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Archives from "Notes
from the field" 1999
- February 15 2001 - Tourism crowd aims to pillage the coast - 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... - January 14 2000, The opposition has apparently accomplished very little - I’ve spent the last several weeks organizing a campaign to finish our petition drive. I’ve spoken at several meeting and have more on the agenda. Because of unexplained irregularities (!) in our mail out program, we will finish our drive by going door to door; we’ll beat them in the streets. December 14, 1999, - Our original goals have not changed one iota - I've taken a needed break, had the flu, conquered a case of "burnout", survived a birthday and, refreshed, am back at the task before us. It's good to occasionally take a step back and make sure that you're seeing both the forest and the trees. Both appear, now, to be in plain view. I've visited with most of the members of our "kitchen cabinet" and am assured of continued support and cohesiveness of goals. We all realize that our campaign will extend well into the new year, but extend it shall, and we'll have our referendum! ... November 16 1999 - There Is No Time To Waste If We're To Defeat The Conference Center - This is a confusing time for most of us because the issues are so murky. I never understood Doug Hutcheson's reasons for spending such effort on a non-binding referendum, but spend it he did, and with predictable results. Not only did the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) turn down his proposal, but they were unnecessarily rude and arrogant in doing so... November 6 1999 - Here We Go, Again - Today's NWFDN, Letter To the Editors featured a letter entitled, "The TDC is our best bet". It's not my best bet, nor is it the best bet of any citizen of Okaloosa County who detests government entities operating at the expense of "the rest of us," and of our God-given right to have a voice in our own affairs... November 1 1999 - The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, Still Can't Shoot Straight - This piece contains a document that was sent to me anonymously. The document is important because it perfectly illustrates several facets of the TDC/Conference Center issue... October 22 1999 - Catching up (again)... - I apologize, again, for not writing more in these last few weeks. Success is a two-edged sword: your response to our petition advertisements has been wonderful, don't stop! But, along with each bunch of letters comes hours of work in order that the petitions are checked for accuracy, compliance and validity. Good show, people! October 15 1999 - The Keeper of Truth - Today's NWFDN (Thursday, 14th) quotes Rick Deckert as saying, again, that "they have Truth on their side." He further charges that our "propaganda confuses people," and that our information is "inaccurate!" These stances indicate, to me, that they've finally awakened to our "bear" in their "honeypot." I challenge him to prove those remarks. Mr. Deckert is fortunate to live in a society that no longer tolerates duels... October 11 1999 - Tourist Development Council - The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight - I'm sure many of you saw the TDC's 'half page in Sunday's NWFDN. Notice that it's couched in statements such as, "The Facts", and "the rest of the story." They never fail to imply that they are the Keeper of the Truth, and that we don't just disagree with them but lie, withhold vital information, and distort the facts. I smiled as I thought about those of you who've actually studied the issue and the negative effect of such statements to knowledgeable citizens... October 7 1999 - It's Time To Stand Up And Be Counted! - As most of you know, our petition has been in the NWFDN twice in this week. We have enough support to do this until we get the required 4000 signatures. We'll actually submit 5000 signatures that we have pre-verified against the county voting records, a tedious job. We'll later have to pay the Supervisor of Elections Office 10 cents a name to verify them, again. We'll go through the additional pain of checking them ourselves so we can label them as checked, before submission. In that way, if the BOCC has any problem with the number of valid signatures, we'll have some insurance against "mischief", if you will... October 4 1999 - Postscript To Yesterday - I phoned the NWFDN early Monday morning about the placement of our expensive half page presentation of The Freedom Committee's petition against the Conference Center and the TDC. I'm pleased to report that the classified editor phoned me back very quickly to say that they'd publish it again tomorrow (Tuesday) on page B4 of the State and Local section. I applaud their fairness in this matter... October 3 1999 - Catching Up - I apologize to our faithful readers for so little output over this past few weeks. Not only have I been really ill, but also the administration chores for our petition effort have become large and time-consuming. The source of my illness has been found and is easily corrected through medicine, so that episode should be finished... September 21 1999 - It's Like Charley Brown Trying to Kick The Football - I attended the final County Budget Hearing on Monday night, Sept 20th, and left feeling that, once more, the "football" of fiscal irresponsibility had been magically moved beyond reach just as some good citizens were trying to give it a swift kick.. September 20 1999 - The Petitions Are Coming Back To Us By the Hundreds! Thank You! - What next? We must turn out the vote to win the referendum, which will rid us of both the TDC and the Conference Center. The TDC currently has over $1 Million in reserves which, in it's absence, can be used to cover the expenses of manning the Visitor Center, phone lines and beach cleaning contract for some time under the guidance of our county manager. We must keep pressure on the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) so that no more expenditures take place on the Conference Center until this issue is settled... September 15 1999 - The Latest Scam to Save the TDC - I got a call today, Wednesday, 15 Sept., from local attorney Doug Hutchinson. He was all chatty and wanted to know how the petition drive was going. I met Doug some months ago when he took on a project that I thought worthwhile, and I assumed his interest to be genuine. I told him the drive was going well and we'd just mailed out to 4,000 people. (I later realized the actual figure was 6,000.) He mumbled something about getting petitions, himself, to stop the proposed Conference Center... September 8 1999 - BOCC Budget Hearing was a good place to listen - I attended the County Commission meeting last night, (Tuesday, 7 Sept) at the Crestview Courthouse. Courtroom "A" was packed, with citizens standing out into the hall. The main purpose of this session, supposedly, was to allow the public to make input into a budget creation process that had been in process for months. What transpired was high drama and, in certain instances, high theater... September 6 1999 - Odds and Ends - I walked the beach on Holiday Isle today, Monday, Sept 6th, and spoke with 5 of the beach services who make their livelihood from the tourists on the beach. They all said the same thing: business was 'way down over this Labor Day weekend. Two of them said that they had "little or no business." Something is going on out here, folks, and it's important! September 5 1999 - Where were the tourists this (Labor Day) weekend? - Destin has been crowded and bustling this Labor Day Weekend, but not at the expected level. I guess business is "down" in numbers as much as 25%. I've spoken with a number of friends in the rental business (Yes, and many of them have donated money to support the referendum.), and they reported vacancies over the weekend. I got quickly in and out of the grocery store at 7:00 P.M. Friday night; Destin locals know that most tourists first stop is to stock up on food; the lines can run long and slow, but not this weekend. Traffic was never as hopeless as it had been just three short weeks ago... September 4 1999 - Must Everything Be Political? The All Sports Association was organized to raise money to further such programs as the Boy's Club, YMCA and, later, the Special Olympics. A dinner is held annually to raise money and to recognize outstanding local and regional athletes. In later years a golf tournament was added to raise more money... September 2 1999 - A few words about the 1999-2000 County Budget Headline Piece... - Every citizen of this county should study the posting featuring the '99-'00 County Budget. Few of us ever get the opportunity to see it broken out like this; if you'll study it a line at a time, you'll see exactly why taxes are never cut in this county. All of us have some expertise in some area; mine happens to be in the computer sector. Having studied those numbers, I can honestly say that I am amazed at the prices the county pays for most of its computer equipment. They aren't even close to what an experienced person would pay for similar items. You do the same in some area within your area of expertise or knowledge; the results will be the same... August 31 1999 -This morning, Monday, 31 August, I collected a $250.00 donation from a realtor in Walton County. This gentleman rents a sizeable number of units to tourists in both Walton and Okaloosa County. He also lives in Walton County and cannot sign our petition or vote in the referendum. So much for those who assured me that no one in the tourist industry would ever support our cause. You'd be surprised at some of the names of people who support our petition drive to rescind County Ordinance 89-23 and, therefore, the Conference Center and the Tourist Development Council... August 29 1999 - Beach re-nourishment may be more akin to our years in Vietnam than it is to a cure-all for sick beaches. Our friends in Panama City have had a less-than-satisfactory experience with this remedy; we could become the next casualty of this unfounded theory... August 27 1999 - This has been a fast-and-furious 24 hours. I spoke to the Republican Club last night (Thursday, 26 Aug) and had a lively discussion, met some very nice people and saw some old friends. Mr. Deckert (TDC Chairman) was in attendance and when I asked for questions, most of them were directed towards him. I honestly believe that 90% of the folks in attendance support our efforts... August 26 1999 - This morning's NWFDN had a headline on the editorial page that read: "Agencies don't go away on their own. And regulations are more likely to be broadened by those who administer them than to be removed when they cease to serve a useful purpose." Gosh, for a fanciful moment I thought they were writing about the TDC! Oh, well... August 24 1999 - Mailout is near!... We're preparing to do our first mail out. A lot of hard work has gone into getting the petition drive this far along, and we're excited that the next hurdle is in sight. We just found out that some of the petitions you good people signed are not usable, so if you get a mail out and have already signed, Please sign again. The situation isn't worthy of a long explanation here, but please, if you want to help win this referendum, pay particular attention to the instructions on the tear-off portion of the petition... August 20 1999 - I witnessed a terrible car accident on Okaloosa Island last Thursday... I'd been driving in the right-hand lane for 10 minutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, returning to Destin. A driver in a car six or seven ahead of me, in the left lane, jammed on his breaks to make a LEFT turn and pure chaos followed. The first three cars behind slammed into him and each other. A brand new VW sedan was so squashed so that you couldn't tell the front from the rear. Several people must have been hurt; the newspaper, thankfully, reported no deaths... On another, but related subject, the TDC has done little or nothing for the few public beach accesses in Destin. It is, apparently, a different story for the "public" beach access to the west of Silver Shells Condominium in Destin. Within a week-and-a-half of the opening of one building to a trickle of condo owners, the TDC has started a garbage service there, with poles, bags and signs on the beach in front of Silver Shells... CLICK HERE FOR MORE August 20 1999 - I urge our readers to read another letter, this time from Ms. Krug, on the Freedom Forum. Does any citizen out there feel so "vulnerable" that they can't reach an intelligent decision about this issue? August 17 1999 - 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... August 16 1999 - This piece will contain very little about the Conference Center; I believe it is a "dead" issue... - Apparently the FWB City Council agrees in that they passed a resolution in favor of the TDC without mentioning that proposed structure. I wonder, since law inexorably intertwines the TDC and the Conference Center, what that could mean. Is the referendum a political ploy or have they not done their homework? August 14 1999 - A lot of good things are going on and you'd know more about them if I hadn't been flat on my back for three days with the flu... - ...The greatest revelation is that certain states require what we believe is necessary, i.e. some percentage of the tourist tax funds be spent for the very infrastructure which tourism depletes. Why shouldn't bridges, roads, parks, boat August 11 1999 - Reference Today's NWFDN letters, Douglas White, from Destin - It's the same old tactic every time: everyone will lose their jobs without the TDC "stuffing" more people into here. The TDC is making this area into a SLUM! Mr. White lives in Destin; does anyone want to bet me that he's NOT financially involved in the tourist industry? Remember, DOLLARS first! August 10 1999 - Uncontrolled growth, along the Emerald Coast, must be stopped... - I spoke at a remarkable luncheon yesterday (Thursday, 5 July) with the Republican Women's Club. It was remarkable for their generosity, a sense that these women are movers and "do-ers", and their unity of spirit... August 6 1999 - TDC shows true character, or lack of it, with the "Yes" button debacle... - It's not the money, it's the point that they are arrogant enough to be so careless of our rights. Public servants, PHOOEY!!! Rick Deckert said they almost let the Chambers of Commerce pay for the buttons, as if that would be clean money. The TDC spends $40,000 per year for Chamber fealty! August 5 1999 - Petition efforts foiled by calls to postmaster - We've been collecting signatures on the petition, for the last week-and-a-half, at the Destin Post Office. We just got asked to leave due to a concerted effort to call in and complain about our being there. The Post Master can't take that heat, and I don't blame him. So much for political freedom in Okaloosa County... August 4 1999 - The man with a thick, probably middle-European accent... - Today, we were taking petition signatures, as we have for a week or more, at the Destin post office. A man with a thick, probably middle-European accent, angrily told us that the Post Office was Federal Property, and that we couldn't take petition names there. We told him we had permission from the Postmaster; he marched right in and complained...
August 4 1999 - Illigitimus Non Carborundum! - The Destin Log, Saturday, 31 July, ran a front page story about the newest member of the TDC issuing a challenge to me. That member is Jim Olin, a man I've known and liked for 15 years. Had you asked, I'd have said that we were friends. Color me naive; I thought friendship could survive political differences. Not so! For the record, Mr. Olin is the CEO of Abbott, the largest renter to tourists in this area... - July 23 1999 - "TDC Goes Against Own Board Of Directors" - "WFTW talk show host Chuck Kelly, a member of the Tourist Development Council, announced this morning that the TDC, probably through the efforts of Darrel Jones, the TDC Executive Director, had done an "end run" around the direction of it's own Board of Directors..." - June 16 1999 - Appeal to Oppose the Bed Tax Supporting the New Conference Center - "Local businessman Gaylan King rallies support to for a petition opposing the proposed bed tax funding of the Conference Center on Okaloosa Island..." - July 12 1999 - Life after the TDC - The Freedom Committee promised to address life after the TDC, and here are our latest thoughts on that matter. The TDC was formed a decade ago, to bolster our immature local tourist industry. The TDC mission has never since adjusted to today's mature tourist economy... - July 4th 1999 - Freedom Committee is Formed - Independence Day seemed like a fitting time to announce the formation of The Freedom Committee. That's "Freedom" as in freedom from the acts of elected officials who pay no attention to the majority of people who elected them.
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