http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/local_news/artic...736_5501937,00.htmlit's up to St. Lucie County voters whether Lawnwood gets trauma center
By REBECCA PANOFF
rebecca.panoff@scripps.com
April 25, 2007
FORT PIERCE — If you're a member of a homeowners association or community group in St. Lucie County, expect a visit soon from a member of a political action committee touting the need for a trauma center at Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute.
After a 3-2 vote Tuesday, county commissioners agreed to a June 26 referendum asking voters to create a new tax to help fund a trauma center at the hospital, members of Citizens for Trauma Care realized they have their work cut out for them.
Their task is to convince a majority of St. Lucie County residents why they should help pay for trauma care to serve Treasure Coast residents at the for-profit hospital.
"I think that the main thing to do is go out and meet community groups and have a free discussion," said Riverside Bank president Vernon Smith, committee co-chairman. "Most people obviously want a trauma center, but people are concerned about the tax issue. We get taxed for a lot of things, the issue is what priority do you put on (health care,) how close to top of list is health care?"
Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties now transport their most seriously injured patients to St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, with a few in northern St. Lucie County being flown to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne, where Indian River County sends its trauma patients. Lawnwood's center would be closer, and the only one on the Treasure Coast.
The political action committee, which has received almost all its $6,158 funding so far from Lawnwood officials — including $5,000 from Lawnwood Chief Executive Officer Tom Pentz — will do a tour of the county visiting homeowners associations and resident groups to talk about the trauma center and referendum. Other members include former county commissioner Judy Culpepper, and National City Bank president Hal Roberts.
The tax, which would be up to a quarter-mill property tax — or 25 cents on each $1,000 of taxable property value — would fund up to $7 million a year for salaries for the doctors who will staff the trauma center. The owner of a home in St. Lucie County with an assessed value of $250,000 and a standard $25,000 homestead exemption would pay $56.25 annually for the trauma center. There also will be a 10-year sunset or expiration on the tax, but Lawnwood could ask for an extension.
If the referendum is approved, the hospital could accept its first trauma patient on Oct. 1, said Beth Williams, Lawnwood's director of marketing and public relations. If it's not approved, the trauma center won't happen, even though the hospital has hired a medical director and a trauma specialist for the program already, Williams said.
But with residents in the county and around the state worried about escalating taxes, the trauma center tax may be a hard sell.
Culpepper said she thinks residents who want the trauma center but feel overtaxed should tell commissioners what they want their money spent on.
"We all need to be down at those budget hearings in July," she said. "... it's time we went down there and said 'Look this is the way we want our money spent and we have passed this and what we want is for you to shave some other area (to reduce taxes)" she said.
Many residents attending Tuesday's commission meeting voiced concerns that the referendum is in June, not during a general election. Historically, special elections have very poor voter turnout.
"I want all of the people to vote, not 8 percent of the people," said PGA Village resident Pam Hammer. "If the majority of the people want to fund this, I don't have a problem with that because I'm all for the majority rule, but to have an election with 8 percent of the people voting is disingenuous to me."
IN OTHER ACTION
St. Lucie County Commissioners Tuesday morning:
• Approved a $9,418 swipe-card security system that will be installed at the county administration building. It will be installed on the doors of commission, administration and county attorney offices. The system was approved 4-1 with Commissioner Charles Grande dissenting.
• Approved advertising a request for proposals for surfing businesses to provide surfing lessons on county beaches.
• Approved applying for a federal grant of up to $500,000 to study the feasibility of the county attracting and supporting a commercial air service at its airport.
• Approved applying for a grant from the state Department of Transportation for $400,000 to help pay for a sidewalk along Angle Road.
• Approved applying for a grant from the Florida Communities Trust Florida Forever Program for $6.6 million to acquire environmentally sensitive land owned by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
