An Attainable Solution to Strengthen Tarpon's Economy

We just finished up our first candidates forum Tuesday night hosted by the League of Women Voters and the City of Tarpon Springs. I was very excited to get my ideas on pressing issues in Tarpon Springs out in the open. While we were able to talk about a lot of issues, I wanted to pick up on one idea I tried to stress that is imperative for the economic health of the City. I hope in this blog I can further explain why this is a necessity, and can truly benefit the community as a whole.

Streamlining the permitting process is probably not the first thing that comes into mind when thinking about local politics or the local economy. This idea, which has caught on fairly recently, means that you make the permitting and regulatory process much simpler and easier for new businesses or businesses wishing to expand their current space. Some instances of this streamlining have targeted certain industries, for instance, so it is not cart blanche for any business to do what they wish. Normal zoning restrictions that have been setup by the City are still in place, and certain requirements must be met.

Recently, this idea has caught on all over the country, receiving endorsement from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. For instance, states like Oregon and Minnesota have began passing statewide ordinances, and over 24 cities in Florida have already signed on to a similar partnership. This is also not counting the countless other municipalities throughout the country, and leading the charge on this was Germany when they streamlined permits for “Green Energy.”

The basic idea of a streamlined permitting process is that if a municipality or state makes it easier for businesses to move into a given area or expand their business in a given area, investors will flock to that area. This is the best way, and the proper role for the City to bring new businesses into Tarpon Springs. This helps create the proper environment and makes Tarpon Springs competitive to other surrounding areas.

The Oregon Business Plan described the concept perfectly in their plan for the entire state, “Fair, predictable, timely, and transparent regulatory and permitting processes are needed to provide businesses and investors with the certainty they need to make decisions about where to invest and grow in a fiercely competitive marketplace.” Efficiency in the permitting process becomes a major issue especially in economic times like these, where investors are seeking stability and pro-business practices. Here in Tarpon Springs, the entire community will benefit from an ordinance passed similar to those passed throughout the country. Not only will it bring new businesses with increased goods and services, but it will bring jobs to relieve some of the economic downturn and unemployment we are seeing all over the country. In Broward County, a streamlined permitting ordinance actually has a clause where the businesses benefitting from it must bring in a certain amount of jobs to qualify. We will have to work out the specifics if we choose to do it here, but it displays that there is much flexibility and it is not marrying the City to letting any business come in without going through the proper channels.

Unemployment and other effects from the recession are still being felt all over the country, including here in Tarpon Springs. I believe that streamlining the permitting process is a real solution to our problem locally, and can benefit the community greatly. New businesses and expanded businesses not only provide jobs, but also help to expand the tax base and will bring us closer to a day where we will no longer need to borrow from our reserves to cover budget shortfalls. I have the greatest respect for my fellow candidates and their experience, and I hear a lot about needed results but what was lacking is substantive solutions. This is just one of the solutions I laid out tonight at the forum, and this solution is very attainable and proving to be very successful in cities and states all over the country. Continuing our partnership and strengthening our partnership with the Chamber and Merchants Associations, along with passing an ordinance to streamline the permitting process, I believe would prove to be another boost this community needs to continue down the positive path to responsible growth and revitalization of our heritage. 

By Tommy Frain, Candidate for Tarpon Springs City Commission Seat 4, Vote March 12!

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