Taxpayers Deserve Answers, Not Shell Games

Taxpayers Deserve Answers,  Not Shell Games

Over the last few months, both the County and City governments have been less than honest with millions of dollars of money belonging to the people they represent. First up, the Leon County Commission and the five-cent increase in the gas tax that was passed by a vote of 7-2 (Commissioners Sauls and Proctor voted […]

Pull the Plug On the Brew Pub

Pull the Plug On the Brew Pub

In the best of times, a city government spending $2.1 million to renovate a government owned building to facilitate a restaurant would be tough to justify. But given the facts surrounding the City of Tallahassee’s venture into what is now called the Brew Pub at Cascades Park, it is hard to believe that the City […]

You Can Fight City Hall – Or The DHSMV

You Can Fight City Hall – Or The DHSMV

The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) has published a document called “Traffic Crash Facts” (TCF) since at least 1994. The publication listed all sorts of data about crashes in Florida, one of which was what caused them. That changed in 2011 when the data placed online was very limited. The cause of […]

Has the Economic Development Council Hijacked the Sales Tax Committee?

Over the past year or so, the Leon County Sales Tax Committee (STC) has patiently listened to scores of proposals for the use of future sales tax.  We could easily have a couple of billion dollars in ideas floating around the community.  No doubt, we need infrastructure in this county and we need to expand […]

If You Want To “Share The Road”, Pay Up

I was driving down the street the other day and noticed a yellow bumper-sticker on the back of an SUV that said, “Three Feet, It’s The Law!” The implication being that if you don’t give a bicyclist three feet that you are subject to being cited. As a bicycle rider myself that bumper-sticker made me […]

Another Public Records Request "Refused"

Another Public Records Request "Refused"

City Attorney charges $11,600 to find “missing” emails by looking through 125,900– one at a time. Following the popular article, “Billion Dollar Theft Planned by City,” the role of Assistant City Attorney Linda Hudson became a focus for further inquiry.  Toward that end, I requested copies of her city emails from the time frame of […]

Another Public Records Request “Refused”

Another Public Records Request “Refused”

City Attorney charges $11,600 to find “missing” emails by looking through 125,900– one at a time. Following the popular article, “Billion Dollar Theft Planned by City,” the role of Assistant City Attorney Linda Hudson became a focus for further inquiry.  Toward that end, I requested copies of her city emails from the time frame of […]

Vince Long Is Where He Wants To Be

Vince Long is slick. There’s really no other way to put it. How else to describe a guy who, in the span of 24 hours, somehow managed the announcement that his boss, Leon County Administrator Parwez Alam, was retiring, then got seven County Commissioners to unanimously vote to name him as the replacement, complete with […]

Billion-Dollar Theft Planned by City?

The Real Power:  Neighborhood Control In part one of this two-part series, it was shown how our commissioners from both the City of Tallahassee and Leon County have allowed a private contractor, the Tallahassee Trust for Historic Preservation (TTHP), to take control of a public citizens’ advisory group, the Architectural Review Board (ARB).  Half the membership […]

Tallahassee Historic Preservation Process Raises Questions

Tallahassee Historic Preservation Process Raises Questions

Free Money!!  The City of Tallahassee will give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone–in fact many someones–for the renovation and repair of their old houses.  They’ve already done it for many people, and the funds are there to keep going with more handouts!  All you need is an old house, and an understanding […]