Archive for the ‘Commissioner’ Category
The Debate starts in 1 hour! *Newsletter Correction
See you all at City Hall at 6:00pm.
*CORRECTION: In the Newsletter, Ken Keys was mistakenly introduced as “Runner up”. Maybe we should have given the position of Newsletter Editor to a native English speaker 😉 In all honesty, I must admit I believed Runner-up and Challenger were synonyms. My apologies! Hendrik Bisanz
Incumbent faces challenge from newcomer in Treasure Island election, Tampa Bay Times, Jan 13, 2016
Bildz, Keys seek Treasure Island Commission seat, Beach Beacon, Jan 27, 2016
Treasure Island candidates differ on how to pay the bills, Tampa Bay Times, Feb 4, 2016
Hello Sunset Beach!
It has been a busy summer. The beach renourishment has been completed, and the beach looks good and wide The budget has passed and the millage rate will stay the same. There will be no increase in the garbage or recycle rate, but the sewer and stormwater rates
will increase slightly. The sewer rate increased because St Petersburg increased the rate to treat the sewage, and the stormwater increased so that we have money to fix the storm pipes.
We are all very pleased with the new beach! Stay tuned for opportunities for dune replanting. We will take all the sea oats we can, as we all know that the planted dune is our last line of defense.
There is a very interesting election coming up this November. I am not just speaking of Charlie 2.0 or marijuana, but Greenlight vs. No Tax For Tracks. Greenlight has many good points, and some not so good points, so make sure to cast an informed vote on this!
Until next time,
Alan Bildz
Commissioner District 4
Treasure Island
Blind Pass Waterway Boardwalk stairs are in
The boardwalk stairs to Blind Pass Waterway adjacent to the parking lot at the southernmost parking lot are in. The boardwalk decking will begin on Monday July 7th.
Hello Sunset Beach! I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your continued confidence by re-electing me for another 2 years, albeit by an unopposed race. Speaking about elections, that was quite the ad campaign for the open US house seat formerly held by Bill Young wasn’t it. Are we ready to do it all over again in November, and add in a governor’s race? God help us! Beach re-nourishment is going to happen this summer, which is good news, but it won’t be as fast as originally thought. Should be in July now, instead of June. There will be opportunities for volunteers to replant the beach afterwards. My guess is sometime around September, but that is just a guess. How much sand would be left if we didn’t plant those sea oats? Not much, that’s for sure! The commission is always looking for ways to save money, but this time we are going in a direction that is divisive and I do not believe for this that there is majority support. The commission is going to see how much could be saved if we abolished our police department and contracted with the sheriff’s office. If Treasure Island were to do that, our charter requires not only a vote by the commission but also a vote by the voters so stay tuned. If it would happen, it will make headlines so it will be hard to miss. Our charter was designed in this fashion to make it hard to abolish either the police or fire departments for solely financial reasons. Treasure Island’s biggest financial drain, as you probably could guess, is our drawbridge. That is why I support a return of a bridge toll, even though it would be a long shot to implement. It looks like it is going to be a very busy summer!
February & March Newsletter
Click on the following link to Read the latest Sunset Beach Civic Association Newsletter:
Hello Sunset Beach! First off, I thank you all for your continued faith and confidence, as I was re-elected without opposition. However, we will be voting on a new US representative, on March 11th. Our state representative, Kathleen Peters, ran and lost in the Republican primary. She will remain our state rep as one does not have to resign a state seat by running for a federal seat. I can assure you that the commission is staying on top of the warranty issues with the cracks in the new beach walk. Is it just me, or does it seem like these tests are taking forever? We do have some good news on the beach, as we are still on schedule for our beach renourishment this May. The commission and the local planning agency (LPA) are working on a new zoning category, called “planned development” or PD. It is for 2 areas in the city; the Gators property (north end) and the hotel district on the west side of Gulf Blvd. Some say that there is more to it than increased height and/or density. I would say that without an increase in height and/or density, no developer would go through all the things necessary for PD without something in return. Experts in government and accounting say increased development, especially big, expensive projects, are a way to keep our tax rate low. Something to keep in mind when we are asked to vote for height and density increases.
That is all for now. Alan Bildz, Commissioner District 4
The schedule has not changed for our Sunset Beach sand renourishment project, and that is good news!
Anyone who has walked, or ridden a bike, on Treasure Island’s new beach walk has noticed that it is a bit cracked up. The commission is expected to get a report at the regular commission meeting on December 17th.
Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas and Happy, Prosperous New Year!
See you at the bonfire!
From Alan Bildz on September 29th, 2013: Hello Sunset Beach! Good news on the beach, we will be getting sand! Only question is when. All permits are approved and all money is in place. We even have an end of project date. All we need now is a start date, which we should be getting soon. The hold up is St Pete Beach. The Army Corps is going to combine these projects, as they usually do, to save mobilization costs. The budget for Treasure Island’s part is 11 million, so where ever they can save money they will. Look for dune planting opportunities after the sand arrives. The commission passed the annual budget with a 11% tax increase. It passed 3-2, with myself and commissioner Coward dissenting. The county also passed an increase, about 8%, so our tax bills will go up this year. Also a slight increase in the sewer and stormwater fee. However, the big news is all about property insurance. The federal government passed the Biggert/Waters Flood Insurance Act which will not allow for subsidized flood insurance. Funny thing is, the state of Florida pays more into this than it receives in payouts, and now we are being asked for even more. The city hosted a conference on this subject recently, and it is being replayed on TITV615. For buildings built below the base flood elevation, expect big increases, some are saying up to 10 times what we are paying now. If that is not bad enough, they are also re-writing the flood maps, so buildings that are above base flood right now may be designated to be below base flood in the re-write. There are also some other changes, such as a reduction in what is commonly called the 50% rule. And then Citizens is making changes, and when insurance companies make changes, we all know that we will be paying more. I hate to end on a sad note, so I’ll end with this. The sea turtles and birds love a wider beach, so let’s get that sand!
Hello Sunset Beach!
It has been a while so let’s get right into it. Have you noticed the beautiful new beach access signs? The 1993 oil spill grant has finally been settled, as it paid for the signs on Gulf Blvd. Treasure Island had to pick up the tab for West Gulf, but they all match. Other cities have inquired about these so I’m sure we will see them in other beach cities in the near future.
more