David T Hawkins

I will fight hard to keep from raising Taxes, especially Property Taxes. I will Vote NO on new Taxes. The State just raised Property Taxes, the City wants to Raise them, the County School Board wants to raise them, The CDC wants to raise them and the County even talked about raising them. We have Thousands of Homes priced at $250,000 and UP getting built daily and about to be built so they all just need to hold off and wait for all those Property Taxes that will be getting paid soon.

REEL IN WASTEFUL SPENDING

Reeling in Wasteful Spending will be tough but it needs to be done. We need to end Programs that are not working and that are duplicates. If we can find places to cut back on it will be easier to fight Tax Hikes.

LOCAL CRIME

It has been brewing for some time now, people are getting to the point where they feel they can do whatever they want without any consequences and it is just going to get worse if we do not do some thing about it now. Over the last few Years, some Felonies have been reduced to Misdemeanors. They need to be changed back to Felonies and some other Misdemeanors need to be changed to Felonies. By the age of 14, everyone should already know Right from Wrong and know that, if it is not yours and you take it, that is considered Theft and you should be heading to Jail or Prison WHEN you get caught. With the Technology we have today, you WILL get Caught.

If you really want to lower the Crime Rate, we need to seriously get tougher on the Criminals. Accurate Charges need to be levied on the Crimes they committed. Most of the Crimes committed should receive Jail or Prison Time, Probation, Community Service and Fines. If you swing a Knife, a Bat, a Pipe, etc. at someone trying to do the harm, weather you connect or not, THAT should be Attempted Murder. There are too many cases where the suspect was charged with Assault & Battery when it should have been Attempted Murder.

Even small Crimes should see Jail Times, Probation, Community Service and Fines. Suspects involved in a Hit & Run should do a Minimum of 30 Days in Jail, More depending on the Damage and if someone was hurt. ALL Hit & Run cases should be a Felony. I know you have seen the Tire Marks in the middle of the Roads and Intersections where Cars did Donuts in their Vehicles. If caught, the Driver should do a minimum of 15 Days in Jail, 100 Hours of Community Service, pay a $500 Fine and have that Vehicle Impounded until their Sentence is completed in full.

If you are pulled over and you do not have a Valid Drivers License you should automatically be arrested, they should do a minimum of 15 Days in Jail, 100 Hours of Community Service, pay a $500 Fine and have that Vehicle Impounded until their Sentence is completed in full. If you are pulled over and you do not have your Drivers License with you then, you should automatically be arrested, you should do a minimum of 5 Days in Jail, 50 Hours of Community Service, pay a $200 Fine and have that Vehicle Impounded until their Sentence is completed in full. This all may sound a little harsh but, it is needed. Once word gets out, I am sure there will be fewer People being Arrested for these offenses.

Yes, the Jail will fill up and so will the Prisons if Law Enforcement, the District Attorney, Prosecutors and Judges do what needs to be done. I say we need to build a New BIGGER Jail, a lot bigger. And use IT. We use the Jail we have now for the Short Timers, 5 to 30 Day Stays. We build a New Prison on the Northwest end of Leon County or in the northern Jefferson County area. To help pay for them we stop spending money on the failed Programs that have been designed to prevent Crime and to try to convince the youth from going down that path and redirect it towards building the new Prison. I would also like to see a special Bail Fee created. If you get arrested and your Bail is set at $10,000 the Bail Bondsman adds a $100 Bail For every $1,000 the Bond is. The $100 Fee goes towards the building of the New Jail.

OFFICER-IN-RESIDENT PROGRAM

This was taken off Tallahassee Reports Web Site on 05/12/2023 = Mt. Olive proposed that the County adopt its Officer-In-Resident Program to build a better relationship between the neighborhoods and law enforcement. Similar programs exist in the Midwest; however, no such programs exist in Florida. According to staff, Mt. Olive received a $175,000 loan from the City for the property they are requesting the County to purchase. The terms of the Cities loan agreement requires that the property be sold to a low-income household; not a local government such as the County. However, it was noted that if the County were to purchase the property, it would violate the terms of Mt. Olives loan agreement with the City. Therefore, staff recommended the County accept the report and take no further action.

This makes no sense so, here is MY idea = To save Money you can buy one of the smaller Houses in those areas, do a little renovation on it and it blends in (except for all the Cop Cars) and several Officers can be working out of them at all times 24/7. The Bedrooms can be an Office and Interview Rooms. You will most likely spend LESS than $250,000 total per House, have more Cops in the area and the City & County can OWN IT Together. No giving Money to a Third Party.

LOCAL ECONOMY

I would be an advocate to help bring commerce opportunities into Leon County. From Manufacturing Businesses to Community Businesses to Mom & Pop Businesses. While doing that, why not also make Leon County a destination for Special Events for People of all ages, from all over, at the same time? Such as a huge Paintball Battle Field, a Moto-Cross Track, a BMX Bike Track, a Skate Park and a Covered Rodeo / Barrel Racing Arena that can double for Dog Shows and Agility Competition Events. All of these Businesses will have what I call, the Business Ripple Effect. That is where one Business is directly or some what directly responsible for expanding or creating new Businesses related to it.

I would like to have 2 or 3 special Seminars a Year where people who are wanting to start a new Business in Leon County and for those who have just started a new Business in Leon County. The Seminars will be to inform them about what it takes to start and run a Business here. They learn what Licenses are needed and where to obtain them, if they need Permits and where to get those. Speakers come in to tell what they do such as, The Department of State, Department of Revenue, the City and the County, then there is the Fire Department, the Health Inspector, Environmental Protection Agency, a Business Lawyer, Business Insurance person and even a few small Business Owners to tell what it was like for them. You would be surprised at how many Businesses close because the owners were overwhelmed because they didn’t know everything involved with running a Business. The more you know, the better chance you will have growing and expanding your Business and if your Business is growing and expanding you will need to hire more people.

GUNS

I am Pro 2nd Amendment and I own several Guns myself but, I am not too happy with the new Conceal Carry Law that was just signed into law this session. I feel that it is too reckless of a Law and should not have even been drafted. Allowing people to be walking around carrying a loaded Gun that has never even fired one before is just reckless in my book.

When I took the Course to get my Carry Permit, at the end when it was time to Target Shoot, It was a Ladies turn, she said she has never held a Gun before so the Instructor told us to move back. When she fired the Gun, it scared her so bad that she screamed and dropped the Gun. A few minutes later it was a young Mans turn and he too has never held a Gun before. When he did, he did not drop it but, it did startle him and he spun around still holding the Gun straight out. Luckily the Instructor was quick and grabbed his wrist raising his arm up and taking the Gun from him. I am just glad we were shooting 22s that day, they probably would have injured someone if they had shot a 9mm. It only takes one person to be scared, pull their Gun, fire it at someone in a panic and miss but instead shoot an innocent bystander. This is why I would like to see the County build a few more Pistol Ranges so Gun Owners have a safe place to Practice and Target Shoot.

ENVIRONMENT

Several MILLIONS of Gallons of raw Sewage has been spild over the last few Years with MOST going into Lake Munson. Most of that spillage was caused by Broken Pipes, Clogged Pumps and Grinders and Power Failures. I believe most of that could have been prevented with regular stringent Preventative Maintenance. With all the Raw Sewage Spills and failing Septic Tanks, it is why I have a Water Filter at my Kitchen Sink. We need to get proactive on switching from Septic Tanks to Central Sewer.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The past 10 Elections, a major topic has been Affordable Housing. When I think Affordable Housing, I am thinking Single Family Homes for Low Income & Blue Collar Families, for under $100,000 to purchase but, we all know that will never be a price for a New House, or even a Townhome. Low Income Families and MOST Blue Collar Families can not afford a $200,000.00 Home and the reality of it is, we have to face the facts, there is no such thing as Affordable Housing any more when it comes to NEW Single Family Homes and Townhomes.

I have done the Math, to build a simple plain jane, super basic 3/2 Home using basic materials, nothing high end, no Garage or Carport, and I even used very conservative prices, adding it all up, including the 1/8 of an Acre Lot, Site Prep, a Mono Slab Foundation, a Parking Pad & small Patio, basic Landscaping plus, I added $10,000.00 for the things I may have missed and I came up with $185,000.00 for just Labor & Basic Materials. That's with OUT adding in the Profit Margin. You can not make Contractors build $90,000.00 to $150,000.00 Homes when they cost $185,000.00 and up just to build them. What I consider Affordable Housing for the Lower Income and Blue Collar Workers is impossible, it can not be done.

So, when it comes to Affordable Housing, maybe it is time to think outside the Box. There are older Homes on the market that need work priced between $35,000.00 to $60,000.00 and spending another $40,000.00 to $70,000.00 rehabbing it gets you into a very nice Home for $100,000.00 to $130,000.00 in less time then it would take to build one from the ground up and cost half as much. There are many Banks that will do creative Mortgages and something like this might fall into a Construction type Mortgage. It is a win win because you are Rehabbing a Home and a Community as well as Improving Property Values.

HELPING OUR HOMELESS

You can pass all the Homeless Ordinances you want but, until you actually do something FOR the Homeless, the Ordinances will not work. Both the City and County Commissions have thrown big Money at this problem over the years and yet none of it went to actually trying to solve the actual problem to help the Homeless.

You must first acknowledge that, to help the Homeless, you have to actually HELP the Homeless. We start by building a Gated Quonset Hut Community. Starting with Ten Quonset Huts and having room to expand to 20 with each measuring about 40x100 Foot. One is used as the Shower facilities that will also house the Laundry Facility, one will be used as the Kitchen and Dinning Hall, one used for the Offices and Classrooms with Internet while seven are used for housing, more can be added as needed. Yes, like an Army Bootcamp.

The Quonset Huts are set up, side by side lengthwise. You start with 10 to 20 acres of land, build a square -U- shaped Road to divide the property into three equal strips. The Activity Quonset Huts will be in the middle while the Living Quarters Quonset Huts will run down the outer parcels. We know the Community needs to be on a Bus Route therefor, there are few places to choose from to buy 10 to 20 Acres, that is why we should act fast before Developers snap it all up. I am thinking Tram Road between South Monroe Street and Capital Circle.

To maintain the Property and Buildings, Cooking, Cleaning, Grounds Keeping, Maintenance, you assign Jobs to those staying there that are able to do them. Doing this will give them time to get cleaned up, get the help they need and hopefully find a Job. It will also give them an Address so they can receive their Benefits, especially since many of them are Veterans. The hardest part of this project will be to keep the Commissions from over designing and over spending on it, there is no need to even do a Study on it. Simple and basic is all that is needed for this. 10 Acres could hold up to 30 Quonset Huts with plenty of green space between them and around them as well as the Interior Road and Parking. You are not building all 30 Quonset Huts at once, just the first 10 to start then expand as needed.

My estimates come in at $750,000 for 10 Acres of Land, $300,000 for Fencing & Gates, $250,000 for each of the Seven Living Quarters Quonset Huts to be Built out and Furnished, $300,000 for each of the other Three Quonset Huts, $1,000,000 for the Road, Drainage and Sidewalks, $750,000 for Sewer, Water and Electric, $50,000 for Landscaping and $100,000 for Miscellaneous things for a Total of $5,600,000. These are just estimates from the research I have done. 40 People can be housed in each Quonset Hut for a total of 280 Total People in the first Seven Huts. The Plan is that, the majority of the Residents staying there are only going to be there about 12 to 24 Months until they get back on their feet and find Jobs and move out on their own.

ADDING CLASSROOMS

A long time ago we voted to shrink the Classrooms and I am not sure how many new Classrooms have been built since then, I think not many if any. I have had this idea for quit some time and I do believe it will work. Money is needed to build New Classrooms and even a new School or two. My plan is to, do what is needed to be done, to be able to team up with the State and the Florida Lottery. Yes, the Florida Lottery. We get the Florida Lottery to design a special Scratch Off Ticket just for the building of new Classrooms for our Public Schools. The Tickets are priced at $5 each with a portion of the Sells going to building more Classrooms. The Money received for the new Classrooms can only be used for building new Classrooms and nothing else. The School Superintendent will be held responsible for this Money and any misuse of any of it should result in Charges. If this sounds a little familiar to you, it is because it is based a little off the Vehicle License Plate options at the DMV (the organizations that have their own Tags get a portion of the Sales). Leon County could be the Pilot Program for this and if it works, other Counties may want to do it for their Schools as well.

Please feel free to Email any questions for me.

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