Environment Panel Expansion Sought

By ELLEN GEDALIUS The Tampa Tribune

Published: Oct 17, 2007

TAMPA - City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern is trying to push through legislation that would add the voices of Tampa, Plant City and Temple Terrace to countywide environmental issues.

But even before the bill is filed, Mulhern is meeting resistance from some Hillsborough County commissioners and even Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio. And some wonder whether the proposal will reopen wounds created last year when Tampa and Hillsborough County bickered over the makeup of two other boards.

Others, though, are eager supporters of Mulhern's idea.

Mulhern wants to change the composition of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission, a board that now consists solely of the seven county commissioners.

The EPC, created through a special act of the state Legislature in 1967, is charged with maintaining the integrity of water, air, soil and wildlife.

Upset with the board's attempt this year to abolish the wetlands division, Mulhern wants to add two Tampa City Council members, one Plant City commissioner and one Temple Terrace council member to the EPC board. She proposes reducing the number of county commissioners from seven to five.

"We're just asking for a seat at the table," Mulhern said. "We're talking about the environment we all share."

She had an easy time winning the support of her colleagues on the city council, who unanimously voted last week to forward the draft legislation to the Hillsborough County legislative delegation.

On Tuesday night, Mulhern asked the city of Temple Terrace to back her proposed legislation.

The council voted unanimously to support the concept and directed city staff members to further look at the plan.

Other Mayors Show Interest

Earlier in the day, Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti said he supported Mulhern's effort.

"It's a good idea to get input from the various jurisdictions that might be affected by it," Affronti said. "And the county commission would still have a majority. To me, it just makes sense."

Plant City Mayor Rick Lott said he hasn't decided whether to support Mulhern but looks forward to talking with her about the details.

According to Bob Stetler, wetlands division manager for the environmental commission, Hillsborough County has 14,535 wetlands covering 101,900 acres. Of that, 7,521 acres are in Tampa; 2,703 in Plant City; and 655 in Temple Terrace.

Mariella Smith, a local environmental activist who serves on the county's Citizens Environmental Advisory Committee, said that something needs to change to make the board more responsive to residents.

She said having more diverse representation on the board would leave the group less vulnerable to special interests and more likely to keep environmental issues at the forefront.

Environmental Protection Commission chairman Brian Blair opposes Mulhern's idea, saying the EPC works well under its county membership.

"I don't think it's broken," Blair said. "Why fix it?"

Iorio served on the EPC board for eight years when she was a county commissioner. She said she thought having the county commission serve as the environmental protection board worked well.

"I don't believe the composition of the EPC board needs changing," Iorio said.

"I understand the concern over the wetland issue, but you don't change the composition of a board because you disagree with the board on an issue," she said.

"Voters will decide who sits on the EPC board at election time."

Chairman Says Idea Is Wonderful

County Commission chairman Jim Norman said Mulhern's idea is wonderful - but not without mentioning a debate last year over the makeup of two other boards, the Tampa Sports Authority and the Hillsborough Planning Commission.

Hillsborough officials had tried to win more seats on those boards, arguing the county's population had swelled so much it should have more representation. The bills died when the local legislative delegation wouldn't back them. Some legislators at the time said they didn't want to support bills that would create divisions in the community.

Norman declined to answer whether he would resurrect those two bills in exchange for support on the EPC proposal, but he did say he understands why the city wants seats on the environmental board. "It's the theme of what we tried to do last session," he said. "They're making our point. It's funny how they're now making our same argument."

Mulhern doesn't want her EPC proposal to get lumped with the sports authority and planning commission debate. Tampa already has seats on those two boards, she argues, but none on the EPC.

Mulhern plans to call each county commissioner to ask for their support. She also is shopping for a legislative sponsor. She said some legislators seemed interested, but no one has committed.

The bill-filing deadline is Nov. 2. Eight of the 12 local state representatives and three of the four state senators must approve the bill for it to be forwarded to Tallahassee.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie contributed to this story. Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at egedalius@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7679.