Anyone read this from the Daily news?
Okaloosa considering increase in bed tax, new authority to fund lifeguards
JEFF AYRES
Tuesday July 24th, 2007
With Okaloosa County facing reduced property tax revenue, officials are looking for new ways, including possibly adding to the bed tax, to fund lifeguards and other beach safety programs on Okaloosa Island and in Destin.
A working group will begin meeting soon to see what other funding mechanisms exist.
The group includes Okaloosa County Administrator Jim Curry; county Public Safety Director Dino Villani; Destin City Manager Greg Kisela; Tourist Development Council member Mike Minich; and Destin Fire Chief Tuffy Dixon.
The panel will look at a host of options because local governments typically cite public safety programs as the last things they want to cut from their budgets.
However, that doesn?t mean programs such as beach safety are safe from trimming, Kisela said.
?Everything we do is going to be looked at,? he said. ?There aren?t going to be any sacred cows.?
Alternate funding possibilities include adding a fifth cent to the county?s bed tax and forming a municipal services benefit unit, in which properties benefiting from a particular project pay a fee for it.
Darrel Jones, executive director of Okaloosa County?s TDC, says an extra cent on the bed tax probably wouldn?t be enough to fund beach safety programs adequately.
State law prohibits using TDC funds directly for lifeguards and other beach safety programs.
In a letter to Okaloosa County commissioners, Destin resident Terry Trojan, head of the Citizens for Healthy Beaches group, said the prospect of a fifth cent is ?alarming? and urged the county to find another way to fund beach safety.
But Okaloosa officials are encouraged by Walton County?s practice of using TDC funds for beach safety education programs that include lifeguards.
?The TDC (funding) is an option, because it?s being done to the east of us,? Villani said, although county officials concede that research must be done on the legality of using TDC funds for beach safety.
Walton County TDC officials [Notice no quote here] say lifeguards there focus more on education about warning flags and other safety measures than on water rescues. Huh???
They say the state has yet to question the use of TDC funds for that purpose.
You got to be kiddin me right? It's OK to do it until someone catches you?? That's not what I teach my kid.
Jones said there?s the possibility some money now being used for the Emerald Coast Conference Center could be diverted to beach safety, if necessary.
He couldn?t say how much money would be involved.
********************************************
OK...OK....Then maybe you've seen this
Attorney General Opinion No. 90-55
In 1990, the attorney for Nassau County requested an opinion
concerning whether Nassau County might be able to use tourist development tax funds pursuant to s. 125.0104(5)(a)4., F.S.,[state statutes TDC must follow projects for which. tourist development tax revenues may be spent]
to fund:
(a) the construction of beach parks;
(b) additional Sheriff's patrols and lifeguards
on the beach;
(c) the building and maintenance of sanitary
facilities on or near the beach.
The Attorney General's opinion was that Nassau Countywas not
authorized by s. 125.0104(5)(a)4., F.S., to use tourist development tax
revenues to construct beach parks, fund additional law enforcement patrols
(for which he referred to AGO 90-14) or lifeguards on the beach, or build and
maintain sanitary facilities on or near the beach.
Note: Current law allows the revenues to be used to finance beach
park facilities. In counties having a total population less than 100,000,
no more than 10 percent of tourist development tax revenues may be
used for beach park facilities.
Alright, so the Attorney general of the state of Florida says no to using TDC funds for lifeguards and they are doing it anyway because they haven't been caught yet? Am I reading this right?
OK let's see just what $960,000 dollars gets us shall we. Don't worry it's not costing you a dime right? It's the tourists that are paying..right? Yea and when I go to the smoky mountains for a week and it cost me 12 cents on the dollar for taxes it aint costing me none..right? You think were the only one with a TDC?
Never the less, back to the topic at hand...after talking to lifeguards and fire department personnel [who love the program by the way, just ask them how much they enjoy taking a dozen fire trucks out twice a day to change beach flags while the beach safety director and his lifeguards sit on their butts, oh and did I say the TDC is down on the beach twice a day already to empty garbage cans?] it seems that most of the equipment bought for them ie?Polaris vehicles, 800 radios, FD radios and the like are broken, lost or in a sad state of disrepair. Oh by the way, how many gallons per mile does a fire truck get anyway?
Who the heck is running this show you ask? Oh yea Gary ?Dingo one? Wise AKA superman. I asked the same lifeguard at Inlet beach when was the last time he had seen him and he said 4 weeks ago. That was when he showed up at 11:15 ?But aren?t you guys supposed to be here at ten in the morning?? I asked to which he just shrugged. I feel safer already.
Speaking of Gary I like all of the photos of him in the Walton Sun surfing, kayaking, etc...if I drown within 100 yards of him maybe he can help otherwise he ought to be out patrolling the 26 miles of beach he is supposed to be keeping safe, after all, he has that nice brand new truck they brought for him or is that just a free taxi for his family. At 86.00 a barrel a free gas card is worth its weight in gold. Goodday? mate.
So on to the most exciting question?..
?How much is one life worth?? or
?What if it was your child??
Sorry, posting a lifeguard every five miles on a Florida coastline is like posting a Border patrolman every five miles and thinking it is going to stop the illegals from coming over the border. Whoops sorry?that?s another post.
If you could put a cop on every corner it may deter crime or a LG every quarter mile to help save lives until then it?s just window dressing.
Do you want safety or the illusion of safety?
It's called free will people this is America make your own choices and be responsible for your actions.
From some of this you may think I?m against the lifeguard program but nothing is further from the truth. If it?s going to be done it needs to be legally funded, using adequately trained personnel with the proper oversight. Last I heard of Gary he was at a lifeguard award party where seven tickets were given out for underage drinking, now that?s leadership!
Okaloosa considering increase in bed tax, new authority to fund lifeguards
JEFF AYRES
Tuesday July 24th, 2007
With Okaloosa County facing reduced property tax revenue, officials are looking for new ways, including possibly adding to the bed tax, to fund lifeguards and other beach safety programs on Okaloosa Island and in Destin.
A working group will begin meeting soon to see what other funding mechanisms exist.
The group includes Okaloosa County Administrator Jim Curry; county Public Safety Director Dino Villani; Destin City Manager Greg Kisela; Tourist Development Council member Mike Minich; and Destin Fire Chief Tuffy Dixon.
The panel will look at a host of options because local governments typically cite public safety programs as the last things they want to cut from their budgets.
However, that doesn?t mean programs such as beach safety are safe from trimming, Kisela said.
?Everything we do is going to be looked at,? he said. ?There aren?t going to be any sacred cows.?
Alternate funding possibilities include adding a fifth cent to the county?s bed tax and forming a municipal services benefit unit, in which properties benefiting from a particular project pay a fee for it.
Darrel Jones, executive director of Okaloosa County?s TDC, says an extra cent on the bed tax probably wouldn?t be enough to fund beach safety programs adequately.
State law prohibits using TDC funds directly for lifeguards and other beach safety programs.
In a letter to Okaloosa County commissioners, Destin resident Terry Trojan, head of the Citizens for Healthy Beaches group, said the prospect of a fifth cent is ?alarming? and urged the county to find another way to fund beach safety.
But Okaloosa officials are encouraged by Walton County?s practice of using TDC funds for beach safety education programs that include lifeguards.
?The TDC (funding) is an option, because it?s being done to the east of us,? Villani said, although county officials concede that research must be done on the legality of using TDC funds for beach safety.
Walton County TDC officials [Notice no quote here] say lifeguards there focus more on education about warning flags and other safety measures than on water rescues. Huh???
They say the state has yet to question the use of TDC funds for that purpose.
You got to be kiddin me right? It's OK to do it until someone catches you?? That's not what I teach my kid.
Jones said there?s the possibility some money now being used for the Emerald Coast Conference Center could be diverted to beach safety, if necessary.
He couldn?t say how much money would be involved.
********************************************
OK...OK....Then maybe you've seen this
Attorney General Opinion No. 90-55
In 1990, the attorney for Nassau County requested an opinion
concerning whether Nassau County might be able to use tourist development tax funds pursuant to s. 125.0104(5)(a)4., F.S.,[state statutes TDC must follow projects for which. tourist development tax revenues may be spent]
to fund:
(a) the construction of beach parks;
(b) additional Sheriff's patrols and lifeguards
on the beach;
(c) the building and maintenance of sanitary
facilities on or near the beach.
The Attorney General's opinion was that Nassau Countywas not
authorized by s. 125.0104(5)(a)4., F.S., to use tourist development tax
revenues to construct beach parks, fund additional law enforcement patrols
(for which he referred to AGO 90-14) or lifeguards on the beach, or build and
maintain sanitary facilities on or near the beach.
Note: Current law allows the revenues to be used to finance beach
park facilities. In counties having a total population less than 100,000,
no more than 10 percent of tourist development tax revenues may be
used for beach park facilities.
Alright, so the Attorney general of the state of Florida says no to using TDC funds for lifeguards and they are doing it anyway because they haven't been caught yet? Am I reading this right?
OK let's see just what $960,000 dollars gets us shall we. Don't worry it's not costing you a dime right? It's the tourists that are paying..right? Yea and when I go to the smoky mountains for a week and it cost me 12 cents on the dollar for taxes it aint costing me none..right? You think were the only one with a TDC?
Never the less, back to the topic at hand...after talking to lifeguards and fire department personnel [who love the program by the way, just ask them how much they enjoy taking a dozen fire trucks out twice a day to change beach flags while the beach safety director and his lifeguards sit on their butts, oh and did I say the TDC is down on the beach twice a day already to empty garbage cans?] it seems that most of the equipment bought for them ie?Polaris vehicles, 800 radios, FD radios and the like are broken, lost or in a sad state of disrepair. Oh by the way, how many gallons per mile does a fire truck get anyway?
Who the heck is running this show you ask? Oh yea Gary ?Dingo one? Wise AKA superman. I asked the same lifeguard at Inlet beach when was the last time he had seen him and he said 4 weeks ago. That was when he showed up at 11:15 ?But aren?t you guys supposed to be here at ten in the morning?? I asked to which he just shrugged. I feel safer already.
Speaking of Gary I like all of the photos of him in the Walton Sun surfing, kayaking, etc...if I drown within 100 yards of him maybe he can help otherwise he ought to be out patrolling the 26 miles of beach he is supposed to be keeping safe, after all, he has that nice brand new truck they brought for him or is that just a free taxi for his family. At 86.00 a barrel a free gas card is worth its weight in gold. Goodday? mate.
So on to the most exciting question?..
?How much is one life worth?? or
?What if it was your child??
Sorry, posting a lifeguard every five miles on a Florida coastline is like posting a Border patrolman every five miles and thinking it is going to stop the illegals from coming over the border. Whoops sorry?that?s another post.
If you could put a cop on every corner it may deter crime or a LG every quarter mile to help save lives until then it?s just window dressing.
Do you want safety or the illusion of safety?
It's called free will people this is America make your own choices and be responsible for your actions.
From some of this you may think I?m against the lifeguard program but nothing is further from the truth. If it?s going to be done it needs to be legally funded, using adequately trained personnel with the proper oversight. Last I heard of Gary he was at a lifeguard award party where seven tickets were given out for underage drinking, now that?s leadership!
tiredtaxpayer 
We want safety. Thanks for asking. 
