TAMPA — Hillsborough County commissioners Wednesday named an economic stimulus task force to study ways to create new jobs and make the county more competitive.
The 13-member task force includes economic development leaders and executives from technology, manufacturing, construction and financial services companies.
It could start meeting as soon as late next week, with a goal of starting to submit recommendations to the county in 60 to 90 days.
"I think we're a community in transition," said task force chairman Bob Abberger, a senior executive with the Trammell Crow development company's Florida operations. 'If there is a silver lining to a downturn, it does give us a chance to look at, 'Where do we want to be?' "
But several commissioners questioned how the task force was named, and one worried the group could seek to dismantle local environmental safeguards under the guise of stimulating the economy.
"That will raise seven red flags in my opinion," Commissioner Kevin Beckner said.
Beckner also called for meetings of the task force, tentatively scheduled for Friday mornings, to be televised and for the task force to allow the public to weigh in as it deliberates.
Beckner said he felt it was important that the group's work be open because of the possibility that economic stimulus benefits could flow to companies or industries with members on the task force.
Commission Chairman Ken Hagan, who proposed the task force last month, said he wanted to get a "fresh set of eyes and ideas" working on ways to make Hillsborough more competitive.
"If it involves efficiencies, I don't have a problem looking at regulatory processes," he said.
But the idea is not to deregulate environmental protections, he said. To the contrary, he said, sustainable growth will need to focus on green development.
"I hope that's the direction we're going to be going," he said.
Hagan named Abberger to be task force chairman, and Abberger and county staff members came up with a proposed list that included representatives of the Committee of 100 and Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. But the creation of the task force stalled after other commissioners questioned how the group was being put together.
Commissioners Beckner, Al Higginbotham, Mark Sharpe and Jim Norman ended up naming members to the task force, officials said. Hagan conceded that the process could have been handled better, but said everyone suggested by any commissioner was added to the group.
In an unrelated matter, commissioners declined to schedule a referendum on a proposal to make it harder to change Hillsborough County's charter.
They considered asking voters to change the charter so that it would take a 60 percent vote to approve any future charter amendments. That would have made it harder to create a county mayor, among other things. But two local activists opposed the idea.
"I don't think it's needed, and I think it's going to have adverse affects on African-American voters," activist Gerald White said.
Instead, commissioners voted to refer the idea to the county's charter review board, which meets every five years. It is set to meet next year and has the power to put proposed amendments on the ballot.
Task Force members:
• Bob Abberger (chair) — senior managing director for Florida development investment for Trammell Crow.
• Ken Hagan (vice chair) — Hillsborough County Commission chairman.
• Mark House — Committee of 100, managing director of the Beck Group architecture and development firm.
• Henry Gonzalez III — Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce chair, Bank of Tampa.
• Dr. Stephen Klasko — Dean of the University of South Florida Medical School.
• Charles Sykes — Sykes Enterprises global call center business.
• Dr. William Dalton — CEO, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.
• Mary Ann Fullerton — Vice President, JPMorgan Chase.
• Chuck Black — President of Tampa Electric Co.
• John Lenyo — President, CAE USA Inc., manufacturers of flight simulators.
• Stuart Rogel — CEO, Tampa Bay Partnership, a regional, seven-county economic development group.
• Dr. Jack Rechcigl — University of Florida professor of soil and water science, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Gulf Coast Research Center, Wimauma.
News
