Category Archives: City of Stuart

Stuart Real Estate, Government and Politics

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For some odd reason, the City of Stuart believes that being a Landlord in the private commercial real estate market is beneficial. This belief is wrong for both philosophical and practical reasons. While it is an allowable practice under Florida law for municipalities to own and lease real estate to the private sector, I believe the city has taken it to a level that is detrimental to our further economic development as a municipality.

The justification of a municipality owning property and then leasing that property to the private sector is that the municipality will have a “predictable stream of income” from the rents. What we have seen in Stuart is that a Tenant makes an initial deal with the city at one rent and then subsequently comes in and pleads that the rent is too high and wants a reduced amount. This negates the “predictable stream of income” theory.

This most recently has occurred when the tenant with a 50-year term lease for a city owned lot on Monterey requested a reduction in rent from $31,500 to $9,000 per year. The lease which commenced January 1, 2007 has already been modified once from the initial rent of $52,500 per year. If the new rent is accepted by the commission, the city will have $43,500 less per year than originally anticipated not including any cost of living adjustments. This “predictable stream of income” has proven less so.

We can see this “voodoo economic” principle at work over and over. The proposed NorthPoint hotel project where nothing has been built after ten years and the initial rent has already been cut in half even though nothing has yet been paid. In addition once the lease finally commences there will be an abatement of the first 7 to 10 years of rent. This demonstrates why this practice should be called “the unpredictable stream of income” theory.   On a very practical level, this shows why being a Landlord does not work. City staff and the commission have demonstrated an inability to manage a function that belongs in the private sector.

No government entity in a free market capitalistic society should believe it is acceptable to compete with the private sector. It is socialistic when the government owns the means of producing wealth – i.e., real estate. By owning and leasing property, the City of Stuart helps determine what rents are in the private sector. Any appraisal would have to include how much the city charges its tenants. It has an undue influence on our real estate market.

I do not mean to suggest the city should not influence development through zoning and building codes. Further, there is a very valid reason for the city to buy a blighted or underutilized property and then re-sell that property to a developer.  We should work with and encourage beneficial development through the private sector. A good example of this is the city buying the blighted “triangle property” and working with the private sector to build a good and needed project on the site.

Stuart now has millions of dollars invested in the ownership of supposed income producing properties. If the city collects every cent of rent projected in 2016, it would be only a million dollars (1/3rd of which is generated by one property, the Sunset Bay Marina). The city should begin selling some of this surplus real estate.  It could then take the proceeds and buy blighted and underutilized properties, for example, those on Dixie from Sailfish Lot to Colorado Avenue. Then the city, working with a private developer, can do the same thing it is doing with the “triangle property”. The property management fund should be used to make our city more productive by encouraging private developers not by holding desirable properties in-house.

Our current strategy is doomed to failure. It preserves the status quo. It does not use city funds to achieve the highest return. There are only so many dollars Stuart has to work with to improve the city. In the name of keeping ad valorem taxes down, Stuart holds onto and leases property. That very premise results in a false conclusion. By not using our leverage efficiently, the city depresses Stuart from developing into a vibrant place for the creation of jobs, homes and businesses. Without those things happening, ad valorem taxes will increase because our base is not growing. Surplus properties should be sold.

Most Regulation Is Best Done Locally

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One thing Florida has in abundance is layers of government. There is a government entity for everything from water policy (SFWMD) to children’s programs (Children Services Council). Regulations and laws are in abundance…good, bad and indifferent. Then add in the dysfunction of Washington where there are 175,000 pages of federal agency regulations plus bills passed by congress and signed by the president. The “Land of the Free” has become the home of the community removed regulator.

We have lost perspective on what should and should not be regulated and who should do the regulating. The adoption of our federal constitution was supposed to give the federal government only enumerated powers reserving all else to the states and the people. Well, forget that in today’s U.S.  Now Washington wants to control every part of our society which makes individual liberty more and more problematic.

The crumbs of control that modern Washington leaves behind Tallahassee wants to gobble up. Examples of this abound. There were some really bad legislative bills this year that would have limited local control even further. Thankfully those bills were casualties of the budget wars.  If passed, the counties and cities would have had even less discretion than they do now to listen to their constituents and do what they want.

While we would like to think that the labels of liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, will give us some clue as to where politicians stand, I don’t believe those labels much matter. From what I can see, it is not about ideology as much as control and trading favors. As an example, just remember the Big Sugar subsidies that both Senators Nelson and Rubio voted to maintain and increase.

One of the bills this session in Tallahassee would have prevented local governments from the regulation of internet-based taxi services such as Uber. Local governments currently have the power to regulate old fashioned taxi services. What is the rational not to allow localities to do the same with all taxis? Look no further than lobbyists for those internet-based services.

I am not in favor of setting up big regulatory bureaus to regulate the taxi industry. I can see a need to make sure the drivers and the cars meet some minimum safety standards. We don’t want our citizens to hail or text for a cab to go to the doctor and end up being robbed or worse. That type of regulation is a good common sense approach for all taxi services.  That approach for internet-based services would have been banned under the bill that died in the past session. Just because you hail your cab electronically doesn’t mean you should not have a safe ride. Besides if the majority of the people in a municipality decide that they want no regulation of the taxi industry, they need petition no further than City Hall instead of Tallahassee.

It is hard for the average citizen to have much input in Tallahassee or Washington. What individual legislators may say at home does not always match how they vote in faraway state and federal capitals. Whatever local government officials do is right there for the voter to see. If I, as a commissioner, tell you something and then vote in a different way, you can find me easily enough to ask why.

Local control of most governmental functions is important. The closer that control rests with the people the better. Citizens need to monitor their elected and appointed officials. It is easy for those officials to forget why they were given the responsibility of governing. Political labels or promises are just that. They mean nothing unless the official does the will of the people.

The Budget and Reorganization

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The City of Stuart has begun planning for next year’s budget. The good news is that there is no anticipated increase in our millage rate. So it appears we, as a state, county and city, are beginning to see a recovery in the value of our homes and business properties. That is a very good sign. Increased property values (especially for commercial properties) will bring more money into government coffers. Government at all levels will have two choices – either do what was done in the past and foolishly use the money to increase salaries, staffing levels and perks or continue to be fiscally prudent as it has been during the lean years. I am sure the taxpayers want the latter.

In order to accomplish that, we must look at what services the City of Stuart should provide. Those services are Public Safety (Police and Fire/Rescue), Public Works (Water, Sewer, Roads, Trash and Parks), and Development (Building, Planning and Zoning).  There are also support departments that mainly serve to make sure that those listed above can provide the services. They include Finance, IT and Human Resources. Then, you have departments that are both external and internal such as the City Clerk and the City Attorney. Except for the attorney who reports directly to the city commission, all city employees report to the City Manager, who then reports to the city commission.

As part of the budgetary process, I have been speaking with the city manager about eliminating one department known as the Community Redevelopment Agency or CRA, and looking into downsizing our IT Department which currently consists of four people. The CRA is a geographical area that is part of the city that has its own funding source which is dedicated for specific projects within it’s boundaries. In the past, it was not a separate department but only a dedicated fund for use within those boundaries. I want to see it returned to being a dedicated fund only. Any specific projects that would fall within the CRA boundaries could be accomplished by using our existing departments to oversee the work as similar projects in other parts of the city are now done. An example would be the Public Works Department which now successfully accomplishes certain duties and projects by using different dedicated funds. I see no reason why a distinct separate department is necessary to administer a fund.

I believe the city needs to more fully engage the private sector for certain functions in technology, collections and finance. No technology department of our size can keep abreast of the latest and most cost-effective solutions and systems. As a business person, I have found that it is better not to buy systems because they change and become obsolete so rapidly. I rely on renting space on outside servers to store records and using internet-based programs to perform accounting and other functions. This cloud computing is done by every level of government including the CIA.  I am not saying that every technology function should be outsourced, but I am saying that all systems should be continuously evaluated to see if it can be done better and more cost effectively by the private sector or in other ways.

Let me be clear.  As a commissioner, I believe that the overall city workforce is dedicated to providing excellent service to the citizens. We need to reorganize that workforce to better serve the public. In some cases, I will be looking to increase the number of employees.  For example, the Police Department during the economic downturn has had a reduction in the number of officers patrolling our streets. The biggest complaint I hear from people is the lack of enforcement for minor quality of life offences such as traffic control, noise and code enforcement. This needs to be addressed so we can have a better city.

Now is the time to make sure that Stuart’s foundation is in order. We can’t truly build our future if the blocks are missing or not plumbed. What government tends to do is add people to fix problems that are created by keeping systems and people that should be replaced. As someone who has managed literally hundreds of commercial properties with thousands of employees over the last 40 years, I know that you need to continuously review and adapt your organizational chart to be successful in a changing world. If you are tied to past practices, you are doomed to expensive future failure. I do not want that for Stuart’s residents and taxpayers.

I Live On The South Fork

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I live on the South Fork of the St. Lucie River. The river is my backyard with the shore of Palm City in the distance. My backyard view includes the mooring field of Stuart. I often hear the people who live on their boats playing music or just speaking to each other. Funny…people don’t seem to understand how sound carries over water depending on wind and other weather variables. And, I need never go to Sailor’s Return to hear their bad bands playing because my back porch has excellent acoustics especially for amplified bass. I often say to Polly, my wife, that if I hear another lousy rendition of “Proud Mary,” I am going to commit suicide.

The old and the new Roosevelt Bridges and the infamous railroad trestle spanning the river are also part of the scene. Sometimes, I think I am in New England with the tall masts of sailing ships anchored right behind my yard. I enjoy the ospreys that perch in the masts of ships and tops of trees waiting for the right moment to swoop down catch a fish in their talons and then often eat that fish while sitting on one my pilings. There are cranes and turns, pelicans and storks. Once, Polly saw a Great Blue Heron catch a rat in the rocks that line the beach and swallow it whole, seeing it go down its long neck.

Dolphin families swim by and jump in and out of the water. Mullet, snook and other fish silently lurk beneath the surface and sometimes splash out of the water. There used to be an old catfish that lived at the end of our dock. I would always point visitors out there and they would inevitably catch the old man and then release him back for the next visitor to do the same.

That catfish is gone now as are the mullet sailing into the air. There are many fewer dolphins. There are less ospreys and other birds. But the water still flows depending on the tide either out to the ocean or toward Lake Okeechobee. It is just stiller now, less vibrant, with more sediment in the water, muck on the bottom and less life.

I often try to picture what the river was like before me. My neighbor, who has lived here for decades, tells me that the river was clear and you could see the bottom when he first moved to his house. Even when I first saw the river from my mother-in-law’s condo, which was a few doors from my current home, I remember the waters clearer. But was it really? For as Proust wrote: “Remembrance of things past is not necessarily the remembrance of things as they were.”

What was the river to the settlers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries? I am told that where my house now stands was part of a pineapple plantation. The river was both a highway and supermarket. Oyster and crabs were plentiful as were all variety of fish. Deer, bear, beaver and otter made their homes on the bank, as did panthers and bobcats. Mother Nature provided a bountiful treasure that man, of course, ravenously did its best to eliminate.

Native Americans lived on the banks of our river and lagoon for thousands of years and still managed to bequeath to us a wonderful and diverse eco system. Those earliest of settlers made peace with the harmony of the waters treating them as sacred and holy…reverence and wonder.  They knew the larder would remain inexhaustible if the balance was maintained. It lasted at least a millenium until us.

For we, as Americans, believed we could bend the will of God while praising His name. My South Fork was not so much a river as part of an estuary. Whatever fresh water that flowed into the river was only runoff from the savannahs along its banks. Since there was no farming, there was no fertilizer to raise the phosphorous and nitrogen levels. The river could remain in its natural brackish state. The fresh mixing with the salt waters as the tides ebbed and flowed was what gave life to the Indian River Lagoon.

But, not being content with the perfect, we thought it better to build the Okeechobee Waterway known affectionately as the C-44 Canal. We added the C-24 and C-23 drainage canals to create farm and pasture instead of savannah and swamp. It was the end of God and the beginning of Mammon. Paradise was being lost for the unsustainable changing of our ecology.

At first we believed that draining and stopping the natural flow of our waterways would give us lush farmland and kill the mosquitos. We built towns in places that Native Americans never lived for they knew better. Crops were planted in soil believed to be lush until the water stopped flowing. We needed to keep all the new western settlements safe from flood so a dyke was built around the lake to prevent the natural flow south of the water.

We decided to connect the lake to the St. Lucie to further a navigational passage to the west. Now there was no problem in sending billions of gallons of fresh water rich in phosphorous and nitrogen from farms and septic tanks down past where my house stands. The fish, animals and plants (not to mention we, the residents,) are not as important to the politicians in Tallahassee or Washington as are the sugar barons around a lake that was made into a reservoir.

The Saint Lucie is fighting for survival. We attack at the edges and pray for deliverance from our sins. We use jargon cloaked in abbreviations such as CERP and BAMP to mask how utterly powerless we are. Green algae are on our shores and yet the obvious solution is locked away. The key is held by the subsidized rich and their sycophantic elected cronies in our state and national capitals.

I have always lived by a body of water. The East River or the Hudson River has been just down the block from where any of my apartments have been in New York City. I owned a country house on the banks of the Delaware River. Long Island Sound was at the end of my street in Connecticut where I lived for a decade. When I first saw the Saint Lucie, I knew I would live here one day.

The river still flows past my house. It is calming and seemingly beautiful in its majesty. I imagine that if and when the water continues to flow in a hundred years, it will seem on the surface much the same. However, will it bring the seeds of a future bountiful life or the barren silhouette of what was in the past? We have it in our power to save the river and the lagoon. 75% of the voters have said yes to our salvation. It is only the few in Tallahassee doing the bidding of the greedy that prevent it from actually happening.

How Far We Have Come From The Founders

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Some days, I wake up and I am optimistic about the future. This is not one of those days. Today, I worry about the continued steady march of All Aboard Florida and the degradation of our lagoon. It seems the deck is stacked against the citizens and residents of the Treasure Coast. Our elected representatives in both Washington and Tallahassee pay lip service to our environment and quality of life but then sell us out for a campaign contribution from Big Sugar or AAF or anyone looking to get their subsidized corporate welfare payment.

Hamilton, Jefferson and Madison never envisioned a system where government dollars would be spent subsidizing agriculture or industry.  Alexander Hamilton never asked that the Bank of New York or the New York Post, both of which he founded, be given a subsidy. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison never encouraged the passing of farm bills so they would be paid by the Feds to grow or not grow tobacco.

Our founders were men looking to limit government influence on daily life not encourage more. They had just fought a war to get the British off their backs. It was obvious to them that monopolies and crony capitalism were bad. Government was to be an even arbiter for business and citizens not the deciding factor of who should get tax payer dollars.

But now we see the harm that Big Sugar and AAF are doing and will continue to do is only made possible by our elected representatives. The land south of Okeechobee would be useless if sugar and other agricultural products weren’t subsidized. The private market won’t finance AAF. That is why both Washington and Tallahassee are using public dollars, our taxes, to allow something the people do not want.

The Pols tell you that it is about jobs and affordable food, but the U.S. sugar price is double that of the rest of the world and nothing AAF is doing even remotely resembles high speed passenger rail. More and more, the system favors the well connected and well-off over the rest of us. The people are ignored and deceived so that the gravy train can continue.

It is wrong and we must hold the elected representatives responsible for their actions. We need to stop arguing as if the blather on Fox or MSNBC amounts to anything more than amusement. Whether one is a Republican or Democrat is meaningless in the government today. It is a convenient way to divide us so that the powerful can continue taking more and more and giving less and less. There is no right or left…only the connected and then the rest of us.

We need to wake up and think about actualities not the spurious arguments being made by the news media. When was the last time giving billions in tax breaks and handouts to a sports team resulted in a dollar in your pocket? Since we are giving payments and subsidies to “Big Agriculture,” how come the cost of food is so high? Government’s role is to be the arbiter and make sure the field is level for everyone. They should not choose which business receives the people’s largess.

Amendment 1 was passed by 75% of the voters. Those voters assumed that they were doing so to make sure the sugar land and other strategic parcels were purchased. They didn’t vote for that amendment to fund government agencies or as a big give away to the friends of the governor and legislators. Either the Pols in Tallahassee respect our wishes, or we should vote them out. This is not a Republican or Democrat issue. Because when our rivers are dead and our treasury is dry, no one will care if a liberal or a conservative philosophy resulted in this coming to pass.

Trains, Society And Rights

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I read about one more train accident this morning involving a car in Los Angeles. As we know, this is no isolated freak occurrence. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, in 2014 there were 2,280 crashes involving cars and trains which resulted in 267 fatalities and 832 injuries. The statistics state that 50% of crashes happen within 5 miles of the motorist’s home, and that in car/train collisions, the motorist has a risk of being killed 20 times greater than a car/car crash.

While train/car accidents are significantly less than they were 30 years ago, are these reduced numbers of much comfort to the surviving families or to us as a society? In the wake of the horrific collision that occurred earlier this year in suburban New York, the Wall Street Journal reported last week that New York’s version of railroad police now are giving motorists tickets at rail crossings to prevent more crashes. An auto or truck is no match for either a lumbering freight or a high speed passenger train.

In 1847, New York City authorized freight rails to run in the center of an avenue on the west side of Manhattan.  At that point in time, Manhattan had a population of less than 500,000 most of who lived and worked below 14th Street which was far from the rails. As population grew, the trains running at street level killed more and more people. At one point, they had “cowboys” on horses waving flags in front of the trains to warn people. Eventually in 1929, Robert Moses elevated those Westside freight rails and it became known as the “High Line”. With the growth of interstate trucking and the loss of manufacturing in Manhattan, the “High Line” was eventually abandoned resulting in a neglected ruin. With imagination and tenacity, visionaries turned the “High Line” into a park that people from all over the world come to visit today.

I mention the “High Line” to make a point.  Perhaps we are ready, as Manhattan was almost 90 years ago, to stop the fiction that a freight or passenger line can safely operate at road level in a populous corridor. How many derailments or accidents or deaths does it take before our state and federal governments sees this folly for what it is? Should we also have cowboys waving flags? When does the good of the many triumph over the interest of the few?

Sometimes individual rights must be curtailed for the greater good.  The nation decided that a cohesive society was better maintained by a policy of non-discrimination than the individual’s right to deny service based on race. No right is absolute including property rights. Time, demographics and new technology change what society deems appropriate and lawful. It may be that we reached a moment when the right to have a railroad in the center of a population hub consisting of millions of people is no longer feasible.

Representing You In Tallahassee and Stuart

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Another legislative season is in full swing in Tallahassee. I have been there twice this session lobbying for Stuart and all Florida cities with the Treasure Coast League of Cities Advocacy Team. Once you are there, you go from legislative office to office pleading your case with either a legislative aid or, if fortunate, the representative or senator directly. It is easy to become lost in the maze of corridors and interconnected buildings that make up the capital complex. Somehow, we made it to every appointment on time.

Why is it necessary to go to the state capital to see our representatives instead of just e-mailing, telephoning or even seeing them when they are home? We do all of that but it is important to make our case while they are actually considering legislation that will have a direct impact on our city. Just as you and I cannot think of all the ramifications of a particular piece of legislation, neither can they. The objective of our visit is to make sure that our point of view is heard before a vote is taken.

Too often a local problem that is unique to one place becomes the basis of far reaching legislation for the entire state that may adversely affect Stuart or Martin County where that unique problem just doesn’t exist. Another reason is that anytime that Tallahassee passes a law making the localities do something without providing the funding, we may have to raise taxes to comply. The same can occur when the state gives another property tax exemption or does away with a fee that we currently are collecting. In each case, local government could be forced to raise taxes to cover the shortfall sometimes affecting the very people that can least afford it.

In the past, the legislature and governor have enacted legislation which pre-empts local government from prohibiting or regulating certain businesses or industries. For example, Tallahassee has prohibited localities from regulating vacation homes or apartments. How would you like to live next door to a place that changes occupants daily? Sober Homes are another good example of the federal and state governments trying to help people but the law of unintended consequences has resulted not in treatment facilities but rather with warehouses for people with serious problems located in our residential neighborhoods.

That is why I go to Tallahassee to preserve our rights to Home Rule. The best form of government results when it is as close to the citizens as possible. Nothing is closer than I to you. Seeing me is no rare occurrence because I am your neighbor, your customer and your friend. We share many of the same concerns, have many of the same problems and live next to each other. I go to Tallahassee to represent your interest just as I do on the city commission.

 

GLAMOUR!!!! GLITZ!!!! RAZZ MA TAZZ…AND ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!

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GLAMOUR!!!! GLITZ!!!! RAZZ MA TAZZ…AND ALL THAT JAZZ!!!!

That is what some people consider development or progress. The sizzle will give us the flair. Style will draw the crowds. Gimmicks will bring jobs and people flocking to our downtown. The substance and values of the place does not matter.   Let’s be like Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale or Lincoln Road in Miami Beach. Let us transpose our city to have the look and feel of Clematis Street or become Delray. That will spell success for us some say.  I am surprised someone hasn’t mentioned the noise and crowds of Bourbon Street, New Orleans for Stuart to emulate.

Some people (and for the most part not even residents of the city and in some cases not even Martin County) have big opinions on how we should look. How we should develop. Those are the people that are only looking to their bottom line for their businesses or real estate holdings. Commercial businesses are important but are only one piece of the puzzle for the health and wealth of a community. The citizens, residents and voters should be the deciding factor on what the soul of the city will be.

In Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, Sicinius asks the citizens: “What is a city but the people?” To which the crowd respond: “True, the people are the city.” I believe the people who live in the condos off Palm City Road and on East Ocean and in all our neighborhoods chose to live in Stuart not somewhere else because of what we represent. We have a real downtown not an “Entertainment District”. Our shops and restaurants are reflections of us. Are we Glamour or Glitz?

Let us do the hard work of revitalization where needed. Let us be the city where families of all ages want to buy homes and apartments and put down roots. Not occasionally come to have a good time and leave because the cacophony of noise is not where they want to live and raise their children. Let’s make sure that we incentivize homeowners to revitalize and expand their homes to increase our tax base. Though Martin County school board is in charge, we as citizens can embrace and volunteer to make Parker and Stuart Middle better so that families stay as their children become school age.

Stuart should be Stuart. We should capitalize on our “old Florida charm” and embrace our 4 story height limit to attract visitors. We need not resort to being pale copies of somewhere else. Hotels on bridges and seaplanes on our river or restaurants on roofs will not make us better or different than a hundred other places. Our “brand” is established let’s build on it not destroy it for the sake of the glib and the hype of the ridiculous.

Gossamer dreams of Eldorado or other such nonsense will only lead to the failure of our city. We do need a vital downtown. That is something we already have. I also believe you can’t make us something that we are not and succeed. We want to be Stuart not Delray or Clematis Street. We don’t want to be an “Entertainment District” with all that entails. That is a scenario for our demise because it will drive away most of the current patrons of our restaurants and downtown businesses.

Further on in the same scene in Coriolanus, Cominius states to the crowd:

“That is the way to lay the city flat;

To bring the roof to the foundation,

And bury all, which distinctly ranges,

In heaps and piles of ruin.”

 

To which Sicinius replies: “This deserves death”. I agree the idea of Stuart being Glamour, Glitz, Razz Ma Tazz and all that Jazz deserves the same. Once we as a city allow those things to occur we won’t be able to go back. I hope Stuartians as the Romans in Shakespeare’s play say the same. I don’t believe we want to become just another soulless purposeless dot on the Florida landscape so that maybe a few will make a little more to the detriment of the rest of us.

Northpoint Through The Prism Of Past, Present & Future

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Some at City Hall want to rent a spit of land known as Northpoint to a developer to build a hotel and restaurant. The location of the property is just on the north side of the old Roosevelt Bridge between Dixie Highway, the FEC track and rail road bridge. But before I venture my opinion on this project, I want to visit three different years in 20th century America. As you will see, the past is important to understanding my position on this project in the present but especially for the future.

The first year I want to examine is 1971. I began college that year. The apartment I rented was the first floor of a two family house in Queens, NY. My rent was $75 a month plus utilities. I had a full time job that paid $130 per week in a New York City hotel. The subway fare was 30 cents. The White Castle around the corner from my apartment charged 12 cents per slider. I ate there several times a week.

Now, it is 1953, the year of my birth. My mother told me the rent was $32.00 per month for our NYC apartment. The subway had just been raised from a dime to 15 cents. It was President Eisenhower’s first year in office, the Korean War ended and the minimum wage was 75 cents. Also 50% of American homes had a TV.

Lastly, let’s look at 1932 which is 83 years ago. The country was in the midst of the Great Depression. The U.S. GNP fell more that 13% and unemployment was 23.6%. Herbert Hoover was in the White House. You couldn’t buy a legal drink because Prohibition was still the law of the land. The New York City Subway was a nickel.

Do you think anyone in 1932 America could predict what our country would look like in 2015? In 1932 Stuart was 18 years old and Martin County was 7. There was radio, and talking pictures had been around for five years. Television, the internet and cellular phones were unknown. Hitler had yet to come to power in Germany. World War I was still referred to as the Great War. In 1932, forget about predicting what the world would look like in 2015, Americans couldn’t even see the world of 1943 and the inferno to come.

Understanding the above, if Stuart was negotiating a lease for Northpoint in 1932, what would the terms be? I would suspect vastly different than what they would be in 2015. But today Stuart is negotiating a lease for Northpoint that will run 83 years until 2098. Lease terms written for the Stuart of 2015 that will bind our children, grandchildren and in some cases great grandchildren. Will the terms and concept of this lease be relevant at the dawn of the 22nd century?

We are obligating the city of tomorrow with our actions today. We may have a legal right to do so, but we do not possess the moral right. There is just no possible way that this is good government. This action is done with a great deal of hubris and paternalism. I have other serious doubts and questions about this project. Even if I had no others, I could not in good conscience vote for this lease; which will bind the hands of future generations of Stuartians long after I and the present commission are gone.

LET CITIES PROVIDE URBAN SERVICES

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The next time one of your state legislators tell you that they are in favor of small government and letting the people decide don’t necessarily believe it. While they may mouth those platitudes to mirror the sentiments of most Floridians, they may still believe they know what is best for local governments and you. An example is a bill being introduced in the senate to take away the rights of municipalities to bring water and sewer projects forward.

Known as SB 442 it is emblematic of a problem that municipalities in non-chartered counties face. Over time non-chartered counties have come to resemble municipalities in the services they provide. This has resulted in a competition between municipalities and counties that Chapter 180, F.S. was written to avoid. Counties are very much political sub divisions of the state and were created to help the state government in providing state services.

On the other hand, municipalities are also creatures of the state but with the difference that they would be formed by a group of citizens under the auspices of the legislature to provide urban services such as water and sewer. The intention of “home rule” was to allow cities to be centers of urban life surrounded by the rural area in the unincorporated part of the county.  As time passed and the rural areas became urban with higher densities outside the existing city’s boundaries, the city would annex those unincorporated areas and provide urban services to the newly added residents.

The legislature should be encouraging more annexation of unincorporated areas into municipalities as they go from rural to urban. The legislature should also encourage builders of larger, newer developments to provide urban services and to incorporate as cities as part of the approval process.  By having only municipalities providing urban services, the schizophrenic nature of non-chartered counties in terms of what and whether to provide urban services would cease.

As a state, we need to distinguish between the functions that counties should provide and those that municipalities should. If each acted only within the scope of its responsibilities, then instead of competition developing, a symbiotic relationship would occur between non-chartered counties and their municipalities. This would further the people’s right to “home rule” and lessen the issues of “dual taxation.”

Counties need to remember that when surrounding areas are annexed into a municipality the people in those annexed areas are still citizens of the county. They still live within the county, they still vote within the county and they still pay county taxes. The nature of the services provided by the municipality is essential in allowing for increased density and development to occur in the area outside current municipal boundaries.  This development will occur and the citizens of the unincorporated area will demand urban services. Does it not make more sense to have the entity that was created to provide such service to do so? Annexation is a good thing and not something that should be looked on as an encroachment.