Last week’s program was provided by Rotarian John Haney.  John’s guest speaker was Hillsborough County Commissioner, District 6 – County Wide, Pat Kemp.  Patricia “Pat” Kemp was elected to the County Commission in 2016, representing Countywide District 6. Commissioner Kemp has more than three decades of public service in Hillsborough County. She was Chief Aide to Congresswoman Kathy Castor when Castor served on the Hillsborough County Commission. She also served as Aide to State Representative Sara Romeo. An attorney, she worked both in private practice and for Bay Area Legal Services, providing civil legal services for low income clients. As a journalist, she served as news director and a radio talk show host at WUSF and WMNF. Over the years, Commissioner Kemp has volunteered for many community projects and organizations. She co-founded the Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association. She served in leadership roles at the Sierra Club of Tampa Bay and on the Board of Tampa Crossroads, a nonprofit that provides counseling, treatment, housing and other services to veterans, the disabled and others in need of assistance.  Commissioner Kemp has long been an advocate for improving transportation in the county and the region. She worked with other community leaders to support the Cross Bay Ferry Pilot Project. She currently serves on several boards related to transportation including the HART Board, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Tampa Bay Regional Transportation Authority.  Commissioner Kemp also serves on the Juvenile Justice Board and the Public Safety Coordinating Council.
A graduate of Boston University and Stetson College of Law, Commissioner Kemp has two adult children, Ella and Alex Wind. Ella is pursuing a PhD at New York University. Alex is an undergraduate student at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon.  Pat Kemp spoke on the “Urban Service Area” and the major growth in our county.  Hillsborough county is currently the 4^th largest county in the state of Florida at 1.8million residents and projected to reach 1.8million by 2040.  The population of Hillsborough county is more than 8 other states!  With the tremendous growth the “Urban Land Institute conducted a study and made recommendations of how to plan for the future based on development densities.  Everyone in Hillsborough county pays two different taxes; the county wide millage of 5.79 and a local millage.  Plant City millage is the lowest at 5.715 (other than those in “unincorporated areas”) with Tampa at 6.2076 and Temple Terrace at 6.955.  The County has recently entered into an agreement with TECO for renewable energy sources, mainly solar power.  Moving forward with solar power is necessary in order to grow and to be more sustainable.  LED lighting is now replacing other lighting at traffic signals and sports fields to be more energy efficient.  The county is growing and changing and we need to grow and change with it.
    -Provided by Mike Arndt