Transparency-Not Pablum

In the August 5th issue of the Apalachicola Times, there is a front-page article titled “County to lower millage, boost pay”. Headlines tell you a lot about the story below. The title will either invite you to read further or inform you that all is well, nothing to read, move on. This Headline, very similar to last year, masks a problem that deserves public scrutiny. We see three problems:

A better headline might have been “COUNTY TAXES TO RISE FOR 7TH STRAIGHT YEAR”

Millage is unimportant to taxpayers. Only the amount of their tax bill is.

The example cited used a hypothetical $150,000 homesteaded home which includes a $50,000 tax exemption. Therefore, the house is being taxed on $100,000 in value. When paired with the Save Our Homes property tax restriction, that home could have a net decrease in taxes of about $20. But the thousands of non-homesteaded homes homesteaded homes over $150,000 of assessed value, new homes, land, and commercial properties will face big increases!

An alternate headline should have been:

“NEW COUNTY BUDGET TO SPEND ADDITIONAL ONE MILLION DOLLARS OVER LAST YEAR”

I attended the Budget Workshop with its rapid-fire budget approvals. The people who put the budget together do what they are told. Some departments have well-founded salary demands, some don’t. But a good cost accountant could take a million dollars out of the budget with no sacrifice of service. Without passing judgment on anyone's individual budget decision, we state that Commissioners fail miserably by not requiring a zero-based budget process that would require overall budget rigor. We see each Constitutional Officers and Department heads being asked what they need and then getting it without challenge. For example, a department asked for and was granted the funds for a new vehicle or piece of equipment in one year. In the next year, their budget remains at the same level with the funds for the vehicle/equipment still included. Compounded each year this happens; a department’s budget becomes padded with extra taxpayer dollars. Multiply this by several departments and Constitutional Officers and you can see how truly bloated the county’s budget has become.

The County has a secret they don’t want you to know about. The county has many other funding sources in addition to your collected AD Valorem taxes. Those additional funds are growing exponentially and help to explain why Commissioners again feel empowered to add record numbers of new employees, vehicles, and equipment in this latest new budget.

Because we have carefully watched the budget process for almost 20 years, we want to remind everyone of the cyclical nature of the county’s economy. This year, we are seeing a rise in property assessments of nearly 8%. But this could reverse itself, as has happened in the past. One hurricane, a contraction of the national economy, or Washington turning off the money spigot can quickly create a budget shortfall.

Commissioners, we implore you to not raise taxes for anyone this year and return to the rollback rate. When will you learn to live off what you bring in and not kill the golden goose as you have in the past? Franklin remains one of the 10 highest Property Taxing entities (per capita) in the State. Stop the self-serving expansion of County government.

Only taxpayers can and must inform their commissioners that property tax increases are not acceptable and that zero-based budgets should become this county’s operating standard. Write a letter, attend a meeting, pick up the phone and contact your commissioner. It’s up to you.

Two Budget Adoption hearings are required to pass the proposed budget. They are scheduled for September 7th and 21st, both at 5:15. I hope you will consider attending and making your voice heard.

God Bless America and all of you, with a special prayer for those trapped in Afghanistan!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner Jessica Ward - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-9783

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Hello Friends:

This Thursday, July 29th at 9:00 a.m. I will be attending this year’s budget discussion. In summary, while the tax base grew a lot, Commissioners are still likely to raise taxes significantly. It is our judgment that there is not a good reason to raise taxes or to change the millage rate above the roll-back rate which would bring in the same amount of money as the current year. Commissioners play games, telling them that they have been great stewards of the Public Trust and have lowered the millage rate. It’s only later when you get an increased tax bill that you realize that you’ve been had.

I just got my copy of the proposed budget and here’s a few topline details for you to know:

1. The Proposed Budget is slated to rise from $62 million to $77 million. But that number is likely to rise as a new Compensation plan was introduced at the last Commission meeting calling for a $1.2 million increase over four years to replace the annual bonusing system now in place. There will be other items talked about and likely added that will increase the final budget.
2. For the first time in many years, we see several new positions added. Last year the County received a lot of extra money from Covid-19 funds and spending went through the roof. Without that money this year, new tax money is needed to keep up the spending level.
3. We have never seen Capital Spending at this pace. Roughly 20 pieces of equipment and vehicles are being requested; well above past budgets.
4. The Sheriff is asking for a 5% increase that reflects an 8% increase in personnel costs. We have not spoken to the Sheriff, but certain items just jump out at you like $32,000 a year for emails. We have a lot of respect for the Sheriff, but we always must keep in mind that he advocates for his people as he should. Commissioners need to scrutinize all Constitutionals and not take their word as final fact. It is a Constitutional Responsibility of Commissioners to approve Constitutional Officers’ budgets. I regret to inform you, that they largely avoid the responsibility to do a deep dive into their budgets.
5. The Property Appraiser’s budget request is puzzling. There is no increase in budget but a $120,000 increase in Regular Class RET employees. Why? Why are computer hosting costs so high at $8,000 a year? The Franklin County Property Appraiser cost is the highest per capital in our area by far. Why?
6. Large increase in Travel, Postage, Freight, Repairs and Maintenance in many budgets.
7. I know that the staff that puts these budgets together are fantastic. However, I question whether anyone does what we do and look at budget requests afterwards and does a sanity check. There are obvious areas of concern and its not beyond one or more individuals to pad their budgets. We believe some submitted budgets could use a thorough scrubbing to eliminate waste, unequal pay requests and in one or two cases, too large a headcount.
8. To our knowledge, no one looks at actual spending in the current year to compare against new budget requests and asks for justification. New budgets just build on old budgets.
9. Parks and Recreation is requesting a 6.75% increase. 14% increase in Regular Class Employees. Almost a tripling of costs for Youth Support Activities. We worry that in supporting youth activities and spending on trips, dinners and travel without requiring the kids and their parents to do any fundraising sends the wrong message that everything should be free. 40% increase in Operating Supplies, 25% increase in Operating Expense. Not exactly belt tightening!
10. Building Department Operating supplies increased by 80%.
11. Auditor request a 3.5% increase this year. We believe that a Request for Proposal should go out anytime someone increases their annual fee. In regards to this Auditor, there have been too many issues over the years that in our opinion that were missed. One or two became criminal issues later. We’d like to see a new Auditor look at the County with fresh eyes.
12. This will be a touchy subject. Employee Health Insurance. Study whether our policy and copays by employees is above or below other counties. We suspect that there might not be enough cost sharing by employees. The county is proposing $1.6 million for health insurance this year. It needs to be looked at.

In the final analysis, it is citizens like you that either rubberstamp county spending and policies by assuming someone else will look after your interests or you decide to participate in some form of fashion. The CCFC is only effective if backed by you. Call or write your representative and let them know you are taxed enough (for your convenience, below my signature is their contact information). Franklin County is always in the top five list of county taxing per capita. I expect this year to be the same.

Please let me have your comments and hope to see you Thursday.

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God Bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner Jessica Ward - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-9783

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Political Suppression by the Commissioners Court

Hello Friends:

Is Franklin County more or less the same as most other counties? Specifically, do most county leaders check their ethics at the door when they get elected? Or, do they just look at things differently than if they were looking in from the outside? I wonder. After viewing and interacting with all kinds of politicians over the years, few share the traits of being open, inviting, honest but also are competent. Yes, there are always exceptions to the rules and the degree to which some will put their own needs ahead of the people they are sworn to serve.

We have two issues to put before you today. One, the continued inability to access our leaders in a traditional forum. And two, the problem with attracting enough competent and reliable County Board Members. Let’s begin.

If it’s the first or third Tuesday of the month, I’ve blocked that day to attend the County Commission meeting. Finally, after more than a year, you can attend in person…with conditions I find difficult to swallow. I was looking forward to finally getting back. In the last 17 years I’ve attended over 320 meetings. I do a write-up of each meeting for the CCFC Board. For the last year, I’ve watched, sometimes unsuccessfully virtual meetings. I’ve watched Commissioners go about the County business in the sterile atmosphere of a yellow and black taped room that reeks of fear. I’ve seen Politician’s wear masks on camera, and when the cameras are off, so are the masks. It seems Virtue Signaling has invaded Franklin County as well. If I find it difficult to return to the new “sanitized” Commission Chambers, I suspect others might as well.

A free people have the right to seek to redress their grievances to their leaders.

Wikipedia States:

A free people have the right to petition is guaranteed by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which specifically prohibits Congress from abridging "the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".

Although often overlooked in favor of other more famous freedoms, and sometimes taken for granted, many other civil liberties are enforceable against the government only by exercising this basic right first."

This applies to the Franklin County Commission and their Boards as well. There has been an ominous change in Franklin County over the past several years. Commissioners by and through their actions have decreased access to public meetings using various excuses, Covid-19 being only the most recent one.

Wakulla County, amongst the many other Florida Counties that does get it right should be the model for Franklin County.

Here’s the differences between Wakulla and Franklin County:

General Look and Feel

Franklin: Closed off (sit here, not there) and public not really encouraged to attend.

Wakulla: Encouraged to attend, sit anywhere you want.

Scheduled Meetings

Franklin: Only held in one place during the work day. Not centralized for easy access for all.

Wakulla: Held at the end of the work day, thereby encouraging participation

Addressing the Commission

Franklin: Must fill out a virtual speaker card prior to the meeting

Wakulla: Fill out a speaker card before or during the meeting

Time available to speak

Franklin: 3 minutes for general public during public comments and 1 minute if addressing an item on the agenda, or less at the discretion of the Chair

Wakulla: 3 minutes whenever addressing the Commission

Handouts and Documents for the Commissioners

Franklin: Must be turned in by the previous Thursday

Wakulla: Before or during the Commission Meeting

Number of Citizens Speaking

Franklin: Typically, less than three and mostly zero, one or two.

Wakulla: Typically, 15-25

Open to All

Franklin: Capacity limited to a few

Wakulla: Yes

The above policies serve to build a wall between the people and the government they have elected. It helps to tamp down criticism and empowers the Commission to believe they have widespread support when they may not. It allows profligate spending in a virtual darkness. It does the opposite of encouraging citizen participation and, if you have been listening, you can see the number of actual citizens speaking is typically from zero to three. Hardly a reason for such draconian rules.

We are a frequent writer in support of an open and inviting government which fully embraces the concept that citizens often have good ideas to contribute on behalf of their communities. As we get past Covid, it’s also time to get past policies that shield commission leaders from public scrutiny. Prove your legitimacy by defending your positions and policies. Debate between citizens and their leaders is healthy! Encourage the return to Open Government we are guaranteed under law. Be available to explain and defend positions and policies in full view of the public voters and constituents.

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The County has four citizen advisory boards: Hospital, Tourist Development, Planning & Zoning and Board of Adjustment and until recently, an Airport Advisory Board as well. I know a few on each board. Competency is very uneven with novices to excellent. We see there being several problems that prevent good people from applying for these positions of responsibility and leadership.

1. Politics. Killing the Airport Advisory Board was not unanimous and was orchestrated by one Commissioner who did not like the professional advice given. The other Boards are similarly worried about offending their “Bosses.”
2. Commissioners pick someone from their own Districts instead of picking the most competent and professional citizens available. This dissuades the best and brightest from seriously considering volunteering for any board spot.
3. It’s a thankless job. Not only do you not get paid, you know that you will have a target painted on your back if you don’t do your Commissioner’s bidding too often. There’s no reward offered in any form.

We would suggest the following to reform all four County Boards:

1. Take the politics out and restart the Airport Advisory Board. If you don’t like the direction the APAB is going, have Staff write Policies and create Vision Statements that set the boundaries for the Board. Note: Must be public and transparent to ensure that no special interests are being served.
2. Reward Board Members publicly. Pay a stipend, offer insurance, buy them a meal or have an Awards Banquet once a year at a minimum.
3. Back your competent Board Members publicly by sticking to Staff and Board recommendations almost every time.
4. Open Board positions to all Franklin County citizens instead of selecting by District. Give a preference for District representation but appoint the man/woman most likely to be professional and who will show up.
5. Establish rules for Board Members. Miss three unexcused meetings a year and you’re off the Board.

Too often, the obvious does not happen in an environment where mediocrity is rewarded over competence. Franklin County needs competency over the “This is the way we’ve always done it” mentality.

We can do better!

God Bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner Jessica Ward - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-9783

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!

Hello Friends:

Community Service is its own reward. When I started as President of Concerned Citizens many years ago, I had no idea what we could or would achieve. It’s a somewhat different county than it was a few years ago. Still very reluctant to make changes that favor normal citizen, the rank and file of Franklin County and still largely run as Commissioner’s personal fiefdoms. Only you can change that. And here’s my pitch for today:

We need you to help us keep up the fight. We need more of everything. We need more Board Members, specialists in legal, accounting, medical professionals, school policy and more. If you have ever thought of volunteering and have specific skills, I’d like to hear from you personally. We are in particular need of a research assistant for yours truly! Hours will never be long and the rewards will be few, but collectively we make a difference.

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Our discussion today:

Five “Must Haves” that Helps Local Government Excel

The amount of training that a Commissioner receives should be a conscientious obligation of each Commissioner. Some choose to take educational classes offered by county and statewide organizations, but some take only the minimum. Classes can make a good elected official excellent, but the beginning foundation must be a good one. Good government leadership is never perfect nor even always definable.

Look at these five pillars. Use them when speaking to your own Commissioner.

1. Leadership: We have a representative form of government. We should try and elect individuals smarter than ourselves who can articulate a positive vision of leadership throughout our county agencies and personnel. We study how leaders plan to strive for positive changes that will help to enact their vision. Such elected leadership should NOT be about 5-0 unanimous decisions that simply pick the lowest common denominator. 5-0 decisions frequently are the worst solutions. Popularity risks may need to be taken. If getting along with everyone is your litmus test, you have already failed the leadership test.
2. Economics: Leaders must have and develop further knowledge together with the ability to process it all. Such knowledge must be made understandable, relating to the county they lead. Why is Franklin County one of the highest spending counties in the State (per capita) when we are one of the “poorest” according to what everyone says? Wakulla County’s budget is about $84 million for 34,000 people ($2,470.59 per capita) Gulf County’s is $56 million for about 13,600 ($4,117.65) while Franklin County’s budget of $62 million for the 12,100residents and taxpayers’ totals ($5,123.97). Proportionality, Franklin County is always higher per capita for a variety of factors. One such factors is the amount of money Franklin County controls due to its exceptional success obtaining Grant Money as well as the designation by the State as “Fiscally Constrained.” This designation permits us to pay less of a “share” for projects that most other counties pay. On the surface, this may seem good for the citizens of Franklin County, but that has not held true. County population is not growing and our financial prospects have not matched the least optimistic economic development hopes. Do you agree?
3. Planning: None of our current or recent past Commissioners have created a through, carefully thought out and vetted plan to raise the economic standing of the county. Taxes on wealthier areas of the county continue to increase without positive changes being made. What do you see that, in fact, raises any hope of a totally new tomorrow within our boundaries? Has a vigorous, aggressive, imaginative five, ten- or twenty-year plan been created? Excellent public resources are available through state agencies, the regional planning group or even respected private consultants, even the CCFC. We see an opportunity lost.
4. People: The greatest resource of all can be our people! Constituents of our five commissioners may hatch some of the best new idea for our county’s future development. Such future-thinking ideas certainly don’t revolve around defending the long-beleaguered hospital or building yet another ball field. What fresh, new and positive outreach ideas are being bought forth? Why do Commissioners consistently deprecate national CEO’s, developers with national reputations and highly successful entrepreneurs including locals? Why only support the traditional ways of making a living here engendering hostility to change in general. Some Commissioners have been rude, humiliating, degrading, condescending and even offensive to constituents. As a recent example, the reformation of an Airport Advisory Committee (proposed of local hands-on users and experts) was quashed in a powerplay very evident to anyone listening to the exchange. Throwing away the combined, cost-free 60 years of aviation management offered into the gutter was irresponsible and unconscionable. Commissioners, please accommodate and even encourage citizen involvement whenever you can. That is a good thing, not something to be feared, avoided, unheard or even unsolicited.
5. Representation: Understanding whom and what you represent should be the first responsibility of Commissioners as well as county leaders and employees. There’s no magic to running a small county. A good staff with a star or two already exists. But some adjusting is needed at the margins. Citizens must demand better future outcomes of elected officials who ultimately oversee all county operations. Shouldn’t the real report card be how well our county moved forward successfully into the future before you are returned to office? We do not believe that the family card should play a role in our county’s future.

Property values are likely to be higher this year. Will Commissioners still continue to increase demands on taxpayers again this year, the sixth year in a row? There has been no public accounting of how much public Covid money the County received. We have reason to believe it was substantial, perhaps in the millions???

The CCFC would like to see a reduction of spending for the next budget cycle rather the increases we have had for the last five years. There continue to be far too many properties sold on the courthouse steps because people can no longer afford constantly rising taxes. Whether a tax bill is $150 a year or $40,000, as one person told me, “It matters.”

Commissioners, will you reach out and join hands with your citizenry and other experts this year, or just ignore, dismiss, reject, disregard, insult, discount, snub us all? You have been elected to oversee the operations of our county in all aspects of success or failure. We want you to succeed, but you don’t have to do it alone, or “the way we’ve always done it,” It’s your call.

Lastly, we are at the end of our 2021 Membership Campaign. Please, please consider joining and send us your dues payment today, while you are still thinking about it. Remember to add your email address with your check to the address below. Your numbers and financial support are vital to the CCFC continuing being your county watchdog. Dues are not tax deductible. Let us fight for you and your quiet enjoyment!

God bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner Jessica Ward - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-9783

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!

Hello Friends:

With the commencement of a New Year, we believe there are certain challenges and opportunities that present themselves on behalf of our County and School System. Few good things happen by happenstance. Instead, an Agenda must be created to identify and address the issues we believe matter the most to you and us. We’d like to share with you our Top 10 list of priorities we believe deserve a focus on change for our County. Listed from easiest to hardest:

1. End smoking on any county or school owned property. Just because a few county leaders smoke, they demonstrate themselves as terrible role models by doing so, it’s inappropriate to allow smoking on any County or School property.
2. Identify and end the waste of time of County and School computers by employees using Facebook, eBay, Amazon and other such sites when they are easily blocked. Several years ago, the CCFC made a request to understand if this was a problem or not. Computer logs showed these three sites exceeded 30% of County bandwidth at that time. We suspect that personal use of computers and employee time wasted has only increased over time.
3. Arrange greater accessibility to meetings. The BOCC has demonstrated it is stubbornly OPPOSED to meeting at night, and also meeting in outlying locations periodically. It is a slap in the face to the public that their accommodation is not considered when arranging meetings to better engage with the citizenry.
4. We have new leadership in the School System. While it may take some time to turn the Educational System of Franklin County around, let’s not be like someone on a diet that refuses to look at a scale until he/she thinks they have lost a few pounds first. Let’s be honest with the public; establish where we are and what success looks like. Real metrics must be created and made public to keep the public engaged. Citizens and even the School Board must be able to compare and contrast ongoing progress or failure if that’s what has happened on a quarterly basis. It’s about being intellectually honest.
5. Recently, Erin Griffith was appointed to a number of titled positions that essentially made her the County’s Chief Financial Officer. It is the CCFC’s position that there is insufficient oversight of Departmental and Constitutional purchases. Some purchases approach $1 million. We’d like to suggest that Ms. Griffith must counter sign county purchases that will exceed $10,000.
6. There has never been(to our knowledge) an internal audit of accessible/spendable miscellaneous funds being held with an easy-to-understand explanation of the purpose of this or that Fund or bank account and why it is maintained. Having been involved with the budget process for years, we can attest that there is no introspection of those funds and usually they are never mentioned.We know of at least one large six figure fund that has not changed or been accessed in years.Why?
7. It is long past time for us to professionalize the Economic Development function and give that responsibility to a single individual and make them accountable. The fact that we have a fragile three-legged economics tool, relying on tourism, aa fickle seafood industry and construction to support our workers. Alone these industries cannot offer the proper long-term financial opportunities we must have.
8. In recent years we have increased the County millage rate above the Rollback. The county gives written instruction each year to their Departments and Constitutionals to turn in a budget without raises nor increased budgets and then talks about those additional budget requests at each year’s Budget Workshop. Then pay increases are added at the very end of the Budgeting process. We who watch the county budget process carefully see that County department employees are underfunded compared to Constitutional Departments who frequently take additional bonuses and raises on top of county increase. This creates animosity and a general sense of unfairness throughout the county ranks. Zero based budgeting should be standard to make sure each department does not become its own fiefdom as some have. The budgeting process is broken
9. Weems Hospital needs to come clean. Recently, an individual with COVID came to Weems but was not allowed to enter. Apparently, a Doctor went outside, gave that person a Steroid shot,then sent them home. Weems took millions of dollars for COVID Stimulus and doesn’t actually do anything to support COVID patients. The fraud that Weems is a full-service hospital must no longer be advertised to the public by County Commissioners who also have stopped reporting Weems finances publicly. Weems is losing hundreds of thousands of dollars each month. Commissioners need to honestly understand that sometime in the next year ortwo, Weems will run out of money. The new County Budget Director Erin Griffith needs to be given honest monthly numbers and trend analysis so that she can provide reliable numbers and metrics to Commissioners for information and future action as required. We are prepared to help in that analysis.
10. Every five years, every department and constitutional office should have a forensic audit to look at efficiency, best practice compliance and to make sure that they are complying with state rules and audit procedures. This is much more important and invasive than the existing required audit procedures. Such Forensic Audits are regularly done by many other counties.

We could write another 25 bullets,but just these ten, if actually discussed and implemented would go a long way towards reduction of taxes to our citizens and serve to improve public confidence.

WE are in the middle of our 2021 Membership Campaign. Please, please consider joining CCFC and send us your dues payment today, while you are still thinking about how our county behaves. Remember to add your email address with your check AND SEND to the address below. Dues are not tax deductible; our membership numbers and your financial support are vital to the CCFC continuing being your county watchdog.

God bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner Jessica Ward - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-9783

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!

Good Morning Friends:

Quality local government leadership and opportunities for participation have never been as challenged as they are today.

We want to be very specific in our comments and avoid politics. We have terrible problems with our schools that predate the current COVID crisis and are reflected in some of the highest spending per pupil in the state and have the worst results. Our ABC School is excluded from this criticism. It’s a fact that cannot be glossed over. Undertake all the excuse making you can, the results are in the grades and financial numbers. The worst numbers are those of young people that lost opportunities through school neglect and/or lack of parental support. We need quality, child centered leaders.

Our county government has completely failed us on economic development, honesty in government, transparency and our pet favorite… access to our commissioners. Ask your Commissioner this simple question: Why is the County Government budget being raised by $4 million this year? Bet you won’t get an easy to understand, straight forward answer to your question. The criticism we have also extends to some Constitutional Offices that received way too much funding. But I don’t blame them as much as the Commissioners since the Florida Constitution charges Commissioners with determining the correctness of submitted budgets. They don’t.

The Attorney General of Florida determined that citizens have a Constitutional Right to access and address, to have two-way discussions with our leaders. Yet, in 2018 Commissioners changed the existing Policy of allowing citizens to talk to their leaders at the beginning of each Meeting and Workshop and to again address Commissioners in a dialogue before each and every vote is taken. The best way to understand what existed then and what does not exist today is that we had participatory government through 2018 before existing commissioners decided to ask the County Attorney to craft a new policy to limit citizen participation to the strictest legal interpretation possible. Why? The CCFC provided leaders with the policies of all counties neighboring us and beyond, who by and large continue to this day the ability of citizens to participate in government. We give Franklin County Government an F in openness.

The lack of professionalism in how decisions are made, the dearth of citizen input, important polices waived whenever commissioners like and the chutzpah of individual Commissioners has led to:

• Unfair labor policies that reward people not for the work they do, but whether they are Constitutional employees or work for the Commissioners who have let the gap in pay become unconscionable.
• Running a hospital that loses money each and every month over available subsidies and can be a death trap for those brought there inappropriately. Ask why Weems is not allowed to admit COVID patients after receiving over $3 million in Cares Act Funding but wants you to believe it’s in the fight.
• An investment community in North Florida that shuns our county for inconsistent and detrimental county leadership decisions.
• Nepotism at every level of government. Some of those very same relatives convicted of crimes in their old county jobs and then rehired to another position.
• A basic disregard for how something looks. Hiring the wife of a Commissioner into the Election Office while running for his seat again. It just looks bad, or worse.
• The oh so collegial Board of County Commissioners who recently allowed spot paving projects in Commissioners Districts that were up for election this year. There is a policy of saving up Gas Tax money for several years to have countywide projects and bidding them for best value. Not this year.
• Interference in Zoning decisions that have resulted in multiple ongoing lawsuits costing the county hundreds of thousands of dollars so far and potentially millions more to come. Reducing the number of citizens on P & Z Boards has the effect of reducing citizen input. And has the potential to allow one aspect of membership to influence or dictate county policies, with little or no regard for existing carefully constructed historical land use regulations.
• An utter and complete lack of creating and acting on Vision statements that could lift Franklin County citizens out of poverty.
• Paying lip service to the drug problem here in Franklin County and fighting anything that would really address the issue or offer a hand up to its victims. Think drug rehab.
• Paying homage to the wild caught seafood industry while writing letters trying to have the State of Florida cease issuing leases to the rapidly growing Aquaculture industry here and all around us that could create jobs and real, permanent incomes for our citizens.
• Another over the top nod to inappropriate election behavior was one Commissioner up for election who broke a red line rule. Individuals on a private road are getting help from the Road Department for the first time ever. The County has steadfastly denied every other request for the last 20 years that we know of. The vote was 5-0 in favor of helping their fellow Commissioner gain an advantage. Let’s see what happens after the election when the next person(s) ask for the same treatment.
• We’ve heard from several people on the Tourist Development Board that they feel either intimidated or restricted by a rigid system of Management that silences them and they question the need to double the Tourist Development Tax when there are essentially no other beds to sell and limited area amenities are busy.Just another multi-million-dollar pot of money for some to divvy up?

Fellow Franklin County Citizens. We have an election in just a few short weeks. Our local election is just as important as the national elections and will be pivotal as to the road we take going forward. Remember, ultimately all elections are local, this is your only opportunity to make your voice count.

The CCFC believes it’s time to start over. There is systemic corruption in Franklin County. Ask the FBI, Justice Department or the Florida Department of Law Enforcement who have had Franklin County on their radar for years. No one who is elected to government should think they own that seat. For a lot of reasons, people are silent too much of the time. Maybe because Commissioners won’t have evening meetings or have ended the occasional one in Carrabelle so they might participate.

Whatever the reason, we encourage you to go vote in person and vote your conscience and elect individuals that are smart, active, humble and forward looking. The county is changing. Has been changing for at least 30 years. It’s time to look at that change and make it work for each and every Franklin County citizen. It’s money in your pocket or out of it. You decide who to vote for that most closely fits your thoughts on county and school government.

As always, if you have any questions, or, want deeper or supportive information or just want to talk, we are here. We are your Concerned Citizens of Franklin County and we look out for your best interests Financially and Ethically

Stay tuned for an announcement as to the CCFC’s annual meeting!

God bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner William Massey - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

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Good Morning Friends:

This Morning at 9:00 a.m. in a closed courtroom, Franklin County Commissioners will hold their annual Budget Workshop once again. It will be devoid of contrary voices and Commissioners expect to blast through the budgeting process without the constraints of public scrutiny.

We are not happy. That very same courtroom is open for business for everything except County Commission business. This is a further demonstration of the low regard your Commissioners hold you to.

We have submitted the following comments both on process and budget substance and have made them available to Commissioners and Staff. We also are asking for a 3% reduction in the taxes you will be forced to pay this year. We hope you read our comments and thinking below. If you are in agreement that it’s time to make a change, you have the chance to vote starting next week. In addition, you can reach out to your Commissioner and let him know, you demand a 3% reduction, even if it means no bonuses or some other minor belt tightening.

Go to this link https://www.franklincountyflorida.com/county-government/board-of-commissioners/ and contact your Commissioner. Only if they hear from you will there be any chance of a rate reduction instead of an almost baked in increase.

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2020/2021 Franklin County Budget

Franklin County should strive to provide necessary services at the lowest cost to citizens. Franklin County Leadership consistently fails to meet that standard. The 2020 -2021 Franklin County budget is 400-plus pages long. We have reviewed each page and category. I fear that the Commissioners, who are in charge of spending your monies, have not done the same.

Long before a Budget Workshop deadline, staff should employ Strategic Thinking for their budgets. Rigorous oversight of constantly changing priorities, intra-year funding and unexpected changes should be factored in, but are not. Public workshops often ignore or dismiss public input, and too often reflect the status quo without challenging staff to do more with less.

A $1,200 bonus is proposed for all employees! But County employees enjoy full employment. Some receive substantial overtime or even raises in the proposed budget while also receiving stimulus checks from the Federal Government. A bonus is unnecessary and a bit tone deaf.

The continuing divide between county employees and Constitutional Officers widens further: County employees receive an average salary of $32,000 while the salary of Constitutional employees is 19% higher, averaging $40,000 What justifies that? When will we take this disparity in earnings seriously? Why not forego the proposed bonus for Constitutionals this year, thus allowing salaries of Department Employees to close the earnings gap?

We believe such inconsistencies demonstrate the failure of conscientious budget oversight by Commissioners.

Here are some additional budget specifics I ask you to review:

1. Per capita, Franklin’s budget exceeds that of most counties in the State. This would be the fifth consecutive year of net tax increases. Proposed Budget dismisses the lower rollback rate proposing a 1.48 percent increase in taxes. The proposed budget is a 7% budget increase from $58 million to $62 million.
2. Franklin County has received millions in grants for Hurricane Michael and COVID-19, yet monies disbursed to different departments were not factored in to this budget.
3. Budget preparation follows the “We’ve Always Done It This Way” pattern. But with careful analysis, programs could obtain substantial cost reductions without service reductions. New spending initiatives like hiring a Code Enforcement Officer or Economic Development professional can’t find the financial Oxygen without creative thinking.
4. Without appropriate financial oversight, budgets inflated for specific purposes one year often automatically include that same amount the next year. Commence zero-based budget protocols to save hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.
5. Limit fourth quarter spending. Unspent monies at the end of the year are creatively spent rat than turning the excess back in. Create a County policy to address this failure of leadership
6. Sheriff’s Budget shows a slight decrease; average pay rises to $37,777. Operating Expense shows a large decline from $1.667 million to $1.408 million but contractual Services shows a major increase from 237k to $360k. Why?
7. Property Appraiser’s budget has a much higher cost per parcel than neighboring counties. Eight employees receive the highest average pay in the county; proposed salaries are increased from $42,353 to $44,503.
8. Tax Collector’s budget is flat. Average pay is $37,966.
9. Road Departments budget is flat. Average employee makes $33,211.
10. There has been a substantial increase in Capital Equipment purchases in the last two years with this year being the most numerous in memory. Proposed Capital Spending approaches $2 1/2 million for new tractors, excavator, multiple road vehicles, knuckle boom truck and a very expensive ($892,500) Tub Grinder. I saw no competitive pricing estimates nor any added fuel or maintenance costs to support the 1,000 H.P. Tub.
11. Solid Waste shows no budget increase with an average salary of $33,943. I believe Solid Waste costs could be greatly reduced with County-Wide garbage pickup. Single payer could reduce service costs and savings could be returned to the public
12. Parks and Recreation proposes a 2.01% increase and has an average salary of $29,551. Increased spending on Youth Sports and Property Insurance bears scrutiny. What happened to the money budgeted this year for sports that never happened due to Covid?
13. No information was given on Weems raises, whether awarded or not. This demonstrates poor accountability and transparency.
14. TDC budget continues to expand – bed tax likely to be raised to 4% after vote to schedule a Public Workshop. With long-term occupancy high and many public accommodations closed, why the need for an increase? Because they can?
15. Health Insurance costs and better rates need to be investigated. A 10% rate increase was budgeted, although final rates are not available. With Health Insurance costs of $1.7 million, such a huge increase needs justification. Cost sharing is done by other businesses and governments to help reduce health care costs. Finance should research this and admit we have been overly generous.
16. The county normally receives approximately $5 million in fee and sales tax revenue. Is there planning for the negative impact expected from Covid-19?
17. Unbudgeted, and unanticipated revenue, often totaling hundreds of thousands, even millions may be received. How is that folded into budget planning so as not to raise taxes unnecessarily?
18. The County has almost $14 million Cash Carried Forward dollars. Better management of this money could positively impact taxpayers.
19. The County holds more than $2 million in contingency money in multiple accounts.
20. Fine and Forfeiture Funds contains large amounts of unspent cash including a phantom $600,000 reserve. Why?

These are YOUR monies in this budget. Please pay attention! County Leadership has a Constitutional Responsibility to do a better job than they have in the past. Ask your Commissioner a question on the budget; they’ll likely not know the history, need or future of this or that specific topic. If we can read and analyze the proposed budget, shouldn’t you expect your Commissioner to do the same? They must do more than give lip service to this most important duty of their office.

Let your Commissioner know you want reductions, not increase in your taxes. Always remember, we get the government we deserve.

Allan J. Feifer
President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.

Lies and Damn Lies and the Scoundrels in Our Midst

Hello Friends:

Our County is reopening, but you wouldn’t know it if you tried to come to attend a County Commission meeting to address your Commissioners. The doors are still locked and frankly, I think they like it that way. Two years ago, Commissioners greatly restricted access by the public by creating a written policy severing your ability to actually speak and get a reply from your Commissioners at public meetings. Now, they can hide behind Covid-19 restrictions that they put on to exclude the public. Now, every utterance goes unchallenged, no matter how wrong the statement. We now have our very own Star Chamber in Franklin County.

If you know me, you know I stew about a lot of things I feel are unjust or misleading. At a recent BOCC meeting the CPA that just conducted the Hospital Audit appeared to give a glowing report on Weems. Naturally, none of the Commissioners read it or they would have certainly asked questions that would have revealed the lack of forthrightness. Taken from the actual report, I give you the truth. We have uploaded the report to our web site. You can view the actual statements at:

http://abetterfranklin.com/images/PDFs/WeemsAuditorsStatement-2019.pdf

Read for yourself how you often can’t trust what’s said by your Commissioners:

Page 2—Prior Period Restatement was massive

Page 2—In Other Matters, Management elected to not have the required Management Discussion. This is a big deal…Why?

Page 3—Patient accounts receivables is severely written down from internal financial provided to the public throughout the year.

Page 3—Current Assets down quite a bit. That is cash and cash equivalents.

Page 3—Note the Construction in Progress of $2,575,437—that’s how much they have spent on studies, architects and other things to build a new hospital they can’t afford.

Page 3—Accounts Payable rose to $908k

Page 3—Total Liabilities decreased only slightly in spite of a nearly $700k write off of a loan forgiven by the current Board of Commissioners. Net affect was nearly a wash

Page 4—Total Operating Expenses up 10% after being up a similar amount the Page 5—Cash and Cash Equivalents dropped by ½ million Dollars as mentioned earlier previous year

Page 5—Cash and Cash Equivalents dropped by ½ million Dollars as mentioned earlier

Page 7—Prior Period Restatements totaling $1.25 million has little explanation but was a negative change to the statement. This alone should be reason to fire the CFO, but wait, there is more.

Page 18—Medicare patients dropped from 40% to 38% which is especially troublesome since only Medicare receives the Critical Care Access subsidy, not any other form of payment like Medicaid or self-pay. More worrisome is that Medicaid grew by 3% which the hospital loses money on every time.

Page 23—Medical Malpractice Insurance notes that Weems is not accruing liability like it should which would affect the bottom line in a negative manner. In addition, it was unreported that Weems is significantly underinsured, relying on the financial strength of the County to pay claims exceeding the liability limits of its woefully low insurance limit of about $250,000.

Page 27—Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting continue to be weak.

Page 29—Accrual Basis Accounting is done ineffectively requiring many adjustments or reclassifications. This is a Repeat Item. The effect as stated is that there is “Material misstatement of the financial statements.” This is your big reason for firing the CFO.

Page 30—Accounting and Finance Staffing is called out again this year and the report clearly states that “Processes and controls in place in fiscal 2019 were not sufficient to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting which resulted in the other findings described within this schedule.” CFO issue again.

Page 31—Account Receivable is overstated. “Reducing net AR by a material amount.”

Page32—Recording of Audit Adjustments were not properly performed from the previous year’s audit.

This cursory reading of the Audit Reports should set off alarm bells all over the county in a normal situation. Commissioners and Hospital Management have been clearly warned of the issues at Weems. Watch that $3.2 million Corona Virus “gift” disappear over the next two years if things continue the way they are with current losses of a quarter million dollars a month. Any independent professional would have to view the repeated issues with financial controls and reports as likely/potentially deliberate and designed to allow Hospital Management and the Board to make claims of progress that are just not true. A copy of this email and the report should be sent to the Auditor General for further review.

Let’s not forget that we had the largest Nonprofit Health System offer us millions of dollars and a virtual end to risk until last month when the BOCC decided to continue Lockley’s Folly. $23 million in taxes collected so far and counting!

God bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner William Massey - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!

A Crazy World

Hello Friends:

In the last six days, Franklin County counted its first two Coronavirus infections with one at Alligator Point and one (thought to be) on ST. George Island. The one in Alligator Point is a renter from New York. The one on SGI had recently traveled overseas, we’ve been told.

Scary? Yes and No. Let me explain. I am a statistician and a businessman. We have collected and analyzed both business starts and construction starts for about 25 years and we’ve seen many ups and downs and the interpretations made with this move or that. We don’t claim to have superior knowledge. But what we do know is that projections are worth what you pay for them; or maybe not. Projections often turn out to be more wrong than right.

The Coronavirus is a clear and present danger to our way of life either due to the Coronavirus and/or government actions. I won’t argue with the political decision. But I will state there is a tendency to underrate Unintended Consequences of your actions. Like in physics, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The calculus to break the back of this disease was made by others. We don’t have to agree, it’s the law and its policy. If you disagree, vote your leaders out at the next election. But, even then, be careful, that might be exactly what the political types are doing…playing the long game. I can’t speak for national leadership or how the scientists came to the conclusions that they did. Here’s what we all need to do to get back our lives.

1. Embrace and don’t fight the leadership that has mandated many different changes in our behavior. The sooner its over, the sooner we get our lives back.
2. Be vigilant both internally and externally. Not only do you have to do what’s necessary to keep you and yours safe. You have to worry about those that fight everything and do stupid things that endanger us all. Commissioners are you listening? The transmission path so far has been overwhelming willful and/or unthinking, not caring for others. If you are sick, stay away and God be with you. If everyone followed that advice, the virus would burn itself out quickly.
3. Protect the elderly and those that are compromised. Not only because we love them, but also for the risk it puts others to when we have to take care of them because someone was not thinking!
4. Just like Terrorism; if you see something, say something. Social shaming needs to be a part of the way we ward off new infections and contain those that are shopping in our stores and moving about in defiance of the law.
5. Ask why the Health Departments statewide are not legally quarantining those with the virus? If everyone knew who had Coronavirus we and they would not be cavalierly coming here and otherwise spreading the infection. We would be arresting those breaking quarantine.
6. Sooner, rather than later we will start to get back our lives. The vast majority of people who get the virus will have zero to moderate symptoms. Our medical care system will not get overwhelmed. We need to begin focusing on how we will reopen our businesses now, even as we wait for the actual date to do so.

Please consider working together as we have not done for at least 60 years. Only a nihilist or unthinking person will see things differently. America is the greatest nation on earth. Freedom and the independence that comes along with it are not free. We sometimes forget the terrible price current and former Soldiers, Deputies, Medical personnel and even Politicians have sometimes paid for what we have. Our future is not a given. The best among us will lead us back to prosperity. Applaud them, don’t throw roadblocks in front of them as they reinvent our country as this virus slowly fades.

One more thing. Now, more than ever everyone needs to respond to their Census Information Request. Go to my2020census.gov. This site permits you to use your street address to respond to the census. It's very easy to do at that point, even for couples or small families using iPhones and Androids. The telephone number is 1-844-330-2020 for English. For Spanish call 1-844-468-2020. It is best to call very early or very late to shorten the wait time. Act Now while you are thing about it. You’ll be participating in a vital national priority. Afterwards, you will know we are all united by our Americanism.

I’d love your feedback, good or bad.

God bless America and all of you!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner William Massey - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!

A Changed World

Hello Friends:
In the blink of an eye, we live in a changed world. Two months ago, nobody heard of the Covid-19 Virus and today, it’s all we talk about. Yesterday, the County took the first step in protecting the citizens of Franklin County from an obvious exposure vector. Also, yesterday, there was a group of 40 people in Carrabelle from children to senior citizens partying in tight conjunction right along 98. Crazy.

Does everybody remember the Peter Benchley book “Jaws?” Jaws is a 1974 novel by American writer Peter Benchley. It tells the story of a great white shark that preys upon a small resort town and the voyage of three men trying to kill it.

My how similar the Town Fathers of Amityville and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners appear. It’s very simple. The BOCC is making the calculus that the number of infections and deaths we get by not banning visitors from the county is worth the economic gain. There is another thing that they aren’t considering.... the longer this goes on, the more economic hardship. Therefore, the decision should be easy; whatever shortens the exposure period is the way to go. Less exposures means less transmission which means less death and a shorter period of economic recovery.

I write for our Company and here’s part of the message we are sending out today on what we project economically:

1. That the Virus peaks in April and begins to abate. It is our opinion that this will allow for a sharp rebound as all the fundamentals will still be in place as the stimulus of the government is going to be massive. Also, it is a Presidential election year and historically, those years are good economically. This is the vaunted deep V recovery you may have heard about.
2. The Virus does not peak until May or June. We would expect a recession lasting between three months and a year as a consequence. However, the recession will be uneven as some areas of the country will have been affected less than others and the government will have to be innovative to find longer term economic tools to spark the economy. Tools that will be in short supply as they are being used to a large extent now.
3. The Virus does not peak until later and has caused widespread destruction of economic and social structures. This scenario would likely lead to a worldwide depression and all bets would be off.

There’s a saying that “Wishing is not enough.” All of us wish we knew with certainty that the first scenario is what will actually transpire. While none of us can predict the future with certainty, we must act as if we can. Let me explain that a bit. The concept of a self-fulfilling prophecy is very real. If many people believe positively, then they take actions consistent with that belief. Unfortunately, the reverse is also true. Good outcomes are statistically more likely to occur when people believe and prepare for good outcomes.

The trick is we also want to protect ourselves from the downside. You can prepare for an expected good outcome while being mindful of serious negative outcomes also being possible. In essence, plan and expect the Deep V while acknowledging and preparing to the extent possible for something worse.

If I had any message for our Commissioners it would be that they embrace the concept of isolation that the rest of the country is slowing coming around to. Precious days are being wasted as we incrementally do the things that will eventually stop the spread of this pathogen. Please take this seriously. It will pass and there will be a tomorrow. We will survive. But, particularly in a small county with limited resources and not high on anyone’s priority list save our own; we must come together and treat this as the war it really is. Lives are at stake and your contribution to the cause will make a difference in the only currency that really matters…lives.

Lastly, we are ending our 2020 Membership Campaign. Please, please consider joining and send us your dues payment today, while you are still thinking about it. Remember to add your email address with your check to the address below. Your numbers and financial support are vital to the CCFC continuing being your county watchdog. Dues are not tax deductible.

The very best to you all!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer
President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O. Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> 519-4966
Commissioner Smokey Parrish <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> 653-8790
Commissioner Ricky Jones <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> 653-8861
Chairman Noah Lockley <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> 653-4452
Commissioner William Massey <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> 653-8861

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!
 

Hello Friends:

Several months ago, I wrote to you about the County determining it was not moving forward with the construction of a new hospital but instead would receive proposals from other companies and/or hospital systems that would potentially lead to the County exiting the healthcare business. This put the spinmeisters supporting the status quo in overdrive. They immediately got together and began a process to confuse and confound the issue and make staying in the hospital business appear to be the correct choice. Over the last four months, the Weems Board and Management has done the following:

1. Cooked the books, using a spreadsheet with adjusted numbers vs. a financial accounting system to deliver consistent numbers. Taken a $690,000 forgiveness of loan debt and changed it into fake Income, changed the reserve for bad debt from historically accurate numbers to numbers that immediately added hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Income side erroneously and used Grant Money to beef up income all without comment, footnotes or restatements as required under mandated CPA standards. Made claims about being profitable when they are not.
2. Applied for and received a technical assistance Agreement from Texas A & M that runs for a year and is designed to buy them time from a mandate for an early decision to select another operator. To receive this help, you must be one of five lucky winners in desperate shape. Yes, we have that distinction. This was done without County Commission Approval and involves no funds to Weems. Their help is limited to telephone assistance with one on-site wrap-up visit in December.
3. Weems Hospital Board, on its own contracted for a study that says great things about Weems local economic impact on the community. This was not a freebie, they spent thousands on this defensive move. No Commissioner involvement! Also disingenuously included EMS with their 40 plus employees who are not even under threat and will be remaining regardless, in an attempt to make their point.
4. Not met with Sacred Heart again or in any way worked with them to understand and improve their initial stellar proposal with skin in the game.
5. Management has sought ways to portray conditions as improving without demonstrated initiatives by fudging financial constants that favor Weems.
6. Refused to answer questions unless they are readily available in existing documents. This means they have gone into Turtle mode in an attempt to keep us from uncovering even more damaging information.
7. Is quietly, but secretly, continuing to get construction drawings ready for a breakout. Yes, they have been spending money not approved by the Franklin County Commission since they were told to stand down.
8. Is the subject of a serious ACHA allegation.

The Weems Hospital Board and leadership are afraid the more you know, the worse it is for them. They have become a wounded animal fighting for their survival. What about your own survival? In the application to Texas A & M Weems stated occupancy at .93 per night. Ladies and Gentlemen, that’s bad enough, and is consistent with the CCFC stating less than one body in bed per night. Don’t let anyone fool you that somehow Weems magically turned a corner last year; they did not.

Please read the attached Letter to the Editor in the current Apalachicola Times we wrote and demand your own answers from your elected officials.

Lastly, we are ending our 2020 Membership Campaign. Please, please consider joining and send us your dues payment today, while you are still thinking about it. Remember to add your email address with your check to the address below. Your numbers and financial support are vital to the CCFC continuing being your county watchdog. Dues are not tax deductible.

The very best to you all!

Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.

P.O. Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner William Massey - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

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I Have Seen the Future of Healthcare in Franklin County

Things used to be more cut and dried than they are today. We didn’t always agree, but we got along better, avoiding rank partisanship. Unfortunately, we have entered an Orwellian age. Two plus two will always equal four no matter what your political or social proclivity. A decision not to select Sacred Heart as the replacement for county-led healthcare meets this kind of 2 plus 2 logic.

Last week, I needed to take my wife for urgent medical care; fortunately, she’ll be fine. In the past we’d drive to Tallahassee and go to Capital Regional’s Emergency Room for really concerning events. This time we decided to try their new ER standalone clinic that just opened up in Southwood as we were not concerned about imminent death, and it was closer. This is the future of healthcare. Everyone in Franklin County needs to visit a standalone Emergency Room. The experience was fantastic and would be very similar to the experience you could expect if we partnered with Sacred Heart and the county builds one in Franklin County. First, we were seen and triaged immediately, no tedious check-in, that came later when the immediate medical concerns were taken care of. Two highly trained RN’s inserted an IV line. Next, a portable X-Ray machine was wheeled into our spotless room. Then, various vitals, history and other issues were assessed and then the Doctor came in not only with a smile, but also with Board Certification in Emergency Medicine, not so at Weems. After looking at the XRay which was read within 10 minutes and blood work shortly thereafter, he felt the need for a CAT Scan and my wife went right down the hall to their new, million dollar plus CAT Scan machine. In contrast, Weems has an antiquated CAT Scan which is not able to reveal myriad diagnostic issues. Which would you want for your loved one? Finally, it was time for the admin stuff. An aide wheels in a cart with an iPad on it and as if by magic, a woman video chats with my wife, takes pictures of ID and Insurance information and poof! It was finished. Shortly thereafter, we are ready to go home barely two and a half hours from walking in. Color us impressed! ER’s like this one are an extension of their parent hospital, therefore had there been a need to go to Capital Regional, the transfer would have been seamless with no additional checkin or potential delays.

Folks, close to 95% of issues seen by Weems can be seen at a standalone walk-in clinic like we went to. The other 5% don’t need a clinic and they won’t be appropriately seen at Weems because it lacks the services for those severely injured, very sick or requiring specialized services Weems simply does not have. We are endangering people’s lives by sending them to a hospital (Weems) that lacks the services and staff to treat the minimal 5%. The problem is, we think we have a hospital with Weems but really have an Emergency Room with beds that are by and large…empty. This will not change in the proposed “Stay the Course” path, unless and until you want to spend a zillion dollars to enlarge, equip and start hiring specialized doctors, nurses and other people that support those specialized services. Weems does not belong to a network hospital system which delays critical care too often.

Small town interests of the few is a legitimate issue. Political interests, hospital employee interests and even those that live around Weems are used to the status quo. Are we thinking what’s best for the county as a whole or for our own special interests? Let me say something unpopular but necessary. Keeping the status quo will lead to more people dying unnecessarily or receiving delayed or substandard care. Some people want their perks, inflated CEO pay ($125,000 a year), power, patronage and perceived convenience ahead of what is good for Eastpoint, Carrabelle, St. George Island and frankly, most of Apalachicola.

Alliant Healthcare has publicly promised the current CEO his job will continue under them. Too many self-interested people support a continuation of more of the same even though Weems is hemorrhaging money, and does not have a viable conception of what’s next and continues to blindly plunge forward to build a new, unnecessary hospital. It will not end well. The self-interests of too many people in Apalachicola are driving us off the cliff. Many of you have called and written to your Commissioners and yet, our Commission has allowed Weems to bring in yet another consultant to help “turn the hospital around and teach best practices.” Shouldn’t a pending near-term decision on which direction healthcare in Franklin County should take come first? Instead, Weems Hospital Board is forging ahead - without the approval of the commission - on their own assumption that a new facility is forthcoming. How is that even possible?

The constant drumbeat of political chaos has affected all of us, even right here in Franklin County. We throw up our hands at our individual inability to change things. You know that the Franklin County Commission staying in the healthcare business is a train wreck in progress. Most of us want the madness to stop and see Commissioners do what they are paid to do and lead the way out of this long term, expensive, unproductive $20 million and counting losses mess. I call on everyone in Franklin County to hammer their representatives who are playing with your very life, and demand the county get out of the healthcare business and turn it over to QUALIFIED EXPERTS. The obvious and best candidate…Sacred Heart. Sooner or later there will be a tragedy, regret and a reckoning. Don’t wait until we are well and truly staring down the barrel of a gun of some financial crisis or avoidable tragedy

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A Special Message to Franklin County Property Owners:

2019 has again been extremely active for the CCFC and Franklin County government. Commissioners modestly raised taxes this year, with the school Board lowering the millage rate. Taxes grew a little bit based on increased values that varied by where you live. We bring analyses and information to budget hearings and to those putting budgets together behind-the-scenes to spotlight areas that could be better managed to avoid increases, on you, the taxpayer. Both the school system and Franklin County experienced a flood of money as a consequence of Hurricane Michael. Millions of unanticipated dollars plussed up many accounts without matching expenditures. We have never seen the county as Flush with the budget rising from $51 million to $59 million. Factoid; Wakulla County with approximately triple the population takes in only $9 million in ad valorem vs. Franklin’s $12 million!

The CCFC represents those without a voice on matters of financial propriety, and seeks to secure transparency, efficiency and eliminate public corruption in Franklin County. Felt that you were powerless to affect change? That’s where we come in. We work with Commissioners, Hospital Board and other elected officials throughout the year. We hold elected officials to account and raise our voices to influence their deliberations and outcomes.

What the CCFC is not, is a champion of any kind of social justice or politics that some would like us to make part of our message. We are non-partisan and stand solely on the side of the taxpayer who wants to understand and have confidence in the numbers and objectives of their local government as well as, ensure public officials are looking out for the best interests of ALL Franklin County citizens.

Please feel free to share this letter with your friends; encourage them to learn more about the work of the Concerned Citizens and to join the CCFC as new members. It is only through strength of numbers that we will achieve the kind of respect that we need to influence the debate.

Let me share with you some of this year’s CCFC efforts on behalf of best practices to achieve and guarantee transparency and a fiscally responsible, fair and accountable government for Franklin County.

1. We have attended almost all County Commission Meetings in 2019. When appropriate and possible UNDER THE SEVERELY RESTRICTIVE PUBLIC COMMENT RULES) we speak up with facts, concerns and alternatives which may be accepted later in deliberations.
2. After years of work on Healthcare in Franklin County, the CCFC has brought a landmark option for the Commission and to the County as a whole. There are four choices that will be decided on in the near future:

1. Accept the Sacred Heart proposal which ends risk and expense going forward and achieves a state-of-the-art facility, management, staffing and equipage with Sacred Heart by becoming part of their extensive healthcare system. Estimated one time cost to Franklin County $7.5 million based on its proposal and then the county exits the healthcare business.
2. Accept the Alliant proposal to manage the Healthcare system for a fee and have them guide us as to what to build and when. Add and pay for new services along with that financial risk. Note: Alliant has stated that a new facility will have to be built (an economic necessity) but it can’t be a standalone ER according to state regulations.
3. Do Nothing and Continue to operate the Healthcare System as is with the existing Hospital Board and County Commission oversight and then build a new $14-$17-million facility run by the county with 100% risk acceptance, both financial and liability.
4. The County closes Weems and exits the healthcare business completely or continues to maintain its clinics.

3. The Association frequently attends Hospital Board Meetings to primarily listen to reports and budget facts as presented. We will ask questions while pushing for accountability and logic in the expenditures for Weems Hospital operations. We hope Commissioners will finally take the CCFC’s suggestion to enter into a more sensible and successful risk-sharing partnership with Sacred Heart Hospital. This can end the county’s liability and provide a long-promised new facility, supported by the existing hospital tax, and which may be more centrally located for all residents of Franklin County. Our Association was instrumental in seeking to have the then current CEO resign after various improprieties and practices were disclosed and made available to county leaders.
4. The CCFC constantly researches best ideas and business practices, sharing them with County Departments and Constitutional Officers.
5. We have been very involved in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Our county’s small voting size precludes us from securing some resources that bigger counties achieve. As CCFC President, I have personally spoken to Federal, State and local leaders to further smart solutions and to find funding to carry out same.
6. We expect (sadly not always successfully) that public meetings be held with decorum and respect toward the citizenry. We ask that the public be heard before a vote is held on each agenda item as was the rule as recently as 2017. (The county currently enforces a three minute limit for each spokesperson’s public comment and only at the beginning of each meeting.) We continually drive this point home as it is essential to public confidence.
7. We reach out through emails such as these and contribute Letters to the Editor and Guest Columns to the Apalachicola Times on a frequent basis. We receive and appreciate taxpayer feedback from many people who call, write or just spread our words on behalf of good government when taxpayer voices need to be heard.
8. The CCFC continues to work with law enforcement on issues of suspected public corruption. We work with the Property Appraiser on issues of questionable assessments and exemptions. We work with Constitutional Officers to continually present positive, alternative, good-business methods and alternatives.
9. We engage professionals (lawyers, investigators, additional accountants) to further our mission of good, honest, representative government for Franklin County.
10. CCFC built, maintains and operates an independent website (www.ABetterFranklin.com). We incur substantial mailing and other expenses to help bring taxpayers the news, behavior, decisions and actions of Franklin County Commissioners, elected Constitutional officers and other leadership.

Annually, we reach out to the community for help in meeting the financial challenges of continuing our work.

Many members support us with dues payment of $100 or more to ensure our continued success. But we will successfully and carefully put into action whatever you can contribute (perhaps $25, $50, $75) which will allow our year-round work to continue. We need your financial help to ensure that good government in Franklin County can and will become a reality.

Please support our important work efforts made on your behalf by putting your membership dues contribution in the mail today! While it is top-of-mind please act now and make your check payable to the CCFC and mail it to P.O. Box 990, Eastpoint Florida 32328. (Dues are not tax deductible)

Thank you for your generous support.

Sincerely,
Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.

Can anyone believe that accepting Sacred Heart’s proposal will result in people dying in the streets as some have stated? Apparently some people do. That’s crazy talk. The value alone in surrendering legal liability and future financial losses alone should trump any baseless arguments based on bad information. Let’s be clear on this important issue. Sacred Heart is taking away the financial risk of running a healthcare system and putting $3 million of their own money into the deal. No one, not TMH and not Alliant is offering any kind of promise, guarantee or skin in the game except for Sacred Heart.

Sentimental arguments about walking to Weems for healthcare completely obscures the fact that we are a county roughly 60 x 30 miles. All of us would like to walk to a Doctor. Is that something that should influence the debate for the entire county that is paying the 1% sales tax?

It is imperative that people not be lied to with false themes like the “The people voted for it and we have to build it in Apalachicola.” Read the ballot language carefully, it’s not there. Second, the small number of people who voted for a new hospital were shown an approximate 31,000 square foot, two story hospital with a complete list of services that were never going to happen. If you are going to say “We promised the people” we also need to deliver what we promised. We should revisit that history as well; don’t you agree?

Weems has had a long run and its various stakeholders have much to be proud of. Weems continues to be an Apalachicola resource. And, that’s the point. Franklin County needs a County Wide solution to fundamental changes in how healthcare is delivered.

Weems is an older, less sophisticated version of what has been proposed by Sacred Heart, but straddled with high operating costs and an inability to bring on additional services and Doctors. 12 years and 7 CEO’s later bear that out. It is an indisputable fact that most of the money slated by the Healthcare Trust Fund Tax to build a new hospital have been siphoned off to support Operations and to stem losses over 12 years of mismanagement.

Weems today is licensed as a Hospital but is really just an ER. Recuperative in-patient care is virtually non-existent at Weems averaging under one patient a night in the last fiscal year.

How many reasonable people could disagree with the central premise that the decision on what’s next should be a business decision rather than the political decision it is with nepotism by county Commissioners reflected in hiring and ongoing interference with collection attempts by the Hospital for services rendered? It’s time for a change.

The Hospital Board is not happy with either of the two proposals in light of a belief that Weems is doing better financially, wants to go it alone. Weems is reporting a profit for the last fiscal year of $750,559. Two adjustments totaling $1.6 Million for Forgiveness of Debt and a change in Reserves for Bad Debt, changes that number to a loss of $207,000 on top of subsidies of $2 million. Both adjustments are misleading, if not outright sleight of hand.

Errors like these make us question oversight by the Hospital Board. In the many meetings of the full Hospital Board we have attended, there is virtually no discussion of detailed finances. We question whether the Board is aware of the continuing losses.

We have spent considerable time and resources analyzing Weems proposed construction of a rehabbed Weems. After years of planning and after spending over $1 ½ million on design and other studies, still, no one knows what it will cost. We do know it will be much more than the original $10 million promised publicly. The Weems Architects have projected under different scenarios an additional $12.5 to $17 million. However, in the end, that “Renovation plus addition will still be without the additional services, equipment, Doctors and much, much more that are in the Sacred Heart Proposal.

Much has been said about the importance of Critical Access designation. No one knows what the value to Weems is for its CA designation. More importantly, it is financially transparent to patients and is the red herring that is frequently ballyhooed about with little understanding of its effect on the 25% of patients that are eligible for financial enhancement.

Keep in mind as we move forward, that the only reason Franklin County should be in the healthcare business is not as a jobs program, but to provide the best quality care possible for its citizens. You have only to look at Sacred Heart, Bay Medical, TMH and Capital Regional, all providing more healthcare for Franklin County citizens (both paying and indigent) than by Weems. This Hospital Board is a prime example of why, for more than 13 years since the last hospital operator turned in his keys that neither revenue, services or patient volumes have climbed and in fact, have moved in the opposite direction.

Time to pass the Baton!

Allan J. Feifer

President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.

The Dog Caught the Car... Now What?

Hello Friends:

For those of you who don’t already know, Franklin County Commissioners voted to suspend spending on a Weems replacement and look to three area Healthcare Systems to partner with. The CCFC has worked tirelessly to see this day come. For all the reasons we have espoused in the past, economics and demographics spelled the end of the current system. But, as Ross Perot famously said in his unsuccessful run as a third party Presidential candidate. “That giant sucking sound you heard”, was the emptiness of ideas for what’s next. It is the CCFC’s opinion that there is no one in our county government that can lead us forward. The issues are complex, partisan and beg for entirely new thinking.

The CCFC is going to push forward with creating a roundtable meeting in October for invited individuals to discuss the way forward. The meeting will be open to the public and public officials. We see our role as kicking off the discussion in a carefully considered manner to ensure that a Vision Statement is well thought out, vetted and eventually implemented. We will be contacting individuals that have either expressed an interest in “what’s next” or that have shown an interest in the past to implement something better than we have at present. If you, or someone you know would like to be considered please reach out to me; I’d love to speak with you.

The following is our current thinking and is just a beginning. I hope you see a lot of what you like and understand at least one sound direction we can go:

Assumptions and Goals:

1. Franklin County wants the best possible healthcare for its citizens.
2. The Franklin County Commission acknowledges that Carrabelle was originally promised a 24x7 urgent care facility.
3. Franklin County currently collects a 1% Healthcare Trust Fund Tax to be divided equally between Weems Operations and Capital requirements. This was agreed to through and by Inter-local Agreement with Apalachicola and Carrabelle, although with specific local requirements embodied in each agreement.
4. Weems Hospital as currently configured and operated is not a successful or viable continuing option. Averaging about one inpatient per night and losing far more than the generous subsidies it receives cannot go on forever.
5. It is estimated that up to 85% of healthcare services for Franklin County citizens is presently performed outside the county.
6. As a stand-alone hospital, Weems is not affiliated with any geographically close major health system.
7. Franklin County’s population is aging and generally static. There are many unmet needs, particularly for the young and elderly, for those with ongoing health challenges and for those with inadequate or no health insurance.
8. A major objective is to deliver a greater percentage of healthcare within the county and to make local access desirable and readily available to all.
9. There are three pillars upon which success in the county depends; successful educational institutions, broad based economic development and strong access to excellent healthcare. This will bring business opportunities, retirees and vacationers in greater numbers helping to boost our local economy and create jobs
10. To reduce the number of ambulance runs and response times; reducing runs through a combination of geographic centralization leading to shorter miles per run and less runs because of the availability of high quality locally available healthcare.
11. Permanently change the form of governance to a qualified Health Trust Board on one FCBOCC Commissioner shall have a permanent seat and the Partner Healthcare System (PHS) one seat. Medical, Faith, local leaders and business individuals will fill out the balance of an eleven member Health Trust Board (HTB) to be chaired by a member they select.
12. Franklin County’s financial liability will be strictly limited per agreement vs. the unlimited liability it has today.
13. The PHS with which Franklin County partners will be the primary financial partner. The PHS shall own/lease and maintain all capital equipment and real estate.

Request for Proposal:

1. Modify as necessary and assume responsibility for Carrabelle Weems Clinic so as to be able to provide a 24x7 Urgent Care facility. Ownership of the facility will remain with Franklin County which will lease the facility for $1 a year for 15 years with one additional lease term of 15 years available. Lease shall be triple net, meaning no cost to the county. The FCHD clinic shall be closed and combined into one Carrabelle service facility.
2. Build, equip and maintain a free-standing Emergency Room Facility including four observation beds in a physical location agreed to by all parties, preferably in Eastpoint, Florida.
3. Provide a plan to provide and bring in specialists on a regular rotating basis to either or both facilities.
4. Provide outreach, training incentives and support to hire and/or retain the largest number of local Franklin County citizens possible. All employees shall be credentialed, trained and provided with normal benefits of the contracted PHS.
5. Provide a system of emergency care access including aeromedical evacuation to ensure that Franklin county citizens can receive care in the critical “Golden Hour” where possible for major trauma/sickness.
6. Develop a RFQ for proposed PHS applicants including a response document to ensure “apples to apples” responses.
7. The Partner Healthcare System will share in the initial Capital Costs of reorganizing and refurbishing of the Carrabelle Clinic as well as those of the new free standing Emergency Department on a 50-50 basis subject to agreed up maximums for both sides.
8. Franklin County will contribute 50% of the ongoing existing Healthcare Trust Fund Tax as a subsidy to the selected PHS and will no longer individually subsidize clinics out of the General Fund
9. The Health Trust Board will retain the other half of the Healthcare Trust Fund and use it to spark and incentivize other healthcare services in the county including but not limited to; dentistry, mental health, the special needs community, challenges unmet by other programs and targeted programs to improve healthcare within the county and such other needs that the Board deems appropriate and reasonable that extend life and viability of Franklin County citizens.

All facilities would be operational within 24 months of execution of an Agreement.

That’s it ladies and gentlemen. As always, I’d love to hear your comments. We must move fast. Nature abhors a vacuum and we have one at the moment.

The very best to you all!

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Thank you.

Allan J. Feifer
President
Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc.
P.O. Box 990
Eastpoint, Florida 32328
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
ABetterFranklin.com
(850) 653-5571

“The Concerned Citizens of Franklin County, Inc. serves as a citizens’ advocate to ensure that our Franklin County governments are more open, affordable, efficient, and responsive to our citizens. The organization seeks to hold public officials accountable for their actions in the administration of their duties and in their fiduciary responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

Commissioner Contacts:

Commissioner Bert Boldt - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 519-4966

Commissioner Smokey Parrish - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8790

Commissioner Ricky Jones - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Chairman Noah Lockley - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-4452

Commissioner William Massey - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. - 653-8861

Please feel free to redistribute this email to your friends!