Dear Readers:
Both Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the Franklin County School Board
ostensibly function for the good of the people. Government, in general, is a necessary
evil; good government is a blessing. Like most things in life, there’s good and bad in
Franklin county’s two government agencies. Perfect, they are not. Bureaucratic, they
are. All government agencies inevitably prioritize their own self-interest vs. their stated
purpose of being public servants. It happens here, in Tallahassee and Washington.
Every government entity has conflicts aligned along three opposing axes:
- Leadership—how good or how bad?
- Organizational Challenges—every government agency eventually starts to think
it exists for their own needs and desires
- The needs of the people—are their needs being met and do they trust the
government they have?
Working in government is very much like working in a for-profit company, except they’re
not the same. Government employees don’t get laid off, don’t necessarily have to be as
productive to keep their positions, and frequently make more than the people they serve
measured in pay and benefits. That’s just a fact of life; get over it if you think differently.
This takes nothing away from some really great people I’ve met working for the County
and the School District.
I’ve been stirred up over the dialysis clinic issue that’s recently been discussed by the
Commission. I’ll share with you an edited Letter to the Editor that I wrote for the
Apalachicola Times and then share some additional thoughts with you
End-Stage Renal Disease. Sounds bad, and it is. More than a dozen Franklin County
residents (at least 8 of them who are indigent) suffer the effects of requiring thrice-
weekly kidney dialysis. All will likely require dialysis for the rest of their lives. With the
closure last year of the dialysis clinic located on the Sacred Heart campus, the nearest
dialysis clinic is either in Tallahassee or Panama City. That is a grueling long day, three
times a week for each patient. I watched my father struggle with dialysis for the last
couple of years of his life. It was hard.
These individuals were thrown a rare lifeline by neighboring Gulf County when they
voted to subsidize the start-up costs for a new clinic, now to be run by Fresenius
Medical Center. Jim McKnight, director of the Gulf County Economic Development
Coalition received unanimous support from the Gulf County Commission for an annual
subsidy of $100,000 for five years to defray start-up expenses that will likely be over a
million dollars. Gulf County Chairman Sandy Quinn reached out to Franklin County to
chip in a maximum of $25,000 a year for five years in support of those dialysis patients.
At the Franklin County Commission meeting on the 18th, of January, I watched a very
sad discussion unfold. It started with a discussion of the next big pot of Covid money
Franklin County is expecting. Salivating at the prospect of more free money from the
next installment of the American Rescue Plan, Commissioner Lockley broke in to ask
the consultant who was briefing Commissioners if he could get some of that relief
money for himself personally! That set the tone for what followed.
When the Agenda item for the dialysis discussion came up, it became apparent early on
that Commissioners had all kinds of ideas for taking care of the problem and not
chipping in with Gulf County. Lockley stated, “This is not something we should do this
year...we got no money.” Commissioner Boldt, not to be outdone, had a lightbulb
moment when he suggested that Weems should start up its own Kidney Dialysis Clinic
since Weems Hospital was "The Mecca of healthcare in Franklin County!" He actually
said that. Unstated was where Weems would get the million dollars plus to create the
clinic or how it could financially survive by splitting the small number of Franklin County
dialysis patients with Gulf who might choose Weems. What was he smoking?
Weems made it clear they don’t want to chip in using Healthcare Trust Fund money.
And, they gave the impression that they were so cash strapped that $25,000 a year
would bankrupt them. County attorney Shuler stated the Healthcare Trust Fund can’t
spend money that is going out of the County. Well, that’s funny. Don’t we spend
thousands of dollars each month with Alliant; our hospital management company which
is out of county? There are myriad other healthcare dollars that go “out of county” all the
time. Why is this different?
The reality of the situation is simple. Franklin County spends thousands of dollars every
year to transport frail dialysis patients on hundreds of distant trips. We could slash that
expense by partnering with Gulf. We likely would save money overall. And, oh by the
way, not inconsequentially, maybe one or two lives a year in the process. People miss
their dialysis appointments all the time because of the stress involved in those long
commutes and the very real fear of contracting Covid on one of those long commutes to
very busy and crowded dialysis centers. One more thing. Gulf County voted to go it
alone and then asked Franklin if they wanted to chip in. How do you think we would look
if we snub them? Pretty much like dog doo. Another shining example of shooting
yourself in the foot.
Come on Commissioners. This is a true no-brainer. Find the money and help the most
unfortunate among us. After all, you might be the next one needing dialysis. I wonder
what Lockley would have said if he was the one who needed dialysis?
Here’s the point ladies and gentlemen. At least with the Franklin County Commission,
the distinction of being a representative of the people vs. being Kings and Queens have
started to blur. When a commissioner asks questions publicly on how they can tap
public money for their own purposes or another commissioner tries to figure out how to
undertake unneeded projects for his political advantage, that might not be illegal, but it
stinks to high heaven. The people’s business should never be entangled with the
personal goals or aspirations of any commissioner. Frankly, this is old news.
Commissioners all too often put their personal needs in front of the needs of their
constituents. Commissioners must be honest and open when they communicate to the
public. There can be no compromise on this issue.
I’ve gotten the impression that Commissioners don’t want to deal with issues with either
the VFDs or water systems inside the county. Lanark Village VFD is the latest problem
that has been brought to the Commission for a much-needed resolution.
Here’s a link to the so-called “Audit” of the Lanark Village VFD.
https://abetterfranklin.com/images/PDFs/LanarkVillage-CPA.pdf
As you can plainly see, it was not an audit. The CPA firm Roberson titled the short
document “Report on Accounting Services.” From what I can see, this was basically a
made-as-instructed inexpensive document designed to tamp down on high public
concern and to make it look like the commission is on top of things. They aren’t. The
CCFC is not passing judgment on the underlying issue, though there are obvious
problems that must be addressed. We are focusing here on the dissemination and
accompanying statements that had the effect of misleading the public. That’s our
paramount concern on this issue, at this time.
Weems Hospital. We have mentioned before our concern that the Commission’s wholly-
owned Weems Hospital may have illegally received over $900,000 in forgiven PPP
loans. The CCFC has requested documents and tried to corroborate statements in
support of the Franklin County Commission requesting and receiving Payroll Protection
Plan proceeds. We have been blocked in our endeavor. The CCFC just received from
Weems CEO an email that states in part “Our legal counsel has advised us to not meet
with you.” I think you would agree with me that’s the opposite of transparency. The
penalties for making false statements can be harsh, whether overtly or inadvertently:
“Making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) is a federal
criminal offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1014. The statute imposes penalties for anyone
who, “knowingly makes any false statement or report . . . for the purpose of influencing
in any way the action of the . . . Small Business Administration.” This verbiage is broad
enough to include statements made on companies’ PPP loan applications (including
their Borrower Application Forms), as well as companies’ certifications for loan
forgiveness.”
We ask once again that Weems Hospital provide the supporting statements that would
have allowed for the legal acquisition of PPP loans and subsequent forgiveness. Why is
this even an issue? I sincerely hope that this has just been an oversight and
bureaucratic inertia at its worst is on display.
Three issues demonstrate essentially the same hubris and attitudes. Our relationships
with our government at multiple levels have been strained as of late. It does no one any
good when we feel as if we cannot trust our governments to tell us the straight truth and
do not display a willingness to fix mistakes. Love’em or hate’em, we need the
government to work and achieve our shared societal and practical living needs. Come
on Franklin, make peace with your detractors and those that rightfully prod you to do
better.
Finally, the CCFC is finishing up its 2022 fundraising campaign. If you have already
written your check to support us, many thanks. If you have not, or are sitting on the
fence, please support the only organization in Franklin County devoted to representing
your interests! Please write your non-tax deductive check to the address below.
Regards,
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
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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