Government Digest: June 11 - June 17

Musical political chairs in Hillsborough
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY — Hillsborough County District 2 Commissioner Ken Hagan, with two years in his term remaining, filed for the at-large District 5 commission seat being vacated by fellow Republican Jim Norman.

Norman is running for the open District 12 state Senate seat against State Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa. That seat has been held by Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, who is term-limited.

Hagan officially resigns from the District 2 seat effective Nov. 16, the date he would become an at-large commissioner if elected. Norman has also submitted a resignation letter but with a Nov. 14 effective date. Hagan's opposition in the primary is Don Kruse, a car salesman. Also in the race are Jim Hosler, a planning consultant, and new entrant Rachel Renee Meeks. Both have no party affiliation. Tampa City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena, a Democrat, is also running. Crist is expected to now file for Hagan's District 2 seat. So far, there are 14 candidates for the District 1, 3, 5 and 7 seats. Districts 5, 6 and 7 are at-large seats.

Big Cypress project gets extension
COLLIER COUNTY — At its May meeting, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council approved a request by Collier Enterprises for an 18-month extension for the Town of Big Cypress development of regional impact project.

The approval extends the deadline for responding to the application for development approval's sufficiency questions to Nov. 28, 2011. The Town of Big Cypress is a 2,800-acre master-planned community of 9,000 residential units with commercial, retail and medical space in eastern Collier County.

Collier House races heat up with candidates
TALLAHASSEE — Following the announcement that Rep. Tom Grady, R-Naples, would not be seeking a second term for the District 76 seat, attorney Kathleen Passidomo entered the race to replace Grady, also an attorney. Passidomo, 57, a former president of the Collier County Bar Association and a Republican, is a law partner with Kelly, Passidoma and Alba, LLP in Naples. Estate attorney Laird Lile has withdrawn from the race.

Rep. Matt Hudson, R-Naples, a commercial real estate broker with VIP Realty Group, defends his District 101 seat against Larry Wilcoxson, a financial planner from Immokalee. Wilcoxson filed as a Democrat in January, but changed to no party affiliation on June 4.

Planning council calls for drilling ban
FORT MYERS — The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council issued a letter to Gov. Charlie Crist calling for a constitutional amendment to ban drilling for oil and natural gas in Florida territorial waters which extend out 10.36 miles on the Gulf Coast. The letter, dated May 28, calls for the measure to be placed on the Nov. 2 ballot, which would require approval in a special legislative session this summer.

MEETINGS

PASCO COUNTY
The Land Development Code Stakeholder Committee meets at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at the Land O'Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O'Lakes Blvd. (U.S. 41), Land O'Lakes.

TAMPA BAY REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL
The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council meets at 10 a.m. Monday, June 14, at 4000 Gateway Centre Blvd., Suite 100, Pinellas Park. The agenda includes a panel discussion of the Gulf oil spill, and a presentation on the status of the Tampa Bay targeted industry cluster and workforce skills gap study. The study is being jointly managed by the council and the Tampa Bay Partnership, who selected SRI, Inc. to perform the study. For more information go to www.tbrpc.org or call (727) 570-5151.

MANATEE COUNTY
The South County Community Redevelopment Agency meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 15, at the Harllee Full Service Family Center, 6423 9th St. East, Bradenton.

The Manatee County Port Authority meets at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 17, in the third floor meeting room of the Port Manatee Intermodal Center, 1905 Intermodal Circle, Palmetto.

CHARLOTTE COUNTY
The Murdock Village Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Committee meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday, June 14, at the administration center, room #106B, 18500 Murdock Circle, Port Charlotte. For more information, contact Kathy Knee at (941) 627-3023.

The Industrial Development Authority meets at noon Wednesday, June 16, in the SunTrust building, 18501 Murdock Circle, suite 502. For more information contact Kathy Knee at (941) 627-3023.

COLLIER COUNTY
The Immokalee Community Redevelopment Agency and Enterprise Zone Development Agency advisory boards meet at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 16, at the Career and Service Center, 750 S. 5th St., Immokalee.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCIL
The Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council meets at 9 a.m. Thursday, June 17, in the first floor conference room at its offices at 1926 Victoria Ave., Fort Myers.