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I was more than shocked at the very first Osceola Board of County Commissioners meeting after Rachel Christian broke the Coal Ash story. At this May 6, 2019 meeting, I was the sole person who spoke and requested they reverse their decision. During the county explanation and rebuttal Fred made a comment that, quite honestly, made my blood boil. He said,
"As much as I think some people are just mad that it coming from Puerto Rico, there is a humanitarian side to this."
I sat there thinking....did Fred just call us bigots?
Humanitarian effort? Nice spin, but I think not.
For the record, the only humanitarian aspect to accepting that coal ash would have been toward AES, a PRIVATE firm. They created the crisis in Puerto Rico and now are legally REQUIRED to clean up their mess. Osceola County's choice to accept the imported coal ash was a favor to Fred's old employers at the J.E.D. Landfill who saw a opportunity to make some money. It in no way benefitted the people of Puerto Rico. If Osceola said no to the deal, AES would still have had to remove it at their own expense, but would have had to dispose of it somewhere other than Osceola County Florida.
Constituents hit a nerve
Then there was the June 10, 2019 BOCC meeting when I was one of four speakers. During "Commissioner Comments" Fred Hawkins, Jr. from District 5 referred to his constituents as “keyboard cowboys" and Brandon Arrington from District 3 called us hatemongers. When things heat up and uncomfortable truths comes out, Hawkins and Arrington routinely resort to name calling, acting more like 12 year olds than community leaders.
#haterswillbehaters
Fred is always front and center for "photo ops". At the end of July 2019, he was stumping during a "Positively Osceola" Facebook live-feed highlighting an Education Foundation of Osceola County teacher supply giveaway. I was curious how many supplies could have been purchased with the fees lost from the coal ash deal non-profit waiver. When Osceola County Manager Don Fisher and Commissioner Fred Hawkins crafted the Coal Ash deal they left out the non-profits who historically receive a per tonnage fee for any waste delivered to the landfill from OUTSIDE the county. The fee was one of the concessions to get the BOCC to approve the conditional use permit which allowed the landfill to be built way back when. This isn't a mere couple of hundred dollars.....it involves THOUSANDS.
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I asked the question via a Facebook comment and Fred jumped in with a response. He used the hashtag #haterswillbehaters in the response to me. I'd like to say I was shocked, but not much that Fred Hawkins says or does shocks me anymore.
Here is the full exchange.
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Fred followed up by saying my "historical intent is well documented".
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So in conclusion, with Fred's humanitarian spin (a lie) on the coal ash fiasco and the fact that he thinks I'm a hater for asking questions, I say #HellNoHawkins2020.
Select Resources:
https://www.wftv.com/news/local/osceola-leaders-call-residents-angry-over-coal-ash-dumping-keyboard-cowboys-hate-mongering-/957671945/
Osceola News Gazette June 12, 2019
