The Fairgrounds Next Moves

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The County could pay close to $200,000 to the Treasure Coast Planning Council for a charette to determine several uses for the existing fairgrounds. That is an enormous amount of tax dollars to spend. In an attempt to save the taxpayers that money, the following is a suggestion.

Martin County Fair Association

First, the decision regarding whether to keep or sell the property must be made. If it is decided to sell, there needs to be an appraisal. One of the elements in an appraisal is to determine the highest and best use of the property.

 

In the last meeting, Commissioner Ciampi was of the opinion the property should be sold. I agree that a qualified appraisal should be done. Once that is performed if the rest of the Commission agrees, an RFQ to find a buyer can be written. The Treasure Coast Planning Council’s proposal does not include a qualified appraisal.

 

The best use for the property is not residential. There is a railroad spur on the property. It is across the street from the airport. There is a flea market that is behind the property that fronts Federal Highway. It is in the middle of an industrial area that the County has developed using the available land at the airport.

 

Commissioner Smith’s dream of a transportation hub far from downtown is just that…a dream. About a year ago, Virgin Trains told me that they are not interested in having their Treasure Coast Station at that location. If they build a station, it will be within walking distance of downtown. To be considered is that passenger trains have stopped running due to COVID down south. Every day that goes by places passenger rail on the Treasure Coast further from being realized.

 

The County has already determined what the use of that corridor is. It has worked very diligently to bring lite and not-so-lite industrial businesses to that area. There is now water and sewer to service that need at the parcel. The good paying jobs that we continuously hear we need have been created at the airport.  Martin County has done a great job. So why would you look to stop expansion of that from occurring in this industrial corridor.

 

If the property is sold, it is possible that the manufacturing base would expand. A sale would put the parcel on the tax roll. In a sale, the County could zone the parcel anyway the new owner wants. Because there are no residential neighbors (voters) there should be little push back.

 

If the County wants to keep the property, it could “sell or lease it” to the Airport Enterprise Fund which is under the County’s auspices. Better than that the County could form an Industrial Authority which would place the property on the tax roll. It would be run as an enterprise fund without County subsidy once the startup cost was met.  It could even issue private activity bonds fully backed by the businesses to help build plants and equipment. The businesses would be responsible for paying the bond, and if the business defaults, its equipment would be seized and auctioned. Those bonds are issued tax free.

 

I would even give the newly formed Authority the role of the current Business Development Board. If you did not have to spend a half million dollars a year funding the BDB, you would have an initial funding source for the Authority. Put someone like Assistant County Administrator George Stokus in charge, and it would take off.

 

Whether the property is sold or kept, the highest and best use for the property has been established. I do not want to hear that Commissioners are in favor of good paying jobs and then watch them come up with some grandiose civic plan that will only increase our County infrastructure and expense.

 

We do not need a shelter that may be used once or twice a year during a hurricane. That is why we have schools built to hurricane standards. We do not need another recreation center especially one built so far from residents. Look at all the unused school gyms. Far cheaper would be coming to terms with the School Board to use their facilities when schools are not in session.

 

Since there are no residential neighbors who need to have their voices heard, what is the purpose of having a charrette? The County has already done the hard work to create the right environment for that corridor. Doing the usual Martin County song and dance is an excuse to do the worse thing possible.

 

How about the Commission and staff think about the taxpayer for once? Keep the $200,000 and spend less than 10% of that amount on a qualified appraisal. Then decide whether our County would be better served by a sale or, as I suggest, an Industrial Authority that could expedite providing well-paying jobs and new tax paying businesses.

A Tool In The Tool Box

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The voters of Martin County are being asked to re-authorize a business incentive program. The program is spearheaded by the Business Development Board (BDB). It is small potatoes in the realm of government spending. But it is important to note that since it was authorized in 2010, the program has never given out one penny. It came close…once.

 

So why is it needed? We have been told by the BDB that it is a necessary tool in the toolbox. You know like the special saw you bought in case you decide to make an elaborate rococo headboard.

 

What exactly would the happen if the voters approve the extension and the County Commission ever voted to award individual companies the opportunity of not paying their fair share of taxes?

 

It would allow companies moving into the area or expanding their businesses the opportunity to not pay ad valorem taxes under certain circumstances for several years. You can read the BDB’s accurate explanation of the program here

 

My position has always been that government should not give businesses handouts in any form or manner. The playing field should always be level for everyone. Make no mistake that when you allow Company “A” to pay no or reduced taxes, but not Companies “B” through “H,” government has demonstrated favoritism.

 

Even if everything is perfect and Company “A” hires more employees and builds a new machine to make its widgets, he is paying less taxes than all other widget makers doing the same thing. How is the economy better? If more widgets need to be produced, more widget factories will open because the market dictates that outcome. Business will do what is needed to make more money. These taxpayer subsidized incentives are government induced profit windfalls for a lucky few.

 

You do not build strong economies that way. Government needs only to allow all businesses the opportunity to permit, build, and hire capable employees without undue regulatory burdens. Both Palm Beach County and St. Lucie County offer these type subsidies. While programs such as this type of subsidy are used in those two counties and throughout the country, they do not produce any positive national GDP growth.

 

Time after time companies have moved to an area which gave little or no subsidies to those companies as compared to other governments. Amazon, ConAgra, and other companies base their decision on factors such as workforce availability and quality of life. Even corporate income tax rates are secondary concerns.

 

The best thing Martin County can do is stop taking months (and sometimes years) to green light a new commercial building. Martin County refuses to allow the housing needed to attract employees for businesses. Even when Stuart, on its city-limit fringes, approves apartments and lower-cost alternative housing, County residents cry no and sometimes County staff and Commissioners do as well.

 

Our schools need to produce educated employees in trades as well as other disciplines to fill those jobs. You cannot ask someone to create a business here if you make it so hard to open, their employees need to live in other communities, and they can’t find the necessary trained personnel to staff the enterprise.

 

Government must have as low a tax rate as possible for primarily the employees’ sake. Government needs to provide only those services that government should provide in the least expensive way possible. We do not need water parks and country club golf courses, but we do need adequate recreational areas and parks, roads, and schools. The elected officials need to be good shepherds of our tax dollars.

 

The Business Development Board received $450,000 of Martin County tax dollars last year. It has in the past and will continue to need that money in the future to keep its doors open. The Board of Directors are politicians and nonprofit executives with some private sector members mostly in banking, law, and real estate. (The Board can be found here

 

If you want to save nearly a half million dollars of taxpayer money a year, stop funding an organization that claims to be business-oriented yet needs a government handout to survive. There are five Chambers of Commerce in Martin County and an Economic Development Council. Those organizations are listed on the BDB website as having founded the organization. They should fund it too if the BDB is necessary in their opinion.

 

Better yet if the BDB provided a necessary product or service to the companies it is ostensibly recruiting then that company should pay for the perceived value of that service. Companies pay consultants, accountants, and lawyers all the time for advice. If the BDB has increased Martin County’s tax base through recruitment and retention of businesses, then it should be easy to quantitatively demonstrate that fact to the County.

 

Government never really demands hard facts. It is more than willing to go along with the fiction that something is being accomplished. Words such as develop, round-table, strategic, and collaborative, are often written and spoke at places such as the BDB. Seldom do you hear the expressions of bottom line or profit because to government and to semi-government organizations it is all about the perception of progress as opposed to concrete results.

 

The real difference is in the private sector if there is no profit the business closes. In government and organizations like the BDB there is always a future. They call it more funding we call it more tax dollars.    

 

We need to vote NO on re-authorization in August. Then we need to wean the BDB from receiving public funds. Every dollar spent on the BDB is one less dollar for needed resident services. I would rather make sure the County can pave an additional road or hire a few more employees to clean our drainage ditches each year than pay high salaries and fancy rent in Monterey Commons.

 

County Commissioners hang out with the people that populate the Chambers of Commerce, Economic Council, and the Business Development Board. It is easy for them to continue to fund their friends with your money. We need to make it a little harder to do so.

 

 

Freedom Is Just Not Another Word

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Kris Kristofferson wrote the song “Me and Bobby McGee” made famous by Janis Joplin back in the late 1960s. I always remember the lines:

 

“Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, don’t mean nothin’ hon’ if it ain’t free, no no”

During those turbulent years, the United States had a half million military members fighting a war in Southeast Asia. Many of those enlisted personnel were draftees. Their choices were to be inducted into the army, flee to another country, or go to prison. That is a loss of freedom. Many felt they had everything to lose no matter their decision.

 

When you force someone to pick up a gun, shoot at another human being, and perhaps die, that is about as close as a government can get to depriving someone of his freedom. That citizen was ordered to do so for nothing more than being a nineteen-year-old American.

 

The drafting of young men has withstood constitutional challenges since the Civil War. With U.S. v. Arver in 1918, Chief Justice White wrote for a unanimous court that, indeed, the government had the right to conscript men into military service.

 

Fifty years ago, there was real consequence to what a citizen was asked to do by the government. There was a concrete and perhaps absolute meaning to the term depriving someone of his freedom. This act of forced military service was necessary to protect the rights of fellow Americans according to the government.

 

Kristofferson’s song and Joplin’s rendition began playing over and over in my head as I listened to the silliness being spewed regarding freedom and rights at last Thursday’s BOCC meeting. The wearing of a mask is far from a constitutional issue. It trivializes what the Framers bestowed on us. Those that think it is a depravation of constitutional rights for the government to issue an order for mandatory mask wearing are wrong. People’s ability to distinguish between rights and responsibilities are why the nation is in such a bad place.

 

A few other thoughts came to mind watching that meeting. Statues to men that led an insurrection against the Constitution are part of our history, but they are not to be revered as part of our proud heritage. No one, not even a police officer, can deprive another person of his life without just cause. Every American regardless of color, religion, ethnicity, sex, and now sexual orientation is the equal of any other American.

 

These should be the truths that are self-evident. They are Constitutional rights we need to defend. Men and women that gave their all from our national birth to today are what we need to preserve. We should not trivialize what freedom and the Constitution mean.

 

There are many that say that the Constitution and history are not taught adequately in our schools. I agree with that statement. It was quite evident at the last County Commission meeting that it was true.

 

What Can Happen Next!

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What can happen next!

 

Martin County and the City of Stuart have had their problems of late. In 2020, we have had the COVID-19 pandemic which began in February resulting in a shutdown of the economy whose effects are still reverberating. We now have our own version of “London Bridge is falling down.”

 

The New Roosevelt Bridge on Federal Highway has been closed due to possible corrosion of the cables that secure the bridge between spans. The bridge may look like a work of concrete, but underneath it is still an old fashion suspension bridge. And it is a new bridge having officially opened in 1996. The Old Roosevelt Bridge is the drawbridge on Dixie that is also closed because the “New” Bridge could collapse and fall on the original.

 

Stuart PD is completely cut off from patrolling its northern neighborhoods. The Sheriff’s office is picking up that slack. Yet if you have a heart attack north of the bridge, how do you get to the hospital? Fire/Rescue will have to take you to St. Lucie County. State Senator Gayle Harrell told me that she and other officials would like to have the bridge opened to emergency vehicles. Our City, County and State officials are waiting to hear from FDOT.

 

Florida Department of Transportation is currently performing a detailed inspection to determine the extent of the damage. That will probably take a few weeks. The Bridge has an interior causeway to allow golf cart type vehicles go into the interior of the bridge for inspections and to do partial maintenance.

 

The bridge was built in prefabricated sections that were then joined on site. Did this way of construction contribute to the problem in a bridge that is less than 25 years old? It is no Parisian Pont Neuf (1607), it is not even New York’s Brooklyn Bridge (1883). I once walked over the Queensborough Bridge (1909) during a subway strike. I have a picture in our den of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco (1937).

 

Except for the Pont Neuf, all the bridges I named are suspension bridges. Using modern standards of engineering for the times, they were still overbuilt to allow redundancy. At the time of their construction, the science was not as exact as it is in our modern world. Those bridge builders used more cement in their caissons, steel in their walkways and cables holding it all together. Modernity gave us the New Roosevelt Bridge engineered to greater tolerance, using new construction techniques, and not a spare bolt anywhere.

 

The one good thing that this shows the citizens of Martin County is that our legislative delegation, County and City governments work well together to solve crises as they arise. Last week, Senator Harrell, Representatives Overdorf and Magar, and the County Commission and staff all responded to the Hobe Hills flooding. They are currently working on a plan to obtain funds to purchase the most vulnerable homes in that area.

 

What the bridge fiasco should show everyone is that our infrastructure is important. The months this may take to be resolved will be a hardship that could result in further economic disruption. I live on the south side of the bridge and until there is a pain free way of doing so, I will not go to the mall, Target, Total Wine or BJs. My dentist is in north Stuart and I have an appointment next week. A normal five-minute drive will now require perhaps 40 hours or more.

 

From COVID-19 to the bridge, our quality of life has been affected. We may emerge stronger as a community, but I know we are different than before. How those differences affect us will be how we move forward.

Another Government Racket!

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From Martin County to Washington DC, the heavy hand of government intrusion into our economic markets continues.

 

The Federal Reserve is buying corporate debt to juice the financial health of big companies. This, of course, ends up with influencing the stock markets which have no relationship to the broader U.S. economy. The corporatists have friends in high places that allow this absurdity to continue. Yet the staff people who work for these companies are told their jobs have been eliminated.

 

It is a pattern that continues with the massive bailout of these same large corporations by the government where trillions of dollars are being spent because of the economic crisis. In that case, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has the gall to tell the American people that they do not even need to know where all that government largess is going. It is secret and proprietary. If $100,000,000 or even more goes to Steve’s uncle, he is saying the American taxpayers have no right to know where their tax money is going.

 

Locally, our very own Martin County Business Development Board (DBD) wants you to reauthorize its ability to give out tax money. This largess will go to favored existing businesses or companies moving to this area that will supposedly create new jobs. In study after study, it has been proven that money given to companies or to industry does not work in this intended way.

 

Even the jobs created are usually short term and costs thousands more per job than any increased taxes received.  It continues because there are interest groups that keep telling the tax-paying public it is a must have tool in the toolbox.

 

Here is what that tool does. It appropriates the tax dollars from Martin County residents to incentivizes a company to move here to create new jobs. You may say that is a good use of taxes. Yet is it?

 

Let us say that new company makes widgets. But, the widget makers that are already here and employing people are now going to subsidize their competition in the widget business with their tax dollars. Is that the American way?

 

When did it become economically justifiable for the government to decide which businesses are subsidized and which are not? Martin County does not have money to fix roads or drainage, but a friend always helps a friend especially if they can do so with your money.

 

The Business Development Board is supposedly a private non-government entity. Yet it derives almost its entire budget from their friends on the County Commission and other Martin governments. Everyone has a seat at the table but you, the taxpayer. Is this the way government should function?

 

What happened to spending your taxes on infrastructure? The vaunted quality of Martin schools is a fiction when compared to those in other parts of the country. If you want to compete for industry, then our schools need to be the best in the world…not better than Clay County’s. If you want industry, then it needs to be simple to open a business rather than making people spend needless months to get their approvals to do so. We need housing at all levels to support a diverse work force. Yet, we fight it at every turn.

 

The United States, including Martin County, has forgotten why we became an economic powerhouse. It was not because of economic subsidy but rather economic freedom. Existing businesses should not be kept on life support by the government buying their bonds or investing in their stock. Nor should Martin County tax money be used to favor Company A by doling out the money collected from Companies B through Z.

 

Martin County voters will decide the question of tax incentives this election. I urge you to vote no on this referendum and send the message that your tax money needs to be used for new drainage in Hobe Sound and Palm City. That we need to continue to spend money on our rivers and waterways to improve our quality of life. At the same time, let’s send a message that entities such as the BDB need to stop taking money from the government coffers.

 

I know I am tired of supporting the County elite in their good life. How about you?

The Tragedy We All Face

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On Sunday, Stuart and Martin County demonstrated that it could come together and embrace a unifying message of peace and love. Hundreds of our residents of all faiths and colors gathered to protest the sickening scourge of race hatred still alive throughout this country.  Law enforcement marched in solidarity with the citizens to show that a despicable action like the one in Minneapolis will not be tolerated here.

 

Yet while that act of brotherhood was going on in Stuart, throughout the United States often peaceful protests were disintegrating into rioting. America has a need to come together and not be drawn apart.

 

There are those who are looking to further a political narrative by sacrificing the principles of equality and justice that we should cherish. A stain is on the American soul that will not be gone until each American sees only another American and not his skin color.

 

We are all responsible for the continuation of the American sin. There are no innocents. As a society, if we allow men and women in their official capacities to see and treat others as less than human, that original American sin continues. There should be no place in today’s nation for racial prejudice to be perpetuated.

 

Yes, the officer that murdered George Floyd was arrested, but is that enough? I predict at any moment the other three police officers who acted as accomplices will also be charged. This may provide justice for Floyd’s family. We need to prevent any more families for having to seek this justice.The grief for Floyd’s family will continue. We must remember that Floyd’s family is part of our American family.

 

What will prevent this from occurring again? Floyd’s death was not an accident. The death of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia was not an accident. The deaths of countless more were not accidents.

 

I remember legal segregation when I visited my grandparents in Florida as a kid. For me, the inexplicable idea that a black person could not eat here or use the bathroom there made no sense. I grew up in an integrated New York neighborhood, yet we still were segregated by choice if nor geography. Has anything really changed?

 

We have never been more divided and leaderless as we are today. There is no liberal or conservative doctrine that espouses the right to kill another person because of race. Can someone actually claim that Democrats or Republicans believe that there is an inherent constitutional right to riot and murder?

 

What we saw with our own eyes in the death of Floyd happened because Derek Chauvin had a willful disregard for that man’s life. Would Chauvin had acted similarly if Floyd had been a 6’6” white man?

 

One cannot claim to espouse the name of Jesus and then ignore his teachings. Whether when we pray it is to Jehovah, Allah, or God there is no place to claim His love and then be hateful in word and deed. In Proverbs 31:9 we are told to: “Open your mouths, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”

 

America needs to stop the hate. Our political leadership from the president on down needs to cease using division as a tactic to secure their election victories. If you believe in American exceptionalism, then we have a moral responsibility as Americans to lead our lives righteously. The United States alone was founded not by people of the same tribe, race, or blood but by all adhering to a doctrine of civil faith.

 

We entrust police officers with the power to arrest and detain their fellow citizens. Our society gives the ultimate authority and discretion to a law enforcement officer to take a life if necessary. This is a solemn responsibility. In no way was the taking of George Floyd’s life by Derek Chauvin and his accomplices justifiable. It was murder.

Who Interprets Development Orders?

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No matter how small a development project that is presented before the Commission or an advisory board, there are conditions for approval usually attached. Who is responsible for making sure those conditions are fulfilled before the project ultimately obtains its certificate of occupancy?

 

Rightfully, the elected body assumes that the developer or builder will abide by those terms. When the final inspection is made to make sure the building code has been complied with, does anyone at the City or County look to see whether those other conditions were met? And if not, then why not? Who is guarding the hen house so to speak?

 

We must keep in mind that we have several different codes. Zoning and Land Development Regulations (LDR) are the ones that the Development Department and the Boards and Commissions create and administer within the parameters allowed by state law. The Building Official is responsible for making sure that Florida’s Building Codes are followed by the builder.

 

Even if the Commission wanted to, it could not alter the Florida Building Code. A Commissioner cannot tell his friend to forget about the sprinkler system if the Building Code requires it. What a Commission can do is give the developer 3 units more than would be allowed under the LDR.  They could change the zoning on the property from one use to the other to make the project move forward.

 

When the Commission does those things, it usually will require other changes in the developer’s plan. For example, it could require a second means of egress, more plantings to block the project from someone’s view or to have 8-foot sidewalks instead of 6 feet. It is a negotiation between both parties.

 

Supposedly, a certificate of occupancy is given after all the conditions of the plan approval are met. Sometimes, they simply are not. Other times, conditions could be open to interpretation. And, let us face it, the appointed and elected officials are no match for the expertise of staff. It is staff that does the interpretation.

 

I do not know what the answer is, but mostly the public loses in this battle of wits and wordsmithing. For the most part, elected bodies try to do the right thing. That is why they weigh the interests of all their constituents, the immediate neighbors, and the property owner. Ultimately, it is how staff interprets those compromises which are memorialized in development conditions that are so important.

 

Project approval is only the beginning of the process. The public needs to be aware of how that order is understood by staff. They are the ones that have the final authority. It may be up to you to make sure the order is interpreted as the Commission meant it to apply, and if not, bring it to their attention.

From The May 17, 2020 Newsletter

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From The May 17, 2020 Newsletter

To read the entire newsletter go to: May 17 Newsletter

 

GOLF CARTS

For some time, the City of Stuart has allowed registered golf carts to be driven on City streets. It was an idea that seemed like a no-brainer at the time it was enacted. I would have thought more people would have taken advantage of the ability to do so. Unfortunately, not too many have done so.

 

I think one of the reasons I have not bought a cart is because it is unclear whether I could drive my cart across Federal Highway to go downtown from my home. Perhaps that worry may be a thing of the past soon.

 

The County is looking into designating “golf cart communities” in the unincorporated areas so that it would be possible to use golf carts throughout Martin and then to cross County roads to go shopping, etc.

 

You still would not be able to drive on roads that have speed limits of more than 35 MPH. If you lived in Palm City, you could cross Martin Highway and get to the other side. I would assume that the County ordinance will be like Stuart’s and require insurance, brake lights and other safety features.

 

Many of us confuse Golf Carts with what are known as Low Speed Vehicles. Think of a tricked-out golf cart that has things like windshields, lights, and seat belts. They can go no more than 25 miles per hour. The vehicles are registered and insured just like a car. They can cross any road but cannot be driven on roads with speed limits of greater than 35 miles per hour.

 

This was discussed at the meeting. There seemed to be clear direction to bring back an ordinance to allow for golf cart communities throughout the County. It would seem to me both type of vehicles would be great options for residents to have. In some instances, it may negate the need for that second car for families. I hope the County can seriously move forward with this and not get bogged down as sometimes happens.

 

The County’s presentation can be found Here

 

Stuart’s current rules, state statute on slow moving vehicles and golf carts can be found Here

 

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America Has Seen This Before…Are We As Strong As Our Parents?

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As we look at how Covid-19 has affected our lives and economy, we feel that nothing like this has happened before. That is not true.

 

Man has faced infectious diseases since prehistoric times. Two diseases that were more common in the last century and how our society responded are good examples for us when dealing with Covid-19.

The first example is tuberculosis. Until the 1950s, sanitariums were quite common. A relative of mine became the food service director of several Catholic sanitariums in New York City in the 1940s. Before widespread use of antibiotics, people would remain in a sanitarium for months while convalescing. That would help them get proper care and keep from spreading the disease to others.

 

In the 19th century, tuberculosis was known as “consumption” or the wasting disease. Emily Bronte, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Anton Chekhov were all writers that died of the disease. In our own western mythology, Doc Holiday contracted and died from TB. Ever since the vaccine for tuberculosis has been widely given in the United States, this disease has been under control. Yet it is estimated that 13 million Americans have latent tuberculosis infection even today.

 

 

What is closer to the current corona virus pandemic is the polio outbreaks of last century. While polio was present in the population throughout history, it was not as widespread until the late 19th and early 20th century. Prior to then young children up to the age of 4 would usually have very mild cases thus acquiring immunity. With the introduction of public water and sanitation systems, this natural immunity no longer occurred. The older you were the more severe the symptoms and prognosis. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the most famous of polio’s victims, became infected with the virus as a mature adult.

 

Every summer from the beginning of the 20th century until the Salk vaccine was approved in the mid-1950s, there would be an epidemic in part of the country. When the local Health Department began giving the vaccine, I remember lining up to take “my shot.” By the early 1960s, polio was no longer the scourge that it had been at one time in the developed world.

 

For the first half of the 20th century, polio was responsible for economic upheaval in parts of the United States every summer. Movie theaters, community pools, concert venues would all be closed when an outbreak occurred. Even during the worst year of the polio epidemic in 1952, there were only 3200 people that died of the disease in the U.S.

 

While Covid-19 has a much higher mortality rate, I believe there are still lessons to be learned from what was done then which can be applied today. There are many of us that believe that economics should take precedence over our community health. While I agree we cannot be in a permanent lock down, because of advances in science and technology, we are so much better able to manage than we would be if we were living in the 1950s.

 

We can safely shop in any store if masks are worn and social distancing is practiced. More and more of us can work from home which should be continued. We can conduct personal meetings using masks and social distancing. Tools such as Zoom allow us to continue to do so much virtually that in the past would be impossible. In order to do our jobs, many of us must interact with the public. Again, using social distancing and proper hygiene we can minimize the danger.

 

Our parents and grandparents were used to adversity. They accepted restrictions that we call infringement on our rights today. They knew that sacrifice for the common good was beneficial for society. This made them better able to cope with a pandemic than we are. They understood deferred gratification.

 

To us, a great tragedy is not going to the beach or sitting in a restaurant. While both can be done responsibly, we must realize that for the next year or more, intermittently closing those and the imposition of other short-term restrictions may be necessary for society to function.

 

Until a vaccine is found, this opening and closing will remain a fact of life. The United States has done a poor job of responding to this pandemic. Covid-19 will continue to devastate us both physiologically and economically if we do not use common sense. It may require us to close parks for a month, businesses for a month and schools for a month and then be prepared to open again once the wave subsides. And then 6 months later, perhaps close once more.

 

That is the type of behavior that allowed society to persevere in earlier times. We have modern science and medicine that will be able to give us back nearly all of what we had before. I say nearly because this pandemic, like other past disruptions, will change society in fundamental ways not yet known.

 

 

Booze Expands In Downtown Stuart

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Martin County and Stuart are taking baby steps in reopening. Downtown was especially hard hit in the past weeks when businesses were closed due to the pandemic. The City and the downtown business owners have taken great strides over the past 30 years to make the area a destination spot that drew visitors from literally the entire United States.

 

By writing an innovative code that allowed for individual “mom & pop” stores to thrive, the City showed that downtown would be revived and not turn into an outdoor mall with chain stores and too many bars and restaurants. This may now be in jeopardy because of the City government not following its own code.

 

The plan that was initiated for the downtown’s rebirth had mainly two ideas. The first was to limit chains by using design standards. In many instances, this precluded a Talbot’s, for instance, from renting space. This preserved the small-town charm and unique characteristics that have encouraged tourists and others venturing here to have a great experience.

 

The other part of the plan was to limit the sale of alcoholic beverages to not more than 30% of the downtown area. In that way, Stuart would not become a miniature Clematis Street or Delray Beach. Bars and restaurants can afford to pay higher rents. If allowed to multiply, those quaint boutiques would soon be out of business because they would be unable to compete.

 

Both have been instrumental in creating the downtown we have today. Now that is being threatened by either the City Development Office not knowing its own code or willful defiant actions of that code. A business expansion in one case and the signing of a new lease in another will place the City in an untenable situation.

 

The Black Marlin is expanding (with permits) into the Cigar store that was next to it, and Development has allowed the Cigar store to sign a lease in a new space knowing that its plan is to sell alcohol. Those two actions will result in over 30% of the downtown area selling booze in one form or another.

 

It is astounding to me that this could occur. Only the Commission can change an ordinance…not staff. Yet, here is Stuart with two businesses that have spent a substantial amount of money to expand with staff ignoring the 30% rule. What are the next steps?

 

In all probability, the Commission will retroactively allow for these exceptions to avoid possible litigation. The staff will beg forgiveness if pushed, but the Commission may never even know why they are saying yes to the doing away of the 30% rule. Staff is good at the mumble jumble of bureaucratize.

 

There were good reasons why that rule was placed in effect. Maybe it should be changed after discussion and input. That is not the point here. Staff does not make policy. The Commission does.

 

If staff did not know its own code, that is a real problem. If staff ignored the code because they thought they knew best, that is an even bigger problem.

 

A few years ago, this issue came up when the restaurant in the Arcade Building was being refurbished and expanded. Then before going forward, it was vetted by different interest groups such as Downtown Business Association and Stuart Main Street. A solution was found, and there was substantial public input into that result. There has been no input this time.

 

With all the speeches about transparency and involving the people, it seems to me that the City (or least some of the staff) has decided that it finds the citizens, and maybe even the Commissioners, superfluous. This is the bureaucratic boondoggle that citizens complain about.

 

I hope the Commission pushes back. It would be great if downtown boutiques did so. At the very least, citizens have a right to know who is in charge and why this and other similar things have happened recently.  By ignoring what has worked well in maintaining Stuart’s small-town charm, while remaining a destination, we may find ourselves a different place.