Foolish Power Players Supported Flawed Transit Tax

We continue our "Sunlight" series about All for Transportation's legally flawed $16 Billion transit tax and the insiders who were helping them.

We posted here about the genesis of the All for Transportation (AFT) transit tax. Transit advocate and community organizer Kevin Thurman created his "People's Plan" and shopped his transit tax political strategy to inside power players.

According to public records we received, Thurman targeted power players at Tampa International Airport and sent his transit tax presentations to Janet Scherberger last April.

Bait and Switch Launched To Throw Out $812 Million Policy that Funds New Road Capacity

 Dr. Jim Davison and Sharon Calvert contributed to this post.

The bait-and-switch technique is an old and well-known tool in retail and politics. It is one of the most infuriating situations to be in and it is happening in Hillsborough County.

Critics of the All for Transportation (AFT) 30 year $16 Billion transit sales tax voiced their concern over the possibility of such bait and switch occurring if the tax passed.

As Issues Come Home to Roost, Transit Tax Heads to FL Supreme Court

Many of the issues we raised last year about the All for Transportation (AFT) $16 Billion transit tax are coming home to roost.

Listen as the Eye speaks with Karen Jaroch, who helped lead the opposition to the AFT tax last year and raised warnings about its issues. We discuss how the All for Transportation mess started, what the county commission is doing and the two appeals that have been filed to the Florida Supreme Court.

Our 15 minute podcast can be found here.

Opposition Grows Against Bus Rapid Transit Project as Its Cost Increases to $44 million

Pinellas County Transit Agency PSTA seeks over $21 million from the Federal Transit Administration and additional funds from the Florida Department of Transportation for a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. 

But opposition is growing against the BRT project. Two (S Pasadena and St Pete Beach) of the three municipalities along the BRT route formally oppose the project as opposition grows in the city of St. Petersburg.

Who's Paying All for Transportation's Legal Bills?

There are two appeals that have been made to the Florida Supreme Court related to the All for Transportation $16 Billion transit tax so who is paying for All for Transportation's mounting legal costs? 

Breaking News: Commissioner White Has Appealed All for Transportation Ruling

Breaking News from the Eye: Just this morning, Commissioner White appealed the All for Transportation ruling to the Florida Supreme Court.

There are now two appeals, one from the class action lawsuit filed yesterday and one from Commissioner White, to the Florida Supreme Court related to the All for Transportation transit (AFT) tax.

Judge Barbas threw out all of AFT's spending allocations, mandates and constraints as unlawful and illegal. He somehow left the tax itself standing and now there are 2 appeals on his ruling.

Stay tune for the latest as we learn more.

BREAKING NEWS: Ruling on All for Transportation Has Been Appealed

Breaking news from the Eye:  The class action lawyers have filed an appeal regarding the All for Transportation (AFT) transit tax.

Judge Barbas Final ruling on July 9th that enabled an appeal to go forward.

As we reported earlier, yesterday four county commissioners voted to have an ordinance drafted to reinstate AFT's spending mandates and constraints.

Now that an appeal has been made, will they continue to move forward with such ordinance.

Stay tuned as we learn more.

Rewarding the Big Mess Makers

A judge threw out most of the All for Transportation (AFT) transit tax as illegal and unlawful. 

Rewarding All For Transportation who subjected voters to a legally flawed 30 year $16 Billion transit tax last year is unacceptable. 

But Hillsborough County Democrat commissioners Les Miller and his 3 Democrat colleagues decided to reward those who ran amok of State Statutes to get their $16 Billion transit tax passed. 

Not Shovel Ready

Right on cue, the Tampa Bay Times editorial commissars are at it again.

Hillsborough County voters spoke loudly in November by approving their first-ever local tax for transportation improvements. Now it’s time for the county commission to begin carrying out those wishes by approving a measure Wednesday that puts the tax money to its anticipated use.

Our self appointed transportation experts order the Hillsborough County Commission to "commit at least 45 percent of the tax proceeds to Hillsborough Area Regional Transit... And the board should embrace the formula that voters agreed to for road, bridge, intersection and safety improvements, which address a number of critical needs countywide and which were instrumental in attracting votes in both urban and suburban precincts."

Have they really thought this through?

AFT's "Bad Tax" Con Was Planned To Surprise Public and Prevent Public Scrutiny

As a recent Circuit Court ruling confirmed, All for Transportation (AFT) put an illegal and unlawful transit tax charter amendment referendum on the ballot in Hillsborough County last year.

If such a big mess was about an issue local media did not agree with, we would see daily headlines shouting out those who were involved with it. But local media refuses to do that with AFT and prefers to filter out information about those who pushed an illegal transit tax onto unsuspecting voters in 2018.

The public deserves to know more.