Thanks for printing this here. It's too bad you couldn't include some of the other graphics, the monopoly game cards especially. I hope people understand now what we are looking at with the so-called "most conservative board ever" in Manatee County: graft run amok, deep into the staff who are either bought or just afraid of retribution. We are being run by people we did not elect to office, for their benefit and at a huge discount.
You can see it here, the 200k that Beruff and friends plopped into KVO's campaign is NOTHING compared to the amount of money they have saved in impact fees alone. Great return on investment, right? Just buy your politicians! Even when you add in what they pay Pedicini to be the handler, it's a phenomenal investment, buying a county on the cheap. The county pays for the stooges (Bishop, de Pol, Knapp, Green, etc.) as well as the politicians' salaries, and you get MM of dollars in saved fees on the cheap. What could be wrong?
It's just socialism for the rich, and the real costs - in taxes to pay to expand roads, utilities and other services - are pushed off onto everyone else. If you claim to hate socialism, you ought to hate this crap and vote these creeps out instead of being duped because of the scary S word and Marxism, and George Soros and all that other crap.
Don't worry, it will be a closed bid with NDC just like the City of Bradenton. Funds, no problem we will just steal it from the 15 Million promised to Veterans. Amanda Ballard is disingenuous in this mission.... As always, Follow the money, or at the very least see where they misappropriate it from.
I say no, because those announcing as third party candidates do not put forward solid broad ideas and plans to move this country forward in an equitable manner - benefiting all its citizens. Most of those "third way candidates" are "niche" runners... their platforms would serve very narrow causes or ideas; and they've put forward ideas and policies that are anathema to American ideals and democracy.
Those seeking a "savior" from a third party or outsider are naive, scared; because - very few of those "outsiders" have ideas acceptable to "thinking" citizens. Only when citizens are ignorant, scared for their self-interests, and easily stampeded would they seek a third party leader who would most likely be a "home grown" version of Mussolini or Hitler!
Hey Islanders! So much for local rule! You are done, finished... the state & county have put a target on you. Get ready for incorperation... want it or not! Make good sense, or not! I say, jump your state representatives - without a proven planning on the effects of this on all Island residents, and a proven necessity to go forward on such a plan... does it make "good sense" is a fair question to ask! The impact on Island living will be enormous, plus its future direction will be taken out of the hands of local residents... a reality! The people of Lakewood Ranch could decide the fate of the Beaches! Do you want that?
Yet another example of how completely unqualified our CORRUPT commissioners are for the job. Seems like the sort of thing that should have been thought about BEFORE Beruff enacted his scorched earth raping of the landscape!! Of course, it’s hard to do right by the citizens and the environment when you’re just a bunch of puppets doing the bidding of your greedy developer bosses.
Let’s talk about the impact fees. The current study that was supposed to come before that board was somehow derailed by the majority of the developer back board. The current study would have bought into alignment and correct impact fees needed to sustain infrastructure for the development. Currently we are only getting about 40¢ for every dollar needed to build that infrastructure.
Clearly the developers are not paying their fair share. Who do you think picks up the difference …. the regular hard-working taxpayers while the fat cat developers are laughing all the way to the bank on the hard working backs of the rest of the citizens in Manatee county. By far this is the worst leadership of the BOCC I have ever seen in the last couple of decades. With the exception of George will rest of the board are controlled by developers with the staff drinking the cool-aid. It is so obvious that the current board are nothing more than puppets for the developers.
"In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only as a final resort when the alternative options of deception, threat and bribery have all been exhausted."
Michael Musto
Mitch, I have much respect for you and your reporting, yet I must disagree with your opinion that Biden has not accomplished anything. There has been more productive and significant legislation since FDR under Biden. His accomplishments include programs that are rebuilding infrastructure across America, bringing jobs and manufacturing back to the US, low unemployment, quick pandemic recovery, expanded benefits and services for military that have been exposed to toxic substances....and much more. I'm disappointed you are buying into the false narratives. Ruth Lawler
Red alert, seniors are being scammed by our politicians again. Actually we all are being scammed. The politicians in Washington wring their hands about our national debt and propose to do the very christian solution by kicking our poor and elderly to the curb by attacking social security, medicare and other safety net programs.
The proposal to increase the premium cost of medicare is actually a ploy to push more medicare recipients into medicare advantage plans. Medicare advantage plans are actually for profit private insurance companies that receive funding from the federal government. Medicare advantage plans increase the national debt because they actually cost the government more to subsidize than the cost of regular Medicare. The private medicare insurance companies are in business to make a profit, they do this by decreasing their cost of care for their enrollees. There are many ways that they do this and none of them increases the quality of health care for their members. They are more concerned about their wealth than your health. I am willing to appear at any forum to advocate for the benefits of medicare for all as a means to improve our healthcare system while dramatically reducing its cost.
“The county’s plan to remove established trees to replace them with higher maintenance trees that would require watering sounds like a complete waste of tax dollars.” (Because it is!) These CORRUPT commissioners are the NOT being “conservative” with our money and THEY are the ones constantly picking fights with their constituents to feed their own power-hungry urges and egos. They disgust me.
Kudos to the clerk's office for participating in the rise of short and medium-term interest rates.
Unfortunately, the rise in interest rates has been caused by a rise in inflation which has affected all Manatee County citizens who are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. Use the interest rate windfall to roll back the recently announced utility bill increase and enact a variable property tax credit for fiscal year '24 and beyond.
Mike Meehan, CFA, MBA
A hungry child or a child singled out as not able to pay for their lunch is a horrible situation. I hurts the child's ability to learn and damages their self esteem. This is an absurd and inhumane situation in the wealthiest nation in the world! When we realize that 40% of the food produced in the USA is WASTED, it further shines a light on the absurdity and inhumanity of these policies that kids can't eat (or have ice cream) in their school when other students around them can. Sad and inhumane situation. Ruth Lawler
Oh my God! An email from the Sheriff with the video was sent to the State Attorney on Oct 11. The citizen sent the video to MCAW on Oct 9 - and followed up with email to Jodie Fiske. Fiske confirmed that all investigative agencies had received the video and were working on the case on Oct 11. The video IS THE INVESTIGATION! He should have been arrested OCT 11! Yet Brodsky and the Sheriff still claim ignorance for 3 weeks.That is a boldface lie. What a bunch of keystone cops this County is when it comes to animals suffering. Commissioners let 120 dogs suffer every single day in a terrible, understaffed shelter - and says nothing when Jodie Fiske and Sarah Brown terminates 11 good volunteers because they speak up about it. And now the Sheriff and State Attorney sit on their ass for 3 weeks. Animal lovers are good people - the kind of people that should be elected to replace the ones we have now.
What a joke “temporarily” (like forever) remove the requirement that at least 25 percent of a building's units be designated affordable housing to receive additional height downtown. Another sweetheart deal for market rate developers. Apparently the 7 year BS LURA with the 920 project must have been forgotten in campaign contributions.
So disgusted with these pay to play developers that have no moral compass in providing workforce housing mixed in with their projects. GREED GREED GREED
"If you think of life as like a big pie, you can try to hold the whole pie and kill yourself trying to keep it, or you can slice it up and give some to the people around you, and you still have plenty left for yourself." - Jay Leno
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