RESTORE ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA ANNOTATED MINUTES NOVEMBER 20, 2014

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1 RESTORE ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA ANNOTATED MINUTES NOVEMBER 20, 2014 PREPARED IN THE OFFICE OF PAULA S. O NEIL, CLERK & COMPTROLLER THE MINUTES WERE PREPARED IN AGENDA ORDER AS PUBLISHED AND NOT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THE ITEMS WERE HEARD 6:30 P.M. WEST PASCO GOVERNMENT CENTER, BOARD ROOM 8731 CITIZENS DRIVE, NEW PORT RICHEY, FLORIDA Committee Members: Jack Mariano, Board of County Commissioners Kathryn Starkey (Alternate), Board of Co. Commissioners ABSENT Cynthia Armstrong, School Board Representative Dr. Randy Stovall, College/University Representative To Be Determined, Science or Fisheries Representative Jeffrey Lowe, Job Creation Industry Representative John Hagen, Pasco Economic Development Council Rep. Kristin Tonkin, Tourism Representative Bob Robertson, Citizen Representative ABSENT Bruce Mills, West Pasco Chamber of Commerce Rep. CALL TO ORDER Chairman Mariano called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. INVOCATION PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Ms. Katie McCormick, Deputy Clerk, gave the Invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Page 1 of 7

2 ROLL CALL Ms. McCormick called the roll. All members were present except Commissioner Starkey and Mr. Robertson. Mr. Lowe arrived to the meeting at 7:12 p.m. PUBLIC COMMENT Citizens are given an opportunity to comment on any proposition coming before the Committee during Public Comment. The Committee also takes Public Comment on items to be placed on a future RESTORE Act Advisory Committee agenda. Mr. Christian Cámara, from Tallahassee, was the State Director for a free market public policy research organization based in Washington called the R Institute. Free market champions helped lead the charge for the RESTORE Act and embodied a number of free market principles such as emphasis on economic growth and allowing affected states to decide how to spend the funds, not Washington. The RESTORE Act funds were a one-time windfall and he cautioned the Committee that incorrectly designed projects could create ongoing liabilities for Florida taxpayers. He promoted projects that accomplished both environmental and economic restoration objectives simultaneously and felt they should be given preferential treatment. He mentioned the short-term and long-term benefits of a coastal flood protection and related infrastructure project as specified/qualified criteria in the RESTORE Act. He spoke about water quality, springs restoration, and run-off. Using RESTORE Act funds wisely would benefit the environment, the economy, the citizens, the community and the area as a whole. He applauded the Committee for establishing criteria to evaluate each project individually in a way that advanced the RESTORE Act objectives. TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION Grading results Mr. Curtis Franklin, RESTORE Act Program Coordinator, said this would be the last meeting of the year and he thanked everyone for getting their scoring sheets back to him. The raw scores indicated SunWest was at the top of the list. He noted that several of the projects were submitted under more than one Pot. The next task was to write the Multi-Year Implementation Plan (MYIP). It had to be submitted to the Treasury in order to draw down the funds. While several MYIPs could be submitted, every one required several steps and several weeks from start to submittal. He felt it was best to try to generate only one MYIP and be prepared to revise it as needed. Mr. Franklin noted there was $992, currently available from the TransOcean settlement with $30, to reimburse the County for administrative costs. The funds would be available March 1 st with an appropriate MYIP. Page 2 of 7

3 Chairman Mariano said that while the Board had recently rejected the idea of a consultant to help with the MYIP, there were two new commissioners now so that may be revisited. He felt the current available funds needed to be focused on now. He did not want Mr. Curtis to spend a lot of time on the MYIP and after the next phase of the settlement, have to revise the plan to something much broader. He suggested looking at projects that could be done quickly and effectively, and be prepared to do another MYIP after January or the next payout. Mr. Franklin said he saw two possible plans. One was to generate an MYIP based on the $962,000.00; the other was to generate an MYIP up to the amount of $15 million, his rough estimate of the final award. If the Committee elected to go with an MYIP of the current available funds, a spending plan needed to be created. He gave several examples of spending plans. Mr. Hagen asked if the rankings reflected timing scores. He reminded the Committee that they had looked into the idea of following the model Pasco County used for its Capital Improvements Plan, with a funded part and an unfunded part of the plan. He agreed with the plan of fewer MYIPs based on funded and unfunded projects. Mr. Franklin said he used the criteria established by the Committee and approved by the Board of County Commissioners, based on how quickly a project could be completed. Chairman Mariano felt it might be wise to avoid larger projects that could not be completed in a timely manner, but to focus on projects that were viable and could be done in a relatively short time frame. When the next funds become available, that would be when the next MYIP would be generated. He felt there were a few things that could be accomplished right now, knowing the projects could be at least started and expanded in the future. He mentioned SunWest, the Channel dredging project and Orange Lake as examples of what he felt should be focused on now. When the remaining money was available, and the amount was set, the Committee could look at all the remaining projects again. Ms. Armstrong initiated discussion on the BP money. Topics included the lawsuit and possible appeals; timing; future MYIPs; and a spending plan. Mr. Hagen pointed out there were several worthwhile projects in front of them and they should not be forgotten or dismissed, regardless of funding issues. Chairman Mariano wanted all the Sunwest plans, all the dredge and all the Orange Lake in the forefront. He spoke further on the idea of future funds for other projects. Ms. Tonkin felt the waterfront and the boat ramps should be in the immediate future. Those projects benefited everyone in the County. She reminded the Committee the funds were to restore what was lost and she emphasized what could be gained with the waterfront restoration. Page 3 of 7

4 Dr. Stovall agreed that he would like to spend the available money on things that would have a big impact to show citizens what the Committee had accomplished with the funds. Mr. Hagen suggested prioritizing all the projects with a timing score of five to determine the highest priority with the fastest impact. Discussion followed regarding timing scores; other criteria; the boat ramps; matching funds and cost sharing; other funding sources; more detailed information on some of the projects; the specifics of the funding process; reimbursement-based fees based on performance; timing of the performance/grant/reimbursement process; and the importance of work showing impact to the County. Chairman Mariano asked why Orange Lake received a score of four instead of five. Mr. Franklin replied it reflected a timing issue and it was the City of New Port Richey s only submittal. A representative from the City of Port Richey spoke regarding projects in his area including phasing of the dredge project, environmental permitting, expenses, timing, and other funding sources. Chairman Mariano said the three areas of SunWest where funding was still needed were the parking lot, bathrooms, and the splash pad. He felt the bathrooms were the most important of the three and he was optimistic about receiving the funding for them. He spoke further on available funds such as the Tourist Development money which could fund the remainder of the project. Chairman Mariano noted he was comfortable putting $667, toward to the dredge project, $195, toward the bathrooms at SunWest and the other $100, for the City of New Port Richey s project, Orange Lake. Mr. Hagen said the Economic Development Council would look at the project in order to possibly make an informal recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. He suggested developing a preliminary list. Mr. Mills clarified he did not want to fund the Orange Lake project if the remaining funds could not be found to complete the work; he did not want the money to just sit there. There were several other projects in the area that could be accomplished with that same amount of money. Mr. Franklin thought the project had to be completed before applying for the funds. Only after completion would the money be released. Page 4 of 7

5 Ms. Michele Baker, County Administrator, explained that it would likely be similar to a federal grant in that the City would have to forward the money, and then draw it down on performance-based applications. It would be reimbursement-based. She spoke further on the options of funding through grant standards. Chairman Mariano said the dredge project would have great economic impact for Pasco County and for that reason, he felt comfortable asking the Board of County Commissioners for advanced funding. Mr. Walter Loos with Gil Dawg Marina, spoke regarding the dredge project and other waterfront activities, funding issues, and cost sharing. Ms. Baker noted that the details and phasing of the project would be included in the MYIP. After discussion, it was decided Mr. Franklin would create the MYIP for the 3 projects under discussion SunWest bathrooms, Orange Lake and the dredge project. Ms. Tonkin reminded the Committee the boat ramps were a necessity for people to be able to use the newly dredged harbor. Mr. Hagen wanted to make sure all the projects were looked at again from the point of view of breakdown before all the money was spent. He wanted the citizens and project owners to know all projects had been viewed fairly by the Committee. Mr. Franklin stated that Staff had gone back to all the stakeholders and asked for as much breakdown as possible for each project. Discussion followed regarding the Blueways Trail Program. Ms. Armstrong pointed out that with so little beach area in Pasco County, being a boating community required ways to launch boats and to reach the Gulf. Ms. Armstrong suggested following Chairman Mariano s recommendations regarding the disbursement of the currently available funds into the 3 projects. Chairman Mariano said he seconded the motion and would restate it for the record; the Committee would be allocating $30, toward administration, $100, would go to the Orange Lake project, $195, would go the bathrooms at SunWest, leaving $667, to the City of Port Richey to start their waterfront project, the dredging project. Chairman Mariano called on the motion; the vote was unanimous and the motion carried. Page 5 of 7

6 Discussion on Multi-Year Implementation Plan Mr. Curtis Franklin, RESTORE Act Program Coordinator, would generate two MYIPs and would present the Committee s recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners. After approval, he would submit them to Treasury and he hoped to have access to the funds by March. Ms. Michele Baker, County Administrator, suggested Mr. Tom O Neal, the City Manager of Port Richey, help with the MYIP because it had to be ready by the following Monday in order to go before the Board at their next meeting. Otherwise it would be heard the second meeting in December. Discussion followed regarding other choices if the Board of County Commissioners did not agree with the Committee s recommendations. The Committee members were encouraged to communicate with the Board regarding their recommendations. Ms. Baker said there would not be another meeting until something changed with the funds or the lawsuit. The Committee would receive copies when the MYIPs were submitted. Both Chairman Mariano and Ms. Baker thanked the Committee for all their efforts in this matter. Chairman Mariano suggested representatives from the Committee attend the Board meeting in case there were any questions from the Board. He asked Mr. Curtis to notify the members when the item would be heard. Ms. Baker said Staff would continue to copy the Committee with any RESTORE activity. She would keep the list of projects even when the funding ran out to be reconsidered as opportunities arose. Dr. Stovall mentioned how impressed he was with Staff who supported the projects. Page 6 of 7

7 ADJOURN The Committee adjourned at 7:48 p.m. RESTORE ACT ADVISORY COMMITTEE REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 20, 2014 Office of Paula S. O Neil, Clerk & Comptroller Prepared by: Katie McCormick, Records Clerk Board Records Department Page 7 of 7