Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 5-13-16 Online Edition

Features
Elected Officials Join Forces To Offer Florida Farm Share Program
Commissioner Blames Mayor For ‘No’ Vote On ‘Go Hillsborough’ Plan
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Saturday, May 14th, two elected officials, along with other organizations, will host Florida Farm Share. The event will take place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., at the First Bap- tist Church of Progress Vil- lage, 8616 Progress Boulevard, Tampa.
The event will provide free farm fresh groceries to the first 500 families to attend. The event is being hosted by State Representative Ed Narain, Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller, Jr., in partnership with the 100 Black Women of Tampa Bay, Inc., First Baptist Church of Progress Village, and the St. James AME Church of Progress Village.
In addition to the free food, those in attendance can obtain information from Hillsbor- ough Healthy Start: KidCare, Marketplace Outreach and Family Resource Centers, Pre- vent Blindness vision screen- ings for Children, and St. Joseph’s Hospital hand wash- ing.
The Tampa Family Health Centers will also be on hand to offer free Dental and basic health screenings to individu-
ED NARAIN State Representative
als who have pre-registered for the screenings.
To take advantage of the dental screenings and basic health screenings, individuals must pre-register.
In order to make the pro- gram a success, individuals are asked to volunteer from the community for a few hours on Saturday. Between 30 and 50 volunteers are needed.
Rep. Ed Narain said, “Ac- cess to fresh food remains a problem throughout the state. We must work together to en- sure everyone has healthy eat- ing options regardless of where they live. I’m proud to join Commissioner Miller
LES MILLER, JR., Hillsborough County Commissioner, District 3
and Farm Share in this effort.”
Commissioner Les Miller, Jr., said, “I’m looking forward to teaming up with Rep. Narain. This gives us an opportunity to help feed 500 families. You never know, but some people may not be eating well, especially the sen- iors, because of prescriptions, and such.
“I think this is a great op- portunity to help those who need it the most.”
To volunteer services or to obtain additional information, contact Rep. Narain’s office at (813) 241-8024.
COUNTY COMMISSIONER MAYOR VICTOR CRIST BOB BUCKHORN
According to County Com- missioner Victor Crist, it was Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s demand for a 30-year tax deal that led him and his colleagues to vote no on allowing the re- quest to be put on a referen- dum for the voters to decide.
The Go Hillsborough Plan is a county transportation initia- tive that was sought to fund a $117.5 million annual cost for new transit and road construc- tion.
Commissioners were dead- locked in a 3-3 vote until Com- missioner Crist voted no on the referendum.
According to records, Mayor Buckhorn spoke be- fore the Board and asked them to pass only a 30-year funding plan and nothing less.
Mayor Buckhorn said he’s always been committed to a long-term plan and it’s contin- gent on the city’s desire to build a light rail line from downtown
to the airport.
In a letter to the Board,
Mayor Buckhorn allocated $36 million for design and con- struction of a $480 million light rail project.
Commissioner Crist said in the Mayor’s presentation, he didn’t see enough details about what it would cost to op- erate a light rail system, how many riders were expected, where it would stop and where it would run.
Voting no with Commis- sioner Crist were Commis- sioners Sandy Murman, Al Higginbotham, and Stacy White. They also said no to a 20-year tax.
Commissioner Crist is on record saying he’s always had doubts about the Go Hillsbor- ough initiative, and whether residents really had what it takes to raise taxes for 30 years soon after a recession.
Family Town Hall Forum To Be Held At Beulah Baptist
A Family Town Hall Forum will be held on Thursday, May 19, 2016, 7:30 p. m.-9 p. m. The forum will be held at Beulah Baptist Church – 1006 West Cypress Street, Tampa. Rev. Dr. W. James Favorite is the host pastor.
The forum is sponsored by: For The Family, Inc. and Pas- tors On Patrol. Partners and supporters include: Pinellas- Pasco Area Agencies on Aging, and Upper Pinellas Ministerial Alliance; Hillsborough County Branch of the NAACP, Greater Palm River Point Corporation to Develop Communities, MLK, Jr. Community Center of Clearwater, Childs Park YMCA of St. Petersburg, and the Upper Pinellas – Clearwater Branch of the NAACP.
The focus of the forum will be to enable vulnerable par- ents, seniors, and other indi- viduals to speak out about how inadequate services (including but not limited to Food Stamps, Social Security, and Medicaid) make their chal- lenges even harder to deal with. Community service providers are also invited to share how inadequate resources currently or potentially affect their oper-
ations.
The Beulah Forum immedi-
ately follows the NAACP Mem- bership Meeting and opens this latest round of the Family Town Hall Series. It is one of four already scheduled in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties through June.
Pastors On Patrol is one of the groups collaborating with For The Family in the Series, and another Hillsborough Forum will be held June 2 at the Greater Palm River Point CDC (7454 Palm River Road). The Series has taken place in the spring and fall since 2013, and will resume again this fall.
For The Family Administra- tor W. Ward Cox is pleased with what the Series is accom- plishing: “People are starting to realize that their voices can have an impact as more and more speak up. There is no doubt that the vulnerable are the easiest targets when budget decisions are made. As our community becomes more aware that practically all of us are under the gun, I’m confi- dent that their knowledge will set the stage for fairer deci- sions.”
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