Mayor or queen?

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio has written your state legislators to say the City of Tampa does not want to do what the Tampa City Council says the City does want to do.

Although the Tampa City Council voted unanimously to write this letter (on City of Tampa letterhead) asking state legislators to change the composition of the EPC board to include representatives from the cities, Mayor Iorio wrote this letter (on City of Tampa letterhead) saying:

“the City of Tampa does not support changing the composition of the EPC.”

She emphasized her point by repeating it, using more bold type:

“Again, the City of Tampa opposes any change to the composition of the EPC Board.”

This must be perplexing to the legislators who have now received two letters speaking for the City of Tampa, asking them to change—no, wait! don’t change—the EPC. The mayor’s letter doesn’t mention the city council and their position at all.

She says she’s “had several very productive meetings with [county commission] Chairman Jim Norman and [county] Administrator Pat Bean on a variety of topics.” Not this topic, though. Her letter says they have not discussed the issue of board representation, on which they disagree, but they have “opened up a healthy discussion on common issues.”

So she’s fine with leaving the county commission in charge of the Environmental Protection Commission. And she goes so far as to say the City of Tampa is fine with it. No matter what those pesky City Council members say.