Martin County Currents

If you thought Indiantown was rid of former village administrator Howard W. Brown Jr., you’re wrong.

Two of his acolytes, Jackie Clarke and Janet Hernandez, seem determined to avenge Brown’s ouster and their own election defeats by attacking — rather than questioning — the village’s administration during the Sept. 12 council meeting.

They waited until after the swearing-in of new council members, Phyllis Waters Brown and Vernestine Williams-Palmer, at 5:50 p.m., followed by the first public hearing of Indiantown’s 2024-2025 budget based on the new millage rate of 1.825.

The council approved both the budget and new millage rate unanimously.

It was during the public comment period after Councilman Carmine Dipaolo was elected mayor and Angelina Perez was re-elected vice mayor that former councilwoman Clarke addressed the council. She announced that she’d “been silent for two years,” but had been watching their meetings online.

She said that residents had been asking her about the increase in water and wastewater rates. Although couching her words phrases like “thanking you in advance,” Clarke demanded that Village Administrator Taryn Kryzda meet with residents at her church, Evergreen Baptist Church in Booker Park.

“I’ll be waiting for you to give me a time and a date,” Clarke ordered. “You make the flyers … you make this happen….”

If she had been watching the meetings, Clarke would know that the council directed Kryzda to host a Saturday meeting for all residents to explain more thoroughly the village’s need for higher rates and fees. The Saturday meeting will be Oct. 12 at three different times during the day at Village Hall.

The new rates stem from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection declaring that the village’s rate structure for its water utility provides insufficient revenues to be sustainable.

The debt incurred from the purchase of the utility four years ago, coupled with the unsustainable rate and fee structure, makes the village ineligible for the $12.5 million SRF (State Revolving Fund) loan that it needs to upgrade the village’s water plant, wells, and replace water lines, despite the fact that 65 percent of the loan could be forgiven.

Clarke was a member of the administration that took part in the decisions leading to the village’s debt, its unsustainable rate structure, and excessive spending.

Another town where Brown is currently the city manager, the Town of Century, lost more than $15 million in grants in August due to its debt and Brown’s excessive spending habits. (The article from NorthEscambia.com is attached.)

In her comments, Hernandez challenged Finance Director Mike Florio’s request to shift the village's banking from separate, segregated and multiple checking accounts to a single pooled cash account. “This should not be done,” she declared.

Hernandez said she based her opinion on a budget class she recently attended.

Accusatory in tone, Hernandez declared the move would lead to mismanagement, misallocation of funds, and the lack of line-item accountability, which, interestingly, described accounting practices under Brown’s administration. For instance, all conference and travel expenses for all employees and council members were lumped into one account by Brown’s accountant, G&L Accounting.

As a result, the only item available to answer public records requests for one person’s travel expenses was the total expenditure for all employees. That’s no longer the case.

A pooled cash account is the recommended Best Management Practice for government accounting, according to Florida’s Government Finance Officers Association standards.

The practice has been adopted by all major cities and counties that can afford to purchase the powerful ERM (Enterprise Risk Management) software, Florio explained, designed to protect sensitive data, increase productivity, and eliminate financial fraud.

Hernandez seems to have forgotten it was Brown who spearheaded the purchase of the expensive software three years ago. He touted it as “a move to greater transparency” for the village, but it was not installed until the new village administrator took over.

Brown’s lack of transparency at Indiantown has followed him to unsuspecting Century and East Point, whose residents are unaware that Brown is the interim city manager at both cities, drawing hefty salaries from both.

It’s time that Brown’s diehard supporters in Indiantown accept the fact that the wool was pulled over their eyes, which is Brown’s greatest skill. They should recognize that the village cannot meet its full potential until everyone, including Clarke and Hernandez, moves beyond Howard W. Brown Jr. and his legacy of division.

https://www.northescambia.com/2024/08/why-were-millions-in-grants-pulled-from-century-this-is-what-our-investigation-found

Finally, new rules for Indiantown events reflect a new direction

The village’s burdensome permitting process for special events was a consistent irritant among residents and organizations, both within and outside of Indiantown's boundaries. Reflecting a change in philosophy from the previous administration, the council directed their village manager in May to simplify the process.

“Special event permits should be just like getting a building permit,” suggested Councilman Carmine Dipaolo. “The rules should be the same for everybody, and if (applicants) meet all the requirements, they get the permit…It should be simple and it should be handled at the staff level. There’s no need for event permits to come before the village council.”

Previously, events with attendance of 250 or more, or with amplified sound, or requiring road closures all had to be approved by the village council.

After the first draft of the new LDRs (Land Development Regulations) for special events was presented July 16 to the PZAB (Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board) for a public hearing, board members kicked the draft back to the village attorney for more revisions.

They rejected the idea that the village manager should have final authority over permit applications. Instead, a major event permit denial may be appealed to the village council.

The revised draft, which incorporated comments by the board members and the public, was presented again Sept. 5 in another public hearing. The draft was approved by the PZAB members, who voted to recommend passage of the new rules at an upcoming village council meeting.

Changes include eliminating village permits for authorized events at county-owned Timer Powers Park, as well as for weddings, funerals, birthday parties, and similar events that are not open to the public.

Permits also will not be required for indoor events at churches, civic organizations, schools, or outdoor events when held on the school, church or civic organization property, even if open to the public.

Businesses wishing to hold private events on their own premises also are no longer required to obtain a permit.

The deadline to file for a permit is now 30 days in advance (Sheriff’s Office review requires 35 days in advance if security is requested), instead of 60 days, and may be filed up to a year in advance, if so desired.

A pre-permit application meeting with Indiantown officials may be held in advance, if the applicant desires it, to go over the application and requirements.

Applicants also will be required to provide proof of application to purchase liability insurance, instead of purchasing it advance as a condition of permit approval, since the applicant cannot get a refund if the permit is not approved; however, they must provide proof of purchase within three days of permit approval.

Additional events were added that require permits, including block parties and processionals, which require street closures.

The revised draft will go before the village council for another public hearing. The council has the authority to approve the draft as it was revised, or to make additional revisions prior to final approval. The link to the entire draft is below:

Coversheet AN ORDINANCE OF THE VILLAGE OF INDIANTOWN, FLORIDA, AMENDING SECTION 3-5.7 “TEMPORARY USES AND SPECIAL EVENTS” OF THE VILLAGE OF INDIANTOWN LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS; CREATING SECTION 3-5.10 “SPECIAL EVENTS”, OF THE VILLAGE OF INDIANTOWN LAND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS; PROVIDING FOR THE REV...