In order to better
understand the opposition, I urge all of my readers to look at the two
letters from Rick Deckert in the Freedom Forum; they
speak volumes for themselves.
I've talked to many people about this issue; I get several calls a day, and
average 30-50 e-mails a day. This site has received an amazing number of
"visitors" over the last few weeks; more and more people are joining this fight
and we appreciate your support.
After our referendum, and that day will come, there will still be work to do. We
can win our referendum and, through that vote, repeal County Ordinance 89-23. My
goal would then be to get this whole issue on a county-wide ballot in March of 2000. This
assumes that the BOCC can't delay our referendum until that time and that we could
convince them to allow the ballot. Realize, our current efforts are only good through the
referendum; we have no legal mechanism to get a county-wide ballot.
The year 2000 is an election year, and I would assume that enough pressure could
cause that opportunity. Otherwise, the TDC is dead and everyone is on their own.
Regardless of my personal feelings on the matter, the best solution is one in which
everyone gets to exercise their right to vote on critical issues. Tourism in Okaloosa
County has "bumped" up against all of us locals. It's taken years to reach the
present situation, and it's time that the non-worshippers were heard from. The assumption
that "you must support all-out annual growth of the local tourist industry or
be totally against it," is another example of politically
"spinning" a relatively simple situation. The Freedom Committee is exactly
centered BETWEEN these two situations and has clearly stated this position time and time,
again.
IT'S NO BIG DEAL! Why all of this fuss because we'd like to "get it
right" instead of continuing on a course which no longer serves the whole community?
The Daily News recently printed a letter in which the author, a Destin condo manager,
demanded to know who would take care of HIS beach when we win the referendum. I state,
again, that for another DIME a day, and minus the current several dollars bed tax, the
13000 local accommodations would raise enough to keep the current beach-cleaning contract
with $175,000 left over to man the Welcome Center and to answer phones. IT'S NO BIG DEAL;
public servants must serve the public and not harbor private agendas.
Should the county electorate decide to replace the current TDC, that new body
should be so formed that it meets a referendum every 3 or 4 years. This would preclude the
current situation and provide necessary course corrections on a reasonable schedule. To
assure this, the state law, which appears to be as short-sighted as CO 89-23, would have
to be changed.
The Freedom Committee wants to see this pertinent issue, after referendum, on a
county-wide ballot. We believe that any future TDC should be more responsive to all of us
and on a scheduled basis. This seems to us a reasonable approach to a problem which,
in 1999, impacts every one of us. We also believe that uncontrolled growth will
eventually ruin the current tourist business. I've never heard so many negative comments
from tourists in my 29 years of residence. The opposition swears that the bed tax
has no effect on local bookings, yet every business that I've queried says bookings are
down for this winter.
Use your eyes and ears, and decide who's being destructive.
Cheers!
Gaylan
