We here in Charlotte Country are learning all about “You can’t get there from here” at so many levels. The public is now exposed to their inconsistencies, the putting their “wants” before their “needs,” their beliefs before their facts and rather than band together, be educated and vote, stay home and pontificate and ultimately become infected with the “what can we do” syndrome.
We are told that landowners have rights, and while that might be so, you cannot build a business in a residential neighborhood.
We transfer density, easier than buying a ham sandwich. There is no thought being put to long term costs or revenues. Nothing that the local government does, gives a return on investment. Public amenities must be put in context and without a serious consideration, given the costs to build, insure, provide access and maintain, no tax supported entity should be considered unless it gives to the public what the public needs to pay, so they will not be forced to suffer for their insouciance at some later date.
Whatever Charlotte County is, has been purchased by those presently living on the land. Their investment from the smallest to the largest needs to be considered before we “plan” for others yet to come who will reap the benefits of others’ investment.
The difference in the tax collected from houses selling for $300,000 as compared with those selling for $600,000 over time is considerable. The money spent in the community by those who can afford higher houses is much higher than that spent by those living in the cheaper homes.
The County is a business, not unlike any other, it takes in money, produces a product and has its expenses. It must take into consideration the cost of money, taxes collected, its production cost, the cost to replace and repair, insure and more. It cannot continue to spend, relying on taxes to make all this work.
At some point, the standard model plays itself out and then the deterioration begins. Southwest Florida, once an inexpensive area in which to live, is now too expensive for those who retired in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
The housing stock is much older. The newer stock is smaller, cheaper in quality and more expensive than it needs to be to fulfill all the parameters for a vibrant community to continue to thrive.
With 36% of the population considered “poor” we need to know how many more poor people do we need before we “rely on the kindness of strangers” as a source to survive.
No upscale development has been built since PGI and none is planned. With 80-90% of Charlotte County buying from Amazon, the local businesses suffer and only national restaurant chains seem interested in investing in the business sector.
The mall in Murdock is at least half empty and where once mall traffic was considered the death of retail stores, the malls have died before the local retailers.
Amazon is highly invested in Charlotte County, having bought a 233-acre piece near the airport. This piece will be a logistics and transportation hub which will cut the time of delivery of packages (costs?) for the customers of Amazon.
For the foreseeable future, those who come to live in Charlotte County had better bring their money with them when they come, because with “all things being on the table” including tax increases, the idea of “having fun in the sun” in Florida is going to continue to be more expensive.
We are fast approaching the selection of our candidates for the November elections. The “Primary” election is, in reality, THE election and if we are to see the usual number of voters, the turnout will, to put it mildly, be “abysmal” with no more than 25% showing up to vote.
The incumbents seem to again be in control of their destiny as 84% are reelected. Not that it means much as “Home Rule” has been co-opted by State governments.
Corporate Capture of all levels of government, PAC support of preferred candidates is more like a force feeding of those who pay the taxes.
Our politics, once something of which to be proud, has degenerated into a morass of invective, conspiracy theorists, attempts to overthrow our system either directly in front of the voter or by subverting our laws and customs.
The public, given their due will soon find their wants inadequate only to find the road to recompense to be closed permanently.
”All that glitters is not gold.”
By Dr. Richard Pitz, Senior Blog Constributor