A commissioner's dad's plans to broker a land deal with the county prompted Kathy Castor's proposals.
By BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 28, 2005
TAMPA - Hillsborough Commissioner Kathy Castor wants a new policy banning board members, their family or close associates from profiting when the county buys property.
And she wants to forbid all county employees, their family members and associates from profiting from any contracts the government enters.
Castor plans to take both proposals before the board when it meets Wednesday. She said both were spawned by revelations that fellow Commissioner Ken Hagan's father is the broker for land the county is considering buying in Branchton to build a new regional park.
"Public office should not be used for private gain," Castor said.
It's not the first time Castor has made a pitch to tighten the commission's ethics rules. She failed to win support last year for a limit on the value of gifts commissioners may accept to $100. She managed earlier in her term to win backing for greater disclosure when lobbyists meet with commissioners and how much board members spend on travel.
Hagan abstained when the park proposal went before the commission Oct. 19, though he did forcefully argue for the purchase, something Castor called "entirely inappropriate." Without Hagan's vote, the purchase was rejected, 3-3.
However, the other two commissioners who objected to the purchase, Ronda Storms and Tom Scott, largely voiced concerns with the price. Commissioners are expected to reconsider the proposal next month after a second appraisal is conducted.
Hagan said Thursday state law provides clear guidance on what constitutes a conflict for elected officials and government employees. He said he talked to County Attorney Renee Lee in advance of the board decision to ensure he followed the rules.
He noted that the state law provides for enforcement and penalties when the rules are broken. Castor is proposing a pair of policies that Hagan said would have no teeth.
"I don't think that there is any question that this is political grandstanding at its finest by Commissioner Castor," Hagan said. "I think it's very important that there's a very clear and uniform understanding (of the rules). And that's provided by state statutes."
Castor, a Democrat, is running for the District 11 U.S. House seat being vacated in 2006 by Jim Davis, who is running for governor. Hagan is a Republican. Castor's proposal, and Hagan's reaction, are a likely sign of things to come on the partisan board leading up to next November's elections.
State statutes require that elected officials abstain from votes on decisions that would benefit them or their families. They must submit a written explanation any time they abstain.
Castor said she thinks the park decision illustrates the need for a brighter line. She said her proposal is coincidental to a well-publicized discussion by city of Tampa officials recently over a policy barring its real estate employees from moonlighting as real estate agents anywhere in Hillsborough County.
Asked about the potential difficulty of barring, essentially, any close associates and family members of the county's 6,500 employees from doing business with the government, Castor expressed confidence it could be done.
"That's why we have very talented attorneys who will be able to craft something that is meaningful," Castor said.
Hagan has been promoting the need for a new regional park in northern Hillsborough for years. But the area's fast growth has made open tracts of land large enough increasingly scarce.
Hagan's father, Ken Hagan Sr., a real estate broker, said he learned of the search and difficulty finding land in news accounts. Ultimately, he persuaded two property owners with 13.4 acres of land adjacent to the existing Branchton Park to sell. That property would then be combined with the existing park to create a regional park with multiple playing fields.
The dissenting commissioners blanched at the asking price, a combined $3.1-million, or $235,000 an acre. They also objected to the fact that the property owners had upped their price three times.
