HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMMISSIONER FERLITA ANNOUNCES BEING GREEN MAY MEAN MORE GREEN FOR COUNTY COFFERS
March 23, 2009

Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita has announced an innovative initiative that could reward the County for being a leader in environmental best practices. At the March 18th Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board unanimously green-lighted her further research into carbon credits which the County could earn for its practices such as Energy Star facilities, waste-to-energy, and avoided deforestation through environmental land preservation. These credits can be sold through an exchange to industries needing improvements in greenhouse gas reduction.

Representatives from Tampa Electric, Peoples Gas, Hillsborough County and the Environmental Protection Commission outlined how this process is accomplished and how Hillsborough County's current green activities can qualify. To watch the meeting presentation, go to: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/bocc/resources/vids/carboncredits.wmv

"For many years now, Hillsborough County has been doing the right thing. Now, we know that we can be rewarded for doing the right thing and it makes sense to take advantage of this opportunity," Commissioner Ferlita stated.

As a companion measure, Commissioner Ferlita also introduced the concept of compressed natural gas vehicles (CNGVs) as an environmentally cleaner alternative to fleet vehicles running on fossil fuels. The United States has vast untapped quantities of natural gas and there is the possibility for federal Stimulus funding for purchasing CNGVs. At Commissioner Ferlitas request, the County will be reviewing this proposal as well.

For more information, contact County Commissioner Rose Ferlita's office at 272-5470.

Turn Failed Development Into Urban Waterfront Park

Published in the Tampa Tribune 3/3/09 Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio is right to target a 160-acre Tampa Bay tract for public acquisition. City and county officials should seize this opportunity to save a rare slice of undeveloped city waterfront.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita, fortunately, is pushing for county support.

Developers promised to pay $125 million for the property and planned to transform the former 600-unit Georgetown Apartments off West Shore Boulevard into a subdivision with 1,200 homes, a project that generated fears its traffic would overwhelm the mostly two-lane road.

But the crashing economy killed that controversial proposal. The property now is in foreclosure. Georgetown stands empty and desolate.

The Bank of America soon will solicit bids for the property. It will likely be sold for far less than what the developers agreed to pay. This gives local governments a rare chance to save this land as a coastal park.

Not all the land needs to be preserved. About half - where the apartment complex stands - could be redeveloped. But the rest is wetlands and shoreline, much of which would have been developed if the failed project had proceeded.

So Iorio and Ferlita want to make sure the land is preserved while the public has the chance. This will help buffer Tampa Bay from pollution and provide public access to the bay.

"This is land that is undeveloped and has never been developed," Iorio says. "You could have boardwalks. You could have docks and an opportunity to offer boating facilities."

Local officials are discussing the acquisition with the Trust for Public Lands, a nonprofit conservation group that can move far more quickly than local governments to buy environmental lands when they come up for sale.

The trust could partner with a developer interested in building on the Georgetown site to buy the entire tract when the bank offers the land for sale. The trust would hold the shoreline acreage until the county could arrange to buy it under its Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program. ELAPP levies a small - up to a quarter-mill - property tax for the acquisition of environmentally significant lands.

City and county officials alike should recognize the value of saving a beautiful piece of waterfront property that will protect Tampa Bay and give citizens a much-needed urban waterfront park.

See the article at TBO.com

Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose V. Ferlita will be honored as one of four local Women of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF) at a luncheon Tuesday, March 24 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Dr. in Tampa.

The Women of Distinction honorees are representatives of a diverse spectrum of professional and personal accomplishments, and are stellar role models for girls and young women in our community.

Commissioner Ferlita has served as the Hillsborough County Commissioner for District 1 since November 2006. She is active in a number of community organizations, including serving on the Academy of Holy Names Board of Trustees; the Humane Society of Tampa Bay Advisory Board; the Florida Pharmacy Association; the Mary Lee House Board; and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Producers Board.

Prior to her election to the Board of County Commissioners, she served as Tampa City Council member for District 2 from 1999 - 2006. Commissioner Ferlita has 40 years of experience in the healthcare profession as a pharmacist. She has recently been instrumental in the statewide effort to put a prescription drug monitoring program in place.

"I am humbly honored to be recognized by the Girl Scouts as a role model for our future leaders," Commissioner Ferlita said of her recognition. "Their mission to 'build goals of courage, confidence and character' with an emphasis on integrity are the values that I strive to achieve both professionally and personally.."

The GSWCF's Women of Distinction have achieved success in their chosen fields. According to the GSWCF, the women personify the courage, confidence and character that Girl Scouting instills in young women today. Their community leadership and advocacy, both personally and professionally, set leading examples for Girl Scouts of all ages.

Feb 10, 2009
University of South Florida Doctor of Pharmacy Program

To Commissioner Rose Ferlita:

On January 29, 2009, the Florida Board of Governors approved the proposal to establish a four-year Doctor of Pharmacy Degree (Pharm.D.) program at the University of South Florida. Your letter of support was very instrumental in assisting the Board of Governors' decision to approve this program. With this approval, USF Health can begin planning the four-year professional degree program, and more specifically we may now begin the accreditation process. Your advocacy for our program was much needed, and is greatly appreciated.

Your personal experience with the pharmacy profession provides greater insight into the healthcare needs of the Tampa Bay region. As Florida prepares to meet the growing demands of our aging population, the Doctor of Pharmacy Program at USF will produce graduates that are trained in innovative concepts of health, wellness, information technology, and pharmaceutical care. Our Pharm.D. graduates will be on the cutting edge of new ways to deliver chronic care, from personalized medication regimens based on genetics, to aring for the everyday health-care needs of all citizens of our state.

We will keep you apprised of all developments concerning the Pharm.D. program in the future. Again, we sincerely thank you for your support and advocacy for the approval of the USF Doctor of Pharmacy degree program.

Sincerely,
Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA
CEO, USF Health
Dean, College of Medicine

Dr. Keven B. Sneed, Pharm.D.
Assistant Dean, Clinical Director
USF Division of Clinical Pharmacy

Letter from USF

Hillsborough County Commissioner Rose Ferlita Joins Statewide Effort To Put In Place A Prescription Drug Monitoring Program

Hillsborough County Commissioner and neighborhood Pharmacist Rose Ferlita will be a speaker at the Governor's Statewide Awareness Day on Prescription Drug Monitoring Program at St. Petersburg College on January 6, 2009. Ferlita, who has been a pharmacist for more than 40 years, is ramping up local efforts in support of state legislation that will make the dispensing of prescription drugs safer for all.

"This is clearly a public safety issue as well as an ethical issue. As a pharmacist, it?s disturbing to know that preventable deaths from overdoses continue to rise; up 11 percent in 2007. A drug monitoring program would allow doctors, pharmacists and law enforcement to monitor patients' prescription drug history. This team effort would make it tougher for inappropriate prescribing of large quantities of drugs, patients to doctor shop and pharmacy shop, and for pharmacies to fill these prescriptions without any questions or regard to ethics," Ferlita says. "As a Hillsborough County Commissioner, I believe this is a prescription for better government in an arena where we are already behind. I have made it a priority to lobby our legislators and other stakeholders to pass this into law this session. Public safety demands it and our constituents deserve it."

Thirty-eight states already have drug monitoring programs in place. Florida lawmakers have had the opportunity to pass drug monitoring program legislation for six years but to no avail.

Ferlita commented, "It's time for all parties to come to the table and put legislation in place that will stop the illegal use of legal drugs."

Commissioner Ferlita will join William Janes, Director for the Office of Drug Control, Office of the Governor, who will head up the strategic efforts for this statewide initiative.