Daily Loaf

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor
Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners:
It appears likely that you are going to ask us to approve a 1% sales tax increase in November of 2010 to fund a long range multi-modal transportation package which is highlighting the introduction of light rail to the Tampa Bay region.

At Wednesday’s Regular BOCC meeting it was revealed that, although the referendum’s top billing will be “light rail”, only 37% of the proposed tax will end up going toward an inter-city light rail system. The balance will go toward other forms of transportation, as well as road improvements that are long overdue.

The big question is this – are you going to give voters all of the hard facts surrounding this proposed referendum? And will you incorporate this into your referendum campaign? I know that it will be tempting to take the soundbite approach without providing detail because, as you know, the devil is in the details. Considering that a good portion of this tax would be used to fix infrastructure problems that were created by approving sprawl, how do we know that you’ve learned your lesson? Or that you won’t come back to us 10 years from now and say we need an additional 1% on top of the first 1% because we couldn’t help ourselves from approving more sprawl without getting the money for the infrastructure?

Read the rest of this entry »

The 14th annual ASES Solar Home Tour this Saturday, October 3rd will be the first time tour conducted in Tampa. Don’t miss the opportunity to see some demonstrations, learn how solar photovoltaic installations work and how to save money by using energy efficient systems in your home.

In my last post, the energy savings I mentioned weren’t all that’s available for those of you who want to harness some of the sun’s power and claim it for yourself.  Unfortunately, there seems to be a little placating going on between the citizenry’s desire to move our state toward renewable energy and our legislator’s desire to make us think that they are on our side. Last November, Florida voters passed Amendment 3. What? You don’t remember Amendment 3? Not many people do, but then again, it seems there’s not much of a reason to.

What you may remember about November 2008’s ballot: the long lines for a voting booth, media hype and all of those pesky Constitutional Amendments. One of them, Amendment 3, was placed on the ballot under the authority of the Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission; a gubernatorial appointed board that meets once every 20 years. Every 20 years – really? One of the ideas they managed to place on the ballot was amazingly clearly worded, but honestly, I don’t think it was the renewable energy part that prompted so many Floridians to vote for Amendment 3. Authors cleverly name amendments to attract attention, and often word them to confuse the general public, designed for a pass or fail depending on which outcome they prefer. Remember the “Florida Marriage Protection Amendment”? In the case of Amendment 3 it was the storm protection component that played to fear-stricken Floridians: fear of not only hurricane force winds, but fear that they’d improve their homes to protect themselves, and then get taxed. It passed. Couldn’t have been because of the renewable energy, there’s already an exemption on the books for that, but who knew?
Read the rest of this entry »

The City of Tampa has a limited supply of affordable housing that is also environmentally friendly. City Council, led by Councilman John Dingfelder, passed an ordinance last year that would promote green building practices for new construction. That ordinance while still a long way from achieving its goal of prompting mainstream builders to incorporate green building practices into their projects. Although several buildings have been LEED certified in the area, they have considerably higher price tags than non-green projects.

One company, Rising Force Construction, has undertaken the task of creating affordable, energy efficient homes that promote sustainable living in Terrace Park, an established neighborhood just south of the University of South Florida. Residents have the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint on several levels: They can live, shop, work and enjoy recreational activities; and they can live in a home that reduces utility consumption by 30 to 40 percent over an existing home of the same size. For those that are tired of seeing their budgets eaten up by ever rising gas prices, they can walk, bike or take public transportation.
Read the rest of this entry »

According to this press release from Hillsborough County:

Hillsborough County has been notified that it will receive $7,665,200 in federal stimulus funds to undertake energy efficiency and conservation projects on its facilities and vehicles. The award is the largest energy grant awarded to a County government in Florida to date. The funding comes from $2.7 billion set aside as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use and fossil fuel emissions by governments around the nation.

The County plans to use the grant money on the following improvement projects:

-A solar photovoltaic system on the original County Courthouse on Pierce Street, $1.307 million

-Energy-saving lighting retrofit to two County warehouse buildings on Falkenburg Road, $300,000
Read the rest of this entry »

By George Niemann
PoHo contributor and R-LAND and UCAN activist

NIMBY Slayer Patrick Slevin rode into Tampa Sept. 3 looking for action, but there was no shootout to be had. He gave an instructional presentation to developers on how to deal with pesky NIMBYs (Not In My Back Yard) that get in the way of development projects. The presentation was sponsored by the Urban Land Institute and held at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. It was titled,

“America Loves Progress…But Americans Hate Change”
A Conversation on Civic Engagement, Hometown Democracy and NIMBYism

Slevin markets himself as a modern-day Paladin (from the old TV series western). His approach is aggressive — the only good NIMBY is a paved-over NIMBY. Read the rest of this entry »

@MarkSharpeFL gets Twitter. Even if he’s no @clairmc.

[About Daily Best of the Bay: Creative Loafing is posting writers' and editors' picks for Best of the Bay 2009 each day until the BOTB issue is released on Sept. 16. Vote now for your own BOTB choices in our Readers' Poll!]

After debating STD rates this weekend despite the fact that I had no solid evidence, I decided to research the matter. Below is a brief overview of the STD situation in the bay area. Keep in mind that while some of these rates may seem low, they are significantly higher among sexually active demographics.

According to Avert.org, in 2007 the Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater area reported 11,754 AIDS/HIV cases. For every 100,000 people, 17.2 people are living with the disease, or roughly 0.017 % of the total population. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember when we were suffering from drought? Back when we longed for rain drops to quench our gardens, or heck, wash our cars? Tampa City Council has eased the ban on lawn sprinkling, which ends Monday June 1st. City dwellers will fall in line with Hillsborough County residents abiding by SWFWMD’s emergency restrictions; allowing lawn sprinklers to run once a week from midnight to 4 a.m.

Our city once had the strictest regulations in the state; Council members had the foresight to see beyond the immediate crisis, to address our dwindling water supply. We all know water is one precious commodity, more expensive by the 12 oz bottle than gasoline is by the gallon. By initiating tough regulations, City Council was preparing us, forcing us, to change our water guzzling ways. Forestalling the implementation of ration cards, tandem showers, and sky high rates. Okay, maybe the latter is more likely but one thing is for sure: water rates will rise as supply diminishes. Not to mention as our aquifer falls lower and lower, so does the surface; so we should be in for some major sinkhole action. Council members Mulhern and Miranda voted against lifting the ban, with Mulhern correctly stating that, “A three-year drought is not solved by two weeks of rain”, and Miranda resigning from the Water Board in disgust.

I miss the drought and the restrictions. Okay, so I’m lazy – for months my crunchy weeds, um, I mean lawn, didn’t need mowing but beyond my front yard and personal issues, the drought and its dire circumstances prompted discussions of conservation. Read the rest of this entry »

Have fun while benefiting your health and the environment. You remember how to ride a bike, but do you remember how much fun it is to ride your bike? The feel of the wind as you ride down the hill as fast as you can, exploring all day through the neighborhood with your friends, or in college around campus in between class. Not only is biking fun for the whole family, all ages and skill levels, it is a great exercise and totally green.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money either for a good bike. With last Christmas’ bonus check, I purchased a used bike on craigslist of Tampa for $75, put new tires on for $30 and got a $50 tune up at Revolution Bikes; I now have a great bike I paid only $155 in total for what I have been told is worth $200-$300. It is a great and comfortable bike for cruising the Pinellas Trail or just riding through my neighborhood. Read the rest of this entry »

Okay, if you were asked which local governments were early proponents of all things green, you may think: Sarasota with its early adoption of green ordinances; St. Petersburg, Florida’s first certified Green City; or Tampa with its initiatives and recent Green City designation. Yes, all good choices, but I bet it would surprise you that Hillsborough County led the pack. With little fanfare, one of the county’s employees has been quietly implementing energy saving strategies. It all started way back in 2000 when the county made the bold move of hiring Energy Manager Randy Klindworth. Back then, all he set out to do was curb expenses. Nine years ago, who would have thought that carbon footprint, sustainability, green, or Energy Star would be part of the vernacular?

On April 29th, in conjunction with USGBC’s Gulf Coast Chapter, County Administrator Pat Bean and Commissioner Rose Ferlita will host a tour of the Mr. Klindworth’s crowning achievement- a district cooling plant that provides chilled water for air conditioning for five county buildings downtown. The plant contains a thermal energy storage system that makes ice at night when utility rates are lower and are more efficient to operate, greatly reducing the carbon footprint of the county’s operations. This plant also collects condensate water from all five county buildings it serves, saving over 3 Million gallons of water each year. As a result of this program, the county has received the Energy Star Award for 3 of their downtown buildings. Thanks to the implementation Mr. Klindworth’s progressive programs, county taxpayers have saved over $1.2 million a year.

Preceding the tour, an overview of the county’s sustainability program will be presented.

When: Wednesday, April 29th (click to register)
Registration: 5:00pm – 5:30pm 
Program: 5:30 – 7:00 pm
Where: Edgecomb Courthouse – 800 E. Twiggs Street
Cost: $10 for USGBC Gulf Coast Chapter members, $20 Non members

People know all about recycling everyday items, right? Glass bottles, aluminum cans, newspaper, steel cans (where accepted), plastic bottles — these are pretty simple things to keep track of. How about those items you use every day but don’t really think about chucking until they’re dead? Television sets, DVD players and computers are all items we pretty much use on a daily basis, but when they stop working or you’re hankering for an upgrade, what should you do with them?

No matter what, do not throw them in the regular trash. Many of those circuit boards probably have lead or cadmium on them. (Sure, it could be zinc, copper, or something else less nasty, but do you really want to risk it?) When such elements aren’t disposed of properly or reused in a safe way, they can leach into the ground and cause all sorts of problems to the soil and water table. When life depends on water and a clean aquifer, this resonates with everyone who lives in Florida.

But fear not, intrepid recyclers! There are spots throughout the Tampa Bay area just itching to take in your old electronics, grind them up into their separate components, and redistribute the metals and chemicals as they can: Read the rest of this entry »

I was recently contacted by Underground Xpress, a local Tampa underground video program that covers local music, local bands and other local talents. The creative epicenter and host, Lady Grace, agreed to an interview about Underground Xpress.

How and when did UX start?
I took up videography in July of 2008 and wanted to start an internet video podcast as a learning project. Music immediately came to mind as the main concept because I have spent the majority of my life supporting the local music scene. I wanted to stick with something that I love but I also didn’t want to limit the focus to just music. The words Underground Xpress came to mind because I knew that I would want to cover more than just music and support all sorts of underground arts.

Now I had the idea, the name and I knew how to do the video podcast. Now all I needed to know was whether or not I could pull the whole together. Host it, film it, edit it and so on, when I was really only just learning everything for the first time. So…I got a video camera and a friend and I went to a concert that night to film it and interview the band. I guess we needed to see what we were made of. That night we interviewed and videotaped our first band. and as they say…. The rest is history. Now UX is on public access and the internet and it is becoming the newest source for Underground artists to be supported and promoted locally and nationally on the world wide web.

What inspired you to start Underground Xpress? Read the rest of this entry »

A few weeks ago, Wayne Garcia gave you a ton of ideas for how to celebrate Christmas in an environmentally-responsible way.

Well, even though the gift-giving has stopped, it doesn’t mean you have to stop conserving. Hillsborough County is offering free Christmas tree pick-up in front of your house or at other various locations. Then, your trees will be ground up into mulch that county residents can pick up for free.

Here are the guidelines for unincorporated Hillsborough County residents.

Here are the guidelines for the urban dwellers in Tampa.

Pinellas County residents, don’t fret. Find your community’s tree pick-up policy here.

(Photo Credit: qnr/Flickr)

It’s enough that Office Depot never has any good coupons and gives crappy customer service. Now, county officials say, they might be overcharging us taxpayers.

This week, Hillsborough County auditors began an investigation into Office Depot’s contracts with various county departments amid reports from other counties that the office supply giant may be overcharging for its products.

From the Tribune:

The auditor’s office learned the Florida Attorney General’s Office is investigating Office Depot’s contracts with several local governments in the state. Auditors in Lee County say Office Depot overcharged the county $60,000.

Other states have concluded investigations and accused the office supply company of overcharging, the Hillsborough auditor said. Office Depot was forced to repay California $2.5 million for overcharges.

(Add Nebraska and North Carolina to the mix, too.)

Maybe next time Hillsborough officials will consider going with Dunder Mifflin:

CNN went all Star Wars on viewers election night with Princess Leia stand-in Jessica Yellin reporting via hologram. Help us Barack Obama, you’re our only hope!

• Yes, Sarah Palin went rogue on John McCain.
• Come on Hillsborough, this is ridiculous.
• The software that screwed Hillsborough voting already screwed three other FLA counties.
• Election day was ugly for supporters of gay marriage.
• Next move in the modern civil rights battle: Lawsuits.
• It’s all over but the recounting.
• What’s up in North Carolina and Missouri?
• 4 red FLA counties gave Obama his victory.
• Youth vote turned out for Obama.
• “Why Ralph Nader is an asshole.”
• Newsweek keeps things upbeat with “horror stories” from previous presidential transitions.
• “Nation Finally Shitty Enough To Make Social Progress.”
• R.I.P. Michael Crichton.
• You heard the one about the woman who ran a mile with a fox chewing on her arm?

I read this recent article about acid mist from a Tampa chemical plant pissing off the neighbors and how the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) is deciding what to do about it. Hmmmm, I bet those citizens would be even more pissed off to know that the EPC board, which is one in the same as our County Commission, has canceled 40 percent of its meetings already this year! Yes, I said 40 percent!

I guess the more environment they pave over as the County Commission, the less environment they have to worry about protecting as the EPC. With the exception of Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Rose Ferlita, having the rest of this County Commission also sit as the Environmental Protection Commission is kinda like asking Rosie O’Donnell to guard the Twinkies.

Read the rest of this entry »