Category Archives: Government Spending and Taxation

Citizen Apathy

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So, another week has passed. FBI probes, indictments, mass shootings and sex and infidelity scandals are what greet us morning, noon and night. Our government in Washington can’t seem to pass legislation. Our President can’t stop the tweets. And Tallahassee is trying to run every Floridian’s life in the name of giving the individual freedom. This is the state of the nation.

Being a citizen means more than just coming to the polls and voting at election time. Throughout their terms, elected officials need to have citizen participation on an ongoing basis. As one of those elected officials, I need that input to do my job. Residents, taxpayers and voters must be active and informed for our system of government to work.

When I am on the dais, I will always see City staff in the audience. There will be lawyers and planners representing applicants waiting their turn before the Commission. Perhaps a neighbor or two that may be affected by the proposed projects. And, as usual, two or three citizens, the same citizens that attend meeting after meeting. This is not acceptable. In order to make sure that our Commission acts for the benefit of the entire City, more residents need to know what is going on.

We need citizens to be there even when a project will not directly affect them. We need citizens to be there to make sure that a “favored” friend is not voted an undue advantage. We need citizens there to make sure that nothing is slipped by without, at the least, a voice to sound the alarm and remember. We need citizens because otherwise we will have a government that is not accountable to the people.

It is true that the farther government is from the people the less responsive it is to the people. Congress and the Legislature know that and that is why they have made government less and less accountable by taking away or pre-empting local control. But even local government only stays accountable by having citizens involved. You can’t be in Washington or Tallahassee on a weekly basis. You can be at City Hall.

I Hate Florida East Coast Railroad!

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I hate Florida East Coast Railroad and Brightline. For longer than I have been elected, I have been fighting the coming passenger trains. I missed the CARE meeting last night at the Lyric because I was in Tallahassee for the Florida League of Cities. I applaud their action. I applaud Martin County’s continuing fight against this atrocity for all of the county’s residents. I continue to hate Florida East Coast Railroad and Brightline.

The scheme to run high speed trains along a densely populated corridor is insane. Nowhere else in the world would this be accepted. The cities and towns along the tracks are being asked to tolerate the intolerable. Our citizens are being told to sacrifice their quality of life for the profits of a private company. That private company falls back on 19th century federal law for their right to disrupt the wellbeing of millions of people. Everyday autonomous trucks and cars are closer to reality and yet we must accept the “iron horse” as a modern way for people and freight to be moved.

There is a bill going through the Florida Legislature which would mitigate some of the effects of the promised endless trains. I will be speaking to the sponsors today to thank them for their efforts. I don’t know if it will pass and be signed into law by our Governor? And, if so, will the courts uphold it because of the federal supremacy laws? That’s a good question. I am afraid that, no matter what happens, Martin County and Stuart will have to learn to live with the unimaginable.

I do believe somewhere and sometime along these tracks a train will derail leaking either chemicals or compressed gas, causing immeasurable harm. I believe there will be politicians screaming and saying to ban the train, but the train will continue. I believe that people will continue to be hit by speeding trains and die. I believe that the people of the Treasure Coast will be ignored for the sake of corporate interests.

With all that said, I also believe that we must look at what we can do to mitigate the railroad’s effect on our citizens. We must look at “Quiet Zones” so that our residents will not sacrifice all their quality of life. There is an argument to be made that, without the horns, people will not know that trains are coming. But there is something known as personal responsibility. Cars should not ignore gates being down and lights flashing. People should not be taking a shortcut by walking along the tracks.

Is any of this ideal? The answer, of course, is no. That doesn’t mean we don’t look at “Quiet Zones” and their costs. It is easy to bury our heads in the sand. It is politically more acceptable to not seek out less-than-optimal solutions. I want us to continue the fight in the courts and through Congress and the Legislature. I just want us to make sure we look at every option to ensure our residents and taxpayers have the best quality of life.

What Is the Indian River Lagoon & Council

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I attended a meeting of the Indian River Lagoon Council Management Board this past week. As the representative of the Treasure Coast Regional League of Cities, my purpose for being appointed is to give the other board members the perspective of our cities.  What you quickly discover is that the problems of our Indian River Lagoon are not restricted to Stuart, Martin County or even the Treasure Coast. The estuary encompasses five counties and two water management districts. Each of those areas has its own set of challenges which affect the water quality in everyone’s areas.

The Indian River Lagoon (IRL) has three main bodies of water: Mosquito Lagoon, Banana River and the Indian River Lagoon. There are no true rivers because there are no headwaters and no mouths, such as the Mississippi River has. The IRL is an estuary and that is why it is part of the National Estuary Program.  The Council is a federal program under the supervision of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and is funded by Congress.

Through the IRL grants program, local governments and other organizations can participate in an RFP process to secure funding for water quality projects. This is an additional source for money besides going to the Florida Legislature. The Indian River Lagoon Council is a resource that should be used in our fight for our Florida waterways.

As I have repeatedly said and written, there is no one magic solution to Florida’s water quality problems. It took over a hundred years of neglect, ignorance and, in some instances, downright skullduggery to create this problem. We will need another century and billions of dollars to correct it. One water farm or reservoir or sewer system is only one piece of the puzzle in this ongoing fight.

So I will continue to make what contribution I can in this area, both as an elected official and resident of the area. Unfortunately, this should be looked on as a multi-generational struggle. I am not going to blame or demonize one industry or interest group.  That would be counter-productive to achieving the goal. It took all of us, either through greed or ignorance, to harm our estuary. It will take everyone to help in its transformation into what we want it to be.

 

We Need to Discuss Quiet Zones

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In the past few months, my thinking has changed on the subject of “quiet zones” along the FEC right-of-way. With the near exhaustion of Martin County’s court challenges, which I believe the county was correct to bring even though they were not successful, we should seriously consider this option. Whether one believes Brightline will succeed as a business model or not is becoming less relevant. It is also irrelevant whether there will be more freight or not. The reason I believe that we should explore this option is because, if they build new tracks, whatever will run will go faster and be noisier.

What is the downside to having “quiet zones?” First, since there are still open areas the public can access, individuals will not have the warning of the train whistle. This can make it easier to have fatalities. Another reason is that it is much more expensive to have four gates than two gates at grade crossings. The City will be maintaining the crossings and those costs will be added to our budget forever. These are both serious considerations that need to be weighed before any final decision is made.

To qualify for the improvements necessary for “quiet zones,” trains must be traveling above 79 miles per hour; none of Stuart’s crossings reach that speed. Brightline only has to pay for improvements for intersections where the train is travelling above 79 MPH. Therefore, Martin County would have to request the implementation of “quiet zones” throughout the County. I believe this would have to be done in conjunction with the Martin County MPO. But the time has come for us to have an open and frank discussion unclouded by politics.

In the past, other elected officials and I have been reluctant to broach this subject. During our legal and administrative challenges to Brightline, no one wanted to undermine our efforts. With the winding down of these cases, we need to look to our future. While there still is a glimmer of hope with bills filed by Senator Mayfield, Representatives Magar and Grall in Tallahassee, we do need to at least begin a dialogue to see what is possible to minimize the impact.

Our Martin County Future

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What do we expect the future to bring for Stuart and Martin County? If we look at our current County Commission, we know that it is about to experience change to its composition. With the indictment of Commissioners Heard and Fielding on public records violations, there will probably be different people sitting in those seats. This could occur this year by resignation or removal by the Governor or next year at the ballot box.

Both Heard and Fielding have a distinct point of view on development that precluded growth outside the Urban Services Boundary (USB). They also fought development within those boundaries. I agree with much of their philosophy outside the USB boundaries. I differ with them within those boundaries. If you want stop sprawl, and both say that is their stated goal, you need to allow density within the USB.

Sprawl occurs when you have mono-functional development. Under the current Comprehensive Plan, 20-acre ranchettes are allowed. It may be that you won’t be able to see your neighbor, but this is development away from jobs and shops. Regardless of the type of housing, you still will need roads, schools and other services. The people who live in these scattered communities will need gas stations and stores.

Therefore, if you want to keep agriculture, you need to concentrate population and growth within our cities and towns. If you want Martin County to avoid what occurred in South Florida and the I-4 corridor, then we need to plan better for sustainable development. The blanket “no” so often heard by businesses from the county needs to be tempered to allow for reasonable and smart growth.

At some point the Urban Services Boundary will need to be expanded. But, for now and the immediate future, let’s have infill development and re-purpose properties that are no longer economically feasible. Our half-empty 1960-type retail strips and our aging housing stock need to be re-developed. More and more people want to be part of a community, to know their neighbors and walk to a store. Isn’t it rational that we not be tied to mid-20th century development patterns?

I am not advocating some central plan where we herd everyone into condos. I am saying that we need to look at trends to determine what type of lifestyle we will have in 10, 20 or 50 years. Infrastructure is expensive to build and maintain so, before we commit to expanding Martin County’s, we need to look to what the future will bring.

As we look at the Martin County of the future, do we continue to do things in the same way or open our minds to a more wholistic approach? Do we look at one project coming forth at a time or do we have a Comprehensive Plan that can be used as a planning document for growth instead of a document that impedes it? Stuart should be a center of a new urban dynamism. Along with our sister cities, we should be where the action is. We should be the engines of economic and population growth. Martin County should be thinking of why county government exists. It should exist not to provide urban services but to function as political subdivision of the state. Let new cities be formed out of all the current county CRAs.

There will be nearly 21 million Floridians by the end of 2017. Does anyone really believe that Martin County will be left out of having an increasing population? Just in the past two months there has been an influx of more than 200,000 Puerto Ricans fleeing the ravages of Maria and bad government. People from the entire U.S. want to live and work in our state. Eventually some subset will find Martin County. Let’s be prepared.

 

Stuart Needs to Take Care of Stuart

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As many of you may have read or heard, the Martin County School Board made a presentation at the last City Commission Meeting. They essentially wanted Stuart to turn over Sailfish Baseball Fields and the Public Works Complex gratis for their new administration building. They would then sell their current six-acre location and keep those proceeds.

I am against the City giving away the 11 acres that comprise the ball fields and public works complex.  Then, in perpetuity, we would receive no taxes, fees or any other revenue for this most valuable site. It is anything but a “home run” for us. In my book, it’s not even a single. Not to mention their proposal would have us sharing (and contributing to maintain) a few new ball fields which we would only be allowed to use when the school board wasn’t.

This is something I could never support. No taxes and no ball fields, how could any Stuart elected official be for it? Some might say that the administrative building contributes to the economy of Stuart. To a very limited extent that is probably true. But to imagine that a new building is going to bring shops and restaurants to the area is not credible. The existing complex on East Ocean Blvd has not resulted in any shops or restaurants around it. What would cause a different outcome?

This may seem a radical notion but why does the School Board need to be within city limits? In 1950, when Stuart comprised 40% of Martin County’s population, there was perhaps a reason. But today when Stuart only accounts for 10% of the population there is no compelling reason. The vast majority of their staff lives outside the City. Further Stuart has 1% of the total land mass of Martin County. How can we afford to give up taxable land to another government entity and not even be paid for its value? Never mind the lost tax revenue and the loss of our ball fields.

As a custodian of Stuart residents’ money, how could I possibly do that? How can I ask Stuart’s 10% of Martin County’s total population to contribute such a valuable asset to the other 90%? We are not still a rural county with Stuart being the home for those who “live in town” and where the money is. That was true when the County was incorporated in 1925 but it is no longer true today. Communities that are outside the City, such as Sailfish Point, Jupiter Island and even Sewall’s Point, are where the wealth is.

If we are to maintain our quality of life we need to make sure our assets are used for City residents. We need to have our recreational fields under our control. We can’t just give away our assets. We need to be independent and do what is best for Stuartians. Yes we are part of Martin County. We pay both County and School Board property taxes. Therefore, we do not need to also subsidize further those governmental agencies since we are already paying our fair share. I cannot in good conscience claim to represent the people of Stuart and then give away those assets. That is unconscionable.

 

 

Snowbirds & What They Bring

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I live on the St. Lucie River where the mooring fields are located. In the last few weeks I have noticed (as in past years) that there are more and more boats on the balls each day. By January 1st, there will be a couple of hundred boats on the mooring balls and in the marina. Some people will live on their boats. Others will live on land in apartments or homes.

These “snowbirds” will eat in our restaurants, buy goods in our stores and use the Stuart tram as a mode of transportation. They will provide additional jobs for those working in our stores and restaurants. Sales taxes will be paid on the food ordered to eat and any purchases made. In general, our boaters and all seasonal visitors arriving from New England, Canada or wherever will become part of our community for as long as they are here. I gladly welcome them to the City.

Many of us that stay year-round will complain about increased traffic. Or how they will need a reservation to have dinner at their favorite restaurant. But, isn’t that a good thing? Isn’t it better to have more people paying taxes and putting permanent residents to work? Dollars that are brought in from up north are new dollars coming into our local economy. “Snowbirds” or, as I like to say, part-time residents add vibrancy to our town. They contribute to our tax base and our local charities. They are members of our organizations and clubs. They are just like the rest of us who are here year-round except they are with us for only five, six or eight months a year.

When I look at Stuart, I like the fact that our part-time residents share the space. I wouldn’t mind more of them. But I also want more full-time residents who will return after college and raise their families within our borders. I want to see entrepreneurs move to Stuart and open businesses. Artists should be making art and living here. More children need to be playing in our parks and in front of their homes. Seniors should be able to take advantage of our numerous parks and recreation center.

Stuart needs people of every income strata, race, occupation, age and persuasion. I want to welcome all to our stores and places of worship. Cities should be places of diversity and understanding…tolerant and embracing. Maybe even a little quirky and original — such as only having a four-story height limit.

 

My Governing Philosophy

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My Governing Philosophy

I could not adequately represent the voters and residents of Stuart without having a clear and understandable set of governing principles. By that, I don’t mean the kind of empty platitudes you see on campaign literature. Rhetoric such as “strong leader” or “good government” are nothing more than hackneyed phrases and mean nothing. When choosing a candidate is the voter ever looking for a weak leader or bad government?

When gauging a true philosophy, one could look to party affiliation. In today’s world, a political party is more tribal in nature than a set of principles to guide a decision. Gallup, in a recent poll conducted in early October of this year, shows that 24% of the electorate consider themselves Republican, 31% Democrat and 42% Independent. As we have seen there is a wide gap in philosophy between the Brannonites and the McConnell wing in the Republican Party and an equally large gap between Bernie Sanders followers and those of Hillary Clinton with the Democrats.

So here is my governing philosophy in representing the people of Stuart:

I will always be your advocate with the City’s staff in solving a problem. When voting on a matter, I will do what I perceive is best for all of Stuart over one individual or group of individuals. I will not vote in favor of something just to “get along.” I will not condone the frivolous use of tax dollars. That does not mean I will vote to cut or not raise taxes when doing so is appropriate. We need to pay for services that the City provides in a manner that does not spend down our reserves. That’s one of the reasons I voted against the current budget.

In representing you, the citizens of the City, I will fight for your interests. Even if by doing so I make enemies within our staff, at Martin County government, the state legislature, and my fellow board members. I don’t take campaign contributions, so I am not beholden to anyone. I am not running for a higher office, so I don’t need to subordinate your interest to achieve that goal. I do not work or operate a business within Martin County, so there is nothing to suggest I have an ulterior motive in any vote I cast.

I want to help our existing businesses, and any new businesses that come to town, succeed. We cannot have an economically healthy or vibrant city without a strong and diverse base. But every job created or business opened needs, in some way, to add to the overall good of the City. Presently we have more jobs based in Stuart than residents actually employed in those jobs. We need, through innovative policies, to make it possible for more residents to be able to work and live within our boundaries.

In short, my governing philosophy is you. The residents, voters, and citizens of the City of Stuart are my concern.  All the ethics codes enacted and sunshine laws passed do not amount to a hill of beans if the people we elect have no inner sense of right or wrong. The mark of responsibility is how you act consistently, whether the public is watching or not.

Remarks To The Martin County Legislative Delegation

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When did Florida’s towns and cities become the enemy to some of our legislators in Tallahassee? The state mandates that counties exist and every person in Florida lives in one…it isn’t an option. But only the residents of an area can come together and petition to form municipalities. They do so, as we are now seeing with Indiantown, because citizens want local control over zoning and the ability to pass ordinances to reflect their sensibilities. They are willing to tax themselves in order to live in communities to exert that control through democratically elected local boards.

The state definitively has the right to make sure that all Floridians are treated universally fair and equitable. It is your duty to make sure that the people’s constitutional rights are not violated. That the criminal code is applied to all fairly and that our courts are just and impartial.

Tallahassee has a responsibility to make sure that our lakes and rivers are healthy and clean. State government needs to make sure that all Floridians have the ability to attend top-notch colleges and universities. You should be the agent to build and repair our highways and regulate standards in professions. Those are state obligations.

But is it the responsibility of the legislature to prohibit Sewall’s Point from regulating short-term rentals or Stuart the amount of their business fee. Is it not better for the residents of cities to have local rules to deal with local problems? Why should a legislator that is elected in Pensacola have a say over how the people of Jupiter Island or Ocean Breeze want their communities to look and how the amount of tax their citizens pay.

50 years ago by a statewide vote of the people “Home Rule” was enshrined in the Florida Constitution. Though the legislature does have the right to pre-emption, it was a right that was to be used sparingly not, as a wholesale assault on the people’s right to local self-government. Pre-emption is not there to for a legislator to mandate what he feels is best. And Pre-emption was certainly not meant to forestall an ordinance that a business or industry does not want to comply with.

The vast majority of municipalities were formed so that urban services could be provided. Today the motive may include the people’s right to determine the pace of growth and commercialization where they live. If you believe in the rights of self-determination, then anytime pre-emption is used to circumvent that right, then pre-emption is not used in a manner intended.

Floridians voted to empower themselves with the right of local self-government. It is the only form of government that is voluntary in nature. Citizens choose to pay taxes to live in self-governing municipalities. They want to be able to have communities that they control through municipal ordinances and codes. Why would you want to deny the people that right?

Well Worth The Time & Effort

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I am sitting in Reagan International Airport waiting for my flight as I write this. For the past two days, I have been in Washington with my colleagues from the Florida League of Cities meeting with the Florida Congressional Delegation about issues that affect cities. Unfortunately, the Senate was in recess this week so both Senators Rubio and Nelson were absent. We did have an opportunity to speak with their staffs. Our Florida League of Cities team split into three groups and we were able then to meet with nearly the entire delegation except for one congressman (his choice).

Meeting with either state or federal legislators needs to be done on an ongoing basis. It is a matter of forging a relationship with those individuals. By the establishment of a rapport, it then allows us to speak to them with candor. This is important when discussing municipal matters. It is only through repeated contacts at home and in Tallahassee or Washington that we can explain our positions and educate these members as to our issues. While most of our legislators may have some knowledge of our issues, they may not have the depth and nuance necessary to make an informed decision.

When a local elected official is willing to engage with a legislator in their offices in either Tallahassee or Washington, that legislator has a more receptive attitude to the explanation of why we need them to vote in a certain way. It is part of an educational process for the legislator. I have noticed their capitol offices are more attuned to the discussion of policy. Back in their district offices, the staff is concerned with constituent services.

By my taking the time to engage legislators and representatives in both Tallahassee and Washington, I know I represent Stuart better. I educate our state and local representatives on matters that are important. At the same time, I learn what is important to them. Though at times, partisanship does intrude on our discussions, for the most part, it is about policy. It is important that we keep it on that level.

When it comes to municipal issues, I have noticed that there is no Republican or Democratic way of getting a road paved or a sewer connection. I am an unpaid lobbyist to make sure that the City of Stuart has the opportunity not only to have a seat at the table but is heard. I am happy to take the time from my own business and life in Stuart to make sure that happens.