Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on Entrepreneur Collaborative Center:

Hillsborough moves ahead with new business incubator

Will Hobson, Times Staff Writer

    Wednesday, May 21, 2014 11:56am

TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners moved forward Wednesday with a plan to create a new business incubator to help entrepreneurs and startups.

The new center, Commissioner Sandy Murman said, is an “earth-shaking proposal” to foment economic development.

Currently, Hillsborough operates a Small Business Information Center on N 56th Street, east of Tampa, on a roughly $500,000 annual budget.

The new incubator — called the “Entrepreneur Collaborative Center” —- would probably be located in Ybor City and would require the county to double the budget to about $1 million, according to Ron Barton, the county’s economic development chief.

Details like an exact cost and timeline were not included in Wednesday’s presentation by Barton. The center would provide mentoring for local entrepreneurs and would help connect them with small business loans.

Barton suggested county tax dollars could be leveraged into loans to small businesses, a proposal met with skepticism by Commissioner Kevin Beckner.

“I would have deep concerns about government entering into venture capitalism,” Beckner said.

Commission Chairman Mark Sharpe praised the preliminary plan, and said he’d be interested in proposals to leverage county money for loans.

“This is risky. It’s different.” Sharpe said. “This is a whole new world we’re operating in.”

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times column by Amy Scherzer:

Amy Scherzer’s Diary: roundup of Tampa social events

• Amy Scherzer, Times Staff Writer

Tuesday, May 13, 2014 4:44pm

Go Red for Women

Over a heart-healthy lunch of boneless chicken and veggies, Go Red for Women luncheon guests heard stroke survivor Rosemary Grasso‘s personal appeal for the American Heart Association. Chairwoman Katie Pemble,her red-dressed executive cabinet, the Circle of Red and the Red Tie Society donors shared their passion and by the last bite of strawberry pound cake, $342,000 had been raised. Lunchtime donors got a pair of gardening gloves at the garden-themed benefit May 8 at A La Carte Event Pavilion.

Early arrivals took part in health screenings and entered drawings to win a Coach purse and a Kitchen Aid mixer, both red, of course. County commissioner Sandy Murman won the $250 gift certificate to Macy’s.

Guest speaker nutritionist-author Cynthia Sass blamed negative emotions, not lack of information or motivation, for derailing healthy intentions. “You don’t crave carrots and apples under stress,” she said. Her advice: “Talk to someone, but not Ben & Jerry.”

An Evening of Champions

“We don’t just give them a diploma in eighth grade and say goodbye,” said Lincoln Tamayo, head of Academy Prep Center of Tampa, inviting class of 2010 grad Chivarsky Corbett to share his experiences at An Evening of Champions. The college prep middle school requires attendance 11 hours a day, six days a week, 11 months a year. “It’s a powerful place,” said his mother, Keshia Ravnell, as the Tampa Catholic senior told the 200 guests he was heading to the University of Delaware.

Before the May 8 dinner, hosted by the fifth grade and emceed by WTSP-Ch. 10’s Grayson Kamm, guests learned about gratitude journals, 23 helping verbs and enrichment classes ranging from animation to Zumba offered the 120 students. Board member Jim Strenski was honored with the Paul Whiting service award; Charlie Poe and Jonathan Field spoke of “light bulb” moments when mentoring the kids. Supporters raised $275,000 for scholarships that night.

Man & Woman of the Year gala

Congratulations to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s 2014 Man of the Year, Dr. Gregoire Bergier, and Woman of the Year, Shelly Glenn, for raising the most money for the Suncoast chapter in a 10-week competition. Florida Cancer Specialists oncologist Bergier and marketing chief Glenn bested 10 other candidates when live and silent auction bids were tallied at the May 9 grand finale gala at the Tampa Hilton Downtown. In all, combined efforts netted more than $300,000.

Brighter Tomorrows

The youngsters chose their outfits, from a shopping trip or their own closet, while the grownups modeled vibrant casual prints and spring cocktail trends from Kit’s Well-Dressed at Brighter Tomorrows annual Mother’s Day fashion show May 3. Event chair Jeanne Gassman and president Mary Ann Donna urged the 175 luncheon guests at the Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club to bid high on auction items to help domestic violence victims with shelter, counseling and legal aid.

The Next Gen got the message. Ava Relin, 8, modeling for the second year, said “It makes me happy to help families that aren’t as lucky as me.”

Email Amy Scherzer at ascherzer@tampabay.com or call (813) 226-3332.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article on Tampa groundbreaking:

May 8, 2014, 11:54am EDT

Done Deals: Groundbreaking in Tampa

Eric Snider

Staff Writer- Tampa Bay Business Journal

Let’s begin with a groundbreaking, its own sort of a done deal. Hillsborough County Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Sandy Murman joined developers in plunging gold-colored shovels into the ground. They celebrated the building start of Citrus Run apartments in Town ‘n’ Country.

The complex, at Waters Avenue and Sheldon Road, will feature 72 one- and two-bedroom units in three two-story buildings. Citrus Run is slated to open in early 2015, with rents ranging from $800 to $1,250 per month.

The Giunta Group is the developer. EWI Construction and Ellison Development Company will handle construction on the 7-acre site.

Other deals:

• In Bradenton, Belmont Park apartments changed hands for $9.36 million. Nicholas Meoli and Michael Donaldson of Marcus & Millichap’s Tampa office listed the property for the seller, a private investor in Sarasota, and secured the buyer, a New York private investor. Belmont Park, built in 1971, consists of 234 units.
• Chris Bowers of the Eshenbaugh Land Company sold 50.68 acres of vacant commercial land at Interstate 75 and Laurel Road in Venice. Laurel Road Property LLC paid $5 million to OB Waterford LLC (Iberia Bank).
• Steve Ekovich, head of Marcus & Millichap’s National Golf & Resort Properties Group, which is based in Tampa, brokered the sale of two golf courses: TPC Piper Glen in North Carolina for $3.65 million; and TPC Dearborn in Michigan for $3 million. The properties were sold out of receivership to ClubCorp, which owns a portfolio of more than 150 golf and country clubs, and just went public.
• ITT Acquisitions sold a 147,192-square foot warehouse in Brooksville to Exeter Property Group for $11.48 million, according to space-shifter.com. The tilt-wall structure sits on nine acres and has a clear height of 28 feet.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on stormwater challenges:

Hillsborough looks at how to pay for fixes after flooding

Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 2:26pm

TAMPA — Recent flooding has county commissioners evaluating ways of increasing Hillsborough County’s stormwater fund, which could include raising the fee residents pay.

It’s too late to increase the fee for next year, but commissioners voted Wednesday to ask the county administrator to allocate $5 million of the county’s 2014-15 budget for stormwater projects. This money will serve as a bridge to funding some necessary work until the county can evaluate a potential increase in the annual fee residents pay.

Commissioner Les Miller added the item to the agenda in light of flooding that happened on Friday and Saturday. Heavy rains flooded streets, stranded motorists and canceled events throughout the region as authorities cautioned residents not to drive through standing water.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner acknowledged that the county has long neglected investing in its infrastructure.

“Boy, did it show this weekend,” Commissioner Sandra Murman agreed.

Since 1991, single-family residences have been charged $12 each year for the stormwater fund, which addresses improvement projects, a culvert replacement program and a pollutant discharge elimination system. The fee, which has not seen an increased since its inception, generates about $6 million annually.

Miller said the county faces more than a $200 million backlog in stormwater work that needs to be done.

“It’s time that we start looking at where we are and what we’re doing with our infrastructure,” he said. “The county infrastructure is aging. It’s deteriorating.”

Commissioners asked staff to put together a five-year plan starting with the 2015-16 budget that considers increasing the stormwater fee along with other funding sources such as bonds.

Public Utilities Department director John Lyons said the staff would need to evaluate pending projects and set priorities before reporting back to the board with a proposed plan and payment methods.

A fee increase would involve a separate public hearing and notification process, Lyons said.

“It has to go through a lot of public input,” Lyons said. “We can’t just raise the fee.”

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times article on Kent King running for City Council:

Kent King files to run for Tampa City Council District 4

Richard Danielson, Times Staff Writer

Wednesday, May 7, 2014 1:23pm

South Tampa businessman Kent King has filed to run next March for the Tampa City Council seat now held by first-term council member Harry Cohen.

King, 51, grew up in Tampa and has lived most of his adult life in South Tampa, which is covered by District 4. He works as business development manager for the Tampa Atlantic division of Southern Wine & Spirits of Florida.

A first-time candidate, King said he’s running “because I believe that the citizens and neighborhoods of District 4 deserve the most effective representation possible.”

“With 28 years of business, management and problem-solving experience, I will fight for the citizens and neighborhoods of District 4 to get the best return on their taxes and ensure needed infrastructure and services are delivered to them by the city,” he said in an announcement of his candidacy.

A big issue for King is what he describes as South Tampa’s “overloaded and antiquated stormwater system,” which he said has allowed silt to build up and plug residential canals in South Tampa.

In 2012, King helped pay for a study analyzing the economic impact of expanding Tampa’s program of dredging canals in Sunset Park. (The city is in the midst of a long-sought project to dredge some or all of 10 residential canals along West Shore between Kennedy and Gandy boulevards. The $2.8 million project is aimed at improving water quality, tidal flushing and the habitat for marine life, but it is not dredging every canal in the area nor is it cleaning out all of every canal being dredged.)

The study, by Urban Economics Inc., found 347 homes on a total of 14 canals that were so silted they can’t be navigated. Compared with similar homes on navigable canals, those homes sell for $254,293 less, the study found. Dredging those canals, it estimated, would raise home values by $88.2 million, generating nearly $506,000 more in annual city property taxes.

King has been lobbying Mayor Bob Buckhorn and other top city officials for an expanded dredging program. As a council member, he said he would work to focus more attention and money on the problem.

“After six years of fighting on an issue, it’s become clear that the process of prioritizing capital improvements and addressing needs is skewed,” he said Wednesday.

For his part, Cohen said he has worked “very hard to convince the administration” to start the canal dredging project in West Shore and noted that, after decades of petitions and frustration by the neighborhood, the work began during his term of office.

“I feel that I’ve really delivered on the canal issue,” Cohen said. He said he is working with Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman on the idea of developing a countywide program that could address the need for dredging not only in Tampa but in areas like Town ‘N Country.

The problem, he said, “exists all over the county and the city.”

Cohen, 44, is a lawyer and former chief deputy clerk of the circuit court for Hillsborough County. He works for the clerk’s office part-time on a wide-ranging project to update the agency’s information technology. On the City Council, he is vice chairman, chairs the finance committee and represents the council on the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the board of the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts.

“I’ve always expected to run (for re-election) and I’ve always expected to be opposed,” Cohen said.  “At some point soon, I’ll forrmalize that and proceed.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Creative Loafing article on HART:

Hillsborough

At HART meeting, more talk on the meaning of the agency itself

Posted by Mitch Perry on Mon, May 5, 2014 at 1:41 PM

After years of increases in ridership, CFO Jeff Seward said at a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit board meeting today that ridership has begun to “plateau” as he offered up his preview of the transit agency’s FY2015 budget.

That led to what is often a frequent discussion at such meetings — the true meaning of what the agency is supposed to be all about.

“How are we going to get more riders? More ‘choice’ riders? How are we going to appeal to them? What are we doing with other government entities to stretch out dollars further?” asked Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman.

There has been considerable discussion inside the Transportation for Economic Development group (which includes county commissioners and the mayors of Hillsborough’s three cities) on expanding HART to become the local agency that will oversee all transportation issues in the county. But Murman expressed concerns that the agency isn’t ready to step up just to continue to serve parts of the county that consider themselves underserved at the moment.

“I serve a lot of people in the county and they are begging for service,” she said, referring specifically to South County. “We have over half a million people coming into Hillsborough County by 2025. How are they going to get around? We’re not going to build any more roads, I can tell you that.”

Among the projects that Seward said was a possibility was building another maintenance facility. One additional BRT route would necessitate such an expansion. Murman questioned why the agency isn’t talking to officials in Tampa or the county about collaborating on such a project.

That led John Melendez — selected by Governor Rick Scott back in 2012 to serve on the board — to say he really didn’t think it was that crucial for the agency to expand, saying if decreases in ridership were caused by an improvement in the economy, then there shouldn’t be any angst about growing.

But that statement was shot down by several other board members, like Mark Sharpe. The County Commissioner said that all studies indicate that Millennials (those born between 1982-2001) are extremely interested in the availability of multiple transportation options. “We need to be as aggressive as possible in increasing ridership,” he said.

More on the possibility of HART increasing its authority in the area could be unearthed when the Transportation for Economic Development group meets again towards the end of this month.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Times article on Civil Service Board bill in the Senate:

Joyner kills Hillsborough civil service bill with little-known rule

• Michael Van Sickler, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau

Monday, April 28, 2014 10:40pm

A bill that would allow Hillsborough County agencies to opt out of using the county’s Civil Service Board for certain services certainly seemed to have momentum.

HB 683 passed the House on Friday by an impressive 105-3 margin, getting support not just from Republicans, but Democrats, too.

But on Monday, Sen. Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, used a little-known rule in the Florida Senate to essentially kill it. After notifying the senate’s rules chairman that she objected to the bill, it was taken off the agenda, where it will remain unless Joyner changes her mind.

Custom allows senators to pluck local bills from the agenda that they don’t like.

For the sponsor of the bill, Rep. Dana Young, R-Tampa, it’s an undemocratic ploy that wipes out a bill that had broad support from Republican Sheriff David Gee to Democratic Clerk of Circuit Court Pat Frank.

“One member of our delegation decided she didn’t like it and, because of this custom, can kill it,” Young said Monday. “It kills the bill. It’s a rule we probably should take a look at. In today’s society, it just isn’t acceptable that one person can do this.”

Joyner said she’s just exercising a right that senators have always had.

“Any senator can pull a local bill off the agenda,” Joyner said, referring to Senate Rule 4.18, which allows “any senator of the delegation for the local area affected by a bill on the Local Bill Calendar” the authority to remove it from the calendar, preventing it from being heard.  

The bill would give the county’s 21 agencies, including the sheriff’s office, supervisor of elections, and clerk of courts, greater flexibility in hiring employees.

Right now, the agencies must use the Civil Service Board to perform human resources functions, like the posting of jobs and mediating grievances of the 9,300 employees covered by the board.

It was created in 1951 and was intended to provide a uniform standard based on merit that was free of descrimination in creating and abolishing jobs, filling vacancies, disciplining employees and recommending and adopting pay plans. Without fair standards for government employment, the reasoning goes, jobs get handed to the well-connected rather than the capable.

But for some of the constitutional officers, like Gee and Frank, the seven member board and 29 employees that staff the agency don’t meet the needs of their agency anymore, bogging them down with long wait periods while costing them money. The county must pay the board 0.65 percent of total classified employees, which cost about $3.2 million last year.

Young said agencies like the sheriff’s office, which does its own recruitment for new hires, pays the board almost $1 million.

Her bill was supported by Tampa Democratic representatives Janet Cruz and Mark Danish, too.

In the Senate, it had support as well.

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, said the entire Hillsborough delegation supported it – except Joyner. He said her manuever was not appropriate.

“It gives too much veto power to one person,” Brandes said. “The rule is troubling.”

But Joyner makes no apologies.

“The Civil Service Board was put in place to prevent political patronage and to make it possible for everybody to have an equal opportunity,” Joyner said.

She said she realizes that the board isn’t perfect. But she said it would be rash to let agencies opt out of its services, which would in effect “throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

“It needs improvements, but the parties need to come together to fix it,” Joyner said, referring to the heads of the agencies and the civil service board.

It’s not clear if Joyner used a rule or a custom afforded senators in yanking off local bills.

“It’s easy for people to criticize the outcome because they don’t like it,” Joyner said. “But it’s been a rule for many years. It wasn’t created for me.”

By Monday night, local officials who had supported the bill were protesting Joyner’s action.

“Every County Commissioner in Hillsborough County and the constitutional officers voted in favor to support reforming (the Civil Service Board),” Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman wrote in an email to The Buzz. “And we understand that a single senator has objected to this local bill which in essence could doom its passage this year.”

Murman, a former Republican state represenative, said she hoped the Senate would somehow vote on the bill.

But Joyner said wasn’t going to remove her objections. So that means it’s not coming back this session?

“No it’s not,” Joyner said.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Times article on Service Center re-branding, the manufacturing academy, and the new homeless shelter at Orient Road.

Hillsborough’s Social Services undergoing makeover

• Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

CAITLIN JOHNSTONTampa Bay Times

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 6:16pm

TAMPA — In an effort to establish trust with residents, the county’s Social Services Department is undergoing an overhaul that includes training, technology and a new motto: Service matters.

The agency helps residents deal with issues related to education, shelter, transportation, jobs and utilities.

Part of its rebranding efforts include changing the name of the county’s five neighborhood service centers to community resource centers instead.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman scheduled some surprise visits to the centers to evaluate the work being done. And while she took note of progress, she said she saw room for improvement.

“Quite frankly, we can do more,” she said. “We need to step it up a notch.”

The department has new leadership and is now focusing on implementing a 24-hour customer service online portal, training case workers and redesigning the centers.

In other action at their meeting Wednesday, commissioners:

• Approved the first phase of a contract with the Tampa Bay WorkForce Alliance to create a manufacturing academy and apprenticeship and internship program for young people in Hillsborough County. The commission provided $350,000 for operational support services and to address the identified skills gap in the county.

• Approved a request for a proposal to find a vendor to run a new homeless shelter in a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office facility near the Orient Road jail. The facility would house 184 homeless people and provide on-site support services. The first phase of improvements is estimated to cost $290,000.

Hillsborough’s Social Services undergoing makeover 04/23/14 [Last modified: Wednesday, April 23, 2014 8:36pm]

© 2014 Tampa Bay Times

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times article on the Good Government Award:

Hillsborough Tax Collector Doug Belden honored for leadership

• Caitlin Johnston, Times Staff Writer

CAITLIN JOHNSTONTampa Bay Times

Wednesday, April 23, 2014 11:04pm
The Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners honored that passion Wednesday by awarding the county tax collector the 2014 Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award.TAMPA — Doug Belden credits his grandfather with instilling in him a passion for politics at a young age.

Commissioners commended Belden, a Republican, for improving the efficiency and quality of service within the tax collector’s office and for taking pride in the work he’s done since he was elected in 1998.

The office oversees collection of real estate and tangible property taxes, handles motor vehicle registrations and issues licenses for boating, fishing, hunting and driving in Hillsborough County.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe called the tax collector’s office the “most modern and efficient agency in the state of Florida” under Belden’s leadership.

“We actually had people within a government building saying, ‘Wow, can you believe this excellent service?’ ” Sharpe said.

Belden, 59, received a standing ovation from a room full of Hillsborough County notables, including judges, politicians, lawyers and law enforcement and government officials.

“My gosh, you sure know how to pack a room,” Sharpe joked before Belden stepped forward to accept the award.

Belden recognized the work of the 321 employees in the office, which touts an average customer satisfaction rating of 96 percent. His desire, he said, is to build on the success of the office and help it run as efficiently as possible.

“If it ain’t broke, improve it,” Belden said. “Even if we think we’re doing well, we can always do better.”

In 2008, Hillsborough was the first county tax collector in the state and first government organization in the county to be awarded the Governor’s Sterling Award for Performance Education. The office was honored by the governor again in 2011 for continuing to serve as a role model for the public sector in Florida.

“Your standards of excellence should be replicated everywhere,” Commissioner Sandy Murman told Belden. “Not just in the state, but in the country.”

Belden said he was particularly touched by the diversification of support he received Wednesday from those in attendance.

“The greatest thing to me is pulling people together for the betterment of the community,” he said.

The County Commission established the Ellsworth G. Simmons Good Government Award in 1996 to honor a person who improved government through leadership and vision. Simmons served seven years on the county school board and 21 years as a county commissioner.

Previous winners of the annual award include former Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, children’s advocate and former County Commissioner Dottie MacKinnon Berger and congressman Sam Gibbons.

Caitlin Johnston can be reached at cjohnston@tampabay.com or (813) 661-2443.