Commissioner Murman quoted in this StPetersBlog post on MaryEllen Elia:

Port Tampa Bay Authority votes in support of MaryEllen Elia

By Mitch Perry on January 20, 2015

As embattled Hillsborough County School Superintendent MaryEllen Elia learns her fate with the School Board this afternoon, score another major boost for her and against the forces that would like to see her contract terminated.

The Port Tampa Bay Authority voted 4-2 today to send a show of support for Elia, just hours before the School Board decides on her future.

The motion was offered by Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman, who asked if the Port Authority could send out a statement of support as their monthly meeting concluded.

But she received immediate pushback from  board Chairman Stephen Swindal, who called Elia’s conflict with several School Board members a “volatile situation” that had nothing to do with Port operations.

He was seconded in his opposition to issuing a statement from board member Patrick Allman, who said he didn’t want to tell  other local boards what to do and didn’t want them telling the Port Authority what they should be doing.

That’s when Bob Buckhorn interjected. The Tampa mayor and port board member said that while he was generally very reluctant to meddle in other people’s business, “and I certainly recognize the sentiment,” he then reasserted what he told reporters last Tuesday when asked his opinion on the matter.

“We can’t afford drama in the school system,” he told his fellow Port Authority members. “This appears to be a sort of petty retaliation by some board members who don’t like (her) for whatever reason or have had issues with MaryEllen. It has nothing to do with the substance of what she does, or the caliber of her performance,” a statement that her critics would not agree with. Buckhorn went on to say that he didn’t know what will ultimately happen with Elia, but “I know it can’t end like this.”

Regarding the weight he bears on the issue by weighing in, the mayor said he understood exactly what he was doing. “In this case, I did (intervene). I’m happy I did it. I’d do it again, and I think this board could add their voices to that cast as well.”

Answering Allman, Murman insisted that the Port Authority wasn’t telling the School Board what to do. “We are showing support. And there is a big, big difference in doing so.”

Port CEO Paul Anderson was asked to weigh in. He said that while he didn’t really want to wade into the situation, he said he’s had a great working relationship with Elia.

“It would just be a shame to lose someone with her stature and respect,” he said, adding that he comes from a community that went through several school superintendents. “It gets very difficult to do a national search when you have a record of letting go of top-performing superintendents, because of political reasons.”

The board then voted 4-2, with Swindle and Allman dissenting.

Meanwhile, a member of another Hillsborough County board, Kathleen Shanahan with HART, has posted a petition on the website Change.org calling on people to support Elia, and show up at 2:45 p.m. this afternoon at the school district building.

The Hillsborough County School Board votes on whether or not to terminate Elia’s contract at 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on MaryEllen Elia:

Education

Port Tampa backs Elia in school board vote on firing her

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff
Published: January 20, 2015

TAMPA — Citing the backing she has given to maritime programs bolstering the work force at Port Tampa Bay, the port’s governing commission voted today to send a letter to the Hillsborough County School Board backing Mary Ellen Elia.

Elia faces a school board vote today on whether to retain her as schools superintendent.

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who announced his support for Elia last week after learning her termination had been placed on the school board agenda, sits on the port’s board of commissioners and reiterated his support today.

“High school politics,” Buckhorn said, prompted by a personal grudge, is bringing the matter to a school board vote.

“I’m generally very reluctant to meddle in other people’s business and I certainly recognize the sentiments of not involving the port,” Buckhorn said during the port commission’s meeting. But he noted that Elia is recognized as the best school superintendent in the state, if not the nation, so the authority should back her.

Among Elia’s critics on the school board is April Griffin, whose opponent Elia backed in the November general election. Griffin and board chairwoman Susan Valdes gave Elia the lowest grades during the superintendent’s last evaluation, faulting her in part for poor communication with the board.

Several port commission members voted against the move to send a letter of support, saying that while they personally back Elia, they don’t believe it’s a matter in which the board should get involved.

“Let’s not allow this to occur because of some petty personal grievance,” Buckhorn countered.

Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandra Murman, who also sits on the port commission, requested the letter of support and said Elia is a key partner in the county’s economic development initiative. That’s important, Murman said, when businesses are considering relocating to the Tampa area.

“We are not asking the board to do anything but show support,” Murman said, for a schools superintendent who has shown “extreme courage and had a superb performance.”

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

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

Buckhorn vows (again) to fix downtown streetcar problem

JAMAL THALJITampa Bay Times

Tuesday, January 20, 2015 12:21pm

TAMPA — Just when Tampa Port Authority board members thought they were out of the downtown streetcar debate, they got pulled back in on Tuesday.

Last week, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the streetcar’s volunteer board — which runs the trolley along with the city of Tampa and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority — needs to be disbanded. The struggling and under-used trolley needs to be run by just one entity, the mayor said, and it needs a seven-figure infusion of cash to get it running more frequently and for free.

Then at Tuesday’s port meeting, Hillsborough County Chairwoman Sandra Murman decided that she wanted the port to take the lead in helping turn the streetcar system around. She wanted port staff to organize the main players and start working on a resolution.

“We are a partner in this,” said Murman, who sits on the port board. “Somebody’s got to take the lead.”

The board members resisted that, until Buckhorn stepped in with an alternative plan: the city will lead the conversation on how to save the streetcar system.

“I’m happy to take ownership of this,” the mayor said, “because I do think we need to resolve this.”

Buckhorn, though, has been here before. In fact, it was exactly two years, four months and three days ago in this very same room that the mayor vowed to save the system and implored his fellow port board members to continue a $100,000 subsidy.

The mayor, though, hasn’t done much since then and the port hasn’t paid anything since that 2012 meeting. And in October, the board voted not to contribute a six-figure subsidy until the system’s operator, the nonprofit Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc., came up with a turnaround plan.

Buckhorn said Tuesday that after that 2012 meeting, he’s had a lot on his plate.

“It just hasn’t been at the top of my list of priorities,” he said.

But that’s changed now, because of Jeff Vinik. The Tampa Bay Lightning owner has launched his $1 billion project to redevelop downtown Tampa, and a revitalized streetcar could help make mass transit a part of that plan.

“Now is the time to get it done,” Buckhorn said.

The mayor stepped in at an opportune time, because his fellow port board members weren’t buying Murman’s plea for the Tampa Port Authority to take the lead in organizing the other agencies together to fix the streetcar.

“I think we need to move forward to the next step,” Murman said. “This is a critical part of downtown redevelopment, for redeveloping everything.”

But the board showed the same resistance that led them to stop funding the streetcar in October. While there was no talk of resuming the subsidy, port chairman Steve Swindal didn’t even want to pay for port staff to spend time working on the streetcar issue.

“I want our staff to take care of maritime matters,” he said. “This is a land-born transportation system that we have nothing to do with.”

“It runs right through port property,” Murman said.

“You want our staff to spend time on this when they should be spending money getting ships under the bridge,” Swindal said. “I want to be a partner, but I don’t want to be lead.”

Now Buckhorn will serve as the lead. He said the city will bring together all the main players — Vinik, the streetcar board, Hillsborough Area Regional Transit, Hillsborough County, the Tampa Downtown Partnership and the community redevelopment agencies for downtown Tampa, the Channel District and Ybor City — to figure out the first steps.

That will likely include a jointly-funded comprehensive study of the streetcar system, its current ridership, the cost and benefits of increasing service and how to eventually expand the system with federal money.

Fixing the streetcar will be a daunting task, Buckhorn said, especially securing the extra $1 million a year it could cost to get the trolley running more often so that more people will choose to use it.

“My mother always said I had way more courage than brains,” the mayor said.

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

Hillsborough announces time line for transportation plan

CAITLIN JOHNSTON

Tampa Bay Times

Wednesday, January 14, 2015 5:39pm

TAMPA — Hillsborough leaders expect to have a countywide transportation plan outlined by April, with funding sources identified by September.

George Walton, senior vice president for the national consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, unveiled a time line Wednesday to a transportation group made up of county commissioners and local mayors.

The county hired the consulting firm in October to help develop a transportation plan and handle public outreach, including launching a website, making presentations, holding public meetings and producing other materials.

The firm will host a series of public meetings beginning in February to solicit feedback and input from community members. The focus will narrow as the meetings progress, moving from general questions about transportation needs to what modes and routes will provide optimum service.

“The more we hear, the greater the opportunity to listen and to engage and bring those thoughts and comments into the overall plan,” Walton said.

The schedule Walton presented included 28 public meetings. But after a discussion in which several commissioners voiced concerns that their constituents were not being properly represented, the group directed Parsons Brinckerhoff to add 16 meetings to the list.

“We’re going to have to look at having more of these public engagement meetings throughout Hillsborough County, because if we don’t, we’re going to fail again,” said County Commissioner Les Miller, referencing the failed 2010 ballot initiative to increase funding for transportation.

The county is paying Parsons Brinckerhoff nearly $900,000 to develop the transportation plan. While $500,000 of that was previously approved, it was unclear where the rest would come from.

County Administrator Mike Merrill told the group Wednesday that an additional $500,000 could come from money remaining from a joint county and city project to replace finance and human resources software systems.

The cost for the additional meetings that commissioners requested could also come from that excess $500,000, Merrill said.

Though Parsons Brinckerhoff had spent considerable time selecting locations for the public meetings, Merrill said he wasn’t surprised that the commissioners asked for more.

“They know their constituents better than I do, and certainly better than Parsons does,” Merrill said.

The goal, Merrill said, is to have a specific plan and a way to fund it by fall so that officials have a year to build momentum for a 2016 referendum in which the county could ask voters to approve an extra sales tax for transportation. Similar measures failed in Pinellas and Polk counties in 2014 and in Hillsborough in 2010.

“Failure is not an option here,” Commissioner Sandy Murman said. “We have to cover every single base.”

Contact Caitlin Johnston at cjohnston@tampabay.com or (813) 661-2443. Follow @cljohnst.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on St. Joseph’s South:

South Shore News

Residents invited to preview St. Joseph’s Hospital-South before it opens

BY DOUG ARNOLD
Special Correspondent
Published: January 13, 2015

RIVERVIEW – In February, the blending of science, substance and style come together with the much anticipated opening of St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview. And the community can take a sneak peek from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at a special preview event, including public tours, entertainment, food and festivities.

The 360,000-square-foot facility sits on a 72-acre campus at Big Bend and Simmons Loop roads. Visionaries with the Franciscan Sisters of Allegheny purchased much of the property in the early 1980s, anticipating future population growth and community need.

The new hospital, part of BayCare Health System, will employ 500 and offer about 20 different medical services, including emergency, maternity and orthopedics. It has 90 private patient suites, 22 observation rooms, labor and delivery rooms, a cardiac catheterization lab, surgical suites and more.

“Insightful design is what creates the near-perfect healing environment,” said Scott Smith, president and CEO. “We’ve taken the best lessons from previous hospital design, specifically St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, to bring together the best ideas and innovations for both patient experience and physician efficiency.”

Smith said the interior is a soothing environment that minimizes stress and anxiety.

“St. Joseph’s is sensitive to the physical and spiritual needs of those we serve,” he said. “We are dedicated to healing the body, along with nourishing the mind and soul.”

The atrium lobby, with its overlook balcony and massive circular reception center, is reminiscent of a boutique hotel. Sunlight cascades through towering windows and turns the lobby into a warm and welcoming place. “There is ample room for visitors, patients, and staff to relax, converse, reflect,” Smith said.

Patient rooms are one-bed private suites, most with a recliner and small sofa. Above the bed is a stylish “head wall” that’s clear of the gauges, tubing ports, lines and plugs found in most hospital rooms. These items are now hidden behind the head-wall facade.

“It feels much friendlier, more like nice hotel room,” Smith said.

Rooms and corridors also bring in lots of sunlight. From the inside, there are views of outdoor greenery and sky. Standing outside, the window pattern is a Mondrian-style grid mosaic of glass in various shades and hues of blues.

The ambience is made by the little details, Smith said.

“We considered the lighting to help with mood and special carpeting to reduce noise levels.”

The floor layout of the patient rooms is in racetrack formation.

“On the outer track you find hallways of rooms, but on the infield, between the hallways, are the work areas, the supply rooms, technical equipment and other medical-related spaces,” Smith said.

Working staff, transport wheelchairs, and other rolling technology have their own corridors and elevators. This establishes a backstage work flow that helps insulate the visitor and patients from busy, disruptive traffic.

Dr. Hossain Marandi, vice president of physician services, said the community was asked about what it wanted in a hospital and that the local medical community provided significant input on how the hospital would be tailored for the needs of southern Hillsborough County.

“We worked very hard to make this an inclusive project,” Marandi said. “For several years we conducted dialogues, listening closely to the doctors who serve the immediate area. This gives the community a sense of ownership, of partnership that has great value when creating an environment of healing.”

The hospital’s new medical equipment is a catalog of the latest in medical innovation. The hospital boasts 21st century surgical suites, specialized women’s health services facilities, high technology imaging and da Vinci surgical robotics. The emergency room has 34 private examination and treatment rooms. Patients enter a digital palm print when registering to provide quick and accurate identification throughout their stay.

The latest technology goes beyond surgery and imaging. Innovative materials are in place to minimize infection and contamination, including dedicated elevators for handling bed linens and special germ-fighting corridor carpeting.

Population growth means babies, and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South has an array of delivery rooms and suites for new parents and infants. Rooms have plenty of space for guests and indirect lighting.

“Once a young mom sees our rooms, she won’t want to go anywhere else,” Smith said.

The new hospital is built to accommodate South Shore’s continuing growth.

“Our architecture was engineered for expansion as the (area’s) population and health care needs grow,” Smith said. “The main building can expand vertically by two stories, and horizontal growth can include an entire additional building wing. There is ample room for additional freestanding buildings.”

County Commissioner Sandy Murman, District 1, looks forward to the opening.

“Hillsborough County was glad to help St. Joseph’s Hospital-South come to (South Shore),” she said. “We worked with (its) team along the way to make sure the permitting and planning process went smoothly.”

Murman said the county improvements associated with the project included $2.6 million to install a traffic light on Big Bend Road.

Businesses in the region have been hungry for the hospital to open.

Tanya Doran, executive director of the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, said the hospital is already making a difference in the business community.

“It is an exciting time’” she said. “It will also bring additional stimulus to local restaurants and retail.”

Murman echoed the observation.

“Five-hundred new permanent jobs for local residents goes a long way to improve the quality of life (here),” she said.

Meanwhile, Smith is overseeing the big move in of people and material.

“We’re bringing in staff and supplies, as we speak,” he said. “Final certifications will be completed in late January and we will announce our official opening in very early February.”

St. Joseph’s Hospital-South is at 6301 Simmons Loop Road. For information or to arrange an extended tour on Saturday, call (813) 443-3010.

Freelance writer Doug Smith can be reached at bylinedouglasarnold@aol.com.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this StPetersBlog article on the Innovation Alliance:

With great fanfare, the Tampa Innovation Alliance kicks off in North Tampa

By Mitch Perry on January 9, 2015

According to the U.S. Census, the number of college graduates with a bachelors degree or higher in Tampa is 33 percent, higher than Charlotte, but lower than San Diego, Austin and Raleigh, North Carolina, cities that Mayor Bob Buckhorn frequently compare his town to.

That’s why business leaders and local lawmakers in Hillsborough County have made it a mission to retain some of the tens of thousands of college students who graduate each year from the University of South Florida. A heretofore unaddressed part of that vision is an attempt to the revitalize the moribund North Tampa region that surrounds the USF campus, with the goal of turning the university area into a more dynamic economic center

That’s what the Tampa Innovation Alliance is all about. It’s central partners are USF, Busch Gardens, the Moffitt Cancer Center and Florida Hospital Tampa. Former Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe is the Alliance’s executive director, and he welcomed an overflow crowd treated to free box lunches from Jason’s Deli to the organization’s kick-off event at the USF Connect building on the North Tampa campus on Friday afternoon.

“Our doors have been opened since the 18th of November, ” said Sharpe, who departed the County Commission just two weeks earlier. “It’s a small office. We need help. But I can tell you this. We’re going to work 24/7 to get the job done.”

There was a sense of great expectations and possibilities for the corridor which runs from Busch Boulevard north to Bearss Avenue, Interstate 275 east to Interstate 75. As several speakers noted, the region includes some of the wealthiest and poorest people in Tampa.

 There were short speeches by a number of local officials such as Sharpe and his former board colleagues Sandy Murman, Victor Crist and Les Miller. Bill Carlson from the Tampa P.R. firm Tucker/Hall played the part of emcee, wandering into the crowd a la Phil Donahue to ask audience members a variety of questions, such as why they located their businesses in the district, to what were the advantages and disadvantages of doing business there.

“The county is completely committed that we get this done,” assured Murman. “We have over 100,000 post-secondary students at any given time here in the Tampa/Hillsborough County area with USF, HCC (Hillsborough Community College) and University of Tampa. And quite frankly, we need to find a way to keep those students here.” In fact, the County Commission has been developing plans over the past couple of years to address the area, most notoriously the region west of USF known derisively as “Suitcase City.”

Not surprisingly, there wasn’t too much focus on the negatives, though obviously the very fact that there is such a need for an alliance illustrates that it needs help.

“The demographics are very challenging, ” offered Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione, who represents the district in City Hall. “It has a negative reputation, ” she admitted.”But it’s a challenge to overcome that.”

Paul Sansom’s company runs Westshore Pizza franchises in the corridor. He complained about having to go through excessive red tape to partner with USF. “I have to go through 17 different divisions and talk to 24 people.”

But others mostly saw unlimited potential. Attorney Ron Weaver talked about hundreds of acres of available property, existing rail lines (via CSX) and potential future rail. “We can be audacious about growing, audacious about jobs, and audacious about integrating all those opportunities of the environment…”

At one point during the discussion, Temple Terrace City Councilwoman Cheri Donohue clarified with Sharpe that the Alliance wasn’t just to be a Chamber of Commerce for the corridor. She said it should be a “conduit” for the rules to change so that businesses can be recruited to the area and eventually set up shop. Later Ron Barton, the Hillsborough County Assistant Administrator, said he also thought the county could serve as a “conduit” for the district.

Whether this comes to fruition won’t be known for years to come. But at least for one day, the potential for “Suitcase City” never looked greater.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this USF Oracle article on Innovation Alliance:

Alliance aims to vitalize university area

By Wesley Higgins, NEWS EDITOR

On January 11, 2015

If one of the Tampa Innovation Alliance’s goals is to bring community leaders together, then Friday’s kickoff was a promising first step in a unified effort to vitalize the university area. 

In the atrium of USF Connect, business owners and government officials filled more than 150 seats as they listened to a series of pitches advocating the area as a place worth investing in. 

Mark Sharpe, the executive director of the Tampa Innovation Alliance and former Hillsborough County commissioner, said the alliance is less of a business opportunity and more of a “movement” for the area. 

“This economic development area could be globally recognized as the most innovative place, where the brightest talent around the world would want to come and work,” he said. “Not just be a place where people come during the day and go back home, but would instead come and stay because it’s exciting, with places to eat and shop.” 

The Tampa Innovation Alliance is spearheaded by USF, Busch Gardens, Moffitt Cancer Center and Florida Hospital. Though already composed of this area’s major economic giants, the alliance still wants other businesses of any size to join in a singular vision of the area. 

Frank Chillura, mayor of Temple Terrace, said businesses and local government could join together to rebrand Temple Terrace. Instead of considering Temple Terrace just a place one goes through to get to USF or Busch Gardens, he said it could be unified to become a cultural highlight of Tampa.

“There’s been a talk of a unified front for years,” Chillura said. “Downtown has it, Westshore has it, but this part of town has never had it. If we have one voice, we’ll get so much more done.” 

Dormant resources in Temple Terrace, such as a 262-acre plot of land, could be used for new businesses. The area has also received grants from the city in the last few years to improve the landscape, making the area a more attractive place to live in.

Chillura also talked about pedestrian pathways and bicycle trails that make Temple Terrace accessible. He said that a city rail is still in the talks, and that USF would be one of the main stops of the rail. 

Current advantages of the area were discussed, such as the tourist-friendly location, with traffic coming from I-275 and visitors going to Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens President Jim Dean said the university area is located strategically between Orlando, which is the largest tourist destination in the world, and some of the best beaches in the world.

“We’re in the perfect spot to drive tourism from all of the world,” Dean said. 

For small business startups, the cost of real estate in the area is some of the cheapest in the region, one business owner mentioned. 

Westshore Pizza co-owner, Paul Samson, said businesses need to keep in mind a large student base and their demands, such as pizza.

But many agreed that students were not just the consumers in the area, but could also feed back into the area with their innovation and talent. 

“We’ve got to get students engaged, because students are going to be the ones who drive this ultimate goal,” said student body president Jean Cocco. “Students should be the priority in this alliance.”

Some business owners already in the area said the university not only provided business, but also a large pool of interns. 

However, a challenge is convincing students to stay in the area instead of taking their skills somewhere else once they graduate.

“To keep our kids here to unleash their potential, we need to have a job strategy,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman. “We can’t lose our kids to other states, other businesses … we need to keep them here in Hillsborough.”

Many business owners and government officials acknowledged other challenges.

One of the reasons there’s a need for the alliance is the lack of communication between leaders in the area, and therefore no focused strategy for improving the area. 

Sansom said Westshore Pizza had to go through yards of red tape to partner with USF. He gave the example of having to go through 17 different divisions and talking to 24 different people just to pitch the idea of students using dining dollars for pizza deliveries.

Tampa Councilwoman Lisa Montelione said a huge challenge is considering how businesses market in polar opposite demographics. She also mentioned the reputation Temple Terrace has for poverty and crime.

“I have the privilege to serve some of the richest people and some of the poorest people in the city,” she said. “(The area) has a negative reputation; it’s a challenge to overcome that.” 

Others noted that though there is a largely educated population in the university area, there is also a high percentage uneducated people who find it hard to obtain a job.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist said the alliance, by connecting neighborhoods with businesses, would provide the opportunity to pull the area out of poverty.

“The richest people, the poorest people. The biggest houses, the smallest houses … all within walking distance,” Crist said. “If there’s one simple thing we need to do, that’s focus on stabilization, which will reduce crime and increase business opportunities with jobs at all different levels.”

Pathfinder Group Manager John Foster, who helps family businesses manage risks, said a practical first step is to link businesses together by allowing shared services.

“We can make those handshakes possible,” Foster said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article on Big Brothers, Big Sisters:

Big Brothers Big Sisters HQ relocation built on donated services

Jan 7, 2015, 2:04pm EST Updated: Jan 7, 2015, 2:43pm EST

Chris Wilkerson

Deputy Editor- Tampa Bay Business Journal

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is moving its national headquarters office to Tampa’s Westshore business district with key donations from Parkway Properties, ROF and The Beck Group.

The move is a small win for economic development officials looking to bring a large corporate headquarters to the region, but BBBSA has big name recognition.

BBBSA is moving from Dallas on the heels of former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio being named CEO of the nonprofit organization last year.

“This community is going to help Big Brothers Big Sisters of America thrive and it will thrive here long after my tenure,” Iorio said at an event announcing the move.

The relocation is expected to generate about 20 new jobs in BBBSA’s first year in Tampa, according to Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp. CEO Rick Homans.

“There is going to be such a spillover effect,” Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman. She said Tampa Bay can expect conferences as well as visits from executives across the country who serve the organization’s board.

Bloomin’ Brands CEO Liz Smith is the chair of BBBSA’s board this year.

Parkway donated 6,900 square feet of space in Westshore’s Corporate One for five years. The Beck Group donated buildout. ROF donated furniture and designed the new space.

This is one step in Tampa Hillsborough EDC’s stated goal of recruiting a major headquarters to the region. BBBSA is small in size, but has better than 90 percent name recognition nationally, Homans said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this StPetersBlog article on film incentives:

Commission approves $100,000 to lure next Tim Burton film

By Mitch Perry on January 7, 2015

Hillsborough County Commissioners today approved $100,000 in incentives to attract the producers of acclaimed film director Tim Burton‘s next project, “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” to film the picture in the Tampa Bay area. The funding is contingent, however, on a $100,000 matching contribution from the Pinellas County Commission, where the movie’s producers also would like to film scenes.

The proposal was initiated by Commissioner Ken Hagan, who has made it his mission to revitalize Tampa/Hillsborough’s  previously moribund local film commission. He said the only way the filmmakers would come here is with some financial incentives.

“They were excited about the possibility of filming their Florida scenes here,” he told board  members about a recent dinner he had with the producers of the production. “However, the reality is they can film in North Carolina, Louisiana and other locations for less money, because of incentives and out-of-town crew issues. The bottom line is, they’d like to film here, but not without financial incentive or assistance, and their decision on filming locations is imminent.”

The measure is similar to what the BOCC did in approving a $250,000 incentive package last year for the producers of “The Infiltrator,” a film starring Bryan Cranston that is based on former Tampa-based DEA agent Robert Mazur’s role in his investigation of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. Today’s measure also mandates that the producers base their office headquarters in the county.

In this year’s current FY15 budget, the board approved $250,000 in incentives for local productions. It’s modest, but the county needs all the help it can get in trying to differentiate itself from Miami and Orlando as an area for Hollywood producers to contemplate when they have projects in the Sunshine State.

Those numbers are almost chump change in comparison with the incentives that states can and do offer film productions.  Florida trails many other states in not having any such funds available.

A plan to provide such incentives died in the 2014 legislative session, but there is hope that lawmakers will be able to revive that proposal when this year’s session commences in March.

“My goal is to propel our region to the top of the list of film destinations,” Hagan said. “Not only in the state of Florida, but also nationally.”

“This is the kind of economic development that is important to us,” chimed in Commissioner Victor Crist. “Not necessarily for the dollars that it brings into our community, but for the visibility it brings into our community.”

Apparently “The Infiltrator” is definitely helping out the local economy, months before it begins shooting scenes here.

Dale Gordon, the head of the Tampa Hillsborough Film and Digital Media Commission, told commissioners that the director of the film, Brad Furman, who is town this week, says that one of the locations where they’ll be filming is at a restaurant in Ybor City that recently had to shut down because of a fire. “With the location fees they’re going to be getting from the production, they’ll be able to reopen.”

Board Chair Sandy Murman admitted that she was initially skeptical that providing local incentive fees could lure major film productions, but no longer. “I think it’s great,” she said.

The board passed the motion on a 7-0 vote.