs, safe streets, and quality of life. That’s what people will be able to touch and feel with this thing.”

If the commission does vote to put the transportation plan and tax up for a vote, the county’s role in Go Hillsborough role will be over. At that point, business interests will lead a private campaign to pass the ballot measure. Beginning that campaign later rather than sooner may actually be better for the pro-tax forces, experts say.

“It seems to be the consensus that the shorter the private campaign the better,” Merrill said, “probably because it’s just a limited attention span and you want to have a more focused campaign that doesn’t get stale over longer period of time.”

If the commission passes the sales tax ordinance in February, Merrill said the private campaign could potentially start in March

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this StPetersBlog:

Janet Cruz says she has no desire to run for Mayor of Tampa

By Mitch Perry –

Dec 10, 2015

Although it’s well more than three years away before Tampa voters are scheduled to go to the polls to select a Mayor to succeed a term-limited Bob Buckhorn, that’s never stopped local political junkies from speculating about who might succeed him after he steps down in 2019.

Some names floated about include City Council members Mike Suarez and Harry Cohen, and Hillsborough County Commissioners Ken Hagan and Sandy Murman.

Another name frequently mentioned in some circles is state Rep. Janet Cruz. However, she poured cold water on that notion on Wednesday.

“No!” she said with emphasis when asked whether she was considering a run. “Not at all.”

“Where is that coming from?” she then asked, smiling.

Cruz is focused exclusively on her job representing House District 62 in the Florida Legislature at the moment. In February, she was voted unanimously by her Democratic Party colleagues in the House to become their leader in 2017, succeeding Mark Pafford.

The 59-year-old Cruz was first elected to the House by winning a special election in early 2010 over fellow Democrat Pat Kemp in an intensely fought primary, replacing Micheal Scionti. Among  her duties as Democratic Leader Designate is recruiting Democratic House candidates for next year’s elections.

Cruz is scheduled to be term-limited out of her House seat in 2018.

Although Buckhorn’s second and final term in office isn’t scheduled to end until March 2019, that timeline would obviously change should he run for governor in 2018, a possibility he says he’s still contemplating.

Under Tampa’s form of government, a special election would be called if there are more than 15 months remaining in the term of a mayor who leaves office early.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this ABC News article on building code:

Couple says McMansion approved by county violates the county’s building code and ruins view of lake

County describes issue as neighbor dispute

Adam Walser

11:27 PM, Dec 4, 2015

CARROLLWOOD, Fla. – A Hillsborough County couple says their neighbor’s new wall violates the county’s building code and is destroying their view.

“This was my dream home. We designed it, we built it,” said Roxanne Kosarkzycki.

She and her husband Gene built a home on Lake Carroll with a million dollar view, but part of that view is now blocked by their neighbors’ new million dollar home.

“We look out our kitchen window now and just see this massive Wal-Mart wall,” she said.

The original 2,300 square foot house next door was built in 1963.

It was mostly torn down to make way for a building triple that size.

“You can see by the shadows, our property is basically eclipsed from this home and it doesn’t even have the roof on it yet,” said Roxanne, pointing to the wall towering over her yard.

The builder called the project a “remodel of an existing home”, in his permit application filed with the county.

When the permit was approved, the was allowed to be non-compliant with the county’s current building code.

But the Kosarkzyckis, she’s a lawyer and he’s a licensed contractor, say it doesn’t qualify.

“The code specifically says that it they demolish more than 50 percent of the home, they have to bring it to within code,” said Roxanne Kosarkzycki.

A document submitted by the builder shows more than 95 percent of the project will be “new construction.”

“Their plans say they were leaving the entire concrete slab in as part of their remodel renovation,” Roxanne said.

But photos show even that slab was removed.

Small pieces of wall on each side of the old home are all that remain.

“Because they left a few blocks in, they called it a remodel,” Roxanne said.

A 111-foot long concrete wall which was grandfathered as “non-conforming” is a foot and a half inside the setback that’s allowed in the current county building code.

The part blocking the view is 15 feet closer to the lake than the county’s 30 foot wetland setback rule allows.

The plan says it’s a covered lanai that’s part of a pool, but the building code doesn’t allow  “permanent structures” in the setback.

The Kosarkzyckis say they contacted the county as soon as they suspected code violations.

“We met with the county and provided them with all the photos, the code, a complete binder,” Roxanne said.

Emails show county building director Adam Gormly knew about the issue more than six months ago, but his office allowed construction to proceed, saying the plans were approved based on “past policy”.

The Kosarkzyckis tried to appeal the ruling, but were denied a hearing by the county attorney.

Last week, they took their concerns to the county commission this week, accompanied by their attorney former commissioner Ed Turanchik.

“99 percent of the old house was removed. Everyone that has seen this is shocked,” Turanchik told commissioners.

“This matter has cost our family tens of thousands of dollars and has denied our property rights,” Roxanne Kosarkzycki told the board.

County Attorney Chip Fletcher says he believes it comes down to an interpretation of the code, and he says both sides make valid points.

“My view is this is really a dispute between neighbors. And we’ve offered to hire a professional mediator,” said Fletcher.

Adam Gormly, the Hillsborough County’s Development Services Director, said in an email, “We believe that County staff has at all times during this dispute legally applied local ordinances and complied with the requirements of state and local law. The County will not comment further because of the possibility of litigation in this matter.”

Commissioners called for further investigation at Wednesday’s meeting.

“If there’s anything we can do to help this situation, I think we need to do it,” said Commissioner Sandy Murman.

“I think they need to be given their day and their opportunity and justice,” said Commissioner Victor Crist.

The issue will come before Commissioners again during their regular land-use meeting next week.

“The county made a mistake. Now they’re trying to cover it up,” said Turanchik.

The project’s contractor, Randy Schmidt, didn’t return our calls or email.

The homeowners, Mark and Norma Tempest said in an email, “We trust that the county will stand behind the permit that they issued. The county thoroughly reviewed our project plans and twice confirmed compliance with applicable land use code and processes.  We also want to express our thanks to the more than 70 friends and neighbors who have let the Board of County Commissioners know they support us building this home for our family.”

In a follow-up email sent to the I-Team, the Tempests say the permits were reviewed and issued by the County as “new construction” not as a remodel.

The Tempests say they’ve already revised their plans to remove a section of the wall in the wetland setback, but the Kosarckzyckis say that’s not enough and they won’t be satisfied until they get back their million dollar view.

“I know what they’re hoping to do is basically say “Oh, but it’s already here. It would be an inequity for us to have to tear it down,” said Roxanne Kosarkzycki. “But in reality, I brought it to their attention before this ever happened.”

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

Facing billions in transportation needs, Hillsborough commissioners find $8 million for roads

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 2, 2015 8:37pm

TAMPA — Go Hillsborough wasn’t on the agenda for Wednesday’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, but the transportation funding initiative continues to cast a pall over county business.

Commissioners fought several times over transportation funding throughout the meeting, the first since county leaders endorsed a referendum on whether to raise the sales tax a half-cent to pay for roads, sidewalks and transit projects. After a bizarre and chaotic sequence, the commission ultimately put aside $8 million for road work in the meeting’s final moments.

The $8 million was excess money that was not used by Hillsborough’s constitutional officers last year. Typically, those funds are held onto in case other expenses spring up after the budget is finalized. It’s also just a fraction of the billions consultants estimate Hillsborough County will need to fund decades of transportation needs.

But Commissioner Sandy Murman called for the $8 million to go toward transportation — a gesture she said was symbolic but important. At last month’s big transportation meeting, Murman voted against putting the sales-tax increase on the 2016 ballot. Instead she floated her own plan that relied on future growth, new fees on developers and a gas tax hike.

“We need to start putting our money where our mouth is,” she said Wednesday. “We all sit here and talk about transportation ad nauseam.”

Murman’s motion failed for lack of support. It didn’t even get a second.

She made another attempt, this time allocating $7.9 million to transportation.

Nearly every commissioner spoke critically — Commissioner Victor Crist likened it to “shooting at flies” — and County Administrator Mike Merrill cautioned against it.

But when it came time to vote, the measure passed 4-2.

“Now I’m not only speechless but shocked,” Murman said.

Early in the meeting, another transportation debate broke out over a SouthShore development.

The developer, Duke Realities, agreed to pay $102,000 toward the widening of Big Bend Road in Gibsonton. While that was triple what was required of Duke under existing law, it represents a fraction of the cost of the project, estimated between $4 million and $5 million.

The development, an industrial park with 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space, has become a proxy in the county’s ongoing dilemma over who should pay to build roads when new developments emerge.

Six years ago, the widening of Big Bend would have fallen on the shoulders of the developer. However, a change in state law means the county is on the hook for all but $34,000 of the expense. Duke agreed to pay three times that to ease commissioners’ concerns.

Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Stacy White, however, said the agreement was still problematic because the agreement also extended Duke’s exemptions from future mobility fees to 2026. The county is considering a switch from impact fees charged to developers to mobility fees, which would be much higher. However, the amended agreement passed 5-2.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune article on transportation fees:

POLITICS

Transportation fee exemption could set precedent

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff 
Published: December 2, 2015   |   Updated: December 2, 2015 at 08:21 PM

TAMPA — Developers of a proposed 1.5 million-square-foot warehouse-distribution center on Big Bend Road won an exemption Wednesday from transportation fees until 2026, a victory that could spur other developers to ask for similar deals.

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve an amendment to the 2007 land use agreement with Duke Realty Limited Partnership. To win the agreement, the company agreed to pay $102,000 toward widening Big Bend Road in anticipation of increased traffic from the warehouse.

That’s three times the $34,000 the company said it is required to pay under current state law. But it’s still much less than the $2 million to $4 million Duke would have had to pay to widen Big Bend Road from U.S. 41 to Waterset Boulevard _ a requirement under the original development agreement.

Duke said it was no longer responsible for widening the south county highway because of a state law passed in 2011. The law said developers are only responsible for the proportion of additional traffic added to a road by a new subdivision or commercial project.

But the company voluntarily increased its contributions after commissioners balked at approving the amended agreement at a Nov. 4 meeting. In return, the company asked that the agreement’s end date be extended from 2020 to 2026.

Until then, the company would be exempt from mobility fees, a new method of charging developers for transportation impacts that the county will likely adopt next year. If Duke were required to pay mobility fees instead of its proportionate share, the company’s transportation impact payment probably would be much higher.

Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Stacy White opposed the move, saying it was a continuation of past policies that left the county with an $8 billion transportation deficit.

“This is the type of thing that’s gotten us into the mess we’re in with respect to transportation issues and gridlock,” White said after the meeting.

White made a motion to keep the agreement’s sunset date at 2020, but it failed by 3-4 vote. Beckner and commission Chairman Les Miller voted with White. Then the amendment passed by a 5-2 vote with Miller, Al Higginbotham, Sandy Murman, Victor Crist and Ken Hagan voting yes.

Beckner said the vote approving the amendment was laying a “quagmire for future boards on funding transportation by exempting all these upcoming mobility fee (waivers) for extended years.”

“And this is the precedent I think you’re going to start seeing moving forward is the rush of all these applications to come forward to get an exemption from our potential mobility fee proposal,” Beckner said.

Mobility fees have been advertised by county planners as a fairer and more equitable way of charging developers for their traffic impacts. The fees will be based on three measurements: the number of vehicle trips generated by a subdivision or commercial development, the average length of the trips, and the cost of new roads or road improvements needed to handle the additional traffic.

Mobility fees will yield higher payments from developers than the current, proportionate share system, but it will not solve the county’s road problems.

One reason is that developers are holding around $100 million in credits given them for road work they paid for on projects that were halted during the recession. Those credits have to be honored before those developments start paying mobility fees.

“When you consider the over $100 million in impact credits that exist and the onslaught of (proportionate) share agreements that are going to come to us in advance of us adopting a mobility fee ordinance, mobility fees are not a revenue panacea,” said Commissioner Ken Hagan.

The county estimates the fees will eventually bring in $20 million to $30 million a year. But because of the backlog of proportionate share agreements and development credits, the new fees will likely raise much less, possibly only $5 million annually.

Lawyers for Duke Reality pointed out that the company will also pay $1.2 million in impact fees, another way allowed under state law for developers to pay for roads around their projects.

Combining the impact fees with increased property taxes generated by the development will fill county coffers with $13.9 million over 10 years, compared to $600,000 over the same period if the property was not developed.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times article on South Shore:

Hillsborough approves South Shore development despite concerns about Big Bend widening costs

• Steve Contorno, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, December 2, 2015 11:14am

TAMPA — A developer will pay $102,000 to widen Big Bend Road near its South Shore industrial park under an agreement reached with the Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday.

The amount is three times what the developer, Duke Properties, originally agreed to pay but is still just a fraction of the county’s projected bill for the road improvements. Staff estimates the widening could cost between $4 million and $5 million.

The new agreement passed 5-2 with Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Stacy White voting against it.

Duke plans to build 1.5 million square feet of warehouse space and 28,000 square feet of retail on Big Bend Road near U.S. 41 in Gibsonton. The expected rise in traffic will require the widening of Big Bend from four lanes to six between U.S. 41 and Waterset Boulevard.

The project has become the poster child for what commissioners see as lopsided agreements for developers, who pay far less than they used to for road improvements. Six years ago, widening Big Bend would have fallen on the shoulders of the developer. However, a change in state law means the county is on the hook for all but $34,000 of the expense. Duke agreed to pay three times that to ease commissioners concerns.

Beckner and White, however, said the agreement was still problematic. In addition to just paying a fraction of the cost to widen Big Bend, the agreement also extends Duke’s exemptions from future mobility fees to 2026.

The county is considering a switch from the current system of impact fees charged to developers to mobility fees, which would be much higher. Under the agreement, Duke would only have to pay impact fees through for the next decade.

Commissioner Sandy Murman, however, said it wasn’t fair to pick a fight with Duke when other development agreements with similar issues were already approved.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Observer News article on Ruskin recreation center:

New Ruskin rec center brings smiles and hoops

Hillsborough County Commissioners Stacy White, District 4, and Sandra Murman, District 1, were the first to try out the new facilities at the Ruskin Recreation Center’s Beaudette Park on Nov. 13.

The new, 7,000-square-foot gym will offer additional programming for teens, adults and seniors in the Ruskin area. After-school care, summer camps and athletic leagues for teens and adults are among the programs the new facility will enhance. The new gym was built for about $1.7 million.

A ribbon cutting for the new gym was attended by county dignitaries and local citizens.  Parks and Recreation Director “Doc” Dougherty, Code Enforcement Director Dexter Barge, and recreation program supervisors Joy Robinson and Jackie Brown were among those in attendance.

Refreshments were provided by Elite Donut and The Hot Tomato.

The recreation center is always looking for volunteers and business partners for upcoming programs, especially over the holidays. Donations can be in the form of food, money, awards and many other items.

The park is at 901 6th St. S.E., Ruskin.  For more information, call 813-672-7881 or visitwww.HillsboroughCounty.org.