Guest Column: The $9.5 Million Toppino Contracts FKAA Lied About
by Margaret Blank……. Getting information from the Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) is like pulling teeth sometimes. Good thing I don’t mind pulling teeth. A while back, I asked the FKAA to...
View ArticleSenate Bill 686 and the Cost of Corruption
by Margaret Blank*……. I saw this news item while browsing the web: Almost every top official in Texas city arrested in federal corruption case. It really got me thinking. Here’s a terrific editorial on...
View ArticleAnimal Control
Letter to the Editor: The Upper Keys animal shelter still has the highest kill rate of all the animal shelters in the Keys. By far. According to numbers submitted to Monroe County, the Upper Keys took...
View ArticleThe Best Thing the Governor Can Do For the Keys
by Margaret Blank……. Good news! Gov. Scott signs Florida Keys Stewardship Act into Law The Florida Keys Stewardship Act is now officially law. It’s a blessing but a mixed one. As always, it is subject...
View ArticleResponse to County Mayor Carruthers
Dear Editor, In a recent letter to the editor, Monroe County Mayor, Heather Carruthers, discussed her opposition to single-member districts. The letter glosses over very real and very significant...
View ArticleBig Coppitt – More Missing Documents?
by Margaret Blank……. Update: The FKAA responded right quick this time. I sent an email Sunday, got a response on Monday. This is new and different. Here’s a link to the agenda back up for the approval...
View ArticleMargaret Blank: Stewardship Act: Smoke and Mirrors
by Margaret Blank….. I’ve had some heartburn over the Florida Keys Stewardship Act (FKSA) for some time now. I want to be supportive. I want to be comfortable. I want to like it. But somehow I just...
View ArticleCONFLICT OF INTEREST: FKAA $3 Million Contract for Toppino
by Margaret Blank……. Posted this week on www.bigpinekey.com: The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) board is getting ready to award a $3 million contract to one of their own, Richard Toppino....
View ArticleGUEST COMMENTARY: PEER Follows Up on FKAA’s Fake Environmental Assessment
by Margaret Blank……. Keys media generally serves to downplay the failings of FKAA officials. FKAA documents reveal that Toppino has done over $20 million with the FKAA in the last ten years – $12.4...
View ArticleAbout the County Administrator’s Letter to Editor
by Margaret Blank……. Dear Editor, Monroe County Administrator, Roman Gastesi, wrote a letter to the editor touting all the county’s accomplishments this past year. Unfortunately, Gastesi steadfastly...
View ArticleAnimal Control Update – RFP Failure
by Margaret Blank……. Ugh. The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) is just so buffoonish and incompetent. It’s very, very annoying to me. I’m so glad they’ve all been nabbed for ethics violations....
View ArticleFKSPCA Tax Returns…
by Margaret Blank……. The Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (FKSPCA) just received a humongous windfall from the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) courtesy of the...
View ArticleFKSPCA – Jane Fails the Taxpayers
by Margaret Blank……. The Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (FKSPCA) was recently awarded a $425,000 contract to run the Marathon animal shelter under very suspicious...
View ArticleAnimal Control: Corruption or Stupidity?
by Margaret Blank……. The image above is a screen shot from the Florida Inspectors General website. Is the Florida Keys Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (FKSPCA) over-charging the...
View ArticleResponse to County Mayor Carruthers
Dear Editor, In a recent letter to the editor, Monroe County Mayor, Heather Carruthers, discussed her opposition to single-member districts. The letter glosses over very real and very significant...
View ArticleBig Coppitt – More Missing Documents?
by Margaret Blank....... Update: The FKAA responded right quick this time. I sent an email Sunday, got a response on Monday. This is new and different. Here’s a link to the agenda back up for the...
View ArticleMargaret Blank: Stewardship Act: Smoke and Mirrors
by Margaret Blank..... I’ve had some heartburn over the Florida Keys Stewardship Act (FKSA) for some time now. I want to be supportive. I want to be comfortable. I want to like it. But somehow I...
View ArticleCONFLICT OF INTEREST: FKAA $3 Million Contract for Toppino
by Margaret Blank....... Posted this week on www.bigpinekey.com: The Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority (FKAA) board is getting ready to award a $3 million contract to one of their own, Richard Toppino....
View ArticleGUEST COMMENTARY: PEER Follows Up on FKAA’s Fake Environmental Assessment
by Margaret Blank....... Keys media generally serves to downplay the failings of FKAA officials. FKAA documents reveal that Toppino has done over $20 million with the FKAA in the last ten years – $12.4...
View ArticleAbout the County Administrator’s Letter to Editor
by Margaret Blank....... Dear Editor, Monroe County Administrator, Roman Gastesi, wrote a letter to the editor touting all the county’s accomplishments this past year. Unfortunately, Gastesi...
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