A couple of observations. First, the county is paying Theriaque $425 an hour as I recall, not a mere 375.
Second, Danny’s suggestion that a loss by the county on the issue of customary use could wreck our economy is speculative, as evidenced by his choice of the word could. More than a few others have declared that it would, not could, wreck the local economy. Funny thing that tourism, in case nobody has noticed, has exploded here despite there being no customary use ordinance. Facts are indeed funny things. Somehow, in distinct contradiction of those declarations and speculations, the local economy continues to prosper.
It is in fact the continued explosion in the numbers of tourists that has provoked our present state of affairs and this battle over private property rights. Should the county grandees succeed in increasing the number of tourists coming here annually by a couple of million as they hope to do, it will be that explosion that wrecks many parts of the local economy. As Yogi famously said, “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.”
I was running some errands in my car Tuesday of this week. 45 minutes to go 3 miles in Miramar Beach on the west-bound leg. Ended up on the return trip at Skippers fish store in the old Winn Dixie shopping center now dominated by Chik Fil A. Traffic on Scenic 98 was backed up at least a quarter mile back to the west, and was backed up to Emerald Coast Parkway for those of us heading west. I was the only car parked in front of Skippers and the other businesses adjacent, and Iwas the only customer in Skippers for a while before one the came in briefly. Cars were backed up in both lanes of Chik Fil A, and cars were backed up in the local cut through from Emerald Coast to Scenic 98 from in front of CVS all the way to Scenic 98. Absolute gridlock.
And what impact do you suppose these hordes in cars choking our streets and parking lots are having on the businesses like Skippers et al that can’t be easily accessed any more? How do you suppose the construction period of widening Emerald Coast and Scenic 98 and Poinciana will affect those businesses’ bottom lines? You better be careful what you wish for, especially if you’re not as likely as Dave Rauschkolb and some other tourist-related business owners, developers, realtors, lawyers and politicians to quickly make enough money to immunize yourself against the situation being created.
There are two physical forces of nature — sex and money. When there is enough money is at stake, someone is about to get screwed. Easy enough to figure out who gets the money and who gets the shaft.
And Danny sums it up accurately. Whichever side wins, the bitterness will persist, and the county at large will take years to heal, if ever it does. And all for power and money. Some things just never change. Greed remains a deadly sin.
