All for Transportation Hires Big Gun Lawyers to Shutdown Lawsuit

All for Transportation (AFT) created the 5 page tax hike charter amendment that led to Hillsborough County Commissioner Stacy White's lawsuit, case #18-CA-011749. White's legal complaint he filed can be found here.

AFT recently filed to be an "intervener" in White's lawsuit filed against the county and other parties receiving the new tax proceeds. An intervener basically joins the lawsuit and becomes a party in the lawsuit.

Tax Spikes Commercial Leases - The Implications

Sharon exposed for the first time the impact of the All For Transportation tax hike on commercial leases.

What are some of the implications for the owners and renters of commercial buildings? Let's take a look.

Commercial lease taxes money down the drain

Tax Hike to Spike Cost of Commercial Leases

Image from WTSP.com

The cost of doing business in Hillsborough County is going up in January for many businesses who have commercial leases.

Effective January 1, 2019, Hillsborough County taxpayers will see an over 21% increase in the sales tax they must pay. Not only will that increase the cost of dining out, the cost of clothing, shoes, vehicles, appliances, TV's and other items taxpayers buy and consume everyday, it impacts commercial leases.

To Seek The Facts Skepticism and Curiosity Are Required

Guest post from Dr. James Davison

“Fact or Fake? Democracy depends on our ability to tell the difference”. It was with these words that Paul Tash, chairman and CEO of the Tampa Bay Times, summed up his commencement speech delivered at his alma mater (IU class of 1976) on May 5th of this year. 

All in all, it was a wonderful speech. I do not agree with all the points in it, but I do not think there is an American or anyone who loves liberty who could argue with its thesis that we need to be able to tell fact from fake. Separate propaganda from truth in order to remain free.

Like we said. Now it's a $15.8 Billion tax!

Curiously, the Tampa Bay Times recently started reporting the All for Transportation tax hike will raise $15.8 billion over 30 years, while they consistently called it at $280 million per year, $9 billion tax before and just after the election.

Why was it a $9 billion tax, but now its $15.8 billion?

It's A Tax Hike!

Image from WTSP.com

As of January 1, 2019, Hillsborough County will have the highest sales tax rate in the state of Florida.

A tax hike is a tax hike is a tax hike.

But did All for Transportation use the word "tax" or "tax hike" during their $4 million tax hike campaign?

DeSantis Committee for Low Taxes To Meet in Hillsborough County with Highest Sales Tax Rate in FL

We posted here about how those who want tax hikes were erroneously appointed to an economic committee to advise Governor-elect DeSantis for how to keep taxes low in Florida.

It's bad enough the Tampa Bay Swamp tax hikers were appointed to such position but the optics got worse.

The committee is meeting in Tampa tomorrow. According to this Tampa Bay Times article:

The Transition Advisory Committee on the Economy, led by former state Speaker of the House Will Weatherford, will gather at the university’s Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation at 1 p, m, on Wednesday, Dec. 5. The public may attend.

Tampa Bay Swamp Goes to Tallahassee

Governor-elect DeSantis left the Swamp in DC to run for Governor.

DeSantis supported Trump and he received support from Trump that helped him trounce Adam Putnam in the Primary. DeSantis went on to narrowly beat Gillum in the General.

Unfortunately, while DeSantis promised to keep taxes low and oppose tax increases in Florida, the Tampa Bay Swamp who want higher taxes are already on their way to Tallahassee.

New Tax, No Plan

All for Transportation's $16 Billion tax hike was created by a few urbanist transit advocates over drinks. Their campaign funded by special interests sold their creation as a 30 year "plan" to fix transportation in Hillsborough County.

But there is no plan for implementing anything.

Pass the $16 Billion Tax Then Ask Questions

After the $16 Billion Vinik funded rail tax passes, the Vinik bailed out Tampa Bay Times is now asking questions they should have been asking before the election.

The Times began asking what happens to the 10 year $812 million road funding plan the county commissioners had already voted to fund. The Times made endorsements in county commission races and they somehow "forgot" to ask any of the commission candidates this question. They did not ask any sitting commissioner before the election either.

30 Year Rail Tax Passes With Big Claims But Little Public Scrutiny

Good public policy requires healthy debate, plenty of scrutiny, input from diverse stakeholders, and almost always results in some compromise.

That is not how the $16 Billion rail tax hike charter amendment policy passed Tuesday was created.

Confirmed! $16 Billion Rail Tax Never Intended for New Road Capacity

Former County Commissioner Mark Sharpe is now a spokesperson for the $16 Billion rail tax sending text messages in support of the massive tax hike. He helped lead the 2010 rail tax boondoggle that was overwhelmingly defeated 58-42%.

Sharpe was challenged on Facebook recently about All For Transportation's (AFT) rail tax hike not including any dedicated funding for new road capacity. He tried dancing around but finally admits:

Paid Political Facebook Ad Runs Without Proper Disclaimer

Is All for Transportation shoveling money wherever they can trying to stop the wreckage of such a bad week for their Rail tax?

Are they paying to have old articles run with outdated and misleading information run as paid ads?

Arrogance and Deception Wrecks Havoc With Rail Tax

With the election days away, the All for Transportation campaign funded by billionaires and fronted by millennials must be in panic mode.

All for Transportation spent multi-millions on a deceptive campaign trying to disguise their rail tax as fixing traffic congestion.

But they finally admitted what we have stated all along - their 30 year $16 Billion tax hike is a RAIL tax.

Hillsborough NAACP In Opposition to County Transportation Referendum

TAMPA, FLA (November 2, 2018)—The Hillsborough County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) officially announced its opposition to Hillsborough County Referendum Number 2, the All for Transportation backed plan.

Throwing Good Money After Bad

Randal O'Toole, Senior Fellow with the CATO Institute, submitted this Op-Ed weeks ago to the Tampa Bay Times who refused to print it. We are printing it with his permission.

Randal O'Toole
CATO Institute

Tampa Bay transit ridership has declined 9 percent in the last year and 20 percent in the last four years. This mirrors a nationwide transit decline that is taking place in almost every major urban area and calls into question the tens of billions of dollars in subsidies taxpayers spend on transit each year.

They Got Caught! It's a Rail Tax That Makes Traffic Congestion Worse

They have been caught.

The exaggerated claims in those glossy mailers hitting voters mailboxes daily from All for Transportation transit hike campaign have been officially debunked.

School Needs and Transit Greed Push 21.4% Tax Hike

It is unfortunate but hardly unexpected. The school needs and the transit greed tax hike campaigns joined forces to push both tax hikes over the finish line on November 6th.

Media Flips and Flops All Over All For Transportation

Another day, and another round of commentary from our media elites flipping and flopping their rationale to support the disingenuous Hillsborough County transportation sales tax. We find it rather unusual the usually liberal media has flipped from their typical empathy and support of the down-trodden. They are now clearly advocating for a tax hike promoting the billionaires and business interests in Tampa at the expense of the most vulnerable in Hillsborough County.

Our Entitled Billionaires

The billionaires are entitled. They buy off the media. They bankroll a deceptive advertising campaign for a massive tax hike that never mentions the word "tax". They want to shut down any debate about their $16 Billion rail tax boondoggle.

What NoTaxForTracks Said, What They Wrote

The NoTaxForTracks.com PAC was filed with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections on October 5, 2018. The PAC was established as formal opposition to the All for Transportation 14% sales tax hike that is on the ballot.

On October 17th the Times published an article about Mayor Buckhorn supporting the rail tax hike that included:

The only organized opposition to the tax is from Americans for Prosperity — an anti-tax, small government group founded by oil billionaires Charles G. and David H. Koch.

That was totally incorrect.

Fraudulent Transit Plan Skewered at Tampa NAACP Meeting: They Will Vote ‘No’

Reposted by permission from Jim Bleyer, Tampa Bay Beat

There is one group in Hillsborough County that Jeff Vinik can’t buy.

The Vinik-inspired sales tax referendum came under heavy fire Thursday night when Tampa’s African American community attacked it as vague, promoting unwanted gentrification, and a bailout for development interests at the expense of the working poor.

Commissioner White States His Frustration with Transportation Amendment

Hillsborough County Commissioner, District 4, Stacy White, held a press conference today, Thursday, October 18, becoming the first elected official to make the thoughtful, logical case against the All For Transportation tax hike. He expressed his frustration with the lack of transparency and impact to his constituents in the fast growing east and south part of the county, who, along with the rest of the suburban and rural county residents, will be expected to pay for nearly half of the transit costs for city of Tampa, while benefiting little in increased road capacity. EyeOnTampaBay.com was at the press conference. Please take a few minute to watch the press conference video, with questions and answers, in full below.

Fletcher Ave Complete Street Complete Fail

A stretch of Fletcher Avenue from Nebraska Avenue to Bruce B Downs Boulevard was redeveloped by Hillsborough County into  a "compete street" in early 2015 at a cost of $5 million. Unfortunately, it is a complete fail, yet many more complete streets are a substantial part of the Hillsborough transportation sales tax hike.

The Future is Against All For Transportation

The Eye caught up with the All For Transportation proponents at Cafe Con Tampa on Friday, October 12. AFT made their pitch for their plan. Here are some selections on what they said, and what it means for the future of transportation in Hillsborough County. The future will not be kind to AFT's rigid plan, nor the citizens in Hillsborough.

Did Hillsborough MPO Director Cross An Ethical Line?

We posted here and here about the credibility of the Hillsborough MPO is on a downward spiral. The Hillsborough MPO has gone rogue but has the MPO Director now crossed an ethical line?

On August 27th we asked Hillsborough MPO Director Beth Alden if the massive 30 year 14% transit tax hike was funding the MPO's 2040 long range transportation plan (LRTP). That claim was reported numerous times by local media. Alden seemed flustered with the question and tried to respond that she had not taken much time looking at the transit tax hike petition.

However, after more questions were asked, Alden admitted she had spoken to two All for Transportation (AFT) PAC activists and spokespersons. Alden spoke to Kevin Thurman and Christina Barker when the petition drive began in mid June and they also met on July 2nd. Alden indicated she met with Thurman and Barker the same day she said Thurman and Barker were meeting with county commissioners. **

Tampa Bay Times All In for All For Transportation

The Tampa Bay Times had the printing presses running at warp speed on Friday October 12 to push support for All For Transportation. They released 4 different stories and editorials supporting AFT within hours of each story, and in each avoided any facts or criticism of the amendment.

Nelson Directs Users to Democrat Fundraising Site for Hurricane Relief

Clueless or intentional? Senator Bill Nelson, in a close campaign for re-election against Governor Rick Scott, sent a fundraising email for hurricane Michael relief that directed users to the ActBlue web site, a Democrat fundraising PAC, which could capture donor's email addresses.

All For Transportation Will Be A Transit Failure

As we discussed here, the All For Transportation Hillsborough County Charter Amendment cloaks itself around transportation and safety improvements, while deceptively and intentionally constraining road capacity and thus increasing congestion. They are intentionally downplaying their true advocacy for transit, specifically fixed guideway or rail solutions. Yet those will be an even bigger failure than their so called transportation improvements.

Train wreck

All For Transportation Will Increase Congestion

Despite the $2 million and growing advertising campaign for All For Transportation and the 1 cent, 14% sales tax increase proposed as a county charter amendment in Hillsborough County, the plan will increase congestion and not relieve it. The evidence is hidden in plain sight in the details of the ballot amendment, which they conveniently avoid in their advocacy.

You will move at snails pace with the AFT plan

Hillsborough MPO Gone Rogue, Part 2

The Hillsborough MPO is dysfunctional and in need of a big housecleaning. The MPO needs new leadership, a new Director and new staff.

We posted here that the Hillsborough MPO had already taken sides earlier this year as they began their 2045 long range transportation planning (LRTP).

What is the Hillsborough MPO up to now?

Anatomy of the rushed Hillsborough transit tax audit

Cross post with permission from Tom Rask, Tampa Bay Guardian

It was after 3 P.M. in County Center on a hot Friday in September. The previous evening at 6:15 P.M., Hillsborough County Chief Financial Administrator Bonnie Wise had requested that “errors” be corrected in the performance audit report delivered by the auditing firm McConnell & Jones (M&J).

The corrected report arrived at 2:33 P.M. In response, at 3:12 P.M. Wise wrote to M&J and the state agency responsible for the audit and said: “Our understanding is that we are to substitute this version for the version already posted on our website, is that correct? Would like this response in writing please.”

Wise received no response. Instead, Emily Leventhal at the state Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) wrote M&J without copying Wise and said “OPPAGA will close this loop by working directly with the County on these issues. Take no additional steps unless otherwise directed by me or Janet [Tashner].”

However, OPPAGA never closed that loop, as a public records request to OPPAGA shows. Leventhal is a chief legislative analyst at OPPAGA and was the point of contact for the audit. It is unclear why she didn’t “close the loop” as she said she would.

Thus the corrected and final version of the performance audit report was never uploaded to the county website. By state law, the report must be uploaded at least 60 days before the referendum, and that Friday September 7th was the deadline for the November 6, 2018 election.

The Grossly Cynical, Hypocritical Campaign of Janet Cruz

Cross post with permission of Jim Bleyer, Tampa Bay Beat

When State Rep. Janet Cruz jumped into a Florida Senate race against incumbent Republican Dana Young, she told Tampa voters she was motivated to run because of the February school shootings in Parkland.

The term-limited House minority leader had previously filed to run for a seat on the Hillsborough County Commission.

Her (in)action during the 2018 legislative session screams the ultimate hypocrisy.

Voters Should Know What They're Voting On Before They Vote

Voters should know what they're voting on before they vote.

The Tampa Bay Times begins a recent editorial about the Florida Supreme Court striking down Amendment 8 from the November ballot (emphasis mine):

Voters should know what they’re voting on, which is why the Florida Supreme Court was entirely correct to strike the deviously worded Amendment 8 from the Nov. 6 ballot.

We agree. Voters should not be forced to rely on any deviously worded amendment that could deceive them. 

The Weenie Tax

Plans to fund the planned new Tampa Bay Rays stadium near Ybor City are emerging.

"Every hot dog, beer purchased in that district will go toward the stadium."

Taxing hot dogs and beer to pay for a stadium? Now you got my attention.

2010 All Over Again! Tampa Bay Partnership Funds Another Massive Rail Tax Hike

Surprise!

Or not.

Voters and taxpayers are not funding the All for Transit (AFT) 30 year 14% rail tax hike.

The Tampa Bay Partnership, leader of the local rail cartel, is at it again.

State agency hides the ball on Hillsborough transit tax hike, info funneled to friendly media instead

Cross Post with permission from Tom Rask, Tampa Bay Guardian

Yesterday morning, a state agency told the Guardian that they did not have an audit report that was due for delivery to them five days earlier. Yet that same afternoon, the Tampa Bay Times obtained a copy of the report and published an article about it. The Tampa Bay Times editorial board supports the proposed tax hike to add another 1% to the Hillsborough county sales tax to pay for transit.

“OPPAGA has no records responsive to item number 5, ” Janet Tashner, General Counsel for OPPAGA, wrote to the Guardian yesterday morning at 9:15 A.M. in response to our request for the completed audit report. OPPAGA is the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, a state agency statutorily charged with insuring that such required audits are carried out.

Greed Over Need: Tampa Bay Times Pitches a Temper Tantrum

The Tampa Bay Times needs an intervention.

The Times has reported about 43 Hillsborough County schools needing new air conditioners. They recently published this article about the A/C issue, hot classrooms and mold in schools.

When Plant High School opened its doors after summer break, teachers discovered mold in the auditorium, soggy posters falling off walls and copiers that struggled to come back to life after sitting in high humidity for two months. 

Christine Brady Corum saw so many posts about sweaty students on the Fishhawk Area Neighborhood Facebook page that she began purchasing box fans for Randall Elementary School and launched a community-wide fundraiser.

Building Bridges

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is preparing to release a request for proposal to build a new 8 lane span for the Howard Frankland Bridge (HFB). FDOT is planning to award the contract in late 2019, and to start construction in 2020.

At $814 million, it's not cheap, but has the advantage of being paid state and federal monies... and some tolls. But it's cheaper than the $892 million planned a baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, without parking in Ybor City, which could become the burden of Tampa and Hillsborough residents. The bridge will benefit a lot more people every day than a new baseball stadium.

Pay to Play On The Ballot

Five downtown Tampa special interests contributed $150K each to fund the "All for Transit" (AFT) transit tax hike petition effort. Those five special interests bought their way onto the November ballot.

Five downtown Tampa special interests donated a total of $750K to buy putting a massive and unnecessary 30 year transit tax hike that will raise the sales tax to the highest in the state - 8% - on the November ballot.

All for Transit Tax Hike: Costly and Won't Work

All for Transit wants to raise Hillsborough County sales tax to 8% - the highest in the state. The 30 year All for Transit tax hike throws billions of county tax dollars at transit, including billions for costly rail/fixed guideways in the city of Tampa.

And All for Transit uses the heavy hand of big government regulations to mandate the spending and prohibit any changes for 30 years.

Mandating and forcing the spending of billions on transit at a time when traditional transit is being disrupted and transit is declining all across the country is reckless.

What They Say, What They Do

Pending some unforeseen disaster with the required OPPAGA audit, All for Transportation's County Charter Amendment in Hillsborough County raising the sales tax to 8 percent for 30 years, raising an estimated $15 billion, will be on the November ballot. They are starting their campaign to misinform voters. The Tampa Bay Times is right there with them in the campaign of deceit.

"It provides the people of Hillsborough County an historic opportunity to begin the long overdue work of funding a transportation system that save people's time, people's money, people's lives" Hudson said. "Whether you live in Carrollwood, Sun City Center or right here in East Tampa, there is something in the All for Transportation plan for you."

Well, not really.

Vinik's 30 Year "All for Transit" Tax Hike Constrains Roads, Creates Gridlock - Vote NO!

A standard definition of "road improvements" or "improve roads and bridges" includes (emphasis mine):

"Road improvement" includes construction of new roads or improvement or expansion of existing roads and related appurtenances

But transit advocates who wrote the egregious Vinik massive 30 year $17 BILLION transit tax hike intentionally narrowed that standard definition of road improvements.

In the ballot summary language that will be on the ballot in November, they deceptively included as the very first item the massive tax would be spent on as "improve roads and bridges".

OPPAGA Counsel, Like Sgt. Schultz, Knows Nothing

Cross post with permission from Tampa Bay Guardian/Jim Bleyer

OPPAGA staff

As far as we can determine, Hogan’s Heroes character Sgt. Schultz did not hold a law degree nor was he entrusted with protecting the public purse.

But Janet Tashner, the state Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability’s General Counsel, apparently needs those qualifications for the position she holds. Certainly it does not involve transparency or candor.

Vinik's Massive Transit Tax Hike Is Another Boondoggle!

A performance audit is currently underway for the massive 30 year 14% transit tax hike referendum recently placed on the ballot by the Vinik funded All for Transportation (AFT) PAC petition effort.

Somehow the Vinik tax hike audit leap frogged in line over the Hillsborough County's School Board audit request for their proposed sales tax referendum. We now also know that Vinik's tax hike audit has been "fast tracked" to meet the required 60 day pre-election deadline for the November ballot.

It is apparent that someone with access and strings to pull in Tallahassee, where the agency who facilitates the audits OPPAGA is located, pulled some strings or called in some chits. OPPAGA had hired the auditor and set the audit up before the SOE had even finished validating the petitions while OPPAGA left the School Board's audit request whistling in the wind.

Hands Along the Water

This morning, Sunday August 12, across many locations in Florida, thousands came out to the beaches to support clean water and beaches with Hands Along the Water. We attended the St. Pete Beach event.

The St. Pete Beach event was organized by local volunteers Casey Corder and Jill Barncord. Hundreds turned out to support the event. People from all walks of life participated the peaceful, non-political event.

It was a pleasant morning on St. Pete Beach. Thousands were out on the beach, enjoying the sun, water, watersports, walks on the beach, and the warm weather. Plenty of sea birds around as well, and thankfully, no dead fish or foul odors.

It's a Dud! Press Conference For Vinik's Massive Rail Tax Hike

A press conference was held last week to announce that Vinik's massive tax hike to raise Hillsborough County sales tax rate to 8% - the highest in the state - will be on the November ballot.

Where was this press conference held?

In front of a drive in movie theater on Hillsborough Avenue - deceptively far away from Vinikville and the gleaming downtown towers.

Far away from the wealthy five Vinik associated donors who donated $750K to spend over a HALF a MILLION dollars to paid petition gatherers to get Vinik's $15-18 BILLION massive tax hike on the ballot.

Ferry Dust

Ah... the good old days, way way back to May, 2013, when we were told we would have ferries running across Tampa Bay.

HMS and [Ed] Turanchik formally unveiled plans for what they are calling high-speed ferry service that would start as commuter boat transportation between MacDill Air Force Base and southern Hillsborough County, home to many of its employees. Ferry boats also would be used for transportation to large events on either side of the bay, such as Tampa Bay Rays baseball games in St. Petersburg and Tampa Bay Lightning hockey games in the Channel District.

Speakers at the presentation at the Tampa Bay Times Forum included Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman and Tampa Bay Lightning chief executive officer Tod Leiweke. 

"I think this has got some sex appeal to it," Buckhorn said.

Of course, it cost something to do anything, especially to pay for sex appeal.

Vinik's Rail Cartel Plays HardBall Against County Taxpayers

Guest post from Dr. James Davison

Mr. Vinik and his cronies have bought their way onto the November ballot spending over a HALF a MILLION DOLLARS to collect petitions to qualify a referendum for increasing the sales tax in Hillsborough county to 8% - the highest in the state. All because he needs light rail to make his downtown [Under] Water Street real estate go. 

Vinik then somehow "leap froged" in line right over the Hillsborough County School District to have a state mandated audit of the programs receiving the $15 billion tax plan. The school board had already informed the state that they were going to put a 1/2 percent sales tax question before the voters in November. The school district wanted their tax hike for much needed A/C replacements, capital improvements and hardening of the schools for security.

How the Crony Swamp Supports Massive Tax Hikes to Benefit Them

We posted here about the downtown Tampa cronies who are collaborating to control billions of taxpayer dollars. Five donors, all connected to Jeff Vinik, contributed $150K each to Vinik's transit tax hike PAC All for Transportation (AFT) to advance their collaborative agenda.

With $750K in the bank, where has Vinik's AFT PAC money been spent? Below are the expenditures reported by AFT through their latest campaign filing.

$525K was spent paying Revolution Field Strategies who paid petition gatherers to collect petition signatures. Revolution Field Strategies website states they lead "grassroots" campaigns. Obviously that is not always true. This petition campaign, funded by five deep pocketed special interests who are all connected to Jeff Vinik, is anything but grassroots.

Another $15K was spent with Mercury PR firm. We understand Mercury is working with the campaign of Jane Castor who is running in Tampa's mayoral race. And who donated to Castor's campaign according to the SOE website? Sykes.

Sykes donates to Jane Castor

Mercury PR firm sound familiar? Go back to the Go Hillsborough (GH) debacle.

PR firms began salivating at the thought of getting a piece of a multi-million dollar tax hike advocacy campaign in 2015. The Mercury PR firm was pining for that business. According to this Tribune article in 2015:

“In our world — public affairs, strategic planning and advocacy — this is a big deal,” said Ana Cruz, a political consultant who works with Mercury, one of the firms that talked to the county about the campaign. “These big campaigns … we all want to be part of it. It’s what we do.” 

Kieran Mahoney, Mercury’s chief executive officer, met with Merrill more than a year ago, on Aug. 20, 2014, less than a week after the county Transportation Policy Leadership Group agreed it needed to hire a firm with experience in transportation referendums. Merrill described his talk with Mahoney as a general description of the Go Hillsborough process.

It makes sense Mercury is working on Jane Castor's campaign because Ana Cruz is Jane Castor's partner. She is also the daughter of Democrat state rep Janet Cruz who originally filed to run for county commission but then jumped over to run against incumbent Republican state senator Dana Young. Maybe Cruz jumped ship out of the commission race because she knew Vinik's transit tax hike was a power grab by Tampa and usurps the power of county commissioners for 30 years.

A Tribune article in April 2016, right before the first public hearing on the Go Hillsborough debacle tax hike, reported a poll taken by Mercury:

The poll, conducted by the Tampa-based Mercury firm and financed by unidentified business interests, indicates the strongest support yet for the proposed tax. A total of 66 percent of those surveyed said they would either “definitely” or “probably” vote for the tax. 

Hagan said the survey was financed by a group of businessmen in different industries who did not want to be identified. Asked if the group would ever come out of the shadows, Hagan said that was a “distinct possibility.”

We knew then and we know today who those unidentified business interests sitting in the shadows were who funded the poll.

That Mercury poll in 2016 was for the proposed GH one-half percent sales tax hike and no formal opposition was ever in place. The polling on a one percent sales tax hike was polling about 30% or lower.

Which confirms just how greedy the Vinik tax hike cartel are.

Mercury wanted the lucrative advocacy campaign for the crony GH tax hike so bad they did a poll funded by the very cronies who would dump millions into the advocacy campaign to benefit them all. Of course Mercury got the polling answer to help get them the campaign work they wanted.

That same April 2016 Tribune article also reported :

Hagan said that by design, the ballot question does not mention light rail — a mode of transportation that opponents focused on and that was highly unpopular among suburban voters. 

Sound familiar? That was a lie then and it's a lie now.

Go Hillsborough Rail/transit projects

The only reason Vinik demands a 30 year 14% massive transit tax hike is to fund costly rail in Tampa and fund all of it. The cronies are not planning to go to the Feds for funding because the cost is too high and the ridership too low to qualify for federal money. Vinik and his downtown Tampa allies plan to fund the ENTIRE cost of the costly trains in Tampa with YOUR COUNTY TAX DOLLARS -  most of which will come from unincorporated Hillsborough County.

Of course, Kieran Mahoney, the CEO of Mercury PR firm, donates to Tax Hike Hagan because Hagan has not seen a proposed sales tax hike in over a decade that he has not supported.

Mercury PR firm CEO donates to Hagan on 6/21/2017

Special interests keep circling money thru PAC's, PR firms and campaign coffers to push massive tax hikes that benefit them.

Expect Vinik and his special interests allies to dump $5-10 million into Mercury and perhaps some other PR firms over the next 90 days. With the Vinik owned media megaphone, they will drown out everything and everyone as if nothing else exists but their own greedy egregious massive tax hike.

It is a big circle of money!

And a big SWAMP!

The Three Faces of Hagan

Anyone who has been a county commissioner for 16 long years has a history. One's own political history is the best predictor of what one will do in the future, not campaign rhetoric.

Therefore, what does one do when their political history includes growing local government, ballooning the bureaucracy, blowing out future Community Investment (CIT) revenues, pushing for unnecessary massive tax hike boondoggles - multiple times - and pursuing a billion dollar baseball stadium to subsidize and enrich another wealthy sports team owner? They try to rewrite their own history.

Today we can clearly see the "Three Faces" of Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. Two of the faces reflect Hagan's actual past history. The third face is Hagan's self-described campaign rhetoric in his campaign mailers trying to rewrite his own history.

Hagan even used a picture of him and Gov. Scott from 2012 without Scott's approval. Isn't that illegal or at least unethical? Ironically, Gov. Scott touts the need to get rid of career politicians - that includes Hagan.

Fiscal conservatism includes lower taxes, less spending, less debt and smaller government.

While Hagan self describes himself as "conservative" in his campaign rhetoric, let's review some history.

Most of the property tax millage rate cuts Hagan touts were made during the housing bubble. Property tax revenues were flooding County Center from escalating property values and new growth while property owners were getting angry about the increasing property taxes.

Floridians were so angry about escalating property taxes that the state legislature passed a bill in 2007 to roll back property tax rates to 2006 levels and mandated deeper cuts based on how much a local government collected in property tax dollars. In addition Amendment 1 was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2008 64-36% that added an additional homestead exemption, the portability of Save Our Homes benefit and an assessment cap on non-homesteaded property.

Even with some millage rate cuts, according to tax-rates.org:

Hillsborough County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United States, and is ranked 376th of the 3143 counties in order of median property taxes.

Hillsborough County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) reflect Hillsborough County became the second largest county employer behind the Hillsborough County school system after Hagan was elected in 2002. The number of county employees rose from 9,774 in 2003 to 11,169 in 2007, an increase of over 14% (approx 1400 employees) in FOUR short years. (Note: The 2017 CAFR reflects the county is currently the fourth largest county employer with 9336 employees.)

Then the recession hit in 2008 and the county had created its own big problem. It had ballooned the bureaucracy, was blowing thru county tax dollars like a drunken sailor and wrongfully assumed the housing bubble would never burst - aka bad judgment.

The county was then forced to make cuts to balance the county budget. Where did the county decide to cut? Transportation - which is a primary responsibility of local government.

Transportation funding got a double whammy hit with the recession under Hagan's tenure. The county diverted ALL property tax revenues previously funding transportation to other places to balance the budget. In addition, the Community Investment Tax (CIT) funding for transportation evaporated because the county had gone on a huge debt spree of borrowing against future CIT revenues right before the recession hit.

In 2007, Hagan, who led the Transportation Task force, and then county debt/bond manager Mike Merrill recommended the risky huge borrowing against future CIT revenues - just 11 years into the 30 year tax. This broke the promise the county made to spend the CIT revenues in 5 year increments as part of their 5 year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Merrill told the commissioners in 2007 that the CIT tax would continue growing leaps and bounds and CIT revenue growth would be so great there would not be any problems funding future needs. Such bad judgment. Everyone else knew the housing bubble was going to burst at some point. The borrowing spree tied the hands of future commission Boards for years after the recession hit.

And Surprise! In 2007 Hagan's close PR confidante Beth Leytham was hired and paid with county tax dollars to be a consultant to his Transportation Task Force. Sound familiar?

When the county commission voted in 2009 to fire then county administrator Pat Bean, it was Hagan who recommended and lined up debt manager Mike Merrill to replace her - promoting the person who had provided such bad judgment to blow out future CIT monies.

Hagan's transportation task force was in two phases. Phase 1 borrowed the future CIT revenues and Phase 2 pushed the 2010 huge 30 year 1% rail tax hike.  In the 2007 BOCC meeting where Hagan pitched his debt spree, he also stated (emphasis mine):

THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH WILL BEGIN IN THE FALL, WILL FOCUS ON LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS, WHICH PRIMARILY INCLUDE LIGHT RAIL OR COMMUTER RAIL OR RAIL OF SOME FASHION.

Three years later when the unemployment rate in Hillsborough County was running 10-11%, Tax Hike Hagan voted at the May 13 2010 public hearing to put the multi-BILLION dollar rail boondoggle sales tax hike on the 2010 ballot. While many Hillsborough County residents were still hurting and struggling from the recession, Hagan decided it was time to put a sales tax hike on the ballot. Hagan was Chair of the county commission in 2010.

Again - such bad judgment! The multi-BILLION dollar tax hike was not conservative and certainly showed no compassion for those still financially reeling from the recession. Thankfully it was overwhelmingly defeated because it had a basic 3rd grade math problem and was a bad plan.

Tax Hike Hagan's pursuit of huge tax hikes and his alter ego District Rays Candidate Hagan's pursuit of a billion dollar baseball stadium have been a package deal for almost a decade. As we reported here, Hagan invited the baseball coalition to speak at the May 19, 2010 BOCC meeting immediately after he had voted to put the rail tax on the November ballot.

The tax hike came back courtesy of the crony Go Hillsborough (GH) campaign in 2014 as Hagan was heading toward his second countywide term. The District Rays Candidate Hagan saw his stadium clock ticking away. His alter ego Tax Hike Hagan knows he needs a new funding source to pay for a billion dollar stadium and he saw the GH tax hike as the ticket.

After getting the Parsons/Leytham team in place for the GH tax hike by August 2014, District Rays Candidate Hagan began actively pushing the baseball stadium issue.

By January 2015 with the tax hike GH campaign underway, District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan had his baseball and tax hike agenda both lined up. The District Rays Candidate Hagan had gotten his secret baseball committee created and got the county to hire an expensive NY baseball law firm Foley and Lardner to negotiate with the Rays. 

The GH Parsons/Leytham team had to propose another 30 year tax hike because that was always part of the phony campaign. In the middle of the GH community meetings, Tax Hike Hagan came out supporting a tax hike. 

Tax Hike Hagan voted for the unnecessary 30 year, $7 BILLION tax hike at both Go Hillsborough public hearings in 2016. Apparently Hagan's "when you cut taxes, you ignite job growth" slogan is his lip service and meant only for his campaign flyers.

Tax Hike Hagan held local road funding hostage for almost a decade while he pursued multiple  massive county tax hikes for trains. This #FakeNews flyer of false advertising reflects how Tax Hike Hagan will say anything to get elected.  

Tax Hike Hagan flyer full of egregious False Advertising

It was Tax Hike Hagan who fought Commissioner Murman's proposal to use growth of the existing budget to fund roads and transportation. Because of Tax Hike Hagan, Murman's original proposal got watered down. (Transcript of August 10, 2016 BOCC Budget Workshop meeting can be found here.)

District Rays Candidate Hagan is now pursuing some creative public financing scheme scam to fund the billion dollar baseball stadium. Incurring another huge round of debt putting taxpayers at risk to subsidize a wealthy sports team owner is not conservative or fiscally responsible.

Who should you believe -  Hagan with a history of bad judgment or Economists?

"The idea that sports is a catalyst for economic development just doesn't hold water."
—Robert Baade, sports economist 

When surveyed, 86 percent of economists agreed that "local and state governments in the U.S. should eliminate subsidies to professional sports franchises.. 

In a 2017 poll, 83 percent of the economists surveyed agreed that "Providing state and local subsidies to build stadiums for professional sports teams is likely to cost the relevant taxpayers more than any local economic benefits that are generated.

The history of District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan is pushing massive unnecessary sales tax hikes and risky financing schemes and pursuing a billion dollar baseball stadium. Words on his campaign flyer are just rhetoric to get elected.

The District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan's donor base, who cannot even vote for him, (from his campaign filings with the SOE) is who he is beholden to.

After 16 too long years as a career county commissioner, Hagan is running again for a single district seat he already held. He is doing what no other commissioner has done since Hillsborough county's Charter was implemented in 1983 - violating the intent and spirit of the term limits in the Charter.

There are Three Faces of Hagan: Tax Hike Hagan, District Rays Candidate Hagan and Hagan's self-described [false] narrative of "Conservative" Hagan.

But the Three Faces of Hagan have a Primary challenger, Chris Paradies.

That provides an opportunity for voters in District 2 to reject all Three Faces of Hagan in this months Primary.

—————————————————————————-
Vote by Mail ballots are out
Early voting is August 13-26
Primary election day is August 28

Tax Hike Audit Battle - Vinik vs Schools - Who Is On First?

As we previously reported, OPPAGA has begun their performance audit for the Vinik massive transit tax hike. There remains questions about how the Vinik audit jumped in front of the audit requested by Hillsborough County School Board who also wanted to put a referendum on the November ballot.

It is our understanding that OPPAGA audits are conducted first come first serve. 

Rumblings were that someone from Vinik's All For Transportation (AFT) PAC, funded by Vinik and four of his downtown allies connected to him who dumped $750K into his PAC, approached the school board last month in a face to face meeting with no paper trail. If those rumblings are correct, did Vinik's PAC for a massive unnecessary 30 year tax hike arrogantly want to jump in front of the school board's request for their audit?

Are voters and taxpayers in Hillsborough County beginning to ask some questions? The Eye received a copy of an email thread sent by a concerned citizen to the school board.

From: Gretchen Saunders <gretchen.saunders@sdhc.k12.fl.us>
Sent: Wednesday, August 8, 2018 4:36 AM
To: tashner.janet@oppaga.fl.gov; summers.david@oppaga.fl.usCc: Jeff Eakins; Christopher Farkas; jim.porter@akerman.com; jg@macfar.comSubject: Fwd(2): To Jeff Eakins Re: Charlotte Greenbarg - 180807-14991 

Good Morning Ms. Janet.

We received an email request from a community member last night regarding the Voter Referendum/OPPAGA review.

Do you have time for a quick call today? Would like to work with you and the OPPAGA team regarding our response to the question below about Hillsborough County receiving preference over Hillsborough County Public Schools and the "Way of Work" for the upcoming referendum and district audit/review.

Thank you for your help and continued support.

Gretchen Saunders
Chief Business Officer
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Telephone: 813-272-4383
Fax: 813-272-4007

----- Original Message -----

Got this through the clearinghouse tonight. I think this should be forwarded to our contacts at OPPAGA to make them aware that these questions and concerns are coming from the community.

----- Original Message -----

HCPS Web Site Contact Form
-----------------
Type: Contact Superintendent's Office
Staff Member: JeffEakins
Topic: Other
TopicOther: OPPAGA's doing the county audit first
Message:
How did the county get preference over the Board's proposal for .5% sales tax increase? 

The FloridaLegislature
OFFICE OF PROGRAM POLICY ANALYSIS AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
R.Philip Twogood, Coordinator
August 3, 2018 

Michael Merrill, CountyAdministrator
Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners
601 EastKennedy BoulevardTampa, Florida 33602

Dear Mr. Merrill:

Pursuant to the requirements of Ch. 2018-118, Laws of Florida, the Office of Program PolicyAnalysis and Government Accountability has selected McConnell & JonesLLP to conduct a performance audit of the programs associated with the surtax proposed for Hillsborough County.

McConnell & Jones will begin work on August 6, 2018. Representatives from McConnell & Jones will contact your office in the near future to discuss protocols for the performance audit.

If you have any questions, please call Emily Leventhal, OPPAGA’s Government Operations Staff Director and the contract manager for this audit, at (850) 717-0525.

Sincerely,

R. Philip Twogood CoordinatorRPT/kgAttachment
cc: Christine Beck, County Attorney forHillsborough County
Sharon Murphy, Partner, McConnell & Jones, LLP

From: Charlotte Greenbarg

It appears OPPAGA began their audit for Vinik's massive tax hike before the SOE has even certified the petition effort.

Remember the school board stated they were told it could take 6-8 months to complete their audit for a program that appears much less complex than Vinik's $15-18 BILLION tax hike for multiple programs spread across multiple entities.

With school starting earlier this year in hot humid August, this Times article lists the over $343 MILLION in air conditioning needs of schools in Hillsborough County over the next few years. And that's just the air conditioning needs…..

While schools need air-conditioning and other capital improvements, Vinik pursues unnecessary billions for costly trains to a billion dollar baseball stadium. 

We will pursue getting a copy of the school board's response after they speak with OPPAGA today. 

But the battle for massive tax hikes in Hillsborough County may turn into an outright war.

And much of the blame goes directly to Jeff Vinik.

Can Performance Audit For Massive Transit Tax Hike Be Done By Deadline To Put on November Ballot?

We posted here about the performance audit now required to be completed and published 60 days prior to the election for any local referendum that gets on the ballot - no matter how the referendum gets on the ballot.

The petitions are still being validated by the SOE. We expect the required number of valid petitions will be reached and the SOE will certify to the county commissioners shortly.

OPPAGA notified Hillsborough County on Friday, August 3, 2018 they have hired an auditor to begin the audit process.

We do not know the current status of the OPPAGA audit request from the Hillsborough school board who also wanted to put a sales tax hike referendum on the November ballot. However this was reported about the school board's referendum on June 26:

Prospects for a Nov. 6 referendum are shaky at best, as a new state law requires the district first to undergo a state performance audit. That process, including two months to post the results, could take eight months.

How did the audit for Vinik's transit tax hike get in front of the request by the school board? There were rumblings that someone from Vinik's AFT PAC approached the school board last month to ask if they could jump in from of the school board to get their audit done first. Hmmm…

Section 10 of Florida Statute 212.055 states:

For any referendum held on or after March 23, 2018, to adopt a discretionary sales surtax under this section, an independent certified public accountant licensed pursuant to chapter 473 shall conduct a performance audit of the program associated with the surtax adoption proposed by the county or school district.

At a minimum, a performance audit must include an examination of issues related to the following:
1. The economy, efficiency, or effectiveness of the program.
2. The structure or design of the program to accomplish its goals and objectives.
3. Alternative methods of providing program services or products.
4. Goals, objectives, and performance measures used by the program to monitor and report program accomplishments.
5. The accuracy or adequacy of public documents, reports, and requests prepared by the county or school district which relate to the program.
6. Compliance of the program with appropriate policies, rules, and laws.

We are about four weeks out from the 60 day pre-election deadline for completing and publishing the audit by September 6, 2018 before the November election. According to OPPAGA, one performance audit may audit multiple programs associated with a sales surtax referendum

There are multiple programs associated with Vinik's massive 30 year  $15-18 BILLION transit tax hike. There are transit programs, road programs, planning programs. These multiple programs are across multiple entities - the county, the city municipalities, HART and the MPO.

In addition, this 14% sales tax hike referendum grows government. It creates another government transportation bureaucracy that usurps power from duly elected county commissioners, city council reps and the governing HART Board of the special taxing district for the local transit agency HART - for 30 years.  

We know who wrote the ballot summary and the five pages of fine print in the lengthy petition that many probably never read. All the bureaucratic and regulatory burdens baked into the monster 14% transit tax hike were intentional because they benefit - for 30 years - those who wrote them.

We doubt the regulatory gobbly gook was written with any thought that an audit would be required.

As we reported here, Jim Davison has proposed a transportation funding plan that does NOT require a massive tax hike. Tampa Bay Beat reported Davison's recent comment about Vinik's unnecessary 30 year tax hike boondoggle:

The special interest, eight percent sales tax proposal over 30 years, Davison asserted, is an attack on unincorporated areas and Hillsborough County’s smaller cities. Tampa reaps the benefits with 27 percent of the county population siphoning 53 percent of the tax receipts.

Audits are very methodical. To do any audit, it takes time to plan, time to do the field work and time to complete the audit report.

Is it possible that a performance audit for a complex $15-18 BILLION tax hike referendum that includes multiple programs can be completed and the report published in about 30 days?

What happens to this transit tax hike petition effort if the audit is not completed and published by the 60 day pre-November election deadline?

The Eye will be watching!

Cronies Collaborate to Control Billions of Tax Dollars

The Vinik $15-18 Billion transit tax hike and the Chuck Sykes/District Rays Candidate Hagan billion dollar stadium have officially combined into one collaborative effort.

The latest campaign filing found on the SOE website of Vinik's transit tax hike All For Transportation (AFT) PAC provides the confirmation. On July 11, Sykes donated their Vinik required $150K to the PAC.

Sykes donates $150K to Vinik's tax hike PAC

Here is the entire list of donors to the AFT PAC available on the Hillsborough SOE website.

AFT donors and expenditures

AFT did a faux grassroots call to action for citizens to donate $20.18 to their transit tax hike petition effort. It was an epic failure. A whopping four people responded because AFT and everyone else knew the special interest donors were their bank account.

Thomas Scherberger, who donated $250, works for Hillsborough County Clerk of the Court and is the husband of Janet Scherberger. As we reported here, Janet Scherberger works for Lopano at TIA and is a Director of the nonprofit Keep Hillsborough Moving, Inc. connected to the AFT PAC.

The highlighted five deep pocketed special interests donors who donated $150K each are connected to each other, Jeff Vinik and his [Under] Water Street development.

Sykes, Vinik and Rays President Brian Auld each pay Tampa Bay Partnership $50K a year to be a member of their pay to play lobbying organization.

WSP previously known as Parsons Brinkerhoff of the Go Hillsborough debacle, Vinik's Tampa Bay Lightning and Darryl Shaw each pay Tampa Bay Partnership $25K a year to be a member of their pay to play lobbying organization. After Shaw bought up the Ybor property, he donated at least $5K to District Rays Candidate Hagan's District 2 race right before Ybor was announced as the likely site for the new stadium last year. Ybor is NOT in District 2…..

Sykes donated almost $200K and carried the financial torch for the losers - the pro rail tax hike PAC Moving Hillsborough Forward (MHF) - who spent almost $1.6 million promoting the rail tax hike in 2010.  It was Hagan and his Transportation Task Force who recommended putting that massive boondoggle tax on the 2010 ballot that was defeated 58-42.

Tampa Bay Partnership with Sykes in tow created the MHF PAC and had donors contributing before the rail tax was ever even put on the ballot in May 2010. Why? Because they had assurances from then BOCC Chair Hagan that he would get the tax hike on the ballot.

Then Sykes supported Greenlight Pinellas rail tax boondoggle in 2014 that was defeated by an even greater margin 62-38 in Pinellas County.

Now Sykes has decided to play first fiddle for the BILLION dollar stadium with no parking.

Site of Proposed Rays stadium in Ybor City with no parking

Sykes is now scheming in secrecy with the District Rays Candidate Hagan for how to bleed dry Community Redevelopment Area (CRA)/special taxing district money to publicly finance the billion dollar stadium. Since 2011, District Rays Candidate Hagan has been talking about using tax increment financing (TIF') to publicly finance a new stadium with huge amounts of debt.

CRA Boards, which can be stacked with more cronies, can pledge TIF funds to finance bonds with NO public input. CRA's, with lax accountability and transparency, can invite abuse and have been abused.

In steps Vinik last year. Indications are that the tax hike and the Ybor stadium site were probably being orchestrated at least early to mid last year. That was about the same time Vinik admitted he bailed out the Times as he needed to own his own media megaphone to push his agenda.

According to the county lobbyist registry, Vinik was meeting with County Administrator unelected county mayor Mike Merrill in May, June and December of 2017. Vinik met with Hagan on June 5, 2017.

County lobbyist registry
Vinik was lobbying Hagan last year

Taxpayers have been paying for highest paid Merrill and his highest paid staff's time to be intimately involved with Hagan and the Rays - behind closed doors with no transparency - on public financing schemes scams for the billion dollar stadium.

Vinik now plays first fiddle for pursuing another 30 year massive transit sales tax hike that is worse than the rail tax defeated in 2010 (post for another day).

Now that Sykes has thrown in his obligatory $150K into Vinik's massive transit tax hike - the collaboration of cronies pursuing the Billion dollar stadium with no parking and a $15-18 Billion transit tax hike is confirmed.

 It's a Package Deal! The Billion Dollar Stadium Needs Billions for Trains

The Sykes/Vinik/Hagan triumvirate to control billions of tax dollars and scam taxpayers not once but twice is complete.