Hampton Inn Seagrove Beach on Chateau Hotel Property

[Danny Glidewell]

There are unique characteristics in both North and South Walton. And improvements needed in both areas. People are free to choose where they live and should understand the pros and cons of living in an area before they move there. It is disingenuous to move to an area and then start complaining about the amenities or lack thereof. Property values are greater per comparable residence, business or acre in the South so the amount of taxes collected on an average house, business or acre in the South is greater than the North. There is no legal way around that circumstance. How those funds are spent is the decision of the elected BCC. They recently passed "TIF" zones for both the South and the 331 corridor. If my understanding is correct these zones will hold taxes collected from increased value in the areas they are collected from. Let's see how this works.

 

[NotDeadYet]

I could do without the rambo armored tank, but I'm fine with the EOC. I think they did well for the money spent. Those tv's and the internet capability aren't for watching netflix, and I have no problem imagining a number of scenarios where first responders need a shower. I guess people living in nowal do understand that they are at higher risk from tornados spun off by a hurricane than the actual coast? That our railroad infrastructure is deteriorating at the same time that it carries more and more hazardous materials? That sowal has no trains passing through, but no wal certainly has quite a few?
I also have no problem with sowal paying more school taxes because of the higher property values. I'm not happy with the current school administration, or with the bizaro world of school funding, but I believe in the concept of equal spending countywide. It's in everybody's interest that all of Walton County's children receive a good education.
I would really like to see an end to all this *****ing about who gets what. Everytime I drive through the 395/30a intersection I get pissed off all over again that we have no solution about eight years after the problem was identified. But somehow I doubt that money is the real problem. There are other political issues at play, and some of them have to do with the very same nowal vs sowal attitude expressed by some posters to this thread.

 

[Danny Glidewell]

Very well said notdeadyet.

 

[Misty]

NotDeadYet and Danny....I don't disagree with either of you but I do take grave exception to the "donor community" mentality or the "idea" that the South end carries the dead weight of the North and are the bane of their existence.

We do have a Sheriff's Dept. (with "toys") and a budget that I do think has become larger than life and a school system in dire need of an "elected" Superintendent with a vision and desire to educate all of our children, who can't be bought off by special interests and political pandering. Our current super (IMO) is hideous.

That isn't to say that I don't think the Sheriff hasn't done a good job but the M-RAP was/is overkill and I doubt anyone can tell you the last time they saw the Catamaran "patrolling" the beaches. Buying expensive "toys" that sit unused in storage somewhere is not effective use of tax dollars.

My point in mentioning the EOC (albeit lost on some) was to show (once again) that County Government has the largest budget, receives the "lions share" of taxes collected and has the best salaries/retirement plans. The people living North of the Bay are not the proud recipients of SoWals tax dollars, living in the lap of luxury nor are we supported by their "donations".

If SoWal wants to be indignant about how their tax money is spent reigning in County government (not creating another layer of it) is a suggested antidote.

 

[Andy A]

Yahata, yahata, yahata!

 

[carson]

NotDeadYet and Danny....I don't disagree with either of you but I do take grave exception to the "donor community" mentality or the "idea" that the South end carries the dead weight of the North and are the bane of their existence.

This is an obvious problem in Florida and across the US for that matter. In Florida anywhere around the coast, homes are going to have higher property values. So there is always going to be an us vs. them mentality with other parts of their respective counties..Longboat pays for Lakewood, Palm Beach pays for Lake Worth etc...so Not Dead was right on. It is always Robinhood, that's the way it works!

 

[Misty]

It is always Robinhood, that's the way it works!

My point is... I'd like to know what exactly Robinhood took form the rich in the South and gave to the poor beggars in the North.

 

[BeachMac]

The law requires the bed tax to be used for purposes that promote tourism and for beach nourishment (one of the four "cents"). The commissioners have recently gotten attorney general opinions and made legislative findings to provide for some of the funds to be used for such purposes...

Would love for some of the bed tax funds to be reallocated, as three of the four "cents" toward tourism promotion when we are already at record-breaking occupancy doesn't quite seem like the best use of funds. Would be great if there was a trigger whereby when tourism exceeds a certain occupancy or percentage of beds, then partial funds are relocated away from promotion to more pressing needs. This assumes a large part of our tourism population is made up of repeat guests who don't need ongoing marketing to drive their patronage as tourists, but I'd be surprised if that isn't the case. And social media outlets are a very inexpensive way to keep them connected in between visits, freeing up tax revenues for other purposes.

 

[Lake View Too]

I agree. A much higher percentage of the bed tax should go to helping alleviate the extra burden our visitors put on our infrastructure. Period. Too much traffic. Crumpling bridges. Etc.

 

[miznotebook]

If it helps any, I believe the bike path maintenance and construction and acquisition of land for beach accesses and parking, along with picking up trash on the beach and funding lifeguards, are also paid for from the three "cents."