Biophilia Center says " Thanks" for the offer but "No Thanks"

[Independent Thinker]

I agree with you Jim Tucker, the more education kids can get the better ! Of course in Walton county there seems to be a lot of people who don't believe in any type of science. It's apparent some of the people here will disagree with my opinion, but I say Kudo's for the Biophilia Center, and the work they are doing. I have no problem with their tax exempt status, the cost if litigation caused by stupid decisions made by county leaders is likely higher than any tax revenue lost by the tax exempt status. Let's get our priorites straight and stop electing and hiring incompetent people in county government.

 

[j p nettles]

I am all for granting a property tax exemption for land donated for conservation. How else will we ever have any open spaces? Why is this a bad thing?

Donated? Who donated any land? Davis OWNS the 50,000 acre Nokuse Pantation. I'm wondering if he also has set aside the 1.28 million acres he owns in Nevada as "conservation" land.

 

[Jdarg]

Wrong choice of words. Is "designated" more appropriate? Once again, I don't have a problem with people designating their land for conservation (i.e. NOT developed) and it remains open space, parkland, whatever, and not a subdivision, shopping mall, or other use. I know quite a few landowners (mostly in other places) who get a tax exempt status in this way, but they would have made a lot more money if they had sold the land or developed it. Not all land is so valuable, but it is a noble cause in my book. Our open spaces are shrinking by the minute.

 

[j p nettles]

It's too bad Mr. Davis didn't use some of his many millions of dollars to buy up some of that beachfront property that developers like Jay Odom destroyed with subdivisions and condos. Isn't it ironic that Davis and Odom have contributed thousands to the same Walton County politicians?

 

[luca brazzi]

I'm just glad the ad with the bug crawling over this website is gone. Sorry, I know ads bring in revenue but that one bugged me.

E.O. Wilson studied ants (and presumably, their mating habits). The ants crawling all over the page gave me the creeps too. Made me want to go find the bug spray and spray the screen.

 

[Teresa]

I am extremely thankful for Biophilia Center which is a beautiful center that not only sits on a preserve, but also offers important education and research necessary for the conservation and restoration of ecosystems in other places. It is literally an extension of our public schools and that is a huge contribution to our children and our communities.

 

[Andy A]

I, too, hated the crawling bugs but agree the Biophilia Center is a great boon to the county and our local school system.

 

[luca brazzi]

Wow! So the Biophelia Center is a boon to the county and the school system? For such a right wing county, a 50,000 acre subsidized "plantation" belonging to a super rich dude that generates no revenue and brings in no tourists, I can't figure that one out. And are our high school graduates so much more well educated than other kids in the country because of it? A bunch of folks are drinking some strange kool aid.

 

[meggiemom]

So now the Biophelia Center is looked upon as a necessary extension of the schools? I don't agree. As a parent I think we need some better teachers. We had some wonderful teachers a few years ago and now we have some new ones who, IMO, aren't making the cut. I got a pretty good education without the Biophelia Center.

 

[Bob Wells]

So now the Biophelia Center is looked upon as a necessary extension of the schools? I don't agree. As a parent I think we need some better teachers. We had some wonderful teachers a few years ago and now we have some new ones who, IMO, aren't making the cut. I got a pretty good education without the Biophelia Center.

I say this only in jest... its Biophilia not Biophelia. Oh and all I did was googled it.