SoWal Advisory Group
- Thread starter GoodWitch58
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Oh that is good. Very, very good.
That's not true. Sometimes, they even get their mistakes wrong.
I really appreciate SWCC and its mission:
To preserve, protect and enhance the quality of life and the natural environment of South Walton County, Florida. From its forested wildernesses, swamps, lakes, bay, beach and rivers to its historic towns and pioneer heritage, South Walton County is unique. Founded in 1995, SWCC is a nonpartisan coalition of residents, property owners, workers, neighborhoods and business owners.
SWCC can not possibly do what sowal.com can do, thanks to our talented and articulate members who are all such great lovers of sowal. you don't have to go to a meeting, pay dues and wait to get on an agenda around here. you don't have to have a major development issue to get some action around here. many of the community issues discussed here range from big to small, and everything in between. in other words, sowal.com covers it all. other community "groups" cover a limited agenda and operate in a completely different kind of way. sowal.com has a kind of limitless range of topics and community impact. and has become a real voice, as Hop said above.
I think Goodwitch has an idea here that may work well. maybe our voice is already heard well enough. or maybe we do need a focus group to help formulate concensus on issues, and organize sowal's responses to certain issues, etc. as long as it does not get to be all politically driven like every other group in town!!! including SWCC.
To preserve, protect and enhance the quality of life and the natural environment of South Walton County, Florida. From its forested wildernesses, swamps, lakes, bay, beach and rivers to its historic towns and pioneer heritage, South Walton County is unique. Founded in 1995, SWCC is a nonpartisan coalition of residents, property owners, workers, neighborhoods and business owners.
SWCC can not possibly do what sowal.com can do, thanks to our talented and articulate members who are all such great lovers of sowal. you don't have to go to a meeting, pay dues and wait to get on an agenda around here. you don't have to have a major development issue to get some action around here. many of the community issues discussed here range from big to small, and everything in between. in other words, sowal.com covers it all. other community "groups" cover a limited agenda and operate in a completely different kind of way. sowal.com has a kind of limitless range of topics and community impact. and has become a real voice, as Hop said above.
I think Goodwitch has an idea here that may work well. maybe our voice is already heard well enough. or maybe we do need a focus group to help formulate concensus on issues, and organize sowal's responses to certain issues, etc. as long as it does not get to be all politically driven like every other group in town!!! including SWCC.
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I think Goodwitch has an idea here that may work well. maybe our voice is already heard well enough. or maybe we do need a focus group to help formulate concensus on issues, and organize sowal's responses to certain issues, etc. as long as it does not get to be all politically driven like every other group in town!!! including SWCC.[/QUOTE]
Thanks Everyone. Perhaps I should clarify what I was thinking.
Anita and SWCC do a wonderful job...but, they have a full plate and they do have a mission, albeit a wide-ranging one.
What I am thinking about ideally would come from the government entities--seeking citizen input. In many communities there is an office of Community Relations...we don't have anything like that here as far as I can tell. And, by the time items show up on the Commission agenda, much work has already been done and money has been spent.
Commissioner Meadows recently requested citizens fill out a survey on recycling and she has been wonderful about the Play Park, but from what I know, these are isolated incidents, and both came about after a great discussion on Sowal.
So, in the absence of a request for citizens input, I was thinking out loud about how could we channel our energy in a positive way to get our voice heard before the action are taken. We seem to spend so much time now trying to get things removed or changed. If we could have a focused voiced BEFORE we could save money, time, and our sanity.
I agree with SJ that freethinking peeps crowding a Commission meeting make a huge difference. And, certainly Walton GOP is right about how long it to get anything done--apparently even when the Commissioners themselves want it done--so, how can we get our voice heard before we have more Big Blue Signs or The (orange) Beach....splattered across airline magazines and the WSJ???
Who knows what's lurking in the halls of the Commission or the TDC, or the Planning Office?
Let's keep discussisng it to find a way to have citizens involved before more time and $$$ are spent on things that the community finds unacceptable.
We have great ideas--and, as my granddaughter says, we have "Special Powers"-- I know we can do it!
Thanks Everyone. Perhaps I should clarify what I was thinking.
Anita and SWCC do a wonderful job...but, they have a full plate and they do have a mission, albeit a wide-ranging one.
What I am thinking about ideally would come from the government entities--seeking citizen input. In many communities there is an office of Community Relations...we don't have anything like that here as far as I can tell. And, by the time items show up on the Commission agenda, much work has already been done and money has been spent.
Commissioner Meadows recently requested citizens fill out a survey on recycling and she has been wonderful about the Play Park, but from what I know, these are isolated incidents, and both came about after a great discussion on Sowal.
So, in the absence of a request for citizens input, I was thinking out loud about how could we channel our energy in a positive way to get our voice heard before the action are taken. We seem to spend so much time now trying to get things removed or changed. If we could have a focused voiced BEFORE we could save money, time, and our sanity.
I agree with SJ that freethinking peeps crowding a Commission meeting make a huge difference. And, certainly Walton GOP is right about how long it to get anything done--apparently even when the Commissioners themselves want it done--so, how can we get our voice heard before we have more Big Blue Signs or The (orange) Beach....splattered across airline magazines and the WSJ???
Who knows what's lurking in the halls of the Commission or the TDC, or the Planning Office?
Let's keep discussisng it to find a way to have citizens involved before more time and $$$ are spent on things that the community finds unacceptable.
We have great ideas--and, as my granddaughter says, we have "Special Powers"-- I know we can do it!
TooFarTampa
SoWal Insider
Random thoughts:
I've often wished that Anita Page would come here and keep us updated on the SWCC and, when necessary, get us whipped into a frenzy about something or at least give us a nugget of information about stuff that may end up being something we need to know about.
Also, I view SoWal as being the daily newspaper that the county lacks. Not only are there very informed people reading and posting daily, but there is a great "collective wisdom" here when it comes to the hashing out of issues. It really is very impressive, and I agree that harnessing the "power" of SoWal in some consistent way can only add value to the community.
No offense meant to the Walton Sun, but when you have a daily newspaper taking a look at everything that happens in your backyard, there is so much more oversight of public officials. It appears that for years, the officials (most of them working in the north county anyway) have been used to facing little resistance to anything due to the lack of oversight. SoWal.com has almost become this de facto source of oversight, and I think county officials might be realizing this finally.
My thought is that if anyone tried to make anything "official" out of the evolving SoWal influence, it would be met with heavy resistance. However, if SoWal became more of an oversight agency (thanks to more posting from informed peeps like Anita Page), it could motivate more property owners to get their voices heard. A perfect example of this is Dave's postings re the sign issue. It will be interesting to see how this works out!
A formal committee might end up leaving out property owners who love SoWal and want to be a part of what happens there but don't live nearby. This is what makes SoWal.com so special. I guess what I'm saying is maybe with greater participation from influential locals, it can be made into more of what it already is.
I've often wished that Anita Page would come here and keep us updated on the SWCC and, when necessary, get us whipped into a frenzy about something or at least give us a nugget of information about stuff that may end up being something we need to know about.
Also, I view SoWal as being the daily newspaper that the county lacks. Not only are there very informed people reading and posting daily, but there is a great "collective wisdom" here when it comes to the hashing out of issues. It really is very impressive, and I agree that harnessing the "power" of SoWal in some consistent way can only add value to the community.
No offense meant to the Walton Sun, but when you have a daily newspaper taking a look at everything that happens in your backyard, there is so much more oversight of public officials. It appears that for years, the officials (most of them working in the north county anyway) have been used to facing little resistance to anything due to the lack of oversight. SoWal.com has almost become this de facto source of oversight, and I think county officials might be realizing this finally.
My thought is that if anyone tried to make anything "official" out of the evolving SoWal influence, it would be met with heavy resistance. However, if SoWal became more of an oversight agency (thanks to more posting from informed peeps like Anita Page), it could motivate more property owners to get their voices heard. A perfect example of this is Dave's postings re the sign issue. It will be interesting to see how this works out!
A formal committee might end up leaving out property owners who love SoWal and want to be a part of what happens there but don't live nearby. This is what makes SoWal.com so special. I guess what I'm saying is maybe with greater participation from influential locals, it can be made into more of what it already is.
The "formal committee" thing scares me a bit. I truly feel that if such a committee were formed, people would become more complacent because they would know that the Committee represents them, and their own voice would get muted. As the Yogi says, "we already have all we need." When there is no committee, everyone has a voice, and are typically more passionate about using it.
I don't think a formal committee is necessary. and not even what goodwitch is suggesting. just to keep talking about the issues on sowal.com and making a real effort to make a difference is all it takes. and we do have this already in place, pretty much.
also, for those who enjoy being directly involved in the community, you can be sure to keep sowal members posted on issues and events, etc.
kind of an informal group of community members. TFT is right - this is our daily source of info, in leiu of any real newspaper, etc. I've NEVER seen the local news on TV. so this is really my only source. If jdarg does not tell us about the Play Park progress, I will not know a thing about it until I happen to drive by and notice there is a new park.
it's worthy of discussion anyway, just for awareness of members of how sowal members do make such a difference! many of you are already excellent sowal representatives.
also, for those who enjoy being directly involved in the community, you can be sure to keep sowal members posted on issues and events, etc.
kind of an informal group of community members. TFT is right - this is our daily source of info, in leiu of any real newspaper, etc. I've NEVER seen the local news on TV. so this is really my only source. If jdarg does not tell us about the Play Park progress, I will not know a thing about it until I happen to drive by and notice there is a new park.
it's worthy of discussion anyway, just for awareness of members of how sowal members do make such a difference! many of you are already excellent sowal representatives.
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Thanks, Tootsie. You are right--that's what I was trying to get across. I don't want a formal group/committee/meeting...just didn't know what else to call it for the sake of this thread.
I was simply trying to find a way to be proactive, so that we could save time, money, and not expend so much energy trying to "fix things" that many of us believe never should have happened in the first place.
Just think how different it might have been, if the TDC had posted the Sign Plan with Designs on Sowal and asked for the community's response....or if someone had asked our opinion of The Beach....
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I am sure those of us that are part time residents, land owners, and soon to be residents will appreciate SoWal.com being a big voice in the community. When it comes to most issues, we are all of the same opinion...the betterment of SoWal, the conservation of the environment and the quality of life.
I have to agree that SoWal.com is probably the best forum to discuss issues here, however, I don't think it necessarily covers the entire population, only the computer/internet savvy. We need more respect for all citizen's, not just the favored ones. The notion, if you don't like it move, is really not acceptable. We should be able to converse and discuss all aspects of an issue, as civilized adults.