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
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(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
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