Latest news with #Goad
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Site of new TPD headquarters still bare, but city says to expect 'verticality' soon
The construction site of the new Tallahassee Police Department headquarters is still barren, but City Manager Reese Goad said the cleared land will start to see activity soon. A 216,000 square-foot facility is slowly underway, and Goad said the city is expecting to see "verticality" in August or September. 'I can't wait," Goad said. The project was launched in 2018 and slated to finish this year, but progress on the project has been pushed back roughly a year with "substantial completion" expected to be sometime in late 2026. But once it's complete, it'll be a great asset to TPD, Goad said. The new headquarters will be fully equipped with a firearm training facility, classroom space, fleet storage and more. Building the foundation takes some time, he said, and work has been done to landscape the property and address stormwater facilities. Goad said the cost of the project has remained the same since the last time the price tag was hiked. Last April, estimated costs for the new facility it rose by about $75 million, totaling around $135 million – more than double the projected price from 2020. At the time, Goad attributed the rising cost of the new HQ to inflation and an expensive post-COVID construction market, as previously reported. The expensive facility has ruffled feathers in the community and local leadership as several commissioners feel taxpayer dollars are better spent elsewhere. During a May 1 town hall with both city and county commissioners present, City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow expressed his disapproval of the cost of TPD's new home. He said the city's investment priorities are out of sort by spending "nearly in excess of $160 million on a new police facility," instead of redirecting funds to help save the city's art district, Railroad Square, which was devastated by tornadoes last year. "I think that's exorbitant, and I think we need to scale that back and look at where we're investing in our neighborhoods, where we're investing in arts and where we're investing in culture that brings people to our community and keeps people in our community," he said. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: New Tallahassee Police headquarters expecting progress this fall
South Wales Argus
02-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Culinary teacher's artisan sandwich brand in Caerphilly
Rebecca Goad, known as Becci, started her focaccia sandwich brand, Bonnie's, at Ffos Caerffili during the town's food festival in April. Bonnie's is among the new businesses at Ffos Caerffili, including AG Indian Kitchen and The Meadows Wildlife Park. Ms Goad has worked with her business partner Leyli Homayoonfar at Bab Hause/Bab Hause Mex since 2019. She said she was impressed by the footfall at Ffos Caerffili and decided it was the best place to test her new street food venture. Ms Goad said: "The people and the community are the reason why I set up here. "Ffos is one of my favourite sites and I'm looking forward to settling in and making something great here." Ms Goad, who grew up in Kent, studied nutrition at Kingston University London and worked at Waitrose Cookery School. Her background in nutrition influences Bonnie's food production, with every sandwich made from fresh produce and the focaccia bread made from scratch. Ms Goad said: "At the moment people love the Chicken Caesar. "But I'm always thinking of new fillings and flavours to try. "I want to figure out what people want and serve it to them."
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Illegal immigration debate erupts over TPD's role in ICE cooperation agreement
The Tallahassee Police Department has agreed to join the statewide crackdown on illegal immigration, which ignited a testy email conversation between the city manager and a city commissioner. Larry Keefe, a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida who is now serving as head of the new State Board of Immigration Enforcement, on Tuesday announced that the board created an accountability dashboard to ensure local law enforcement is in compliance with Florida's newest immigration laws. 'This reporting system will provide a direct channel for officers and employees to report any failure by their agency to comply with Florida's immigration enforcement policies,' Keefe said in a statement. 'Let there be no misunderstanding – Florida law will be enforced." Last week, TPD signed a memorandum of agreement, a written document outlining a cooperative relationship between two or more parties, detailing its commitment to helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) round up illegal immigrants. The memorandum allows for select officers to carry out functions of an immigration officer such as the power to interrogate "any alien or person believed to be an alien," arrest any alien entering or attempting to enter the country without a warrant and take and maintain custody of aliens, according to the document. Any law enforcement officer not using "their best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law is in violation of Florida statute and is subject to penalties and judicial proceedings by the Attorney General, or removal from office by the Governor," the State Board of Immigration Enforcement's news release says. City Manager Reese Goad defended the city's decision to City Commissioner Jack Porter on this basis. But Porter said it's her responsibility to understand what is legally required of the city and isn't clear whether this action is, saying that the city attorney didn't agree that TPD is legally required to comply. "If you and the City Attorney are not in agreement, then maybe the issue isn't so clear," Porter wrote in an email thread Goad provided to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Even the police chief of Coral Gables – who has entered into the same agreement – stated on record that it was not legally required of them." "I don't understand your point," Goad replied. "You seem to say that if someone thinks it is not legally required then it shouldn't be done. There are a lot of legal opinions. I wish to avoid that kind of overthink and legal debate." Goad further explained that the decision to comply is up to him and TPD Chief Lawrence Revell: "You are welcome to indicate that we shouldn't do it, and take whatever action you deem appropriate," he wrote. Porter pressed Goad to share where he got his legal opinion "since it did not come from the City Attorney and since you are not an attorney." She went on: "If the answer is that you came to the conclusion on your own from reading the order, then that's your answer. I'm not an attorney either, which is why I consult with attorneys." "Based on all of the context here, I assume you believe we reached the wrong conclusion and should not execute the agreement," Goad replied. "Therefore, your opinion must be that the City is not legally required to do so and is not subject to any penalty for failure to act. However, you are reluctant to state your position." Requests for comment are pending with both Porter and Revell. At the end of February, the state said all its counties are to enter what's known as a 287(g) task force model agreement and a warrant service officer program. This is the type of agreement TPD signed. The agreement allows local law enforcement to enforce immigration violations as part of their routine duties and allows ICE to train, certify and authorize local law enforcement to serve and execute administrative warrants in their jails. Mandating local law enforcement to participate is the latest effort to support President Donald Trump and his mandate for mass deportations to address illegal immigration after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-immigration bill into law last month. Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@ Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee officials clash over new immigration enforcement deal
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mayor of California city proposes ordinance to ban transgender women from women's bathrooms
The mayor of a California city has proposed an ordinance that would ban transgender women from using bathrooms that comport with their gender identity, marking the latest effort to restrict transgender rights. Mayor Greg Meister of Porterville — a city of about 60,000 at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Tulare County — put forward the proposal at a city council meeting on Wednesday, saying his goal is to protect biological girls and women. The "Protect Women's Safe Spaces" ordinance would ban transgender women from accessing restrooms and locker rooms that comport with their expressed gender identity. The ordinance also seeks to remove transgender women and girls from women's sports, Meister said at the city council meeting. "Gender dysphoria does not overrule women's rights," Meister said in an interview with The Times. "Women have fought for equality and it's not fair that a biological man can jeopardize their rights." The local ordinance is part of a growing effort at various levels of government — from local school boards to the federal government under President Trump — to ban access for transgender women to women's facilities. Read more: Ohio governor signs bill limiting bathroom use by transgender students "This is part of a coordinated attack on transgender people," said Amanda Goad, the director of the LGBTQ, Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California. "This is part of a broader project to exert more state control over people's bodies and lives." Meister agreed that his ordinance was part of a national trend and not based on local issues. He said that no one, including women's rights groups, approached him about the ordinance, which he came up with on his own. He also said there had been no instances in Porterville of transgender women using their preferred restrooms. He said he did not know if any transgender people live in Porterville and that he had no trans friends. Despite the fact that the issue has not come up in Porterville, Meister said he wanted to confront it before it became an issue. The city council voted unanimously Wednesday, five to zero, to approve sending Meister's motion to the city attorney and city manager for their review. The language could still change and the city will follow California law and only do what is legal, Meister said. "They're going to look at the language, look at what's plausible and legal from their standpoint and then to bring it back to council to make a decision on. I'm sure it'll get chopped up," he said. Read more: California AG warns L.A. hospital: Withholding transgender care could violate state law Goad said there could be many legal issues for the ban, including constitutional issues under the equal protection clause as well as possible violations of California law. "It's very likely it would be challenged if it were actually enacted," Goad said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Mayor of California city proposes ordinance to ban transgender women from women's bathrooms
The mayor of a California city has proposed an ordinance that would ban transgender women from using bathrooms that comport with their gender identity, marking the latest effort to restrict transgender rights. Mayor Greg Meister of Porterville — a city of about 60,000 at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Tulare County — put forward the proposal at a city council meeting on Wednesday, saying his goal is to protect biological girls and women. The 'Protect Women's Safe Spaces' ordinance would ban transgender women from accessing restrooms and locker rooms that comport with their expressed gender identity. The ordinance also seeks to remove transgender women and girls from women's sports, Meister said at the city council meeting. 'Gender dysphoria does not overrule women's rights,' Meister said in an interview with The Times. 'Women have fought for equality and it's not fair that a biological man can jeopardize their rights.' The local ordinance is part of a growing effort at various levels of government — from local school boards to the federal government under President Trump — to ban access for transgender women to women's facilities. 'This is part of a coordinated attack on transgender people,' said Amanda Goad, the director of the LGBTQ, Gender and Reproductive Justice Project at the ACLU of Southern California. 'This is part of a broader project to exert more state control over people's bodies and lives.' Meister agreed that his ordinance was part of a national trend and not based on local issues. He said that no one, including women's rights groups, approached him about the ordinance, which he came up with on his own. He also said there had been no instances in Porterville of transgender women using their preferred restrooms. He said he did not know if any transgender people live in Porterville and that he had no trans friends. Despite the fact that the issue has not come up in Porterville, Meister said he wanted to confront it before it became an issue. The city council voted unanimously Wednesday, five to zero, to approve sending Meister's motion to the city attorney and city manager for their review. The language could still change and the city will follow California law and only do what is legal, Meister said. 'They're going to look at the language, look at what's plausible and legal from their standpoint and then to bring it back to council to make a decision on. I'm sure it'll get chopped up,' he said. Goad said there could be many legal issues for the ban, including constitutional issues under the equal protection clause as well as possible violations of California law. 'It's very likely it would be challenged if it were actually enacted,' Goad said.
