PSTA's Greenlight Pinellas Campaign to be Investigated

The Eye recently posted calling for  PSTA's taxpayer funded Greenlight Pinellas marketing campaign to Shut Down, Cease and Desist.  Common sense says this is an advocacy campaign cloaked in their lawyered up legalease that Greenlight Pinellas is an "education campaign" -  but a one-sided campaign as PSTA CEO Brad Miller admitted when asked. A taxpayer "education" campaign spending almost a MILLION taxpayer dollars handing out goodie bags and trinkets to sell voters "to vote for" a tax increase for Greenlight Pinellas.

Regardless of the PSTA's lawyers providing legal excuses that PSTA can actually do this -use taxpayer money against the taxpayers as long as they don't use the words "support" or "vote for" - IT IS WRONG!  Don't forget PSTA CEO Brad Miller spoke (on taxpayer time and dime) at the Yes for Greenlight kick off event standing next to the sign to vote YES for Greenlight in November.  Does anyone think Miller's speech was part of an "education" campaign? 

PSTA CEO Brad Miller speaks on taxpayer time at Yes for Greenlightkick off campaign held at 9:30am on a Thursday next to "Vote Yes for Greenlight on Nov. 4th 

Remember TBARTA's lawyers said it was legal for TBARTA chairman Ronnie Duncan to also lead, organize and raise money for the private advocacy campaign Yes for Greenlight.  But that was WRONG too and he supposedly resigned from Yes for Greenlight nonprofit - though legally sunbiz.org still shows Ronnie Duncan as a Director for Yes for Greenlight.

Now Florida state senator Jeff Brandes is weighing in on the Greenlight Pinellas issue.  It is reported today at the Miami Herald

Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, is asking the Florida Department of Transportation's inspector general to investigate how Pinellas County's mass transit agency is spending money on its Greenlight Pinellas program 

In a letter he sent Tuesday to DOT Secretary Ananth Prasad, Brandes is asking the agency to review how the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is spending about $800,000 on an information campaign on a Nov. 4 referendum asking voters to support a sales tax increase of 7 percent to 8 percent to pay for new routes and a 24-mile light rail line between St. Petersburg and Clearwater. 

The campaign uses taxpayer money for propaganda purposes, a violation of state law that should require the money to be returned, Brandes said.

FL State Senator Jeff Brandes

Here's Brandes letter to Ananth Prasad, FDOT Secretary

This is good news for Pinellas taxpayers as most of Brandes constituents are in Pinellas.  It is refreshing to see an elected representative holding a taxpayer funded government agency accountable to protect the taxpayers.  Let's hope we see more of this from more elected officials.

Here's a youtube on the taxpayer funded the Greenlight Pinellas "sham" education campaign.  If your browser does not load, click here.  

We look forward to seeing Greenlight Pinellas shut down, cease and desist!