Campaign News & Announcements
It's Time for A Fresh Face in District 48
Excerpt from St. Pete Times:
http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/editorials/article1128181.ece
"McKone, 59, has been elected fire commissioner since 2004. He is a board member at the Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and past president of the East Lake Library board...
McKone would sponsor a bill to protect unincorporated East Lake from annexation. He opposes oil drilling in Florida waters, supports light rail for the bay area and decries recent declines in state per-pupil spending.
McKone wants education spending increased to build a better-educated work force.
Nehr, 58, also supports annexation protections for East Lake but was unable to get that legislation passed. He voted to weaken growth management laws and to force women to submit to ultrasounds before getting legal abortions. Nehr did resist pressure to support oil drilling and repeal teacher tenure, but those were rare departures from the Republican playbook.
Nehr's business, a flag shop in Tarpon Springs, has failed since his last run for office and he has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. It's time for a fresh face in this district.
In House District 48, the Times recommends Tom McKone." (St. Pete Times, October 15, 2010)
Please make a contribution to my campaign - it's time for real leadership in Tallahassee, and it's time for results in District 48!
Posted on 10/15/2010
Palm Harbor, FL – Tom McKone received official word today from the Supervisor of Elections office that he successfully completed his petition drive for his candidacy for state House District 48.
“I am very thankful and proud of the many volunteers who gave tirelessly of themselves towards our campaign’s efforts in our petition drive,” stated Tom McKone. “This campaign will be a true grass-roots driven effort and we will continue to take it door-to-door. Having successfully completed the petition drive is the first of many victories for our campaign.”
“During our petition drive we heard over and over again how frustrated folks are with the shenanigans in Tallahassee,” stated McKone. “Voters are tired of the politicians in Tallahassee who aren’t focusing on the real needs of the District. We talked to many voters who are saying they plan on voting incumbents out and replacing them with new individuals who will focus on the real needs of the District. I feel very confident that we will be successful at the polls in November!”
Tom McKone is Fire Commissioner for the East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District serves 33,000 residents in the East Lake portion of the District.
In addition to serving as Chairman of the Fire Control District Board, Tom McKone also runs a successful business in the Heathcare Industry, serves on the Executive Board of the Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce as Secretary and is a candidate for Florida House District 48 running against incumbent Peter Nehr.
Posted on 05/10/2010
The following article appeared in the East Lake Eagle and written by William Stone.
The battle over Palm Harbor incorporation attempts by several factions continues to resonate with citizens. Last issue we reported how Rep. Peter Nehr (R-Tarpon Springs, District 48) said although it doesn’t matter to him “one way or the other” whether Palm Harbor is incorporated, he supports residents’ rights to vote on the issue and as such, will support legislation supporting incorporation again in 2011. In contrast, although Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey) was originally poised to support the measure, he will not support the effort in 2011. “Since there is no way to exclude Crystal Beach, Sen. Fasano will not support it,” Chief Legislative Assistant Greg Giordano said.
The incorporation effort is drawing widespread opposition from residents residing in Crystal Beach, Ozona and other parts of unincorporated Palm Harbor. About 36 percent of Pinellas residents reside in an unincorporated area. These residents pay a substantial portion of the County’s budget (Municipal Services Taxing Unit or MSTU) directed to fund municipal services to the unincorporated areas. The county readily admits, “Unlike a city, the MSTU does not have revenue diversification.”
Palm Harbor resident and activist Kevin Fisher points to a study completed in 2002 determining the feasibility of incorporation. “It was discovered unincorporated Pinellas was not getting its full share of revenue from the local halfcent sales tax program. The county was allocating a fraction of the amount derived on behalf of the unincorporated areas to the MSTU Budget,” Fisher said. Fisher maintains revenue from unincorporated areas are diverted from the MSTU Budget and said he met with Assistant County Administrator Chief of Staff Mark Woodard regarding the issue and said Woodard told him nothing in the law requires that the County give the MSTU Budget the full allocation of revenue obtained from the local government half-cent sales tax but Florida Statute (Chapter 218.64) “authorizes the County to allocate a portion of the One-Half Cent Sales Tax to the MSTU.” As an example of fairness regarding funds, Fisher points to 2006 fi gures regarding local governments’ half-cent sales tax. Hillsborough County collected slightly more than $69 million from its unincorporated residents and budgeted more than $70 million for return to unincorporated areas. Similarly, Volusia County collected more than $6 million from its unincorporated residents and budgeted more than $6 million for return. In contrast, Pinellas County received approximately $16,000,000 in 2008 from the half-cent sales tax on behalf of residents residing in unincorporated Pinellas County but officials earmarked a return of only $3 million, a $2 million reduction from the prior year.
A report by Senior Legislative Analyst Chuck Hungerford raised concerns regarding revenue, expense projections and the possibility of increased taxes should Palm Harbor incorporate. Palm Harbor Coalition member Jim Kleyman disagrees with Hungerford’s report. “There was never a need to raise taxes. Not one analysis has criticized our expense projections nor indicated in any manner where something was left out. The revenue projections were acknowledged by the County as being correct. Therefore, either Mr. Hungerford’s analysis is in incorrect or Pinellas County is sending Palm Harbor and East lake substantially less than what we should receive in direct tax benefi ts,” he wrote. “Hungerford said our feasibility study was exceptional, one of the best they have seen. His study said expenditures would be more than $100 million. Is the county stiffing us by $100 million? Does the county agree with these figures?” asked Kleyman.
East Lake is an unincorporated area that would be affected by Palm Harbor incorporation. East Lake resident Tom McKone served the East Lake Special Fire Control District since 2004 and currently serves as its Vice Chairman. He is a trustee of the Firefi ghters Pension Plan, sits on the Board of Directors for the Palm Harbor Chamber of Commerce, is past Chairman of the East Lake Community Library and a Grand Knight and 4th Degree Knight at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Church in Tarpon Springs. Besides his extensive civic service record, McKone is president of Healthcare Recruiters International. He recently announced his candidacy for State House District 48, challenging Rep. Nehr. “I am concerned about East Lake becoming part of Palm Harbor. I believe the people deserve better representation than they are receiving. I believe Rep. Nehr lost touch with the voters. They are closing schools in the District and spending is down dramatically in Pinellas County. I would support an MSTU for East Lake so they can retain those taxes,” McKone said. “An election (regarding incorporation) will cost taxpayers money. It should be a regular scheduled election, not something that will cost the County and taxpayers,” he added. “I believe voters should decide if Peter Nehr should be in offi ce in 2011.” McKone noted that he is “not a career politician. If I serve two, maybe three terms, that’s enough. I’m in this to serve the District. I like public service and spent a lot of time serving my business, church, wife, family and community. That is what I am about. That is what I was taught. I consider myself a very morally and ethically sound person.”
McKone is also opposed to offshore drilling along our beaches. For more information visit www.TomMcKone.com.
Posted on 05/04/2010
Palm Harbor, FL – Recently Fire Commissioner Tom McKone was presented with the Patriotic Employer Award given on behalf of The National Committee For Employer Support Of The National Guard And Reserve (ESGR.)
As stated on the award the recipient is honored, “for contributing to National security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve force.”
“I am honored to receive this award from the United States military. I think it is imperative that the brave men and women who are serving our great Country have job protection while they are fighting for our freedom. I will always support the interests of our Veterans past, present, and future,” stated Commissioner McKone.
Tom McKone is Fire Commissioner for the East Lake Tarpon Special Fire Control District serves 33,000 residents in the East Lake region.
In addition to serving as Chairman of the Fire Control District Board, Tom McKone also runs a successful business in the heath-care industry, serves on the Executive Board of the Chamber of Commerce as Secretary and is a candidate for Florida House District 48.
Posted on 03/31/2010
Palm Harbor, FL – Unemployment compensation costs for businesses are increasing dramatically because of high rates of joblessness and the state’s failure to provide further relief by obtaining all-available federal economic recovery funds. Florida Department of Revenue announced that the unemployment compensation payments by businesses will increase 12-fold, a jump from $8.40 per employee this year to $100.30 per employee next year as a direct result of the inaction of the current Tallahassee leadership.
“As a small business owner I will personally feel the impact of Nehr’s lack of leadership on issues like this,” stated candidate Tom McKone (HD-48) “I’m running for office because I believe that there are people in Tallahassee, such as my opponent, who obviously don’t understand how their bad decisions affect the regular small business owner who is trying to make a go of it day-by-day.”
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Posted on 11/19/2009
Tom McKone sponsoring and awarding Law Enforcement Officer of the year to Deputy Ken Burroughs at the Palm Harbor Chamber Annual Dinner
Posted on 10/05/2009
An unending stream of challenges made a tough legislative session even tougher for lawmakers who didn't accomplish nearly as much as they had hoped to.
BY ALEX LEARY AND MARC CAPUTO
Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau
TALLAHASSEE -- The 2009 lawmaking session that is not quite over will best be remembered not for what lawmakers did, but for what they went through.
The one-time Speaker of the House was indicted in a political scandal that by extension condemned the furtive budget process. Not since the Great Depression had the Florida economy been so bad. Republicans were forced to raise taxes and to accept the federal largess of a Democratic president.
It was at once a period of tumult and malaise, and it is not yet over. Unable to agree on a spending plan -- their only constitutional duty during the 60-day session -- lawmakers return Friday to sign off on a $65 billion budget that is a case study in compromise.
''I don't think there's ever been a session like this,'' said Sen. Jim King, a veteran Republican from Jacksonville. ``We've had changes in leadership. We've had indictments. We've had no money. We've had polarized budgets. We've had protests. We've had a governor who became active a little too late in the process.''
SPEAKER TURNOVER
The session began with the ouster of House Speaker Ray Sansom, who faced a grand jury investigation over millions he secured as budget chairman for the Panhandle college that later hired him to a six-figure job.
The House replaced Sansom, R-Destin, with Rep. Larry Cretul, a little-known legislator from Ocala who rebuffed the ''accidental speaker'' label but did little to change the perception that others were in charge. The abrupt turnover knocked the House off stride and left the chamber without a clear leader.
''I never knew for sure who to negotiate with because I didn't know who called the shots,'' said King, who failed to get the House to take up an energy bill that was one of Gov. Charlie Crist's priorities.
''One of the things Republicans have been good at since we took over in the late-'90s is managing the process, and this hasn't looked good. It really hasn't,'' said former House Speaker John Thrasher, a Republican lobbyist running for an open Senate seat in 2010.
Thrasher said Cretul's challenge at leading was magnified by the fact that he didn't have his own leadership team -- he inherited Sansom's.
``It makes it difficult when you don't have your own personal top lieutenants who you think are important to get the job done.''
PRICE OF COMPROMISE
Through it all loomed the biggest challenge of the session and perhaps several sessions to come. ''Budget, budget, budget,'' said Rep. Perry Thurston, D-Plantation. ``Once you got to the point where we had to focus on state workers taking the type of hit they're going to take, the speaker's problems became a sideshow.''
The $6 billion budget deficit forced Republicans into awkward positions all session. They had to raise taxes on cigarettes and increase scores of fees, from court filings to motor vehicle tags to fishing licenses. They increased hurricane insurance rates. They raised college tuition. And they moved to expand gambling, an issue that is still in discussion.
The House and Senate took turns giving in. The House vehemently opposed the cigarette tax it ultimately endorsed, and the Senate largely retreated on its desire to expand gambling. The Senate, too, abandoned its ambitious plan to rethink tax exemptions as the House simply ignored those calls. A House-led push to reopen the standards for classroom size, as dictated by the state Constitution, went nowhere.
The dire financial circumstances forced GOP leaders to take nearly all the money available in the federal stimulus package pushed by Democratic President Barack Obama.
Derided by congressional Republicans as irresponsible spending, Tallahassee Republicans initially bashed the ''Obama bucks,'' as well. Then they took the money -- $5 billion of it. Even with the federal bailout, the Legislature still faced a deficit of about $3 billion.
Though federal rules restricted them from cutting Medicaid or schools too deeply, legislative leaders still found a way to shift about $1 billion in federal money to other parts of the budget.
Democrats screamed about a ''bait and switch.'' But Republicans said they had no choice.
Steve Uhlfelder, a Democrat and veteran lobbyist, said the stimulus money prevented an even more protracted budget struggle. ``If it weren't for that, they'd be here all summer.''
The lure of federal aid brought long-stalled legislation to life.
A SILVER LINING
The removal of Sansom, though disruptive, may have prevented an even bigger spectacle in the session's final moments. As budget negotiations began in April, Sansom was indicted on a felony charge of official misconduct for allegedly putting $6 million into the state budget for a college project that a grand jury concluded was really designed to benefit a developer's corporate jet business.
The grand jury had a loftier target: the legislative process itself. A ripping report called for an end to back-room, secret budget deals that reward ranking members like Sansom. ''This state should be guided in openness and transparency,'' the grand jury report said.
The message was met with indignation from some lawmakers, but it had a noticeable effect. For the first time in memory, budget proviso language -- which directs how money will be spent -- was discussed in open meetings. Democrats said the process remained secret and accused Republicans of paying lip service.
''We didn't see openness. We didn't get documents, details about the conforming bills,'' said Rep. Ron Saunders, a ranking Democrat from Key West. ``If you're going to be open and transparent, you have to do more than just say you are.''
Herald/Times staff writers Shannon Colavecchio, Breanne Gilpatrick and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.
Posted on 05/02/2009
St. Petersburg Times Editorial
The Florida Legislature is expected to shut down its annual session today and leave only the state budget and a gambling compact with the Seminole Indian Tribe to be negotiated in a weeklong extension. For that, Floridians should be thankful.
The 2009 Legislature has little to be proud of and much to be ashamed of. In a time of crisis, it has allowed partisanship and rhetoric to substitute for leadership and solutions. For the most part, Florida is no better off 60 days after the Legislature convened — and in some ways it's worse off.
At least, in shutting down most everything today, some of the session's most ridiculous ideas will die for now — from opening the door to offshore drilling to making it harder for Floridians to vote. But there is still the chance, in this final day, that the Legislature could inflict serious damage, such as gutting the state's growth management laws under the guise of economic development. Should those measures go too far, Gov. Charlie Crist should ready his veto pen.
There have been a few, brief bright spots. Seat belt enforcement will become a primary offense, which will save lives. Public universities will have the right to increase tuition up to 15 percent, moving a bit closer to the national average. A new tracking system should curb prescription drug abuse. And lawmakers, before day's end, should approve gradual rate increases for Citizens Property Insurance, whose rates are actuarily unsound after several years of rate freezes. Hopefully, lawmakers also will curb double-dipping by limiting when public employees collect both a pension and a paycheck.
But for the most part, legislators serving in an extraordinary time did not perform extraordinarily well. Chief among their failures was an unwillingness to address an inadequate and inequitable tax system, perhaps because $5 billion in federal stimulus funds — though initially ridiculed by some Republicans — allowed them to offset a $6 billion budget shortfall.
A House review of sales tax exemptions was superficial and went nowhere. A bid to make it easier to collect taxes on Internet sales faded away. And the few property tax proposals still floating around would only increase the current inequities between like-situated property owners. While lawmakers are poised to close one loophole to prevent wealthy property owners from avoiding real estate taxes, they are expected to ignore another loophole that allows out-of-state companies to pay less corporate income tax than Florida companies.
The Legislature also may finish most of its business without adopting the governor's renewable energy plan even as the rest of the country is starting to take climate change seriously.
Most unexplainable is the rejection by Republicans of $444 million in federal money that would have expanded unemployment benefits for 40,000 Floridians. They also declined to make it easier to apply for KidCare, the state's low-cost child health insurance, or to expand the program's eligibility even though the federal government would pick up the majority of the cost.
This legislative session will be remembered more for its failures than its successes. The few victories for Floridians have involved killing of bad ideas rather than approving good ones. At this point, the less lawmakers do today — and the sooner they go home — the better.
Posted on 04/30/2009
TALLAHASSEE, FL --- The 2009 Florida legislative session will reach its 60th day on Friday without a new state budget or any serious fixes to the economic pain that threatens Florida families and small businesses.
Marred by the obstructionist strategies of Republican leaders in the Florida House, this session will best be remembered as one that gave greater attention to the regulation of golf carts and septic tanks than it did to economic recovery and the real needs of middle-class Floridians.
Florida House Democrats proposed reasonable solutions to help our state’s citizens and businesses overcome the challenges of the recession and prepare for the opportunities of the 21st Century.
In contrast, Republican leaders engaged in finger pointing, political posturing, and providing more giveaways to their wealthy donors. Repeatedly, Republican lawmakers turned their backs on solid solutions to address Florida’s gravest problems. Under Republican leadership:
• Nearly 1 of every 10 Floridians are out of work.
• Public school funding remains among the lowest in the nation.
• Florida’s health programs – and health care workers – are in crisis.
• Home ownership costs and insurance prices are out of reach for many families.
• Our tax system is unfair and our property tax structure is out of whack.
• Crime reports show Florida the fifth most-dangerous state in the nation.
• Affordable housing is lacking, and
• Florida lags in implementing a modern-day renewable energy strategy.
House Democratic Leader Franklin Sands (D-Weston) issued the following statement on the status of the 2009 legislative session:
“After an excruciatingly contentious special legislative session, Florida House Democrats returned to Tallahassee this spring with hopes of working in a bipartisan fashion on solutions to the tragic economic dilemmas bestowed on middle class and working families.
“Florida House Democrats proposed logical strategies to deal with the state’s budget crisis and the state’s other needs,” added Leader Sands. “House Democrats voted for lower class sizes in public schools and against cuts to education. We battled efforts to drill for oil just off our coasts and stood for preserving the state’s land-conservation programs. We fought for workers rights and the importance of using federal economic recovery monies to augment unemployment compensation programs.
“Unfortunately, we have seen too little compassion and too many political shenanigans from Republican leaders this session,” said Sands. “Once more, Republican legislative leadership has failed the people of Florida. Their apparent lack of understanding of the plight of our residents is distressing and only means that many Floridians will continue to suffer.”
Posted on 04/30/2009
