Robin ‘Roblimo’ Miller’s Personal Web Site

So far, all the plans I’ve read about for raising impact fees on new construction here have been based on the size of the house, measured in terms of how many bedrooms and bathrooms it contains. The most recent proposal I’ve seen would increase the county’s impact fee (which does not include additional impact fees levied to finance schools, drainage, fire protection, and other costs) to nearly $9800 for a three-bedroom house, up from the current $5500 or so. Not only that, under the new plan builders would need to cough up the entire fee before they got a building permit instead of after they complete construction. Builders are (duh!) whining about the idea of increasing impact fees. They claim adding more fees to the price of the median home here — currently pegged at $322,700 — will put home ownership even farther out of reach for working people than it is now. They’re right in a way, but I notice that none of the builder people are publically touting any alternative plans. Luckily, I have one for them. But I’m afraid it’s so sensible that both the builders and the County Commision will turn it down without a thought.
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You’d never know from reading either the Bradenton-is-no-longer-part-of-our-name Herald or the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that the Bradenton Police rank and file are busily negotiating a new employment contract with the city. But they are, and several officers I’ve talked to have said they are depressed by the lack of citizen support for them in these negotiations. “The citizens don’t know you’re trying to get not only a little higher salary but also better staffing so you can fight crime better,” is what I reply, and what I hear in return to that is, “The only time the papers write about police here is when one of our guys screws up.” There is some truth to this. So let’s go, newspapers. Let’s show our police force that reporters, editors and most citizens would rather boost than bash them — and that we want our police to be paid decently, get decent benefits, and have enough staff that they can do proactive neighborhood crime-fighting instead of running from call to call all the time.

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The controversial oil company-sponsored (i.e. astroturf) YouTube video, Al Gore’s Penguin Army, misuses the famous Linux mascot, Tux. And no credit is given to Tux’s creator, Larry Ewing. Shame, shame, shame!