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(REVISITED) 02-15-2001, By GAYLAN KING In his Feb. 11 letter, "No free picnic," Mr. Kendall chants the mantra of increased taxes for the rest of us if we don't agree with the tourism crowd. You'll hear this mantra over and over before our referendum on May 15, since that unfounded fear appears to be the weapon of choice in their campaign. Mr. Kendall also made elemental errors, for whatever reason, in statements about "bed tax" use and Okaloosa Island conference center financial truths. The "picnic" has always been free and is God's gift to us all. As the developers had their way, good Republicans all, they cleverly convinced local taxpayers that it was our responsibility to allow the use of county tax funds to support private tourism interests. Okaloosa's Tourist Development Council became a powerful, county-sponsored political action committee instead of a tourism "adviser" to the County Commission. A new PAC, Friends of the Emerald Coast, which already has tried unsuccessfully to use county tax funds against our privately funded Freedom Committee, is the boosters' current vehicle, although it emphasizes no connection to the TDC. Sure! Its members have done more to ruin the "Coast," through their business interests, than to befriend it. Mr. Kendall claims that we tell only half of the story; he says the conference center would not lose money since county tax funds would be spent to support its losses. Huh! The third bed-tax cent can be spent only for operational expenses if the center is built; neither the third nor the fourth cent (bond debt service) can be used for the numerous infrastructure needs to support this project. Talking about an $850,000 "surplus" is misleading and, at best, an amazing claim. As for complete stories, the Freedom Committee's goal has always been to win our referendum in the gerrymandered 13 precincts and to force another, countywide referendum so that all county citizens might help determine the direction of tourism in Okaloosa County. Our referendum victory in May should, by law, repeal both the bed tax and the current TDC. Only a really lopsided victory might now give us that result, since they've stealthily changed the state law. I personally would like to see the bed tax then reinstated by countywide referendum, along with a new, less biased TDC. This full-county expansion would increase bed tax revenues significantly and complement the Freedom Committee's plan to lobby for a change in the state statute that allows the Florida Legislature, home of the Florida tourism lobby, to dictate all uses of a bed tax imposed by our County Commission at the county level. This change would allow Florida to follow the lead of numerous states - Louisiana is the most recent - in spending bed tax revenues as we, not tourism lobbyists, see fit. The bed tax then could become a source of the scarce revenue in such demand by both the county and its municipalities. I cannot resolve government support, at any level, for private interests, nor do I care whether the local tourism people care enough about their private businesses to clean their own beaches ($237,000 per year). The Film Commission, if it can prove its value, should be moved to the Economic Development Council; the Turtle Watch Program has denied local volunteers who certainly would do a better job and for free. Even after spending more than $543,000 on yearly administrative costs, the TDC has gained significant pay raises for its growing staff. Director Darrel Jones' salary has been raised to $81,000 per year plus a package of significant "perks." Have you counted the number of wheels now turning? We have the conference center and the accompanying major developments, downtown Fort Walton Beach redevelopment, Around the Mound traffic rerouting, unwanted community redevelopment agencies, secretive changes in Florida statutes, and state Rep. Jerry Melvin is suddenly pushing a for a new bridge where we might pay a toll in order to accommodate more tourists ... or is it gamblers? The Daily News editorialized against me several weeks ago, accurately quoting me as saying, "We're up to our neck in tourists" (editorial, "Economy's dip is ill time to rip TDC," Jan. 11). The editors then gave themselves away by stating that tourism must grow or die. There is ample evidence to the contrary - Monterrey and Carmel, Calif., to name two places. Cancer cells must grow or die, not tourism. Cancer begins as a benign parasite but ultimately kills the host if not properly treated. We should maintain the nearly $1 billion tourism industry its supporters now claim, and look more to the needs of the community.
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Tourism
crowd aims to pillage the coast 