4 thoughts on “Polk Commissioner Bill Braswell does not understand who his bosses are ….”
I believe it’s more accurate to state Bill doesn’t care who his bosses are.
What I find counterintuitive about this story is that Commissioner Braswell, and in reality, all of the Polk County Commissioners, seem to have forgotten the fact that, as the governing body in Polk County, Florida, and according to the Polk County Charter as amended on November 5, 2024, in 2.8 Powers (2), they have the power (and, honestly, the mandate) to:
“Adopt such ordinances as may be necessary to carry out both county and municipal powers and purposes.”
The Polk County Board of County Commissioners has the authority to amend the Polk County Animal Control Ordinance No. 18-068 to include language that makes it more community cat friendly by embracing TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) in order to: (1) Reduce shelter admission of cats, (2) Decrease shelter euthanasia of cats, and (3) Save Polk County taxpayers money, since it costs more to trap, hold, and euthanize a cat than it does to TNVR one. As I have previously presented to the Polk County BoCC, embracing TNVR in Polk County has the potential to save the county $400,000 per year (not to mention countless feline lives).
Yet, they choose not to, saying instead that “we are talking to the wrong people, that this is Grady’s deal.” Really? How so? While he doesn’t report to the BoCC, if they amended the County Animal Control Ordinance, Grady would have NO CHOICE but to adhere to it. Many lives and thousands of dollars would be saved in doing so, and the citizens of Polk County would ultimately benefit. Yet, they defer to him as if he were the King of Polk County. They have abdicated their responsibilities to govern the county.
G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH
HQHVSN and Feral Cat Surgeon
I believe it’s more accurate to state Bill doesn’t care who his bosses are.
What I find counterintuitive about this story is that Commissioner Braswell, and in reality, all of the Polk County Commissioners, seem to have forgotten the fact that, as the governing body in Polk County, Florida, and according to the Polk County Charter as amended on November 5, 2024, in 2.8 Powers (2), they have the power (and, honestly, the mandate) to:
“Adopt such ordinances as may be necessary to carry out both county and municipal powers and purposes.”
The Polk County Board of County Commissioners has the authority to amend the Polk County Animal Control Ordinance No. 18-068 to include language that makes it more community cat friendly by embracing TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) in order to: (1) Reduce shelter admission of cats, (2) Decrease shelter euthanasia of cats, and (3) Save Polk County taxpayers money, since it costs more to trap, hold, and euthanize a cat than it does to TNVR one. As I have previously presented to the Polk County BoCC, embracing TNVR in Polk County has the potential to save the county $400,000 per year (not to mention countless feline lives).
Yet, they choose not to, saying instead that “we are talking to the wrong people, that this is Grady’s deal.” Really? How so? While he doesn’t report to the BoCC, if they amended the County Animal Control Ordinance, Grady would have NO CHOICE but to adhere to it. Many lives and thousands of dollars would be saved in doing so, and the citizens of Polk County would ultimately benefit. Yet, they defer to him as if he were the King of Polk County. They have abdicated their responsibilities to govern the county.
G. Robert Weedon, DVM, MPH
HQHVSN and Feral Cat Surgeon
Thank you Dr Weedon
Bill thinks he is his own boss.