Florida residents have choices in village trustee races this March 20

Florida — Village of Florida voters will choose between two longtime trustees and a political newcomer on March 20 when they go to the polls to choose two trustees. Caroline Califf, Frank Jarocki and Frank Pierce are vying for two seats on the village board. Caroline Califf Califf is new to politics but has always been interested in government. She’s been attending board meetings for the past six months and decided it would be a good time for her to throw her hat into the ring. “I want to have a say in what happens and you have to be part of the decision-making,” said Califf. What brought Califf to board meetings? “I live on Maple Avenue and it was the speeding issue,” she said. “My kids are just 5 and 3. I expressed concern and they beefed up the police presence. I kept going to meetings to see what is going on and to be involved.” Before leaving her job in New York City to raise her children, Califf was an administrator for a 700-unit co-op. She managed maintenance workers, dealt with sanitation and water departments and paid city taxes. All of this, she said, gives her a good background for serving the village. “We had about as many units as the Village of Florida does houses,” said Califf. “I managed 20- employees and did the bookkeeping.” Califf is up against Jarocki and Pierce, two trustees with long histories of village involvement. Frank Jarocki Jarocki, who has been a member of the village board since 1983 and the Planning Board for six years prior to that, has seen many changes in the village. He said he is proud of what the Board of Trustees has done to make sure growth is done correctly. “You’ve got to take it easy,” said Jarocki. “Taxes aren’t too high. And we’ve added some nice developments.” Jarocki has been instrumental in getting money for the village for big-ticket items such as equipment, including garbage trucks, a dump truck and police vehicles. The village received a $150,000 grant for a new Department of Public Works building, thanks to Jarocki’s work. He is also involved in getting bathrooms at the village park. Growth is an issue for most areas in Orange County. Jarocki said the Village of Florida has dealt with development appropriately. “We’ve done some nice developments. We’ve grown slowly, and that’s important,” said Jarocki. “As the population gets greater, there is more traffic to deal with, more DPW employees and police. I’m happy with how we have grown.” Frank Pierce Pierce has served for 18 years on the village board and 10 years on the planning board. He has been in charge of water and sewer for all of his tenure on the Board of Trustees. It’s been a good fit, he said, because he’s been a well-driller and water pump installer all of his adult life. The main issues facing the village, according to Pierce, include traffic, taxes and growth. “Traffic is always a problem in a small village,” said Pierce. “Our taxes have been pretty stable. School taxes are higher, but there is nothing we as a board can do about that except hold down the growth.” “Every village has got to grow, but it doesn’t have to grow by leaps and bounds,” he said. “You can’t halt growth. It has to be done in a smart way.” There are currently two development projects in the works that would bring only those over age 55 with no children into the village. “That’s one way to hold down the student population growth,” he said. Pierce said the new developments will increase demand on both the water and sewer plants. The developer are paying for those upgrades, he said. He said there is still plenty of water available for village residents but if many more homes are built, the water plant will have to be updated. “We can’t be stagnant,” he concluded. “There has to be a certain amount of growth.” All candidates are pleased that village board meetings are now being televised on Cablevision. “There was a lack of communication with the board,” said Califf. “Having the village board meetings broadcast will improve that. People want information.” Pierce agrees. “I can understand that people don’t have time to come to meetings,” he said. “Now they can watch them and get involved.” Debate March 12 There will be a candidates’ debate broadcast over WTBQ on Monday, March 12, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Village elections will be held on Tuesday, March 20, from noon to 9 p.m. in the Senior Center on Cohen Circle, behind the village hall.