Commissioner Kerry Smith said he went out of town over the weekend and came back to read our editorial in the Feb. 20 issue. At first, he said he was angry, but he read it a second time and said we were right. We are not celebrating over being right – we are celebrating because change has been made. And one commissioner had the guts to direct the change.
In the past, when impact fees came before the Santa Rosa County commissioners, the board room was filled with builders wearing their colorful company shirts sitting in the audience to make a statement to commissioners of their opposition on impact fees. The presidents of the builders’ associations would stand at the podium and talk about how the fees will impact buyers and make homes unaffordable for middle class citizens. The commissioners always hear their complaints and opposition and bow to them refusing to pass impact fees.
What is freedom of the press? The definition (Merrian-Webster) is the right to publish and disseminate information, thoughts, and opinions without restraint or censorship as guaranteed under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
It was really fun to watch Santa Rosa County Commissioners meet in a workshop setting. There was no sniping, no squabbling, no grandstanding, no name calling. It was refreshing to see this board get down to the real work of the citizens of the county. Getting rid of the troublemakers in the last election really elevated this commission and made it a pleasure to watch. Now we can see the real side of the commissioners that care about the county as they roll up their sleeves to get the work done.
I think it is awesome that DOGE is looking into waste, fraud and abuse of our federal dollars. It is way past time that someone is doing this. Technically, it should have been the media looking into waste, fraud or abuse. If they had, that is the kind of work that should win Pulitzers, not writing fake stories about fake hoaxes. The IRS has always had the ability to look into our bank accounts and had no issue whatsoever asking for receipts. I think it is about time that there is someone looking into how our federal government is spending our hard-earned money we have to pay as “income tax.” As one newscaster said the other evening, “It is about time the government is having a cavity check.” With all the spending that has been going on, especially since COVID, there is no way it would be sustainable. And I’m sure our president is looking for every way possible to not have to raise our taxes – as much as it is probably needed. I really don’t think there is any way around it – but at least if we can save a few billion dollars here or there, we won’t have as much of a tax increase. Every time the federal government came up with a new program during COVID – I always said out loud to the TV, “Who is going to pay for that?” And every time we gave billions of dollars to Ukraine, I would say the same and add, “Who is making sure they are spending the money on what they said they would spend it on?”
Take a look at the results of the girls state weightlifting meet from Valentine’s Day weekend in Lakeland and it’s clear this area still dominates in the sport.
After four years of loyal service, my laptop keyboard seems to be failing. Certain, high-volume letters now require more persuasion. Often, I must double back to coax their participation. One frequently used letter that now requires extra attention is the letter ‘G.’ Based on a video about regional accents produced by a linguistics expert, it seems that my laptop has embraced life here in the south and has developed a drawl. The first pass at typing this column yielded words like “failin’” and “typin’,’’ and in certain contexts I could get away with leaving them as is. It is a different matter with the reluctant keys for “A” and “T.” They have decided to renegotiate their contract since without their participation, many words are not words at all.
