By Kathy Steele, Tampa Tribune, 6/20/04

TAMPA — A yellow sign along the road, rising from weeds on a vacant lot, usually is the first signal that change is coming to a neighborhood. It's the county giving notice that a land-use hearing is scheduled.

That is, it's notice for people who read English.

"So someone who speaks Spanish has to go out of their way to find a neighbor who can explain it," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor.

At hearings to consider rezoning requests, she said, "The whole discussion is in English. Written materials are in English."

A land-use hearing mix-up in January involving an incorrect phone number provided to Castor's Town 'N Country constituents prompted a review of how the county communicates with its non-English speaking residents.

The wrong number caused residents, most of whom spoke only Spanish, to miss filing timely complaints about a developer's plan to build condominiums in their neighborhood. Commissioners had to seek a translator to sort out the problem and give residents a chance to speak out.

The report, presented to commissioners this month, revealed a communications system that tries to reach all residents but has glaring gaps to bridge.

Report Recommendations

Among the report's recommendations:

Hold at least one community outreach meeting for Spanish-speaking residents a year, with real-time interpreters. The first probably will be in October at Leto High School on West Sligh Avenue.

"You have to bring it to the people," said Tony Morejon, the county's liaison with Hispanics. "We have to meet the new demographics."

Morejon said Tampa holds similar meetings. The city also has a Spanish-language program on CTTV Channel 15 called {spanish?}Que Pasa Tampa?

Based on 2000 census information, Hillsborough is increasingly diverse. Its population is about 64 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic, 15 percent black and slightly more than 2 percent Asian.

The Hispanic population is expected to increase to 25 percent of the population by 2025, blacks to 19 percent and Asians to 4.5 percent.

More than a decade ago, Hillsborough began addressing its minority growth.

Among the steps:

In 1992, the county created offices for Hispanic, African-American and Asian-American liaisons to troubleshoot and keep commissioners informed.

In 2003, the planning and growth management department hired an ombudsman to help non-English-speaking residents understand the zoning and permitting process. More than 650 Spanish-speaking residents have been helped.

In recent years, "Informes Latino," a monthly HTV22 program in Spanish hosted by Morejon, looks at topics from a Hispanic viewpoint.

The Citizens Action Center, the county's seven-days-a-week clearinghouse for services, referrals and complaints, has a bilingual staff on every shift.

Of about 374 government sites, programs or departments, 46 percent have bilingual employees and 25 percent have access to a translator. Of some 2,400 employees who meet the public, about 17 percent speak Spanish.

However, the report revealed an inconsistent communications system. Residents who don't speak or read English can miss even basic information, including times and places for hearings, how to request homestead exemptions and how to question water bill charges.

"If you speak English, you can go through the system," Morejon said. "If your English is limited or you speak no English, it becomes a giant cavern. It's bureaucracy at its highest."

The problems include automated answering machines that have instructions in English telling callers how to get help in Spanish, Morejon said.

County Communications Director Michael Foerster said the county probably can address the automated answering issue within three months.

Improving Web Site

Other recommendations include improving the accuracy of online translations provided on the county's Web site.

The county put in software to translate more than 10,000 Web pages into 13 languages this year. Translations are sometimes less than perfect.

Tampa did not buy translation software. Its Web site offers an example of how a computer can garble messages.

The translations on the county's Web site can be laughable, said Castor, adding, "We've got to have some real translators. That's one area we've got to improve."

BY THE NUMBERS

A survey of customer services provided by Hillsborough County to non-English-speaking residents found the following:

66 percent of the county's departments have guidelines for helping non-English-speaking residents.

41 percent can provide information in Spanish, including pamphlets and brochures.

70 percent say they refer non-English-speaking callers to other help lines when Spanish-speaking staff members are not available.

75 percent have not received training in how to help non-English-speaking callers.

Source: Hillsborough County Commitment to Diversity report

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7920.