HNS REPORTS---MARCH 8, 2010



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PLAN BOARD SAYS YES TO TWO RE-ZONINGS, NO TO A THIRD

Hernando County Planning and Zoning commissioners followed staff recommendations on three re-zoning issues Monday, although one of the items was a close vote.  The P and Z was meeting for the first time in two months.  Two applications got fairly quick approval, but James McLamb's request for commercial rezoning along Wiscon Road just east of California Street took a little more time to resolve.  Staff had recommended against the request.
 
McLamb noted his long track record with development in the county, but a narrow majority of commission members said the area was not ready for commercial development yet.  Chair Lisa Hammond and member Ron Caldi voted for McLamb, Caldi saying "We should be finding ways to say yes rather than no," but three others voted for staff's denial recommendation.
Other items approved by the P and Z were a welding and auto shop on Jacqueline Drive and conservation zoning on the county's Peck Sink Preserve.

COAT BOARD LOOKS AT REGULATING BOAT PARKING IN YARDS

The Citizens Ordinance Advisory Team, also known as the COAT committee, voted Monday to ask county commissioners to consider regulating how homeowners are allowed to park boats in their yard.  Local resident Terry Kasberg told the committee he is having trouble selling his house just down the block from a property where at least six boats are stored.  Code enforcers said they will look at the property for other possible violations, but they reported there is no current county regulation on boat parking.  COAT members suggested that boats be regulated on the same basis as recreational vehicles, which are limited to side and rear yard parking in most residential zoning districts.  COAT liaison commissioner Jeff Stabins said he would ask the County Board to look at the issue at Tuesday's meeting.
The COAT board also postponed a discussion of regulating digital electronic billboards until next month, and they also heard that county building officials have instituted a limited program for allowing an early start to work on some projects in advance of all permitting being in place.  Several board members had suggested an early start process as a way to get the local construction industry going again.



SPRING HILL GUNPLAY NETS MAN TRIP TO JAIL

A Spring Hill man was charged with firing shots at a car late Saturday night and jailed on assault and firearms charges.  An arrest affidavit said 37-year old Radames Torres-Garcia of 405 Spring Haven Loop was booked for aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a felon.  He allegedly fired three shots at a car at 475 Hollyhock Lane.  Deputies said they found a bullet in the trunk of the victim's vehicle.  The affidavit suggests the victim's relationship with the alleged shooter's niece sparked the gunplay.

BROOKSVILLE MAN ARRESTED FOR HITTING WOMAN WITH TOOL

A 60-year old Brooksville man was jailed Saturday on aggravated battery charges for allegedly hitting a woman he lived with twice with an aluminum carpenter's level.  An arrest affidavit said the incident occurred at 13159 Taft Street.  The victim was reportedly hit in the head and arm and was bleeding from the ear when interviewed by deputies.  John Joseph Hill, of the same address, was held without bond due to the domestic nature of the assault.  Hill told deputies that the victim's injury happened when she ran into the level.

TAMPA TEEN CHARGED WITH THROWING ROCK AT PATROL CAR

Deputies charged 18-year old Sammie Lamont Fudge of Tampa with throwing a missle at a vehicle Sunday afternoon.  An arrest affidavit says Fudge threw a rock at a deputy's patrol car in the 13600 block of Linden Drive.  The rock reportedly hit the top of the patrol car, and the affidavit says Fudge admitted throwing the rock.  He told a deputy that he just meant to throw the rock across the road and didn't see the approaching patrol car.

POT SELLING, FLEEING CHARGES LEVELED IN WEEKEND ARREST

Sheriff's deputies have charged 23-year old Dylan Maxwell Sigler with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession of paraphernalia, along with additional counts for fleeing or attempting to elude officers and resisting arrest without violence.  Jail records show Sigler was arrested Friday night shortly before midnight at 4095 Montano Avenue in Spring Hill, but no other details of the arrest or charges were immediately available.




PROPOSED DPW AUDITOR DRAWS FIRE

The local resident recommended by the county administrator for an organizational audit of the troubled Public Works Department is drawing fire for his ties to developers.  David Milliman is a former Verizon engineer who would be paid $11,000 if county commissioners approve David Hamilton's proposal for a comprehensive review of the transportation and fleet office structure.  Hamilton's memo to the County Board for action at Tuesday's meeting includes Milliman's resume citing previous responsibility for a $500 million budget in the private sector.  The Public Works Department has a $98 million budget this year.  Hamilton says in his memo that before hiring of replacements for the fired public works director and his top assistant, the county needs to know if the department's organization can be improved.  But critics of the proposal say Milliman's role with the Sterling Hill Community Development District suggests he is too close to government and might not be the best choice to look over the department, even though the district is not a part of county government and gets no taxpayer money. 

COUNTY COULD SAVE BIG BUCKS WITH BI-WEEKLY RECYCLING

Hernando County could save more than $430,000 a year if a plan to cut curbside recycling service to Spring Hill is approved Tuesday by county commissioners.  Utilities Director Joe Stapf is recommending bi-weekly instead of weekly pickup for recyclables.  The county subsidizes recycling in Spring Hill now at a rate of $1.26 per home each month.  Going to pickup once every two weeks would drop that subsidy to 31 cents.
Stapf's recycling proposal is part of a recommendation to extend current garbage hauler franchise contracts by a year.  Those agreement are due to expire later this year, and Stapf says more time is needed before deciding the next step in solid waste collection.  The Utilities Director has said in the past that he would like to see county-wide mandatory collection and recycling, but it's not clear how the recommendation to cut Spring Hill recycling plays into those plans.

CRITICS SAY RED LIGHT CAMERA POLL-TAKER HAS BIAS

An opinion poll that claims broad support for red light cameras is under attack by camera opponents.  The Brooksville Police Department posted the poll results on its city website late Thursday.  The survey by Public Opinion Strategies claims that 72% of Florida residents support the cameras, and 65% say cameras improve intersection traffic safety.  Critics point to the web site for Public Opinion Strategies in questioning the objectivity of the poll.  The site says the Public Opinion Strategies is not "a passive participant that simply produces numbers.  We are strategic partners.  We use data to make decisions.  We don't hesitate to have an opinion, make a judgment, and then live or die by the results."
City officials say the red light cameras at five intersections are for safety.  The city expects about $800,000 in revenue from camera fines this year.  Use of the cameras has come under fire in both the courts and the Florida Legislature.



SMALL FIRE AT GOVERNMENT CENTER EXTINGUISHED

Hernando County and Brooksville fire rescue units were dispatched to put out a small fire at the County Government Center Sunday morning.  Firefighters responding to an alarm found smoke coming from a first floor electrical cabinet.  Reports from the scene indicated the fire in computer equipment and electrical wiring was quickly suppressed with a nearby fire extinguisher.
Later Sunday county officials said the fire was caused by an electrical short and sent thick smoke throughout the atrium area.  A media release says a professional cleaning company cleaned the affected area, but a lingering burned electrical odor remains. Officials said computers and communications in the Law Library office may be down Monday as a result of the fire, but all other operations in the Government Center should be unaffected.
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BRUSH FIRES KEEP COUNTY FIREFIGHTERS BUSY

Hernando County firefighters were busy at midday Sunday fighting two separate small brush fires.  While bringing a blaze along Paddock Drive under control, several units had to be diverted to another fire about an acre in size along Soult Road in the east county.  Crews at the scene said there were several structures threatened by flames near the chicken farm north and east of Mondon Hill Road.  At last report, the fire had been suppressed with no damage to those structures.
Later in the afternoon firefighters responded again to a brush fire near the Cortez Blvd.-Remington Road intersection.  Scene reports indicated a travel trailer was burned and another mobile home was threatened.  At last report the fire had been controlled.  Assistant Chief Frank DeFrancesco said Hernando County Fire Rescue units were called out to a total of five small brush fires in all on Sunday.  He said each one grew from a smaller fire started by property owners burning brush and debris on their own land.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service says a Red Flag Warning remains in effect through 6 p.m. Monday for Hernando County.  A Red Flag Warning is issued when very favorable conditions for wildfire spread are occurring or will occur within 24 hours.

COUNTY OFFERING TOURS OF PRESERVE PROPERTIES

The Hernando County Environmentally Sensitive Lands Program is offering an opportunity for the public to participate in a series of four leisurely walking tours of its preserves and projects. ESL staffer Jim King says participants will observe scarce natural plant communities, animal tracks in the sand and learn about the human and natural history of the areas. Residents are invited to enjoy a series of four guided tours of what King calls Hernando County’s special places—Cypress Lakes Preserve, Fickett Hammock Preserve, Peck Sink Preserve and Bayport Park. Space is limited, and reservations are required.  King can be reached at 352-754-4057, extension 28020 or e-mail to jking@hernandocounty.us

Posted by Hernando News Source at March 7, 2010
Categories: uncategorized
 

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  • March 8, 2010 reason wrote:
    Since when has a rock been defined as a missile? Throwing rocks is wrong and could cause harm, but a rock is not a missile. Historically youth and adults toss rocks assuming nothing will be hit, but surprise, at times things do get unintentionally hit. Sheriff Nugent really needs to take over the jail, another stupid act done by a human, imagine that, just like stupid acts in generations past.
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