Passion & Experience Drive Judge Scionti Towards A Second Term

Judge Michael Scionti (with his arm around General) and wife Zsuzsanna (holding JoJo).

Michael Scionti has more than 20 years of experience in law, but he sounds like he is just getting started.

His first six-year term as Group 19 Circuit Judge in the 13th Judicial Court, which encompasses Hillsborough County, is about to expire, but Scionti is eager for a second term to build on his successes, particularly his work with children and the nationally-respected Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), a courtroom designed to help jailed veterans battling mental illness and substance abuse as a result of their military service.

“To be able to see the positive impact in the faces and eyes of a mother who has her child back, the eyes and tears that fall from a veteran that has his or her life back…I couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” he says.

The VTC is definitely close to his heart. Scionti has had multiple combat tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, serving as a military magistrate in each.

He’s also served as a Diplomat for the U.S. State Department and has been a member of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps for more than 20 years. His service gives Scionti a unique perspective for the struggles so many veterans face.

His work with the VTC, which he describes as a “collaborative” court, has gained national prominence, with a push to get the program implemented across the country. Scionti says Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who has endorsed him in his race against challenger Ashley Ivanov, played a key role in starting the VTC in 2014.

The court offers programs for military veterans who have been charged with crimes and/or suffer from mental illnesses, traumatic brain injuries, substance abuse and other issues related to their service.

“I try to get veterans out of jail and into treatment,” Scionti says. “There’s no punishment in my courtroom, only encouragement in trying to re-crack the code for these veterans, to help them learn how to problem-solve for themselves.”

According to a 2018 report by the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 79 percent of released prisoners were arrested within six years. The VTC reports that its recidivism rate is only 10 percent.

“It’s working,” Scionti says. “We’re very proud of it.”

Scionti graduated from Florida State University in 1990 with a B.S. degree in Criminal Justice and in 1996, he earned his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from South Texas College of Law in Houston.

He has held positions as an assistant Attorney General, an assistant State Attorney and an assistant statewide prosecutor.

He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2006-10, followed by a stint in the U.S. Department of Defense.

In 2012, Scionti was chosen by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a mission to help the U.S. transition detainee operations away from the U.S. government to the Afghanistan government. Scionti played a key role in helping create an Afghani criminal justice system.

By constructing a previously nonexistent system that focused on everything from forensics and building cases to delivering verdicts, Scionti’s efforts helped allow allowed the Afghani government to assume the prosecution of the Taliban.

“Before that, I was not even sure I was ready to be a judge,” Scionti says. “But, I thought after all of this experience, you know what, I have perspective; I have common sense solutions that I’ve applied at international, national and state levels, I think I’m going to be an effective judge. So, I came back home and ran for judge.”

He was elected to his six-year term with roughly two-thirds of the vote.
While Scionti says he is guided by many principles, the strongest one may have formed on the battlefields of Iraq.

He gets choked up when recalling being in a convoy in Iraq where two soldiers, both with wives and children, were killed by an IED. Scionti was unmarried at the time and, to this day, says he would have gladly taken that hit for them.

“When I sit on this bench and I’m presiding over these veterans who are struggling, I think about those soldiers who are no longer here,” Scionti says. “I’m certainly hoping that through my service, making the life that I have worthwhile, because I had the chance to come back…I’m doing the best I can to give back. That’s all.”

Scionti, who spends his spare time taking turns with wife Zsuzsanna doting on their rescue dogs General and JoJo, has a slew of endorsements from the likes of Viera, public defender Julianne Holt, former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink.

For more information, visit JudgeScionti.com.

Elections: Viera Cruises; Castor & Straz Advance To Run-Off For Mayor

Tampa City Council member Luis Viera (center) celebrates his win on March 5 with Heritage Isles’ retired Colonel Mike Escudie (left) and Jon Fletcher, president of Vietnam Veterans of America of Tampa.

While no winner for Tampa mayor could be declared following the March 5 elections — Jane Castor and David Straz are headed to a run-off election on Tuesday, April 23 — it was abundantly clear who New Tampa wanted to represent our area on Tampa City Council in District 7.

Luis Viera, running for his first full term after finishing the remaining two years of Lisa Montelieone’s term following a 2016 special election, trounced opponent Quinton Robinson 76.2 percent to 23.8 percent at the Tampa Municipal Election on March 5.

Viera won 26 of the 29 precincts in Dist. 7 (which includes the Busch Gardens and Copeland Park areas, Forest Hills, USF and the city-based areas of New Tampa), compared to when he won just one precinct on his way to defeating fellow Hunter’s Green resident Jim Davison by only 65 votes in the 2016 run-off.

“When I ran in 2016, I ran against an individual in the run-off who a lot of people knew out here,” said Viera, referring to Davison, a long-time local activist on transportation issues and a twice-failed candidate for the Hillsborough County Commission (in 2002 and ’04). “I was a first time candidate. Things went my way. But, I stayed humble and knew I had to prove myself to people.”

Viera received the largest percentage of the vote among the other 23 candidates running for any of the seats in races for City Council Districts 1-6.

Buoyed by his record of founding the New Tampa Council and North Tampa Veterans Association and creating the Warrior Games Promotion Committee to promote attendance at the Warrior Games (which are coming to Tampa in June), as well as hosting a number of local town halls, with guests like Hillsborough County Dist. 2 County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Hillsborough Dist. 3 School Board member Cindy Stuart and outgoing Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s chief of staff, Dennis Rogero, Viera established himself as someone intent on raising the civic profile of New Tampa.

He also spearheaded support for the city’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget, which included nearly $2 million for the expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center, and the design of a new sensory-friendly park in Tampa Palms.

“There were a lot of people who didn’t know me in New Tampa,” Viera says, “and I wanted to prove to them I was the right person for the job. I held their interests close to my heart, like the results showed.”

Robinson’s main argument was that Viera was too focused on New Tampa, but in precincts not located in New Tampa, Viera still won 66 percent of the vote, or 1,744 votes cast, to 901 for Robinson. 

In New Tampa’s precincts, Viera received 82 percent of the vote, with a ballot advantage of 4,062-910. In Hunter’s Green precinct No. 361, where Viera lives and a precinct he had lost handily to Davison, he had his biggest margin of victory, with 687 votes (or 88 percent) cast for him, compared to only 95 for Robinson.

Another local candidate, Pebble Creek’s Vibha Shevade, ran for the citywide District 3 City Council seat, but finished fourth with 11 percent of the vote. Top vote-getters John Dingfelder (with 48.96 percent; see ad below) and Stephen Lytle (20.26%) finished first and second, respectively, to advance to the April 23 run-off election. 

Castor, the former Tampa Police Chief, won 52 percent of the vote and every precinct in New Tampa, but couldn’t pass the 50-percent threshhold citywide (48%) and will take on Straz, who was second with 15 percent of the citywide vote

In New Tampa, Straz garnered 16 percent of the vote, while Harry Cohen had 12.5 percent. The other four candidates all finished in single digits.

Mike Moore Running On His Record

If you’re looking for a reason to vote for Mike Moore, he can give you many.

But, where he starts is pretty simple – his last campaign.

When the Seven Oaks resident first ran for the then-open District 2 seat on the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) in 2014, he promised that he would 1) fight for increased funding for law enforcement to keep citizens and schools safe and secure, 2) he would promote industry and jobs, and 3) he would focus on transportation.

“We’ve accomplished all those things,” he says, proudly.

Moore, a Republican who is looking to retain his seat against Democrat Kelly Smith in the General Election on Tuesday, November 6, has represented almost all of Wesley Chapel on the BCC during its most tumultuous and expansive time. The area has continued to transform itself since he was elected, and he said he is proud of his role in promoting the things that he says make Wesley Chapel a desirable place to live, work and play.

“Before I ran for office, I was just like anyone else — a small business owner who lived in the community, raising a family,” says Moore, who lives in Seven Oaks with his wife Lauren and their three children. “I think a few of the things that were important to me were important to the citizens, and continue to be important to the citizens in 2018.”

Active in the community – he still coaches flag football at the Wesley Chapel District Park (WCDP) and rarely misses a public event or ribbon cutting in our area —Moore said what has made his tenure on the BCC an effective one is listening.

He has supported small projects, like helping local cricket enthusiasts find a place to play or pushing for traffic signals in neighborhoods, to big projects like the “connected city” project that has led to the country’s first-ever Crystal Lagoons® amenity in Epperson, or the Wiregrass Sports Complex that is currently under construction.

“There’s nothing too big or too small,” Moore says. “We’re a very diverse community. What’s important to one person may not be to the next person, but they’re all important issues.”

Topping the list, according to Moore, is public safety, and he stands by his — and the current commission’s — record of supporting first-responder needs in Pasco County.

“Public safety is definitely number one,” Moore says. “People want to be safe and secure.”

To fulfill that need, the Pasco County BCC last month approved a Fiscal Year 2019 budget that allocates 25.7 percent of total expenditures to public safety. That amounts to $232,689,204 out of $905,109,906 in total expenditures, making public safety the single largest expenditure in the FY 2019 budget.

Last October, Moore was endorsed by Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco.

Born in St. Petersburg, Moore grew up in Winter Haven before graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio & Television from the University of Central Florida in Orlando. He started a homecare agency that provided home healthcare to seniors and the disabled in 2004, before selling it in 2011, and he owned a business brokerage and mergers and acquisition firm before selling that in 2015.

It was his time as a small business owner that Moore says began to spark his interest in politics. “When I was doing that, I realized how much government affected our day-to-day lives,” Moore says, referring to regulations he says can suffocate small business owners. “When I started having children, you really realize how much government affects your everyday life.”

Moore became more engaged with the local community, he says, supporting candidates and volunteering for campaigns, most notably for Republican Will Weatherford, the former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

“My interest in politics was gradual, but you don’t just jump in because, ‘Hey, I want to run for office,’” Moore says. “There has to be a message, a thought that you can make a difference. Then, you need to get involved in the community, and truly spend time there so you can understand the issues and what you can do to make things better before you can run.”

And, Moore says he did just that, building relationships and listening to fellow members at the former Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (now the North Tampa Bay Chamber) and Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, and being active in the community. He won his first election in 2014 with 58.9 percent of the vote.

“I got a lot of support in Wesley Chapel (where he received 55 percent of votes cast),” Moore says. “I was grateful for that.”

Moore cites a number of projects that the county has undergone since he’s been on the BCC — a blight ordinance, which has helped clean up Pasco County; a host of flooding issues on the west coast; the whirlwind growth in Wesley Chapel; and a number of traffic issues (like the widening of S.R. 56, the diverging diamond interchange at the S.R. 56 exit off I-75 and the proposed I-75 interchange at Overpass Rd.) – and his stalwart stance that Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe II should not be connected to Kinnan St. in New Tampa.

Moore, who has to make decisions that affect all of Pasco County, not just Wesley Chapel, thinks his resume the last four years fulfills what he promised to voters. And, he says those who decide to vote for him again can expect more of the same.

“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished the last four years,” Moore says. “I think I’ve done a great job of listening to citizens. In fact, a lot of the things I bring to (the BCC) come from the citizens. I think we’ve accomplished a lot.”

He says the most challenging part of his job is finding a balance between being a commissioner and his family, which can be difficult with all the events and meetings Moore attends.

He still manages to get his family away for vacations, often camping and fishing trips, in the family’s motor home. His daughter’s horse shows and competitions keep him busy, as does coaching flag football.

When it’s time for work, though, he operates on a simple premise.

“In the end, you have to make decisions that you feel are best for everyone,” Moore says. “Do what you think will be best as a whole, now and 20 years down the road.”

 

 

Seven Things To Know Before Voting Today

The Washington Post recently published a story about a study that concluded that 25 percent of college students may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder because of the 2016 election.

After checking to make sure it wasn’t actually a story from “The Onion,” only one conclusion can possibly be drawn from the study: You ain’t seen nothing yet.

Take a look around, people. These are crazy times. Bipartisanship and civility have been washed away by a flood of hate and conspiracies spewed on Twitter and Facebook, and depending upon your point of view — which is likely partisan and unbending — you’d probably say the same political bile also shows up on cable stations like FOX and CNN as well.

It’s ugly out there. Ugly, and sad.

Even so, here’s the seven things you need to know for Nov. 6:

1. National politics is a war zone these days — the 2020 election is going to be off the chain bonkers and drive us all insane, promise! — but don’t let it get you down. Remember, local politics, while not nearly as sexy, thrilling and cable-TV worthy, is where you can see real differences made in your community.

Guess what? Neither Mariella Smith nor Victor Crist are going to ever vote on President Donald Trump’s wall. Ken Hagan won’t get to help pick the next Supreme Court justice. Fentrice Driskell isn’t going to fix immigration, and Angela Birdsong, as far as we know, isn’t going to fix the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.

What the local candidates who end up winning in the General Election on Tuesday, November 6, can do, however, is help fix our roads and solve our traffic issues, make our schools better and safer, keep our police and firefighters paid and help spur improvements in our local neighborhoods.

Do you think Trump or any senator has ever heard of Bruce B. Downs?

Don’t B. Silly. (sorry)

Focus and do your part to put the right people who you think can help your community the most into office on Tuesday.

2. Maybe if there was more polling on local races, there would be more interest, but know this — the most interesting race in our area is likely to be Driskell, potentially a rising star in the Democratic Party, vs. Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison, for the State House District 63 seat.

The seat, in a word, could be “flip-a-licious.”

Harrison won the District comfortably in 2010, lost it to Democrat Mark Danish in 2012 by 728 votes, reclaimed it from Danish in 2014 by 2,381 votes, and in 2016 held off Democratic challenger and fellow former Tampa City Council member Lisa Montelione by 1,363 votes.
In a district with more registered Democrats than Republicans, and potentially a prevailing wind at the backs of Democrats, the candidates are likely to be separated by a small margin of votes.

An SEA Polling & Strategic Design survey commissioned by Florida Democrats in September gave Harrison a 45-39 advantage, but voters with the highest level of interest tabbed Driskell by a 58-41 advantage.

If the blue wave is a real thing — and national polling suggests it might be — Driskell has a chance to flip the seat again.

3. Longtime Tampa Palms resident and Republican Victor Crist, who is term-limited out of his current District 2 seat, which covers New Tampa, on the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, is running for the District 5 county-wide seat. He also could be in trouble.

Democrat Mariella Smith, a local businessman woman and activist, has been able to keep fundraising pace with Crist, and is viewed as a serious threat to the continuation of his political career.

“It’s close. It’s really, really close,” Crist said this week when asked how the campaign was going.

4. Even though it’s a non-presidential year, the 2018 ballot is fire when it comes to statewide races.

It is topped by a number of key hotly-contested races that have transcended being merely statewide races — outgoing Republican Governor Rick Scott is trying to send longtime Democratic senator Bill Nelson into retirement, and if you haven’t found the Ron DeSantis-Andrew Gillum race for Governor entertaining, then you are just not paying attention. Which you should be.

Who do you want in control when the next hurricane or other natural disaster slams into Florida?

5. Your ballot this year has 12 amendments on it.

Twelve!

There’s not enough room to break them all down, but here’s a pro-tip: take a little time to dig them up on the web and read up on each before you show up to vote.

Some of the more discussed amendments, which require 60 percent of the vote to pass, are:

Amendment 1 — You can vote yes for an additional $25,000 homestead exemption for homes valued over $125,000, but that’s going to cut into your city and county money pot and could lead to cuts in services or even higher local tax rates.

Amendment 4 — Vote yes to grant felons — but not those convicted of murder or felony sex crimes — the right to vote after they have served their time. Vote no to make them keep waiting a minimum of five years before they can even apply to appeal those voting rights.

Amendment 13 — A vote yes would ban all dog racing in Florida by Dec. 31, 2020 (although the dog tracks would be allowed to continue to operate card rooms and slot machines). Vote no to let the dog racing continue.

(Note: Amendment 8 was stricken from the ballot by the Florida Supreme Court)

6. There are two referendums on the ballot in New Tampa, one for transportation and another for education.

The transportation referendum would increase Hillsborough’s sale tax by a penny for 30 years, generating $300 million a year. The money has been earmarked for road improvements and public transportation enhancements, and will be carefully managed by an oversight committee. Say what you will about the increase, but a solid, carefully thought out plan is certainly deserving of the voters’ consideration.

The same goes for the education referendum, which would impose a half-cent sales tax increase, but an aggressive marketing plan presented at a series of town halls, as well as a list of improvements the money will be spent on, appears well-reasoned.

Both referendums will be enticing to voters frustrated by Tampa Bay’s woeful transportation issues and schools that seem to be falling apart.

However, while organizers of both groups insist they aren’t hurting the other, voting for what is effectively two tax increases might be a tough pill for many locals to swallow.

7. Blue wave, red wave, no wave, grab your surfboard and get out there on Tuesday and vote.

 

Dem. Kelly Smith To Take On Mike Moore For County Commission In November

Kelly Smith 

For Kelly Smith, running as the Democratic Party’s candidate for the District 2 seat on the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners is more about civic duty than personal achievement.

“I really am coming at this from a public service standpoint. I never imagined I would run for office,” says Smith, who has lived in Wesley Chapel for 10 years and will oppose Republican incumbent and fellow Wesley Chapel resident Mike Moore in this year’s general election on Tuesday, November 6.

Neither candidate will face a primary opponent. In addition to partisan primaries for local, state and national offices, the primary election, which also included the only elections for Pasco School Board and several judges, were held on August 28.

Smith says that watching District 2’s boundaries evolve from relatively pastoral to thoroughly suburban provided her with the motivation to enter politics. She says her goal is to ensure that Pasco voters have distinct options as to who will best help manage the area’s growth.

“We need to bring change to our community and really be looking at how we can serve our community the best,” Smith says.

The foot-shaped Dist. 2 extends from the Hillsborough County line to north of S.R. 52, with its western border between U.S. 41 and the Suncoast Pkwy., and extending all the way to U.S. 301/Gall Blvd. at its easternmost edge in Zephyrhills.

Smith says she believes that the current lineup of Pasco commissioners has fallen short in meeting residents’ needs.

“Without a doubt, (they’re) not planning for the infrastructure and the service needs that go along with the growth we’re experiencing,” Smith says.

She says that growth is coming at a cost, and usually one that prospective homeowners can’t afford. She believes that future development needs to include a wider variety of affordbale housing for residents.

“One of the big components that’s missing in Pasco County is a better variety of dwelling types and a better variety of (housing) price points,” Smith says.

Smith also says she wants to attract more skilled jobs to the area’s economy, which already has a lot of customer service positions. Pasco County government can encourage wage growth in the private sector, she says, by setting an example and adopting a minimum salary of $15 an hour for full-time positions.

“Currently, 24 percent of full-time employees (who work for Pasco County) make less than $15 an hour,” she says. “As the second largest employer in Pasco County, that would certainly set a standard that hopefully the rest of the community would follow.”

Smith says her more than 20 years of professional experience provides an informed background from which to draw on when it comes to addressing quality-of-life issues like congestion. Her resume includes positions in engineering operations (including data analysis and contract administration) for site development and transportation projects in the private sector and serving as a zoning administrator for the City of Marco Island, near Naples, FL.

She also has been a coordinator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the City of Naples and Collier County. Smith earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Liberal Arts (with minors in Computer Science, School Health Education and Special Education) from Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

“I really do think that my experience has put me in exactly the right position to be a county commissioner,” says Smith.

In addition to her professional work experience, Smith volunteers on behalf of young people, advocating for kids going through the legal system with the Florida Guardian ad Litem program and as a photographer with Heart Gallery of Pinellas & Pasco, a nonprofit organization that promotes the adoption of children in foster care.

“I have always looked at how my actions can have a positive consequence outside of me,” says Smith, who lives in Meadow Pointe with her husband Patrick and their three adopted teenage children: Macy, Andrew and Carter.

Running as a Democratic against a popular Republican opponent in a county where President Trump won 58 percent of the vote in 2016 might seem to be a formidable task, but Smith says she’s up to it.

“I really do think I have a chance,” she says, adding that she gets a good response from people, including Republicans, when she canvases neighborhoods. “Local government is not so partisan. It’s about what’s best for your community.”

Visit KellySmithforPasco.com or “Kelly Smith for Pasco County Commissioner” on Facebook to find out more.