Martin County’s Government Restaurants

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Americans love to say they believe in the capitalistic system.

We believe that government should stay out of the markets. We should leave to the private sector to operate businesses, instead of bureaucrats. If the public sector is involved, it usually results in the product being more expensive. This has been proven repeatedly. Government needs to step in when the private sector won’t do so.

But in Martin County we must like government involvement. Two prime examples are the concession stands at the beaches and Sailfish Splash Park. I will admit the concession stands are small potatoes compared to the water amusement park but nonetheless it is emblematic of government intruding on the private sector.

This entire blog post was precipitated by something I read in Gil Smart’s piece on TCPalm this morning. Apparently, the Martin County Parks and Recreation Department wants to take back the stand at Stuart Beach. They intend to gut rehab the building and then have it be operated by Parks & Rec. I don’t believe that anyone would dispute the fact that the building needs to be refurbished.

I don’t have a problem with the County spending money on facilities. We should improve County property. I do have a problem with the County then bringing the businesses “in house” so that public employees can operate the restaurants. This is just what they did after rehabbing the Sand Dune Café at Jensen Beach. So far this year, according to Smart, that County operation has made $18,000.

I have a little familiarity with the restaurant trade having grown up in the business, worked in many and even owned a few through the years. I have to say that making $18,000 so far this year is nothing to brag about. Let’s remember the Sand Dune Café does not pay rent or must make a profit. I haven’t even factored in the cost of the renovations.

Presently the Stuart Beach concession known as the Chef Shack pays a percentage of sales equating to about $1000 a month. I am not a fan of leases that calculate rent as strictly a percentage of sales. I’ve seen those figures manipulated too many times.

So, these two assets, paid for by the taxpayers and residents of Martin County, are not exactly contributing money to the public coffers. Assuming, not unreasonably, that beachgoers might want to grab something to eat or drink while at the beach and that the stand should not be an eyesore, why does that mean the public sector should operate these concession stands? Why shouldn’t both have someone that knows the business and, just as importantly, have a financial stake in their success operate them? Why hasn’t there been an RFP soliciting private companies to bid on operating these businesses?

Martin County’s Parks & Rec Department should stop trying to build empires and concentrate on their core mission…parks and recreation. The sooner they do just that, the better off we, the taxpayers, will be. I can go on about Sailfish Splash Park, but I will save that socialistic endeavor for another day.

Elected or Appointed?

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On this year’s ballot, voters will have a choice regarding whether Martin County should continue to elect its school superintendent or have the superintendent appointed by the School Board.

Only Florida and Alabama continue to have elected superintendents; Mississippi just ended the practice. In Florida, it is up to the voters in each school district to determine whether to elect their superintendents. Out of 67 districts in the state, 41 continue to have superintendents chosen through elections. The larger districts, including Miami/Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and St Lucie, all have appointed superintendents. The Martin County School District ranks higher than those other four do.

The most compelling reason to have the superintendent appointed is that the school board members can search throughout the country to find the most qualified candidates. This would result in someone who has all the right credentials being selected. Right now, you must be 21, live in the district and not be a felon to be qualified to run for superintendent. By having an appointed superintendent, the politics are removed from the position. Since the superintendent reports to the board, if enough friction develops between them, the board can remove the superintendent.

It is quite true that elections are messy. They are to some extent popularity contests. Unqualified people are elected to positions of authority all the time. Voters make mistakes. But those mistakes are usually corrected at the next election. Besides, is some friction between a board and superintendent necessarily a bad thing?

As citizens and voters, we are slowly giving up our rights for expediency’s sake. Our local governments are run by supposed experts instead of having the people choosing strong mayors and county executives. Billions of tax dollars are in the hands of unelected people. This is not democracy. We are a little less free because of it. I don’t even believe that we are necessarily in more capable hands.

By voters giving up a little more in the name of “better government,” we become a little more removed from our government. Any bureaucracy, whether a private business or a public entity, works best when the shareholders, taxpayers and citizens are as close to the levers of power as possible. To enjoy the fruits and benefits of a democratic society, it is imperative that citizens are an integral part of the process.

And we shouldn’t decide the question based on a like or dislike of any one elected superintendent or school board member. That would be like saying we don’t want to elect the president anymore because the current one is not our choice or very good at the job. As a nation and a people, we don’t believe in setting up a dictatorship so that our nation runs efficiently.

It is hard to decide whether an appointed or elected superintendent is best. There are good points to both sides of this argument. After I have examined the pros and cons, I am going to be voting in favor of electing the superintendent. I believe that the people will get it right more times than not. If we entrust our nation to elect someone president with the only qualifications being an age requirement, being born in the United States and a resident for the past 14 years; then I think we will survive electing a bad superintendent once in a while.

Indiantown Plans

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The Village of Indiantown is the first new municipality in Martin County in over 50 years.

That brings the grand total to five municipalities within the County — with perhaps another, Hobe Sound, on the way in November. Compared to the counties to our south (Palm Beach County 39, Broward 32 and Miami-Dade 34), that number is hardly impressive. With that said, Indiantown’s incorporation is a big step forward, bringing real local government to that western community.

It is exciting to see the Village taking the steps necessary to control its destiny. For far too long, Indiantown has been stymied by being just an insignificant, unincorporated piece of the greater Martin County pie. What the residents and property owners of the area wanted to see happen was constantly being prevented. When the seat of your local government is miles away, the County Commissioners may not always put your interest first.

Indiantown is slowly feeling its governmental way. It had its first visioning session last Saturday. The Village Council and the community came together to brainstorm under the guidance of The Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council. Many things were discussed from communication with residents to enticing manufacturing back.

One of the central themes is Indiantown’s affordability and how it would be nice to have law enforcement officers, fire/rescue people and teachers live in the community. That is a noble goal but not easily attainable when none of the people working in those jobs are presently the Village’s employees. Perhaps, if permissible under Florida law, the Council may want to require that their executive staff live within the Village boundaries. At least they can require the village manager live there, as Stuart does with their city manager.

As Indiantown begins to put its government together, it will have to be cognizant of its finances. Building a city is a multi-generational undertaking. It is akin to building the pyramids. The present Council will not be there to see most of what they are laying the groundwork to achieve. That is the challenge and the fun of what is happening in Indiantown. I wish them well as they move forward.

 

Quotations To Live By

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There is a quote attributed to Thomas Jefferson that is especially apropos today. “The government you elect is the government you deserve.” This statement is true on the federal, state and local level.

I was in my twenties when President Nixon was in office and the Watergate scandal occurred. He was re-elected in 1972 by winning all but one state and had 520 electoral votes to Senator McGovern’s 17 electoral votes. Less than two years later, Nixon was forced to resign the presidency.

Joseph de Maistre, an 18th century French diplomat, wrote, “Every country has the government it deserves.”

As I look at Tallahassee, I see a legislature that is power hungry. The leadership is so interested in micromanaging and aggregating power in their own hands, that they ignore the will of the electorate. Yet the electorate continues to send back the same people who are ignoring their will. Can we not see the connection between blind loyalty to our political tribe and the legislators ignoring our desires?

Locally, we have elected bodies that preach fiscal responsibility and then spend tax dollars on projects that most taxpayers do not want. A failed water park instead of a municipal pool is what Martin County taxpayers are stuck pouring money into. Now they want to include a shiny new money-losing clubhouse instead of just a place for people to play golf. Yet the County doesn’t have the money to fix a road or build a fire house.

The City of Stuart in the last year passed a budget that depleted reserves by $2 million dollars, included a 55% raise for each commissioner, and spent $600,000 in early separation pay which was unbudgeted. The City Commission also approved a ballooning tree planting project downtown while not spending the money in neighborhoods in the CRA that need sewers and sidewalks. No need to mention the failed City Manager payoff or lawsuit coming down the pike.

Government on all levels is broken. We can blame elected officials, but who elected them. It is the voters that cast ballots to put them in office that must assume the ultimate responsibility. If we continue to elect people just because of political party or because they are nice, like our slightly fractured aunt, then the ineptitude continues. Walt Kelly had his comic strip character Pogo once utter, “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

Government doesn’t work because we as citizens have not done what we should. Complaining and watching cable news is not the answer. Get involved and make sure you elect the people who will do the work and understand what they are doing. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.”

Stuart Could Be today’s Pineland Prairie

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Knight Kiplinger’s Pineland Prairie has passed another hurdle to being fully approved and built. The entire new community is an example of New Urbanism. It will have walkability to stores and offices.  Housing of different sizes, styles and prices will be within close proximity to each other. Most of the land will be open. Mr. Kiplinger touts that younger people want to live in this environment. I can’t say anything bad about the project. I think it is a great and necessary idea.

Many of the characteristics that Mr. Kiplinger wants to create at Pineland Prairie already exist. The infrastructure, roads, and amenities are built. A vibrant restaurant scene exists. The largest employers of Martin County are located within its boundaries and it has everything from athletic fields to vest pocket neighborhood parks. It is the City of Stuart.

The problem lies not in what the City has but what it doesn’t. The City Commission has exhibited a lack of imagination and knowledge on how to capitalize on Stuart’s assets. Being the “Happiest Seaside Town” is one thing but being a city that has an economic and demographic future is quite another. For the past fifty years, Stuart has allowed Martin County to grow and prosper around the City but has done very little to enhance and maintain itself as the hub of the county.

As an example, at their last meeting, the City Commissioners voted to approve a lease with Mulligans for 20 years with a $2 million cancellation clause. This, in essence, locks up any possibility of having an enhanced Flagler Park, creating new economic opportunities and a more vibrant Downtown. The entire peninsula which is owned by the City will now be frozen in time due to the lack of basic real estate experience and a “good old boy” approach to governance. This 1960s mindset in a 21ST century environment will continue to hobble the City’s viability. It is too bad for the taxpayers, residents and commercial real estate owners within Stuart’s borders.

By tweaking zoning and land development codes, Stuart could immediately begin the process of implementing what Kiplinger wants to do in rural Palm City. The City has all the pieces necessary to attract younger people, new jobs and businesses. What we lack is a political establishment within the city that has the vision and the business acumen to see what Mr. Kiplinger, our young people, and most of the County Commissioners have seen.

I am all in favor of Pineland Prairie being allowed to exist and prosper. It will be a long-term asset to Martin County. It will not be sprawl but, rather, a self-contained community. When finally built and completed in twenty years, it will be a fantastic place to live in the future.

With foresight, imagination and will, Stuart could be the Pineland Prairie of today instead of the City of yesterday.

Governmental Boards Need to Know Their Limits

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I’ve noticed a troubling trend with our local governments. It is that members do not understand the scope, mission and authority of the boards, councils and commissions they serve on. The reason it is troubling is that, when the individual members don’t perform within the boundaries of their statutory authority, citizens may not get a fair hearing. Whether appointed or elected to boards, individuals must understand the scope of their authority and the purpose the board was created.

At the last meeting of the Zoning and Appeals Board in Stuart, a matter came before it that had to do with a lot split into two single-family home lots. Once split the lots would not conform with the existing code. The owner of the new homes intends to lease them once they are built. The controversy for some neighbors was that the new homes would have rear buildings. They feared they would be rented as apartments thus creating a four-family multiple dwelling. There is no Stuart ordinance preventing the rental of homes. The applicant and staff had already added language to the development order that would make it, if not impossible, harder to rent those back buildings as individual units. If they were, it would be a matter for Code Enforcement and, ultimately, a Magistrate.

While most of the discussion was about this fear of rental and of ancillary units, it should have been immaterial to the Board’s decision. Their responsibility is not whether those units would be rented but whether the lot split was justified under the regulations. The zoning of that lot is for a single-family home. By splitting the lot that has the right to have a single-family home, you are creating two lots that will be non-conforming.

It is not within the Board’s authority to decide whether rental units are being created. The structures being built are within code. The important matter before the Board was whether by not granting the lot split would there be a hardship. I contend that the answer is no, there is no hardship. A perfectly adequate single-family home could be constructed on the existing lot without splitting it into two lots to create two homes.

A “hardship” is not defined as an inability to maximize an investment. Otherwise every lot in Stuart could have an apartment house or office building on it. A “hardship” would be, if the entire original lot would have been only 56 feet wide, while a 60 feet wide minimum was necessary. In that case, then a home would not have been able to be built and a variance would be needed. In that instance it should be granted.

In this case, the Board has exceeded its authority. I agree that this type of housing with ancillary units are desirable for the City. The way to achieve this would be for staff to write a change in the code to allow these units and the City Commission could then vote in favor of doing so. By the Zoning and Appeals Board doing this in an ad hoc manner, it creates the necessity for every property owner to make an appeal in order to have the same outcome.

While the Board may have acted improperly in this case, I don’t believe it was done maliciously or intentionally. What happens is that board members, including commissioners, do not receive the necessary training to fulfill their duties. Education by staff and outside facilitators should be continuous and ongoing. Every meeting should have an agenda item to help in accomplishing just this. When you serve on a board it is more than just showing up. Too bad citizens don’t insist that this occurs.

Where Are Stuart’s Citizens

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When things die, they can do so slowly and imperceptibly at first. Not only living things perish, so too do cities. Usually it is because their original purpose for being ceases, then they refuse to adapt and adopt new ones. Sometimes it is bad government that leads to the downfall, sometimes it is the hubris of the citizens that refuse to believe that civic death can occur, sometimes it is both.

Barely 6 months ago, a new City Manager came to Stuart. Since that time, most senior staff people have left. Two more departed this week – the Development Director and City Clerk. Could all these employees have been so incompetent that their new boss needed for them to go? Well, he didn’t fire them they just didn’t want to work for him any longer.

Chaos is a sign of incompetence. Stuart’s City Hall is in chaos. While all this turmoil continues to occur, where is the City Manager? Well, this past week he floated in and out of the place. I believe he didn’t even bother to show up for two of the days. Now I understand that he is on vacation until May 5th.

Where is the City Commission during this meltdown? They are nowhere to be seen. They too float in and out of the building. Most of them barely understand the agenda and what is before them. If they did, they couldn’t possibly approve a lease on Monday that will in effect lock up the City Hall peninsula for the next twenty years? Could they approve a lease that gives the tenant $2 million dollars if change were to occur?

The City Commission has done nothing. Not one of them deserve to be re-elected as the people’s voice. A strong manager/weak commission form of government is the worst form imaginable. The only possible way this type of government works is if the Commission does what they are supposed to do. This Commission has not.

In the past 6 months, Stuart has lost a significant amount of talent. Sometimes a new broom needs to sweep out the past. In this case, that did not need to happen. The City is now bereft of managerial depth that may be destructive to our present and future. Taxes will be affected going forward. You can’t spend the amount of money that this manager has on employee buyouts and not continue to draw down reserves or raise taxes.

Where are the supposed civic associations? Politically, the Chamber of Commerce wrote off Stuart a long time ago. Our population is so small that we cannot sway an election. Stuart is impotent in the county or statewide. Main Street’s and the Downtown Business Association’s members are beholden to the Manager and Commission so that their individual projects move forward. They aren’t making waves because of their need to maintain good relations with City Hall. Our press has been missing in action for years now. Is there any wonder that fewer and fewer people bother to subscribe?

Most citizens don’t want to be involved. They just want things to stay as they are. Well my fellow citizens, things don’t just stay as they are. Each and every action has consequences. If you don’t hold Commissioners responsible, you end up with irresponsible Commissioners. If you have a head of government that is so uninformed and uninvolved, then you have a mass exodus of competent employees. Things don’t stay the same. They can’t, no matter how much we would like them to be the same. But things can be managed to achieve the best possible outcomes.

The citizens of Stuart need to stand up and sweep the current Commission out of office. It doesn’t matter whether they are nice, it doesn’t matter if they are your friends. Commissioners are not there to be your best friend but to be your economic protector and stalwart. They are not there to rattle on from the dais with inane speeches. In two or five or ten years from now, when taxes are high and economic development is completely gone, it will be too late.

 

 

Why Not Charters For All?

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Florida, as with so much of the rest of the U.S., doesn’t know what it wants its educational system to be. Should it be one that stresses “the 3 Rs” or concentrates on STEM subjects. Some would want it to provide a classical education with the study of Cicero by reading the original text in Latin and Plato in Greek. Each of the above has merit.

What many parents, school boards and teachers believe is that there is far too much testing and not enough emphasis on a well-rounded education. The phrase “teaching to the test” is in almost every conversation that we have regarding our schools. Even with the continuous testing, the U.S. still ranked 31 out of 35 for OECD (The Organisation for Economic Development and Cooperation) nations. These numbers are abysmal. Nationally, Florida ranks 29th. So, when we hear that Martin County is number 2 or 3 in the state, that doesn’t give me much cause for joy.

It appears that, as a nation and state, we can’t agree on how and in what subjects our children should be educated. We ask our school systems to come up with a curriculum that will please everyone from the “flat earthers” to those that want quantum physics. Like everything else in America today, we all have our “alternate facts” when discussing public education. In fact, we can’t even decide on the definition of a public school.

Years ago, there were two types of schools — public and private. Most private schools were religion based. There was no such thing as “home schooling.” Parents chose to pay extra to send their children to private school if they thought it was a better education. Today we expect some of our private schools to be publicly supported and we give them the name of Charter Schools.

It may be time that the state declares all schools to be Charter Schools. Let parents decide where to send their children to school, not just based on geography. By use of vouchers, this can become a reality. This approach has been tried in New Orleans with success. There are still academic standards for students to meet. And the state must be ruthless in closing those schools that constantly fail. The state becomes a regulator instead of a provider of education.

This may seem radical, but I know one thing for certain, the present model is not working. It is a failure that is giving our children, at best, a mediocre education. By continuing on the same educational path, we will become less and less competitive in the world. My grandfather, who was an immigrant to America and had at best a rudimentary formal education, could read and speak three languages. My father, who never went to college, could quote St. Augustine, Socrates and recite poetic verse, all of which he learned in school. Can our children do the same?

Godot & The Commission

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The Stuart City Commission has become a re-active body instead of pro-active one. What I mean by that statement is that the Commission is not looking to shape the City’s future.  By simply waiting for something to happen, the City stagnates instead of progressing. Any growth becomes an amalgam of disparate projects without any theme. Without planning for the future, a cohesive vision is not accomplished. So, the Commission does nothing and waits. But what are they waiting for?

This is the 65th anniversary of Samuel Beckett’s play, Waiting for Godot. The two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon are waiting for Godot to make an appearance. They inhabit a nihilistic world of gloom. Both Estragon and Vladimir keep saying that they will leave but then they wait because they believe Godot will come — but always tomorrow.

The City of Stuart is more than a decade older than Martin County. When the County was formed, Stuart was where the overwhelming majority of the people lived, worked and shopped. Nearly a century later the County has grown exponentially but not the City. The City’s population is a little over 10% of Martin County’s total population today. The amount of sales tax revenue, gas tax revenue and other appropriations the City receives are based on that proportionately diminished base. Yet, like Vladimir, the City Commission waits.

Pineland Prairie will probably be approved by the County to develop in Palm City. It is a good project. Once fully built out it will have more residents than the City of Stuart. It comprises thousands of acres, yet the plan calls for cluster development. In effect, it will create a city surrounded by open land. Pineland Prairie is innovative. Yet, like Estragon, the City Commision waits.

Our City Commission is averse to workshops on planning for the City’s future. For the last year that I was on the Commission, I worked with staff to have neighborhood meetings to find out what residents thought was important. Unfortunately, the City Manager decided that he didn’t want to know what was on the minds of the people of Stuart. So now Stuart waits.

Stuart’s Godot may come and give the Commission guidance. The present City Commission won’t find a plan on its own. So, the Commission waits. While Vladimir and Estragon waited, they spoke to each other. The City Commission doesn’t do even that. The play’s characters cared about what Godot would say when he appeared. I don’t believe this current City Commission cares at all.

Stuart’s Very Own Masque

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As a kid I remember reading Edgar Alan Poe’s “The Masque of the Red Death.” In the story, a medieval country was suffering the plague.  Prospero, the ruler of the land, invited a thousand lords and ladies to a masque (another name for a costume party) in his castle.

Prospero thought the elite of the land could stay locked in the castle and wait out the pestilence. An intruder dressed in black, the grim reaper, makes an appearance running through the halls while Prospero calls on his guests to stop him. No one does because of fear. Finally, Prospero grabs hold and immediately dies. The death that the lords and ladies tried to avoid was now in their midst and their fates were revealed in their eyes.

This allegory is based on the 14th century bubonic plague, better known as the Black Death, that killed half of Europe’s population. It shows the futility of hiding from the inevitable. It also illustrates that the elites are not immune just because they are elite. Then and now it proves that we must all pull together to be successful.

Stuart, I fear has been caught in Prospero’s predicament. The plague has entered City Hall and you can no longer lock it out. One by one, City senior staff are leaving. The Fire Chief was first. Then a Battalion Chief, the City Manager’s assistant and the Building Official. The Special Assistant to the City Manager was next, followed by the Director of Public Works. Who knows who will be next.

The City Commission can no longer pretend that City Hall is immune. It is now too late to lock the doors to keep the pestilence from infecting a once competent work force. They, like Prospero’s lords and ladies, invited the carrier into their midst and then did nothing. They danced and pretended that everything was fine…but look deeply in the commissioners’ eyes to see whether the reality has set in. Perhaps they hear a faint beating heart – that’s a Poe story for another day.