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"Smug, little people"? Does that translate to inferior?

My daughter and her kids rented a condo at Beachside Villas last summer. It was very nice and I believe they had beach access and there seemed to be ample parking when I was there.

35 years ago we had a home in Destin. We loved it but we knew change was coming. We moved to South Walton County and enjoyed Seagrove Beach for 20 years. Last year we sold our Seagrove condo. Unfortunately change is inevitable and there's no stopping the growth. I will always have fond memories...

I thought M.C. Davis was THE environmentalist in Northwest Florida.

I'm not betting on how the commissioners will vote but I'm guessing that they'll have some advice from the county attorney about any legal details and the possibility of litigation.

When is the county Commission going to vote on this?

That pretty much shoots down the argument that chain hotels don't fit doesn't it? I never believed that was a viable objection since a lot of independently owned businesses sell out to chains.

I wish the airline all the best with this service but when you consider total travel time you may as well drive. Drive to the airport, go through security, and the hassle of airports. It's only a 6 hour drive to Orlando.

Keep in mind that the county commissioners are the ones who have received thousands in campaign contributions from Mr. Davis, not to mention the thousands that he's contributed to the sheriff, school superintendent and some of the school board members.

A lot of the posts seem to be 'preaching to the choir'. The vast majority of the people on this forum are against the Hampton Inn. The fact is that one of the principles in this project is a pretty big presence in Walton County. Environmentalist, landowner, businessman. Over the years, he, along...

At the risk of getting off the subject of a Hampton Inn, I heard that D.R. Horton retains the mineral rights to the property they sell. Isn't Prominence a D.R. Horton development?

I wonder if Mr. Davis owns another piece of property near this one suitable for a hotel?

When do the county commissioners decide?

It costs money to install such equipment. That increases the cost of doing business.

It wasn't that long ago that there was an incident at South Walton High with a teacher who had a felony conviction. The school district is putting our children in the care of people they hire. I think that extraordinary care should be used in the hiring process but I guess this is just another...

It appears that the school district needs to screen bus drivers more carefully. It's pretty bad when children are in the care and custody of a sexual predator.

Are they building a Ramada Inn too? And I thought Butterfly already rented scooters in Seagrove Beach. I also hate what's happened to Seagrove Beach but more building and development is coming and there appears to be no stopping it. That's why I moved away from Seagrove. What we found in...

I believe Mr. Davis also has a ton of money. Possibly more than Mr. Odom. And both seem to have a lot of influence with politicians. I understand Odom managed to have a highway moved to accommodate one of his developments. And since Mr. Davis is already deferring to his lawyer, I suspect that...

Is this really a big surprise to anyone?

I keep seeing where there is a meeting on the 14th. Is that the planning commission meeting or the meeting of the county commission?

One problem is that a lot of people aren't interested in recycling. In the recycling bin I've used, people used to dump their garbage in. It needs to be a cooperative effort. And I don't think Walton county's elected officials have any interest in recycling.

The best argument I've read on this issue. Good points without sounding hysterical or elitist.

Are there rigid zoning codes in place now?

I heard there were more than 8500 signatures on the petition. If that's the case, if everyone who signed chipped in a couple of hundred you might be able to buy the property from the owner.

I no longer live in Seagrove Beach but I signed the petition because a friend who lives at Rosemary Beach asked me to. I can assure all of you who think that stopping this will turn back the clock that it won't. It will always be growing and getting more crowded. My husband's family has owned...

So the drivers trying to pass the golf cart would have been responsible if an accident had occurred, assuming that the golf cart was properly licensed?

It appears that most of the people in Walton County are satisfied with the status quo.

All of the above. I also signed Trisha Hutchison's petition when she ran in 2008 and I was told that wasn't a good idea. It really hurts to lose a career of more than 30 years and not be given a reason. Also, my husband was very ill at the time and we thought he might not live and to suddenly...

As a former Walton County educator, I'd love to know the reason why I was non renewed in 2010. I taught for 4 years with good evaluations and excellent student performance in my first grade class. I've applied in other counties and one of the questions is: "Have you ever been fired or denied...

The Human Resources director is Sonya Alford. Perhaps she should have been in on this.

Now that the presidential election is over, maybe the Walton County Republican Party could spend some time cleaning it's own house.

I'd like to know what the "mitigating circumstances" were in my case. I worked for 4 years with good evaluations and excellent student performance. On the last day of school in June, 2010 the principal very rudely told me that I was being terminated and to clean my room out. That's it...

Unfortunately, we can't give all children good parents. Most of my teaching career was in schools where children didn't have the advantages of an ideal home. They were children in low income and single parent households and it was my job not only to teach but encourage them to want to learn...

In 2010, I was one of just a handful of teachers who were non-renewed. That year the district hired more than 60 teachers. I applied for more than 50 elementary positions. Since I had taught 4 years had they rehired me law required that I be given a professional services contract or tenure...

I'm speaking as a former teacher. I taught for 27 years in another state and when my husband retired we moved to Walton county where we had owned a home for 20 years. I had no trouble getting a teaching job in an elementary school and was told the district wanted experienced teachers. I...

A couple of weeks ago there was an article in USA Today saying that most of the teachers in the US are now a lot less experienced than in the past. That certainly is true in Walton County where the most experienced teachers are replaced with entry level teachers to avoid having to deal with the...

A charge of 'misdemeanor perjury' is tantamount to a slap on the wrist.

Unfortunately it looks like we simply accept unethical conduct from elected officials as the way politics are supposed to work. In the Daily News this morning, the headline is about an Okaloosa County commissioner who is being charged with perjury and misconduct. Reading further, a name poped...

I noticed that Butler is advertising for 6 temporary teachers. Wonder what that's all about?

It was pointed out that the number of teachers in Walton County with graduate degrees is below the state average. I was one of the annual contract teachers who was laid off in 2010 after 4 years of service and would have been eligible for a "professional services contract" had I been rehired...

Walton County has very good schools and some schools perform better than others. I realize that budgets are critical but I also went through life believing that if a person worked hard and achieved the desired results you'd be OK. I lost a career that I dearly loved that spanned more than 32...

As of August 24, 2011, statewide, the percentage of teachers with masters degrees in K-12 was 32.18%. In Walton County it was 26.67%. In grades K-3 the state average was 26.32%, in Walton County 20.69%. This information came from the Florida Department of Education.

This evening, July 30 at 5:15 at the Tivoli Complex.

In Alabama it seems that some campaign contributions are considered bribes. Just ask former governor Siegleman.

Does anyone know where I can have a German made Rowenta iron repaired? These days small appliance repair shops are hard to find and I love that iron and the new ones are made in China. It's already stopped working.

Thanks for posting that. It's good to know that I'm not the only former teacher who feels that the current administration has not acted in the best interest of the people and especially the children of Walton County. I've written letters to the school board that remain unanswered after two...

When applying for jobs, one thing that stands out is that Walton County has a lot of turnover in instructional personnel. I notice that this isn't the case in our neighbor counties. I've always thought it was good practice not only to recruit and hire good personnel but to retain them if...

I'd like for the candidates to have some kind of town hall meetings so the public might interact with them. I taught in the same school with Trisha Hutchison but I don't know Mrs. Ragle or Mrs. Anderson. In the four years I taught the superintendent never darkened the door of our school...

WCEA is a token union. As far as I know they don't even have a website or a mailing address. When I was teaching our representative was Trisha Hutchison and she only said that the union didn't really represent you unless you were under a professional services contract (tenure). Now that...

I have nothing against the tea party. And just so you'll know, I'm posting under my real maiden name. Perhaps some of you have a problem with me because I lost a career of 30 years and I can't just accept it because we were told that 'the law doesn't require a reason' for non renewal. The...