“Here” we are once again. This year a little earlier than usual we have arrived “here”. We are in a place where we really do not need to be though all the same “here”.  How often can we be “here” without destroying our way of life and the why we live in Martin County? The killing of our estuary seems to be as inevitable as the water flowing to the ocean via the St. Lucie. So we find ourselves once more in this predicament.

Washington and Tallahassee keep promising to do something. The governor wants the Corp to stop the discharges from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and the St. Lucie. But the governor has done nothing more but paid lip service to our plight. He is not a serious man when it comes to this “problem”. I wrote President Obama three years ago about our river and six months later received a form letter back siting his accomplishments on protecting the environment throughout the country but no acknowledgement of the Indian River Lagoon’s impending death. He is not a serious man when it comes to this “problem”.

Senator Rubio held a press conference here in Stuart. He sat in our city commission chamber and listened to the experts. He promised to fight to end these discharges. The senator was going to come back and report bi-monthly. I guess becoming president became more important. He is not a serious man when it comes to this “problem”.

Representative Harrell and Senator Negron have modestly proposed measures that may bring some relief to the “problem”. Will it be enough help to prevent the death of the rivers and estuaries remains to be seen? We, the people of Florida, did our part; we passed a constitutional amendment to spend money on this “problem”. Unfortunately the powers that be in Tallahassee would rather use the funds for other things and ignore the will of the people. Citizens are only an impediment to the pols getting what they want.

Every year the beauty that is Stuart and Martin County becomes a little less so. Another reason that we are living in this place is gone. The concentration of political power in both Tallahassee and Washington allows for the flaunting of the people’s will. Are we mad enough to really do anything about it? Or will our anger revert to type and once again be manipulated by party hacks and labels. We, the voters, do the same thing over and over and somehow expect a different outcome. In the meantime “here” we are once again.