Alachua County Today

Florida Agriculture and Energy: Connected, and Affecting Us All

When we look at the modern skyline and suburban development of so many Florida cities, it’s easy to forget that ours is also a substantially agricultural state. Agriculture plays an essential role in Florida’s vital energy future, and it is clearly time that its impact be factored into the development of long-term energy policies at both the state and national levels.

Everyone recognizes the importance of tourism to Florida’s economy, but many overlook that agriculture is a $100 billion industry here. With 25 to 30 percent of agricultural production costs tied directly to energy, and agricultural production so intertwined with our existence, we ignore this sector at our own peril.

Agriculture in Florida is not a mere relic of yesteryear – it’s as technologically advanced as any other industry. Thanks to innovation, our state is in the top one-third of the nation in net farm income, even though so much of our land is occupied by everything from cities and suburbs to retirement communities, theme parks and even golf courses.

To succeed over the long haul, farmers must make decisions for 20 years down the road. Unfortunately, the absence of a comprehensive national energy policy continues to handicap their ability to do proper long-range planning.

The Consumer Energy Alliance strongly believes we need an all-of-the-above energy policy, one that relies on all types of energy sources – not just oil and gas, but also solar, wind, nuclear and others. For this reason, we believe agriculture must be included in any plans. This was a key topic of discussion at a recent Ag-Energy Summit held in Atlanta by our sister organization, the Southeast Energy Alliance.

Florida has some 47,500 farms ranging from small family operations to large commercial enterprises. The average farm size in Florida is almost 200 acres, and operations this size cannot run on human power alone. They rely on electricity for everything from irrigation pumps to lighting and even air circulation fans in chicken houses – and that doesn’t factor in the fuel for tractors and other essential equipment, or the energy used to manufacture fertilizers and pesticides.

In 2011, Florida’s agricultural sector purchased $274.5 million worth of petroleum fuel and oils and another $97.9 million worth of electricity. This is not, if you’ll excuse the expression, just chicken feed. Every dollar Florida farmers spend on production translates directly into the food prices we all pay, as well as Florida agriculture’s ability to continue employing three-quarters of a million people. Higher prices on the agricultural products we export also make us less competitive in the global market.

The stakes are huge. Clearly, federal and state energy policy is about more than just the price we pay to put gasoline in our cars.

We must also remember that agriculture is a producer of energy, though on a limited basis, from methane to bio-fuels to wind. Our state has been a leader in trying to find new crops that can be used to produce energy without competing with the food supply for people and livestock. We are also beginning to tap the potential of biomass – for example, a facility nearing completion will use advanced combustion technology to efficiently convert forest products into energy for use by residents of Gainesville. Even on smaller farms, solar offers an abundant potential source of power for livestock watering, electric fencing and lighting.

Florida has been an agricultural state throughout its modern history, and energy supply has become an increasingly important factor in farm production. For all of us, Florida and the nation must have a coherent energy policy that takes into account all aspects of life in our state – including our essential agriculture sector.

Kevin Doyle is executive director of the Consumer Energy Alliance-Florida, the state affiliate of a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to improve consumer understanding of America’s energy security. The Consumer Energy Alliance brings together consumers, producers and manufacturers to engage in a meaningful dialogue about America’s energy future.

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High Springs residents must send message to commission

  Expanded media coverage on the City of High Springs has intensified in recent days.  But the issues plaguing High Springs didn’t just happen overnight.  This speaks to the monumental failures since the November 2011 election when Bob Barnas and Linda Gestrin assumed positions on the city commission, joining Dean Davis in what will surely be remembered as the single most destructive commission in the city’s history.

Although Mayor Dean Davis refuses to publically acknowledge the truth, a rational and forthright person would likely agree with the city’s own insurance agent.  That is, liability insurance premiums jumping from $13,754 to more than $120,000 is the result of insurance underwriters predicting new lawsuits are imminent.  And while Vice Mayor Bob Barnas would have the public believe the steep increase is based on irresponsible actions by previous administrations, the facts speak otherwise.  Imminent lawsuits do not speak to actions by a previous administration. Imminent lawsuits can be placed squarely on the doorstep of the current administration, and most appropriately at the feet of Davis, Barnas and Gestrin.

And while Davis has been busily whistling the theme song to the Andy Griffith Show, the City of High Springs has been slammed with two lawsuits in recent weeks.  The more Davis talks, the more unglued from reality he seems to be.  As he recently explained, the increasing insurance cost isn’t because of the actions of the current commission, but those of past commissions.  The two most recent lawsuits are precisely the result of the current commission.  Even so, just how far back would Davis like to shift the blame?  He is, after all, in the final year of his three-year term.

He is perhaps partially correct in that past commissions are somewhat responsible for the condition in which High Springs finds itself today.  Consider that the gestation period for an elephant is about 22 months.  That’s just about how long ago it was that Davis and other commissioners set the City on its current path when they sent then City Manager Jim Drumm packing.  Today, Davis looks much like the emperor with no clothes.  He is among few others in High Springs who don’t see the giant elephant in the room – that firing your city manager and paying him six-months salary to walk just so the commission can meddle in the administrative matters is no way to run a city.  With such a gargantuan issue continuing to loom over this commission, it’s no wonder there’s little room for reason and logic.

Still, the bulk of the blame for the condition of High Springs today falls squarely on the shoulders of the current commission.  Over the last year, this commission has turned the City of High Springs upside down. Time and time again, this commission has shown the world that it really is possible to spend the city into oblivion.  From the Poe Springs takeover farce to the ongoing fiscally disastrous police dispatch center, from employee firings via budget manipulation to an irresponsible campaign supporter hiring, Mayor Davis, Vice Mayor Barnas and Commissioner Gestrin have turned the commission into a virtual pigsty of issues that will continue to plague the city long after a wiser electorate has sent them packing.

This trio of ineptitude has created a mess that future commissions will be cleaning for years to come, and for which residents will be paying. And for all his finger pointing at others, Barnas apparently suffers a disconnect between his heavy handed actions and those he accused of doing the same. As Davis, Barnas and Gestrin wallow in the mess they’ve created, Commissioners Sue Weller and Scott Jamison are stuck doing damage control.  These two reasonable commissioners can only hope to slow the downward spiral created now that the other three have driven the city over the fiscal cliff.

To be quite clear, Davis, Barnas and Gestrin will all be leaving a lasting legacy on High Springs – a legacy of bringing the City to its knees and taking it to its worst condition in history.  This gang of three has been bent on seeking retribution against city employees, re-establishing a city-operated police dispatch center and chasing pipe dreams.  All of this when it should have been planning for the city’s aging water system, an underfunded wastewater system, and tending to serious fiscal issues facing the city.

But this set of circumstances wasn’t created this week.  These are matters with which Alachua County Today readers are all-too-familiar.  A simple perusal of headlines topping this newspaper over the last two years would paint a startling and disturbing picture of a city in peril – one that has culminated in the absolute failure of the High Springs commission and a leadership black hole that is destroying any semblance of responsible governance.

In reality, unfortunately this isn’t a television show that in the span of 30 minutes solves all its issues.  This is a real city, with real residents and employees.  This is a place where commission action has real consequences. And sadly, the people left holding the bag will not be the current commission, but the residents who will foot not only the financial burden, but the task of stabilizing and rebuilding the city’s workforce and reputation as well.

But even in this bastion of slip-shod governance where many decisions are based on cronyism and retribution rather than sound policy and good leadership, there are several rays of hope, one being the upcoming city commission election, and the other being the grassroots group, Concerned Citizens for a Better High Springs.  The future of High Springs is in the hands of its residents who must step up and make informed decisions in the coming days.  Whether these decisions are at the ballot box or through public participation with civic minded individuals seeking to restore High Springs government to a sound footing, it has never been more imperative that residents take a stand.  The future of High Springs hangs in the balance.

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High Springs, this is your chance

  There is perhaps no better time to send a message to your local elected officials than on Election Day.  For High Springs voters, the choices have never been clearer.  Two key votes on the Nov. 6 ballot may well determine whether or not High Springs can repair the damage inflicted over the last 12 months and chart a new course.

Despite election year hyperbole and misinformation that invariably dots the campaign trail, there should not be any confusion that Byran Williams is the candidate who brings the promise of a more prosperous High Springs.  Additionally, Alachua County Today implores voters to turn down a proposed charter amendment that seeks to “restrict municipal borrowing.”

As to the candidates up for election, Williams and Pat Rush are both vying for Commission Seat 4, currently held by outgoing mayor Dean Davis.  Electing Williams will surely dissolve the current commission’s blockade on common sense.  Pat Rush, on the other hand, will almost certainly guarantee continued insanity on the part of the commission.

In a city that has been plagued by mind-numbingly deplorable commission decisions and actions throughout the past year, time is of the essence.  This may be the people’s last chance to save a sinking High Springs.  Voting for Byran Williams will limit the ability of Vice-Mayor Bob Barnas and Commissioner Linda Gestrin to continue ripping apart the fabric of High Springs.  Conversely, electing Rush will only serve to embolden these rogue commissioners who unwisely brought back a costly dispatch center while cutting already depressed employee pay as well as making other budgetary blunders.

Time and time again, Barnas, Gestrin and Mayor Dean Davis have foolishly thwarted the will of the public and knowingly failed to act in the best interest of the citizenry.  Perhaps even more egregious is that many of these mistakes have been as a result of political payback.  Candidate Pat Rush doesn’t decry the actions of the current commission; instead, like Barnas, he continues to look backward instead of ahead.

By all accounts, Commissioners Sue Weller and Scott Jamison are likely worlds apart in terms of political philosophy, but when it comes to running the City of High Springs, both share a common goal – making sound and reasoned decisions that will serve High Springs and its residents now and in the future.  Unfortunately, Weller and Jamison do not have other likeminded commissioners with whom to work.  Electing Byran Williams will ensure rational commission decisions.

Make no mistake about it; this trio has largely been serving at the behest of one commissioner – Bob Barnas.  It should be stated in no uncertain terms that Bob Barnas is tantamount to a schoolyard bully whose ego deserves a bigger person.  Barnas may well strike fear in the minds of many, but Alachua County Today is unfazed by his petty barbs, insinuations and threats.  This newspaper remains steadfast with the people of High Springs, many who are incensed with the wanton and willful actions of Barnas and the gang.

For more proof that Rush would simply toe the same line as Barnas and Gestrin, one need only review his support for the last item on the ballot – a charter amendment restricting borrowing.  The questionable method by which Barnas, Gestrin and Davis ramrodded this amendment onto the ballot is disingenuous at best and quite possibly illegal.  Nevertheless, Rush supports it.  After all, restricting borrowing seems superficially the responsible thing to do.

In reality, this amendment handcuffs the City and sets it up for a costly and lengthy election process.  Moreover, it ensures bureaucracy and inflexibility at a time when the City most needs agility, leadership and swiftness.

In short, this charter amendment is misleadingly wrapped in the comforting words of “restrict municipal borrowing.”  In fact what this charter amendment is intended to do is tie the hands of commissioners and prevent a reasoned approach in dealing with the High Springs sewer system.  It strips away responsibilities with which the fine people of High Springs have entrusted their leaders.

Alachua County Today strongly urges High Springs voters to restore sanity to the commission by voting for Byran Williams and “No” on the proposed charter amendment.  If voters select nothing else on the ballot, it is imperative that they go to the last page and vote for Williams and against the amendment.

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High Springs in dire straits

Guest Editorial by JOHN MANLEY, High Springs resident

Captain Queeg: Ahh, but the strawberries that's... that's where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt and with... geometric logic... that a duplicate key to the wardroom icebox DID exist, and I'd have produced that key if they hadn't of pulled the Caine out of action. I, I, I know now they were only trying to protect some fellow officers...

After 88-plus City of High Springs Commission meetings, there have been more than enough exchanges to help the attendee get the feeling they are reliving the court scene from the movie “The Caine Mutiny” with Humphrey Bogart as the battle scared Lt. Commander Queeg. And that we’ve been experiencing here, the drama of the national debate happening in miniature in High Springs – and it is all too real.

The litany of jumbled decision making is well known to the Alachua Today readers. I have reduced my concerns down to two common denominators.

First, the process, or lack thereof, they use to develop their policy and actions.

Ron Batory, the President of Conrail Shared Assets, has a sign in his office that reads "Without data, it's just another opinion.”  The majority of commissioners fail to do any thorough research. They avoid, at all costs, the effort to take the time to assemble the data necessary to make sound decisions. They rely on unsubstantiated facts from people with questionable motives and zero ability. Their opinion is not necessarily their own. Even the well founded opinion is based on data and information that, when questioned, the opinion maker can produce that data to support their position.

What has been sorely lacking has been a dispassionate approach to decision making. It is one thing to approach one’s position with non-negotiable ethics for basic behavior; it is another thing to stick to those non-negotiables when the evidence suggests your assumptions are in error. A certain amount of intellectual honesty is required, along with the skill to sort the important from unimportant to make a sober decision. The Emergency Call Center is a classic example.

The majority manipulate data, if they even bother to delve deeply into a subject, to fit their reality to their preconceived notions or that of their constituency. They put equal weight and importance on all data, not prioritizing or validating what they think they know.

They have a tendency to "fall in love with the project" rather than do the disciplined analysis, and if need be, be prepared to walk away from the project. A prime example is the school renovation. Over $2 million has been invested, yet it sits dormant without purpose.

We need a greater appreciation for facts, rather than shoehorn data to conform to pre-conceived opinions. There are no controls. There are no accepted standards to compare against. There is little appreciation for procedures created to avert trouble and litigation. With two of the commissioners being real estate professionals, how can they function in their fields if they don't review data, such as comparable sales, financing, closing costs, etc?

Dogma can be a burden. This is not only a problem for High Springs; I think we see a similar intransigence in the national arena as well. What we want are leaders who will put their prejudices aside, get the best data they can, learn to throw away the insignificant, and learn to compromise. We ask them to communicate their position clearly and distinctly, so even the citizen disagreeing with them can at least respect how they reached their conclusion.

 Second, I am concerned about the failure of leadership.

The majority seem to lead on the assumption that they received 100 percent of the vote when they obtained office. In fact, they retained a simple majority, and did not enjoy a sufficient referendum to bully their agenda through the process with arrogance contrary to democratic principles.  They continually harp about the mistakes of previous commissions; but enough time has passed that the current emergency is strictly their own making.

 Moral leadership and backbone is lacking. The majority will not suffer the least indigestion in setting the city staff up for a total 30 percent pay and benefits cut, along with limiting compensatory time and overtime. The majority can't accept criticism –– to the point of hysteria. Certain members of the majority have sought to publicly verbalize their contempt for this newspaper, yet they produce no contrary position when invited. If you are not with them, you are against them. In a public arena when the dissenting side merely questions the decisions, not the motives, a “winners take all” stance is inappropriate. There are commissioners (and their closest supporters) who seek retribution for any perceived past and present slights to their egos or prestige. They are destructive.

There have been reports of veiled threats to a staff member's position with the City.  Or, as reported by one county monthly publication, a direct threat to a complaining citizen's employer, suggesting however unfounded, misuse of employer time. Business owners are afraid to speak up fearing some kind of retribution. Jeri Langman's suspension is the classic case of "shoot the messenger" –– and she was rushed into her position by these same commissioners. This entire list of behavior smacks of thuggery and old style Tammany Hall politics, minus the free turkeys during the holidays. As a result of this behavior, High Springs taxpayers will see the City liability insurance policy increase 20-fold to over $225,000, a litany of lawsuits, complaints made at the state level, or a waiting list of litigation seeking compensation for being manhandled. 

 Our Vice Mayor fails to communicate his concepts in a measured and thorough way. What is obvious to him seems to elude us. He represents what Peter Drucker refers to as “intellectual arrogance causing disabling ignorance.”

Ultimately, it comes down to how the plans are executed, which have been very poor, communications worse and ineptitude catastrophic.

 High Springs needs a clear mission statement. The City of Gulf Breeze has a concise vision statement: "Gulf Breeze will preserve and enhance its hometown character and natural environment to foster a high quality of family life.” And their vision statement is: "Develop a master plan to be recognized as the most livable city in America by 2020."

While accepting our current challenges, we need to seek longer term goals that we can express in a tangible way that we all can get behind.  Churchill referred to "sunlit uplands" and England as that "shining city on a hill" to stir his people.  What is our rallying cry?

 Would we agree that we have more pressing issues that deserve a balanced, professional approach to problem-solving than this childish, sandbox behavior?

I fear the current majority’s legacy will be that they were leaders of the Commission that broke the financial back of High Springs and left it unable to control its destiny.  

 Until they change their attitude and adopt a desire to learn, to the majority I say as Cromwell said, “You have sat too long for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

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