Live Chat Tuesday, Noon - 1 P.M.

I hope you'll stop by to watch or take part in Tuesday's weekly live chat here on TroxBlog. From noon to 1 p.m. (or a little after) I'll be taking comments and questions about current events in the Tampa Bay area and our state of Florida.

To observe or take part in the chat, come to TroxBlog at noon Tuesday and look for a new announcement with the headline, "The July 31 Chat Is Open." Click on the "Comments" link of that announcement to see what folks have said so far, or to add your own thoughts. Just keep refreshing the comments page to see the latest.

As always, there's lots to talk about this week, ranging from the Pinellas County scandal to all the insurance rate hikes. Feel free to bring up a local or state subject you don't think has gotten enough attention, as well. And if you can't be here live, you can always come back later to read the chat transcript and still add your comments.

See you at noon Tuesday!

Comments

[lyle]

Howard, hate to go back a month to old news, but the website for the group doing the 30-40-50 petition is; propertytaxreformnow.com thanks

[Ron]

Howard, I seem to recall that the state had an August deadline to negotiate a new deal regarding the types of gambling to be allowed at the Seminole & Miccosukee Casinos. If my memory is correct, if the state didn't negotiate something, the Fed's would determine what is allowed and the state would get cut out of any potential taxes. Is there any news or developments regarding this?

[Schauer]

It appears to me that the letter by the attorney for Susan Churuti is nothing more than an attempt to influence the Grand Jury before they meet. If it is true that she attempted to broker a comprise directly then her case needs to me turned over to the Florida Bar Ethics board along with her current attorney for attempting to influence the Grand Jury. This is the biggest problem in a one part jurisdiction. No accountability anywhere!

[robert melaccio sr]

Harold, “our” legislators have now stated that about 90% of the state is not in a "Wind Born Area". In fact much is regulated to the coastlines. Now if you are not in a WindBorn area you are not entitled to state grant money to reinforce your home? Are they saying it is not needed? If so, as they post on their web site, and rhetorically speaking, is it proper for us citizens to ask why our Wind protection is either non-existent or reduced in coverage or has excessively high deductibles? Once again, are they saying quite loudly that we don’t need to fortify our homes if we fall within these area‘s? Yet on the other side of the coin the Insurance companies say they have high risk.

it seems to me if these maps have been there for God knows how long why is it that we don’t have reductions and not increases?

Here is another insurance example. I understand SWIFTMUD or the county commissioners are now considering a significant area of Hernando County Florida as a flood zone. Thousands of homes within this area will be impacted in an area where close to 6000 homes are on the market already. Doesn’t that say something? These homes have been there for decades and now this might be a flood zone? [As I understand this is still being reviewed. It will make interesting following].

This impacts the entire county and all who live there in any number of ways significantly. But it goes beyond that. This entire state is actually covered with numerous water sources. Just fly over it. If you go past Brooksville and south this is “reclaimed land". The Continental shelf stops at Brooksville. Has this changed in the last ten years or since Katrina that now insurance companies are "worried" about their losses?

So the problems are in my opinion are “manufactured”. That is not to say we don;t have risk. But not any ggreater risk then any other area where mother nature can strike. Yes, where did the assigned risk for the insurance companies go and wasn‘t that always part of doing business, or until only recently?

Please give us a break; in my opinion this state is on the cusp of having major financial hardships which will impact many average and poor families.

[Schauer]

As to your column on insurance I have one thing to say (well maybe more than one). Insurance companies are a for profit corporations. Health and Home insurers have one and only one overriding goal. They must, by law, attempt to make the most money for their shareholders. By limiting their liability with tort caps or lower reinsurance they have no legal incentive to help the homeowner or person needing medical care. Only government has a duty to help their citizens. Maybe just maybe people will see that government should not operate like big business but should be concerned with the people.

[Brian E Roche]

Pinellas County Scandal

I believe it was Ronald Reagan who said, “There you go again…”

How rich, now that Mr Welch finds himself in the unwanted spotlight of public scrutiny for his participation in the ever changing saga of the purchase of the County Appraisers personal property, just in time for Mr Appraiser to purchase a new home, that he would thoughtfully point out to the Times Editorial Board that it “also has a responsibility to report accurately” – How rich, how rich indeed.

It’s also interesting to note that only those up for re-election in ’08 seem to be making public comment.

I find this particular statement amusing in some ways, and disturbing in others, in light of Mr Welch’s and Mr Harris’s silence (lending tacit approval) to the Libel of myself and my brother by the Times Editorial Board in two separate Editorials after the 06 Elections, Editorials that directly, incorrectly, and irresponsibly – in my opinion – threw the race card into our decision to challenge a sitting County Commissioner who happened to be black – heaven forbid that one of the many real reasons (reasons that the Times was fully aware of an yet, failed to report accurately) that we chose to do so was that for the proceeding two years – as candidates – first Norm, and then myself, repeatedly pointed to these very types of 7-0 unanimous decisions and backroom sidebars, and to the underlying abuses of power that we believed they represented.

I make these statements because Mr Welch and Mr Harris, have known my brother Norm for more than 10 years and have been aquatinted with me for the past two and a half – and know that the Times insertion of the race card was extremely inappropriate and false assertion, let alone libelous.

The Times libeled us, these gentlemen know that they libeled us, and yet now that the heat is on – Mr. Welch (and certainly at some point Mr. Harris) will call on the Times to “accurately report”.

Regardless of what you think of MY decision to enter the ’06 Election, it should be evident to many of the Citizens of Pinellas whom have had the opportunity to speak with both my brother and I personally since we began to challenge the authority of the County Commission, that in part, we most certainly have been on to something.

Pinellas Count politics are on the verge of being irretrievably damaged by the continued presence of any number of incumbents running the County for the personal benefit of a few, including themselves. It’s time for them all to go, to fall on the sword of accountability, to accept responsibility – but don’t hold your breath.

Please remember this and consider making a change on Election Day.

Sincerely,

Brian E Roche