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TIMELINE
....Mark Huey claiming credit for a brilliant idea of
putting the Art Museum going into the Old Federal Courthouse in Tampa is
like Billy Graham claiming he knew St. Peter.
A year ago I asked for an investigation of Huey and his pals who were
trying to pass the museum off as a piece of trash...now they’re calling it
a jewel.
That’s a bunch of, excuse the pun, huooooey.
Joe Chillura, the former Commissioner, myself, and Brian Blair, a current
commissioner have been touting the glories of that wonderful building for
a long time.
The sooner Huey is gone from the Tampa political scene and his buddies
Rotella and Greco...the better.
Is it so Much to Ask?
Is it so much to ask, after all the DISASTERS with public
money and the history of Tampa, to require information before guaranteeing
loans?
OF COURSE NOT!!!
We need roads fixed first.....the art museums can come later.
Tsk tsk tsk...The Art Museum Foundation doth protest too
much...
Dear Mr. Harrison,
I might recommend a refresher in Florida’s government-in-the-Sunshine
laws. The First Amendment Foundation has recently published a new edition
of their guide, which I highly recommend. Additionally, you may seek an
opinion from Ms. Patricia Gleason in the Florida Attorney General’s
office.
Of course you are totally wrong in your rendering of the status of the
Foundation. Tax dollars appear to be co-mingled in Foundation funds and
the Museum is funding the tax raising efforts of the Foundation.
Furthermore, the Foundation and the Museum are relying upon millions of
dollars in CIT money to finance this adventure.
Finally, the Foundation expects public backing of revenue bonds with only
a “kiss and a smile.” Unfortunately, $35-million in pledges without
substantiation to the public as to the collateral value of those pledges
would be reckless government.
Of course the public has a right to see who is pledging towards this new
museum; just as it has been found in my favor that the History Center must
reveal their pledges.
Sincerely yours,
Terry Neal, Citizen-at-Large
WANT TO SEE THE LETTER? WRITE ME AND I’LL SEND TO YOU.
Richard Harrison wrote:
> Mr. Neal,
>
> Please see attached correspondence re your Public Records request to the
Museum Foundation. Feel free to contact me should you have any questions.
>
>
> Richard A. Harrison, Esq.
>
> Allen Dell
< P.A.
>
> 202 S. Rome Avenue, Suite 100
>
> Tampa FL 33606
>
> rharrison@allendell.com
>
>
 (813)223-5351
(office)
>
>
(813)229-6682
(fax)
>
>
(813)230-7317
(cell)
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
>
> This email transmission and any documents accompanying this email
transmission contain information from the law firm of Allen, Dell, Frank &
Trinkle, P.A. which is confidential and/or legally privileged. The
information is intended only for the use of the individual or entity
identified. Any transmission of confidential and/ or privileged material
to persons or entities other than the intended recipient(s) shall not be
construed as a waiver of any privilege or confidence. If you are not the
intended recipient, you are hereby notified that the opening, review,
disclosure, copying, distribution or the taking of any action in reliance
upon the contents of this emailed information is strictly prohibited, and
that you should immediately delete this email transmission together with
any attachments thereto from your files. If you have received this email
in error, please notify us immediately so that we can take any appropriate
corrective action.
Sherry,
Again, thank you for forwarding the information.
Because the Tampa Museum of Art operate under the jurisdiction of Statute
119 and Statute 286 and because of the high levels of public money being
committed and requested for the new museum, I must inform you that I
disagree with you regarding the Tampa Museum of Art Foundation.
Simply because the pledges are being collected through the Tampa Museum of
Art Foundation does not exempt the Foundation from the Sunshine Laws,
specifically Statutes 119 because:
1. The foundation is operating as an arm of a public entity, performing a
function of that entity in the capacity of fund-raising, which is a
delegation of authority which does not exempt the foundation from public
scrutiny.
2. The Tampa Museum of Art is using the pledges as collateral for
guarantees being requested of the public.The Museum and the its'
Foundation expect these pledges to be used to support another $45 million
bond issue, thus requiring tha t public money be up-fronted.
3. The museum already operates with considerable support of public dollars
4. Nearly $30 million of CIT tax dollars have already supported a bond
issue by the City of Tampa and pre-construction studies and architectural
plan
In essence, Foundation or not, private or non-profit, the public is being
asked to guarantee over 75% of the construction and operating costs of the
museum, a deciding factor in Sunshine regulations.
I have already challenged this concept of financial support and the
Sunshine Statutes with the Tampa History Museum.
Please provide the pledge list immediately.
Sherry Stepleton wrote:
> Dear Mr. Neal,
>
> I have recieved your public records request and am in the process of
> gathering the infomation you have requested. I should be able to
> forward the information to you early next week.Thank you for your
> interest in the museum.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Sherry Stepleton
>
>
>
> Sherry Stepleton
> Director of Marketing and Communications
> Tampa Museum of Art
> 600 N. Ashley Dr.
> Tampa, FL 33602
>
813-274-8278
>
>
> All e-mail communications sent to and from the Tampa Museum of Art are
> considered public record and are subject to the Public Records Laws of
> Florida.
>
>
> It’s batter-up at the Tampa Museum of Art to see The New York Yankees
> and the American Dream. Also on view is Signs and Symbols: African
> American Quilts, which testifies to the rich legacy of African American
> culture. Both exhibitions remain on view through April 3. For more
> information, visit www.TampaMuseum.com.
>
Terrance Neal
1st Public Records Request
TERRANCE R. L. NEAL
February 25, 2005
Ms. Emily Kass
Tampa Museum of Art
600 N. Ashley Drive
Tampa, FL 33602
RE: TAMPA MUSEUM OF ART – PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST
Dear Ms. Kass,
I would like to make a public records request of the following:
• Pledge list of Names and Amounts for the proposed Museum of Art
• Annual Reports for the last two fiscal years
• Financial Statements for the last two fiscal years
• Name of Insurance Company and Coverage amount
I am requesting these documents in ELECTRONIC format. Please forward as
e-mail attachments to me at terryneal@terryneal.com.
Please note that the Florida Public Records Law requires that if
electronic records exist they must be given in the format requested.
Statute 119 of the Florida Public Records Law also states that agencies
must supply records in a commonly used format, such as Word, Excel, etc.
and conversions to those formats cannot be charged to the requestor.
Since this is less wasteful, I know you will understand this very
reasonable request. If there are charges please inform me beforehand with
justification of the charges.
I await your reply.
Sincerely yours,
Terry
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