Fast Fred Hawkins drags Audubon to his secret dark side

Wanting to put a toll road through Split Oak Forest should be an affront to every citizen of Osceola and Orange County.  This land was conserved IN PERPETUITY because builders destroyed habitat to allow development.  I don't think the intention was to set aside Split Oak Forest until another offer came along.  Fred needs to go back to school or open a dictionary since he doesn't seem to understand the meaning of those words.

in perpetuity idiom
Definition of in perpetuity

formal
: for all time : forever
//The land will be passed on from generation to generation in perpetuity.

So, March 5, 2018, as I pointed out in a prior post, Fred Hawkins tells me to let the process play out when I suggest that it isn't a good environmental decision to put the Osceola Parkway Extension toll road through Split Oak Forest or beyond Narcoossee Road, for that matter. 

April 13, 2018: Fred gets his marching orders from Tavistock as shown in this email.

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

  

He quickly replies that he got the email and cc's disgraced former State Representative Mike Horner.  You may remember back in 2012 when Horner, who was running for relection in HD42, pulled himself from the race after his name was linked to a prostitution ring.  Ok, Mike was never convicted of anything, and as such, has since been hired as a lobbyist for Osceola County including the School Board.  I don't know about you, but it is a huge red flag for me on the questionable decisions our leaders make on behalf of the citizens.  It kinda makes me think that when it comes to politics in Osceola the citizens are in the dark about a LOT of things behind the scenes.

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

April 15, 2018: Hawkins passes the Tavistock email to his favorite designated Environmental henchman Charles Lee of Florida Audubon who agrees to keep this letter and their clandestine presentation a secret.  At some point in 2008/9, right after Fred Hawkins and Brandon Arrington began their reign as Osceola County Commissioners, Charles Lee changed from fiercely fighting for protection of the undeveloped lands in Eastern Osceola to acquiescing to the whims and wants of Tavistock and the Deseret Ranch people.  Sad to say that all of this road nonsense wouldn't be at issue if Charles had just stuck to his guns instead of turning into the Monte Hall of the Environment.  He's more a "Director of Development" for Audubon than a Director of Advocacy.  It's sad!  The builders know who will play, which is why Charles and Audubon are called upon to represent the environment in so many projects....he's the developers "go-to" man....an environmental sellout.

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

If you read the prior blog, you know about the May 2nd letter from the Osceola Board of County Commissioners to Tavistock agreeing to the April 13th letter demands. Makes you wonder just who is in charge of running Osceola County anyway?



Fred's Penchant of Keeping People in the Dark

As with quite a few of Fred's questionable initiatives (think Osceola COAL ASH), he and County Manager Don Fisher know well in advance what is coming down the pike, but rather than give everyone time to digest and study his evil deals, he keeps them secret until the last minute and rushes them through as last minute agenda addendums and surprise Commissioner discussions.  It is his modus operandi and it stinks.  We don't need this type of mindset at the state level!

Because of the continual secretive behavior, I say #HellNoHawkins2020.





 Select Resources:
The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in perpetuity. Accessed 15 December 2019.

Fred Hawkins: Poor Leadership when it comes to Osceola Parkway Extension

BY HIS OWN ADMISSION!

"The process needs to play out. A rush to making decisions pro or con is to me very poor leadership." 

~~ Fred Hawkins Jr, March 5, 2018                                

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

One month after that statement, Fred Hawkins, Jr. rallied his County Commissioner troops (he was Chair at the time), his henchman Charles Lee of Florida Audubon and through a series of secreted backdoor events* issued a letter to Tavistock Development supporting the very road that he said we should wait to consider until completion of the PD&E studies. 

click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

Split Oak Forest is a mitigation bank conserved IN PERPETUITY to offset destroyed habitat in other areas which allowed development on lands that encroached on important habitat.  Fred Hawkins, at the behest of major contributors to his campaign, chooses to ignore the law and actively promotes the alignment that builds the road through a portion of these public lands. 

Allowing a road to be built on lands that were conserved to offset prior development would set a bad precedent and put at risk conservation lands throughout the State of Florida.  This shows that Fred Hawkins has no regard for prior commitments made to conserve natural Florida within Osceola County when it comes to offsetting the habitat damaging over-development that he has voted for over the past 12 years.  Imagine if he is allowed to a higher post at the State level.  No area of beauty in Florida would be safe. 

It's unfortunate that on major issues regarding the preservation of our quality of life it always falls on deaf ears where Fred is concerned.  Fred talks a good talk but then does the exact opposite of what he recommends the citizens do...such as letting the process play out.

Recall my email to the BOCC?  WHAT???????  Fred's alarming email to me!

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

I won't fall for Fred's bull and you shouldn't either!

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

 

Fred cares about his constituents....NOT

As an aside, I am touched that Fred was "...only looking out for [me]" concerning a sunshine law violation. I am troubled that only by ignoring the suggestion to recall my email were the additional facts from the County Attorney brought forth which put the threat of a private citizen being in violation of the sunshine laws into a proper perspective. Based on my follow-up research it is highly unlikely. At the time, the Dorworth case appears to be the first and only instance of an indictment and the ruling exonerating him was upheld on appeal.

Click on photo for full size; escape to return to blog

I honestly believe, that with the Tavistock letter in the works Fred didn't want any of the other commissioners to consider valid, workable alternatives.  I shudder to think what other citizens might do if they received similar requests from Fred Hawkins to recall emails.  My sister from NY thought he was trying to intimidate me.  I thought he was playing fast and loose with the intention of the Sunshine Law...ok.. and maybe trying to see if I'd fall for his scare tactics.  Didn't work....I just stood my ground and copied the newspapers on my reply.

Seems Fred was really looking out for HIMSELF.  In light of this, I say #HellNoHawkins2020

*COMING SOON:  Fred Hawkins behind the scenes dealings in selling out Split Oak Forest to favor  his campaign contributing developer friends' wants.

$155K War Chest (and counting) for a >$40K job? Woaahhhhhh!!!!!

Sometimes a comment on social media will bring about a true "why didn't I think of that" moment.  One of the better ones for me was recently left on a post concerning Fred Hawkins who is running in 2020 for Florida HD42. 

It stated:

"Fred Hawkins has already raised $100,000+ to run for a position that pays less than $40,000 a year for 2 years.   Something tells me he's not there for the paycheck, or the public service."

The statutes call for a salary of $18,000 per year for the two year tenure of the job.  However, there are adjustments made through the Appropriations Committee. This year the average salary for House Reps was just shy of $30,000. 

Now Fred makes a pretty considerable salary ($120K+)(1) from his "Landfill Certified" career with an emphasis on Governmental Affairs.  The companies he has worked for seem to change their names frequently due to mergers and he also appears to have switched companies based on potential conflicts of interests in his role as an Osceola County elected official. Still, he seems to have no trouble finding a new position at a company that won't be doing direct business with Osceola County.  Probably great letters of reference.  We know the waste industry loves him cause he gets things done, albeit at the expense of his constituents and their health concerns.

In addition, He gets a payday as President of the Education Foundation of Osceola County.  An interesting aside....Waste Connections Inc. is a major sponsor and Benjamin Gray of JED Landfill holds a seat on the Board of Directors of the Education Foundation of Osceola County. 

Of course to avoid the appearance of impropriety when crafting the deal between Osceola County and Waste Connections to bring the AES Coal Ash from Puerto Rico to the JED landfill in Holopaw, he stated that he didn't want the Education Foundation to get the historical monetary fee for waste tonnage received from outside the county "due to his employment"(2).

Mind you, the waiver of those fees resulted in the waived fees going squarely into the pockets of Waste Connections.  I still can't wrap my head around the ethics or logic of those fee waivers.  I first asked when I spoke at the Osceola BOCC meeting on May 6, 2019 why fees were waived for the non-profits and schools and  many others have asked repeatedly since that time. Yet still no one has come up with an answer.  Then again, Osceola County management avoids the hard questions if it can't put a spin on it that makes them look good. 

When I am checking out a candidate, one of the first things I do is see who is contributing to their campaign. 

So, how can one find out just who is donating to Fred?  myflorida.com makes it simple to query the database to bring up the list.  https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/CanDetail.asp?account=74095

Step one:

Step two:

For some reason, I find it counter intuitive to believe that real estate developers, attorneys, and waste industry people are willing to back a person who will go the extra mile to strengthen environmental protections, preserve land, water, natural resources and quality of life as the current citizens want and deserve.

Looking over Fred's contributors' list, I have to say #HellNoHawkins2020

Be sure to check out the other candidates as well:  https://dos.elections.myflorida.com/candidates/CanList.asp
_________________

(1) Form 6 2018 Full and Public Disclosure of Financial Interests, Fred Hawkins, Jr., Board Member CFX, Osceola BOCC

(2) Email reply to Loret Thatcher, 5/16/2019 11:50AM, Subject RE: New County Management is needed

#HellNoHawkins2020

Welcome to my new blog.  My name is Loret Thatcher, citizen of Osceola County, FL.  I plan on writing here and there about things that bother me about our goverment representation at the local and state level with the hopes of making good voting decisions come the 2020 election.

The deal that Commissioner Fred Hawkins, Jr. helped craft with the landfill that brought AES coal ash in from Puerto Rico was a defining moment for me.  Over the years I had reservations about whether or not the best interests of the citizens were being properly represented by Osceola County management and elected officials.  The way that item was put on the agenda as a last minute rush eliminating any chance for citizen input erased any doubt I had that we were being let down by those who are suppose to represent our best interests.
 
I feel the quality of life in Osceola County has diminished since Fred Hawkins was elected as the District 5 Commissioner back in 2008.   Which begs the question: Do we really want Fred Hawkins to have a run at the State?  I myself say #HellNoHawkins2020!

Along the way, I'll share some of what I uncover that I find quite eye opening.

                                                                       * * * *

A while back I was doing some internet searching and ran across a blog post on Fred Hawkins, his politics and his relationship with the waste industry.  I thought I was reading current events but alas, it was dated back in 2008.  I thought WOW.....some things never change.

As a part of this first post I direct you to that very blog which appears more than predictive in its reporting.  The link I have provided includes all the articles where "Hawkins" was mentioned in that blog.  One paragraph really hit home with me:

"We feel that it’s going to be real hard for Mr. Hawkins to “change” the current established system as he claims with all of these interested companies and individuals tugging at his ear or wallet. If most of this money is coming from these special interests, who will Mr. Hawkins ultimately be listening to? If nothing else it looks like the developer crowd is ready for someone to say "Yes We Can" as they plan their way into dumping more growth into an area that can not afford it. We say: Follow the money!"

In my opinion, the above statement is spot-on. 

It is up to YOU to decide the accuracy of information provided from the other blog.  There are many legitimate news organizations indicated as as sources.  Given the current state of Osceola County, well, you decide.

Again, Do we really want Fred Hawkins to have a run at the State?  Again I say #HellNoHawkins2020!

Link:  https://whoiswayne.blogspot.com/search?q=hawkins