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Former Commissioner Beth Narverud
Commissioner Steve Champion
Sheriff Al Nienhuis and PIO Denise Moloney
Animal Services Director James Terry
BROOKSVILLE, FL - As anticipated, Tuesday's Hernando Board of County Commission (BOCC) meeting turned into a chaotic affair, with now-former Commissioner Beth Narverud making her final appearance as a lame-duck commissioner to support Sheriff Al Nienhuis' agenda to take over Animal Services.
Animal Services Director James Terry has been under fire for over a year for issues that were mostly out of his control due to network interruptions, delays by the University of Florida in fulfilling an audit request, and county funding that was not accessible to Terry. Making things worse, Terry and his staff were falsely accused of publically euthanizing a dog, which led to outrage by the community and animal activists.
Animal Services Director James Terry
Before accepting the position as Animal Services Director, Terry was a Major at the Hernando County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) until he blew the whistle on Nienhuis for attempting to hide millions in Detention Center revenue from the BOCC. That's what many say is why Nienhuis and Narverud have been scheming to hand over Animal Service to HCSO.
Prior to yesterday's meeting, the official Animal Services audit was handed over to the BOCC for review. Although there were issues that needed to be addressed, most could not be corrected until the county provided Terry with funding. Additionally, the auditor stated that Animal Services should remain under county control, including under the direction of James Terry. But that recommendation fell on deaf ears with Narverud and her allies Jerry Campbell, John Allocco, and Brian Hawkins, who refused to wait for a presentation from the auditor before casting their votes. It should be noted that four of the five commissioners, excluding Steve Champion, "rubber stamped" every budget proposal submitted by Nienhuis without questioning a single line item, despite huge increases to his budget every year.
Sheriff Al Nienhuis and PIO Denise Moloney
Narverud, Hawkins, Campbell, and Allocco fawned over how passionate HCSO Communications Director Denise Moloney presented Nienhuis' proposed takeover, which, in reality, seemed bland at best.
The lone conservative commissioner, Steve Champion, blasted Narverud, calling her a lame-duck commissioner and stating, "This thing right here, it looks ugly, it looks corrupt, and that's what I'm calling it." Champion demanded that a vote on the issue be postponed until the new commissioner was sworn in, but Narverud ignored his request and stated, "Good luck, sir if you decide to run for Congress."
Commissioner Steve Champion
Narverud seemed to come unhinged after her interaction with Champion and, for unknown reasons, began attacking this reporter with false allegations. Narverud stated, "I'm going on record in stating we did receive a threatening email from Tom Lemons stating any commissioner who voted for this, he would personally destroy their political careers - so know that [that] was true." WATCH VIDEO HERE. Narverud's remarks were unequivocally false and nothing short of defamation. R News is consulting with our attorney regarding possible legal action against Narverud.
In the end, the BOCC voted 4-1 in favor of an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding), which must still pass a final vote after Ryan Amsler is sworn in next month. It's unknown how Amsler will vote but it could make it more difficult, and it will probably come down to Commissioner Hawkins, who has displayed slightly more independence than Allocco, Campbell, or Narverud in the past.
R News will continue to cover any new developments regarding Animal Services.
Watch BOCC Meeting Here: https://hernandocountyfl.granicus.com/player/clip/1864?meta_id=132272
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