Hernando County is a mindless whirlpool of losers spinning alot of cash into the toilet.

The elected Commissioners and Board of Education have no comprehension of what they are throwing all our money at.

The Commissioners can’t prioritize - especially on roadway projects.

The School Board can’t comprehend $452 Million dollars in one year.  Only $176 of that is operations budget...the rest is being spent on expansion of the buildings.  They are spending nearly 1/2 a billion dollars and don’t listen to the Chief Financial Officer who told them to cut $93 Million from next years budget or be prepared to lose 300 teachers at $48k each including all benefits.

The Board gets 1/2 our tax money and the State guarantees them 5mils no matter what from the 8.065 they just approved for this year.  That’s $806.50 for a $100k taxable house folks.  Just for the school system.  And it’s not going down because the State refuses to cut their guaranteed millage.

Write your State Rep and Senator to cut School taxes too.

People on fixed incomes cannot afford to pay $1800/ year in local taxes for a $125k home minus the $25k homestead exemption.  Remember they aren’t even using the School system so that’s a donation only.

After reading up on the deputy that got killed while drinking and driving, I think you need to include the elected Sheriff in this too.  He has not shown the taxpayers or voters that he is there to protect them, instead he seems to be protecting his sworn officers, his police “family”.

Hernando County is one county I would steer away from.  Good old boys and Keystone Cops.  I will follow the elections of Hernando and see just how fed up the voters are.  If I lived up there, I would vote all of the rednecks out and vote in people who can do a better job. 

How many school employees have been arrested up there?  I seem to recall a few, from child abuse (it could have been sexual of nature, I don’t recall fully) to selling drugs.

Actually Sheriff Nugent inherited that “family” of deputies the DUI guy was related to.  Dad, Mom and Sis are all employees of the Dept. and were long before his watch.  Their son ran his unmarked car at high speed into the back of a tow truck pulling away from a stop light at 5am...not an accident...obviously. 

Anyhow Nugent is one of the few County Leaders that will actually answer emails pertainant to the department’s activities and he has two sons in the military - one in Afganistan and one just out of basic training.  He could have easily gotten them cushy jobs in law enforcement somewhere.  So far he has been responsive to the requests of the public in reducing his budget by $1million/yr and cutting auto use to avoid laying off staff.  The Jail is really draining the cash system and is run by a private company but staffed with County Deputies so there is a problem there for sure in cash efficiency.  That is the Commissioners fault for having a bad contract with the Private company and using County personnel to staff it.

I don’t like cops as a general group but I have to give Nugent at least a temporary stay of execution based on his interactive management style.  He even lets the kids dunk him at a big August party designed to increase trust. 

Your comments are duly noted and I remain on the alert for further developements.

I’m speaking the entire force as a family, not just the drunk cop.  It’s kind of funny you said something about him hitting the back of the truck, as you did.  To me, it sounded like suicide.  I recall reading that this guy has a Myspace page and his headline was “everything happens for a reason” and also I recall reading where they took the tribute off of the Sheriffs website.  I looked up his Myspace page, it is set to private and was logged in to AFTER he died. 

Mr. Nugent OWES it to you citizens up there to give an honest answer instead of just letting this one fall to the wayside.  You pay his salary, you CAN do something about this and the fact that the other four LIED UNDER OATH!

Do you, as a taxpayer have any idea how many times the group of Keystone Cops have been sued?  Mr. Tow Truck driver might be the next one to do just that, and you, the taxpayers are going to pay for Nugents dysfunctional “family”.  Do you also know that when you e-mail Mr. Nugent that YOUR information then becomes public record.  It says that right on the website.  I’m going to try to e-mail him, and see what kind of lame excuse he gives this out of county citizen for his drunken force.  How is letting kids dunk him protecting the community?  The same way as allowing four drunk cops to stay on the force, without any form a discipline when they let their buddy kill himself.  He is there to protect his wallet with a paycheck and NOT protect his community. 

Did you also read about that Wayne Peterson, who was one of the drunk cops and what he was allowed to get away with?  Check that one out.  It enraged me!!!

Oh and his sons aren’t home yet.  If he remains in office, you can almost bet they will work for daddy too.  How many of your cops are related to each other?  From comments I read, there are far too many.  That place is not a place I would be proud to call home.

The sad thing is, this isn’t just happening in your county, it happens everywhere.

Sporty Lady - 21 August 2007 08:02 AM

I’m speaking the entire force as a family, not just the drunk cop.  It’s kind of funny you said something about him hitting the back of the truck, as you did.  To me, it sounded like suicide.  I recall reading that this guy has a Myspace page and his headline was “everything happens for a reason” and also I recall reading where they took the tribute off of the Sheriffs website.  I looked up his Myspace page, it is set to private and was logged in to AFTER he died. 

Mr. Nugent OWES it to you citizens up there to give an honest answer instead of just letting this one fall to the wayside.  You pay his salary, you CAN do something about this and the fact that the other four LIED UNDER OATH!

Do you, as a taxpayer have any idea how many times the group of Keystone Cops have been sued?  Mr. Tow Truck driver might be the next one to do just that, and you, the taxpayers are going to pay for Nugents dysfunctional “family”.  Do you also know that when you e-mail Mr. Nugent that YOUR information then becomes public record.  It says that right on the website.  I’m going to try to e-mail him, and see what kind of lame excuse he gives this out of county citizen for his drunken force.  How is letting kids dunk him protecting the community?  The same way as allowing four drunk cops to stay on the force, without any form a discipline when they let their buddy kill himself.  He is there to protect his wallet with a paycheck and NOT protect his community. 

Did you also read about that Wayne Peterson, who was one of the drunk cops and what he was allowed to get away with, after this drunken night out?  Check that one out.  It enraged me!!! 

Oh and his sons aren’t home yet.  If he remains in office, you can almost bet they will work for daddy too.  How many of your cops are related to each other?  From comments I read, there are far too many.  That place is not a place I would be proud to call home.

The sad thing is, this isn’t just happening in your county, it happens everywhere.

Gary Kuhl - administrator is gone effective Nov 10th.

It’s a start

Now for the voting machines to boot the rest out.

I hear the Sheriff threw a temper tantrum, and he vowed never to talk to Kuhl again.  He is really showing the citizens of that county what he is like, isn’t he? 

After just looking this up, I think your whole county needs to be flushed out of the bad leaders.  The topic title is so correct.

http://hernandotoday.com/MGBE6D7EV6F.html

The feud between County Administrator Gary Kuhl and Sheriff Richard Nugent continued to fester Friday, with Nugent saying he no longer “wants anything to do with” the county manager.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/16/Hernando/Sheriff_lashes_out_ov.shtml

Sheriff Richard Nugent, wearing uniform, badge and gun, fought back Thursday night against what he feels is a “concerted effort” by county officials to smear his department.

He directed his ire at County Administrator Gary Kuhl and even tussled with commissioners, all of whom he calls friends.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/21/Hernando/Kuhl_lashes_out_at_Nu.shtml

Fed up with the ongoing barbs aimed at him and the county he leads, outgoing County Administrator Gary Kuhl this week called out his most vocal critic, Sheriff Richard Nugent.

Kuhl acknowledged using language that he said was uncharacteristic of him when he confronted Nugent at the annual Industry Appreciation dinner Wednesday evening to show his anger over comments the sheriff has made recently about Kuhl in the media as well as at last week’s budget hearing.

“I’ve just had enough,” Kuhl said.

It doesn’t take alot of courage to attack a lame duck administrator like Nugent did.

He just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

This place is rapidly becoming a comic mess that even the “oldies” are getting upset with.  They will have to close their Senior Center building that they own but sits on County property (figure that one out) because the insurance is $14k/ year and they only had enough money to pay one more year.

The average age in Hernando is now down to 49.  Goodbye oldies.  Goodbye snowbirds.  Se Hablo Espanole?

twistedwankel - 26 September 2007 12:51 PM

It doesn’t take alot of courage to attack a lame duck administrator like Nugent did.

He just couldn’t pass up the opportunity.

This place is rapidly becoming a comic mess that even the “oldies” are getting upset with.  They will have to close their Senior Center building that they own but sits on County property (figure that one out) because the insurance is $14k/ year and they only had enough money to pay one more year.

The average age in Hernando is now down to 49.  Goodbye oldies.  Goodbye snowbirds.  Se Hablo Espanole?

Not really to familiar with what all is going on up there.  From what I see, neither one of them are much more then lame ducks.  When I did a search, it was odd as to what all came up.  These guys are acting like teenagers in a spat.  Nugent should have handled it differently, a lot more professional, as he should be.

You have a Senior Center building on County property?  Holy smokes, I can’t figure that one out either.  They are going to close it, and save taxpayers money then.  Don’t know if that is a smart move, or not.

If you would, please keep us posted on anything else that happens in your county.  It appears to be a three ring circus, that I am sure the voters are going to take care of. 

Average age is pretty low there, and I hope we don’t get any more gray hairs in our neck of the woods, we already have enough.

Your school board hired a “nurse” who wasn’t really a nurse and let her medicate kids too?  What IS wrong with the people in your county?  Some good editorials in the St. Pete Times today. 

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/26/Hernando/Today_s_Letters__Who_.shtml

Today’s Letters: Who was looking after our kids?

Re: A real nurse?
School staff thought so Sept. 21 story

I am appalled that the Hernando County School District would let this person near my children without verification of a background check on her license. I have a special needs child at Deltona Elementary School who requires as-needed medication for his asthma. What if this woman had given him the wrong medication? What if something detrimental had happened to any of the children she cared for? Is the school district going to step up and accept part of the blame? No!

The sheriff who would be king

I think this little tiff between Hernando County Administrator Gary Kuhl and Sheriff Richard Nugent (a.k.a. King Nugent) should be a wakeup call to the residents of Hernando County that it is time for a change, from a do-nothing sheriff to one who might do something for residents and not just himself.

Let’s show a little pride in ourselves

As I was driving west on Spring Hill Drive recently, I couldn’t help but notice how neglected the medians are from Waterfall Drive to the point where the Spring Hill Garden Club maintains. The grass hasn’t been cut in weeks.

Can we outsource county work?

Now that’s what I call an editorial! Especially since these “pooh-bahs” are paid per capita and that is why they just love to approve huge building projects - unanimously now, no less.

I am disappointed that Hernando County Commissioner David Russell Jr., has not used his experience from the state level in a wiser way in county leadership, and that Commissioners Diane Rowden and Chris Kingsley don’t even bother being the two holdouts. (Not even those times when they know they’d be safe because they would lose the vote anyway.)

Welcome to Hernando County, the home of the Three Ring Circus!  No thank you, not a place I would live, let alone visit.

http://brechner.jou.ufl.edu/prosecutions/db_prosecutions1990-1992.asp

I need to quit looking up stuff on your County.  It really makes me mad to think that the voters up there did not keep in mind when THE ENTIRE SCHOOL BOARD were indicted and yet voted Rowden back in to another office. 

AUGUST 1992: A grand jury indicted the entire Hernando County School Board for multiple alleged violations of the Open Meetings Law occurring over a two-year span. Member Diane Rowden was charged with 13 criminal and two non-criminal charges. Member Susan Cooper was charged with five criminal and two non-criminal charges. Member Paul Clemmons was charged with one criminal and one non-criminal violation. Members Nancy Gordon and Leland McKeown were charged with non-criminal counts. (See also December 1992, January 1993)

If I lived there, and had kids, I would put them in private schools and by-pass the public ones.  Now this?  An unlicensed nurse practicing medicine?  Unbelievable!

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/21/Hernando/Not_really_a_school_n.shtml

Hernando County officials say a school employee lied about being an LPN.

She gave out Band-Aids and cough drops, and even inserted catheters and feeding tubes for special-needs students—just like a real school nurse.

Except she wasn’t one, state officials said.

"Average age is pretty low there” (Hernando County at age 49 per twistedankel)

SH: Not really. Average age statewide is 39, compared to 37 nationally.

49 indicates a much higher concentration of older citizens to pull the curve up by ten full years.

Twisted, is this really what is going on in your county?  WOW!!

After reading the comments, I know that I won’t be visiting that county!  What IS going on up there, and is there any other news worth reporting?

Maybe the FBI does need to be called in, hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Better to live here and know what to expect rather than to just be passing thru and get bitch slapped

What makes you think the FBI is any better?  Last I heard they have to be a lawyer before becoming an agent...Guess that’s so they know how to double speak and cover the agencies tail when they screw up.

I was thinking about moving to Pasco county where all the nudists hang out to see who was armed.  The Constitution allows us the right to bare arms...right?

I still think sinkhole insurance is a bigger issue than stupid cops for most people.  There is a huge number of retired cops in Hernando from NY and NJ - I didn’t know that before moving here...my bad.

What would you do for intertainment without good ole Hernando?

twistedwankel - 25 November 2007 01:01 PM

Better to live here and know what to expect rather than to just be passing thru and get bitch slapped

What makes you think the FBI is any better?  Last I heard they have to be a lawyer before becoming an agent...Guess that’s so they know how to double speak and cover the agencies tail when they screw up.

I was thinking about moving to Pasco county where all the nudists hang out to see who was armed.  The Constitution allows us the right to bare arms...right?

I still think sinkhole insurance is a bigger issue than stupid cops for most people.  There is a huge number of retired cops in Hernando from NY and NJ - I didn’t know that before moving here...my bad.

What would you do for intertainment without good ole Hernando?

The FBI can do something, if they were called in.  Someone needs to police the police, and apparently the FDLE is not doing so in your neck of the woods. 

I ran across that thread, while looking at that blog and was like WOW!  The person who started that made a comment that made me curious, and it doesn’t look like he is willing to elaborate on it but I could be wrong.  I’d like to know what else the Sheriff is doing that is troubling, besides spending too much time on his friends property.

Retired cops don’t seem to be the problem, it’s the ones on the force, and the ones who are getting away with murder, literally.  I saw this on the news and didn’t even think to follow the story.  Maybe I will go do some more research on it, and if I see something, maybe I will act. 

I had not visited this thread in a while, and now I remember why I didn’t want to.  You are living in a bad place, in my opinion and really, is Pasco any better?  Although you can bare your arms there all you want, with the nudist colonies that are there.  Does Hernando have any? 

Sinkhole insurance is a problem, not only in Hernando County, but others as well.  I agree with that, but it sure doesn’t seem that way up there.  It looks to me, from what I read that the cops are a big problem and whoever that Reed person is, she isn’t doing a good job with the internal investigations (I am guessing that poster meant investigation instead of complaint).  I know I read about a complaint where a cop went on a domestic violence call, arrested the man, came back and started a sexual relationship with the “victim” and he was cleared to testify against the man he arrested.  That too doesn’t sound right to me.  What IS going on in your county?

I have a lot of things I do for entertainment, and Hernando County sure isn’t one of those things.  It just got to me when I read those comments, not the ones in the newspaper article, but the ones below it.  All I can say is WOW!!

Maybe, as the person who started that blog said, people need to speak up and not let them get away with this any longer.  Apparently people are afraid to, and that is a big problem.

They tell me Hernando is the start of the bible belt All the titty bars stop in Pasco so no nudist colonies here.

People really strongly support the Sheriff and his staff here.  Retired Cops do support the many many deputies they see on the street constantly and are willing to pay for that extended “family”.  They all vote and they are many in number with their families.  So it does make a big difference what happens to that department.  It has by far the largest funding in the whole County outside the school system which at least has buildings, buses and college educated workers to show for their spending.

The sheriff is a FL Constitutional Officer.  The State has jurisdiction here not the Fed.  All they know to do is illegal wire taps anyhow.  Oh that’s the Patriot Act everyone loves so much isn’t it.  Kiss goodbye to your rights because of a few nut cases.

Hernando is rapidly becoming a young community rather than a bunch of Spring Hill 55+ gated Communities with their own security.  SO times they are a changin’.

Hernando lost 18.4% of it’s housing value during 2007 so expect many more working class and poor families to live here and commute to other places of work to the South.

Spring Hill needs to become a City but nothing in the works yet?  Still too many gated communities with their own rules for that.  At least they think they are safe..hahahhahaha