Tom Campenni
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1
IN THIS EDITION OF THE NEWSLETTER
It has been a while since I have written anything. Everyone needs to recharge their batteries. That is what vacation is all about.
We had planned several trips over the past few years that were cancelled due to COVID. Fortunately, we were finally able to take one. While we were only gone two weeks, it has been more than a month since we last published. We are back with a new contributor, and thanks to the internet, even from Switzerland, I was able to monitor the different local meetings.
All our regulars including Fletch from Boys and Girls Club and Carol from United Way are with us this week. There is a piece from the Martin County Taxpayers Association on Martin County’s budget hearing process.
Jackie Hofelder has her “In the Spotlight.” Mike Meier contributes his monthly essay on farming, as well as Howard, Pine, and Hafner.
As a reminder, if you are changing your email address, please make sure you do so at Friends & Neighbors. And make sure your friends and neighbors are receiving their own copies by signing up.
If you have an issue with me, one of our contributors or want to sound off about anything else, send me an email so everyone can know where you stand on a subject. As long it is civil, we will print it if we have the space. If you want to become a regular contributor, drop me a line and we’ll work out a schedule if possible.
2
ACROSS THE WIDE ST LUCIE II
I reported last time about a meeting held at Stuart City Hall between Bright Line and the marine industries community facilitated by Manager Dyess. There were other people in attendance but all with an interest in the railroad bridge across the St. Lucie.
I was told by city staff that Congressman Mast was invited, and I reported that neither he nor any member of his staff attended. That was incorrect. Mast was not invited, and he should have been. It was a strategic blunder to not include him since what he does or does not do is central to whether the bridge receives any federal funds.
Mast contacted me the day after Friends & Neighbors was published. He wanted to correct the record. The congressman has been very vocal in his opposition to Bright Line. Everything except for Mast’s invite that I reported did happen at the meeting.
In my opinion, most of his opposition was justified before the railroad won in court case after court case. It was justified until the state, under Governor Scott, did everything possible to make sure further opposition was futile. Justification ended when Martin County along with the private group, Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida, gave up the fight but received concessions on safety and other things.
Was the meeting at City Hall handled in the best way? The answer is no. The marine industry is fractured and seems incapable of presenting a unified front for confronting Brightline and the state and federal governments who control the bridge’s future. According to Mast, he had arranged with the Coast Guard to have the bridge in the open position for 30 minutes an hour. Unfortunately, Martin County with the railroad agreed to 15 minutes in their settlement.
From inception, Brightline has had many differing positions along with different names. When it was owned by Fortress, it was all about real estate. It was subsequently not really a railroad but more like an extension of the Disney’s monorail to Miami. Then it branded itself for a moment as part of the Virgin Empire with Branson as super marketer. Now it seems to be settling into the role of passenger rail, owned by a rail freight company, that may have a commuter line component to our south.
Bridge Hunter
For Stuart and Martin County, there is a reality that is independent of what the railroad purported to be in the past, the present, or the future. A functioning modern railroad bridge is critical for us. Backed up trains with the bridge in the up position could kill Stuart’s downtown and cut the city in two. There would be no way to get to the hospital. A bridge stuck for hours or days in the up position would influence boaters, commercial traffic, and if it became a regular occurrence would negatively impact property values in Palm City.
It does not matter whether it is a private railroad and should not take public money as some people believe. That ship has sailed. Our two senators and congressman need to exert all their influence to have a new bridge built. This may mean strong arming the railroad to come up with some money to go toward the project. Our state and federal governments need to take the lead in doing the necessary studies to secure federal funds.
Building that bridge will bring high paying jobs to the area. It will help the marine industries to improve and expand their jobs. While selling boats is important, building them is much more lucrative. Stuart could capitalize on its river location. That really has not been done since the 1930s and 1940s. Martin County needs an all-hands-on-board approach.
Commissioners Ciampi and Hetherington should take the lead for the county in securing these funds. It is their districts that will be most affected. Stuart needs to prod its representatives to move this along. The cage needs to be shaken regularly.
At the September 13th Stuart commission meeting, a representative of Mast’s was there to supposedly correct the record. In the past the congressman along with almost every other elected official was not in support of the railroad. That was a good fight, but it is over. Congressman Mast has the perfect opportunity to now lead.
Everyone in Martin County has a stake in having a modern bridge across the St. Lucie. It is especially critical for the City of Stuart and the congressman’s former neighbors in Palm City. With a problematic bridge hundreds of millions of real estate values can be lost. The past is past. The future will be determined by how much political capital Congressman Mast and other elected officials want to expend in proposing and actively supporting the federal funding for the bridge and working with the railroad, state and local government, and various constituencies to accomplish the task.
When I spoke to Congressman Mast, I gave him the opportunity to author an article outlining his positions. That invitation remains open on this subject or any other for him, our state legislators, or any locally elected official. We value as much input as we can publish.
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VACATION AND WHAT YOU LEARN
As I write this, I have been in Switzerland for nearly two weeks.
We have also crossed over the border into Italy a few times. There was a referendum whether to recognize same sex marriage. The Germans held a national election to see which party would govern now that Merkel has stepped down.
I did not hear any mention of voting illegitimacy or how the losing side had the election stolen. In fact, in Switzerland it wasn’t even obvious that voting was going on. It is just a story in the newspaper. And people still read them there.
COVID is just as prevalent in that country as ours. People must wear masks indoors. At restaurants, once at a table, the mask may be removed while sitting. But I saw no signs of rebellion or unpleasantness as characterized by the public actions of too many Americans. The vaccination rates in Switzerland are about the same as ours or just slightly better. Those that are unvaccinated cannot dine out since they do not have the required QR code showing their status.
Putting aside COVID, in many instances the Swiss are technologically ahead of us. They are much more eager to embrace newer methods of doing things. Public transportation systems are better maintained, on time, and accommodating.
One of the things we do when in a different place either abroad or at home is go through a local supermarket. We visited two supermarkets in Switzerland, and they were modern and up to date. They were much larger than most of our Publix with meat, fish, and vegetable sections that were more diverse in the products offered. There were no frozen food sections worth speaking about. Prices were higher more comparable to a Whole Foods.
Migros Supermarkets
The thing I noticed was that Swiss lives are not so exhausted by everyday living. They do not spend hours watching the latest “braking” cable news. Things just seem more measured and polite.
Perhaps they have had enough of wars being fought where they live. We have not had one in the US since the Civil War which is within no one’s living memory. Are we headed that way? I have a nagging fear we are…yet hoping not. Perhaps our better angels will prevail. Yet when you have men and women hating ideas and then hating the people who believe in those ideas, then results are harder to control.
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NON-PROFIT PERSPECTIVE
By Carol Howaart-Diez
United Way of Martin County President-CEO
It’s hard to believe that fall is here.
During this time of year, local nonprofits begin preparing for the holiday season. For over 30 years, United Way of Martin County has been the official Toys for Tots coordinating organization. We use the toys that are graciously donated at local Toys for Tots drop-off sites throughout Martin County to assist families through the United Way Holiday Project
We partner with the Martin County School District and several nonprofits who refer families to our program. The great thing about our program is just like Santa, we check our lists with House of Hope and the Salvation Army to make sure we are not duplicating services. We reach out to other organizations who coordinate holiday programs to ask that they share their lists, and to be honest, some do, and some don’t.
As a leader in the community, United Way can only encourage collaboration — We can’t force it. But the community can absolutely ask local providers to be accountable and collaborate.
This year it will be difficult to get certain items due to all the inventory constraints. For example, we will not be able to get discounted bikes from the Huffy Foundation due to the backlog of inventory, and specific toys will also be in short supply.
Here is where you come in. If you can help, please buy a bike and a helmet to donate for a local child. The bike does not have to be put together; as a matter of fact, we would prefer them still in the box as it makes it easier for storage right now. If you were lucky enough to receive a new bike when you were a child, remember the excitement and joy you felt. Pass it on. Bring that same joy to a child here in Martin County who would not have this experience without support from our generous community.
Annually this program benefits thousands of children and anywhere from 800 -1200 families. We can only rely on the generosity of our local community to assist all the families that need help with the upcoming holidays.
While for some, it is our most favorite time of year, for others, it is the most stressful. Children need to experience the wonder of Christmas, and I hope you will join me and others to ensure that we make that a reality for our kids in Martin County.
Next month, I will be sharing our work with the American Rescue Plan Act dollars that are available in Martin County. As always, if you have questions or need more information, please feel free to reach out to me at work, 772-283-4800, via email, chdiez@unitedwaymartin.org or our website, www.unitedwaymartin.org.
Carol Howaart-Diez’s opinions are her own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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PINE’S PONDERING
By Tom Pine
Barbour’s Produce a staple of Jensen Beach for over three decades has moved from their original location on Indian River Drive to downtown Jensen Beach. The new location is at the intersection of 1901 NE. Ricou Terr. and NE. Pineapple Ave.
Barbour’s
As they have for their thirty years in business all fruits and vegetables are locally sourced when available. This time of year, much of their produce comes from Georgia. I’m personally looking forward to around the middle of November when the aroma of fresh Strawberries from Plant City overtakes everything else.
Soon they will be adding some new items such as ice cream and fresh squeezed orange juice by the glass. They have always had fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice by the quart and half gallon There is nothing like fresh squeezed juice. When I was young, we always came to Jensen Beach for vacation and stayed with my grandparents, two things I still remember, Poor Bobs Restaurant and squeezing oranges at my grandparents, those were the good old day.
They’re also looking at some new ideas to bring in on Thursday nights for Jamming Jensen, STAY TUNED.
The County Commission meeting of August 24, 2021 was another sad day for Martin County Tax Payers. The majority of our commissioners decided to start paying some senior staff wages based on Palm Beach County.
The first two senior staff to receive the pay raises were the County Administrator up15% to $219,000 a year and the County Attorney up 12% to 202,000 a year, this on top of very large benefit package.
I feel confident the rest of senior staff are not far behind for some very hefty raises too.
Why Palm Beach County a much larger county with a much larger population, because this is how most of our commissioners have decided to take care of the senior staff that do all the dirty work behind the senses, such as the millions and millions of tax dollars spent in the Consent Agenda without identifying the purpose of the payments or the payees.
You can often hear some commissioners state, “this is what staff recommended” as if staff considers all sides of an issue. Staff doesn’t work for the Taxpayers they work for the commissioners, and some long-term commissioners know exactly how to work the system.
According to the counties final agenda handout, “Consent Agenda “these items are considered routine and are enacted in one motion. What are routine expenses…utility, insurance, leases, vendors, payroll, debt. Then how come the Consent Agenda varies millions and millions of dollars from one commission meeting to the next. What is Marty County government hiding from We The Taxpayers???
Next up I will talk about the newest 5.2-million-dollar helicopter that the Martin County Sheriff office recently purchased. According Kaitlan Palmieri who spoke at the Martin County Commission Meeting on September 28, 2021, there was no outside funding no federal or state grants, the entire amount came directly from the Martin County Taxpayers.
Truth to Power
Tom Pine’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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McCHRYSTAL’S MEANDERINGS
By Frank McChrystal
Frank took the week off.
Frank McChrystal’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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Herbie’s Hobe Sound
By Herbert Howard
Change is difficult for sure.
We hear it often and shrug our shoulders. If it doesn’t pertain to us directly, it doesn’t carry the sting. But when it hits home, our inflexible nature is revealed.
And we fight change tooth and nail.
Here in Hobe Hills, we have a bit of change upsetting some neighbors. It might seem to be a small thing to most. A foot path evolving into a paved road which will connect the two halves of the neighborhood. One wonders how it was left unconnected in the first place.
Evidently this neighborhood “evolved” and was not (as is now so common) planned out completely at its inception. This lack of planning, in my opinion, makes for a unique and not a “cookie cutter” development. However, the lack of planning has created issues between neighbors. I feel this personally.
I understand the homeowner who for years has lived on a dead end. If you never have lived on a dead end, there comes with it a great sense of privacy. A false sense of ownership. That end of the road becomes your private parking lot. No problem parking the boat or that extra car. There is, of course, the occasional teenage couple looking for a lover’s lane, but that’s when you become your parents.
Another expression of your “ownership.” But, of course, it is not “your” road. It belongs to the neighborhood, and by extension, to the county. The 8 residents living on the dirt end of the road must lug garbage canisters (have you seen the size of that new blue and yellow one!) several yards to the paved end because the garbage trucks won’t drive on dirt roads. Emergency vehicles have difficulty traversing the potholes, not to mention school buses. When Covid and a new “delivery economy” has Amazon and UPS trudging down the dirt section several times a week aggravating the potholes and the dust, change is an inevitability.
I feel for the long-time resident who has grown used to the seclusion afforded by “their” dead end. I lost mine. I wondered for a long time why someone would move onto a dirt road if they, in fact, did not want to live on one. Why change my world to suit your self-created circumstance?
It reminded me of people who move into the flightpath of an airport only to end up complaining of the noise. But then that airport used to service only prop planes and now jets fly out of it. Circumstances change. And as they say, nothing is more certain than change.
Herbert Howard’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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HAFNER’S CORNER
By David Hafner
Three different farms, three different products, one similar goal- leave it better than you found it.
As an agriculturalist and advocate for agriculture I often visit farms to learn about the different ways farmers grow our food. Not only am I looking for the ways they are growing food, but I am also attentive to the ways they are working with and protecting the environment with their farming practices. These environmentally friendly farming practices are called BMPs- Best Management Practices.
A BMP is defined by Florida law as a means, a practice or combination of practices determined by the coordinating agencies, based on research, field testing and expert review, to be the most effective and practicable on-location means, including economic and technological considerations, for improving water quality in agricultural and urban discharges. According to Section 373.4595(2)(a), Florida Statutes, BMPs for agricultural discharges must reflect a balance between water quality improvements and agricultural productivity. (FDACS)
For this article let me tell you about the dairy, the sugarcane field, and the fish farm that I have visited. One of the top things I am interested in when I visit a farm is learning about the nutrient management plan and how the farm minimizes impacts to surrounding water resources. Though these three farms have three very different products they all have similar ways of removing the nutrients and treating the water on their farms.
The water that is used on these premises collects in ponds or canals on the farm where the water can percolate back down into the ground and the nutrients can be removed before any excess water leaves the farm; except with the dairy. In the case of the dairy no water leaves the farm. Instead the water goes from the barns to the water holding areas where it is cleaned, and then from there it is either recaptured to once again go through the barn to flush out the manure or it is used as fertilizer and irrigation on the crops that are grown to feed the cows.
Growing crops with the captured water adds another level of cleaning as the crops take up nutrients from the water. As for the sugarcane farm and the fish farm, when the water does leave the farm, it is far cleaner than when it arrived on the farm, often cleaner than rain water.
Source: What Are Agricultural Best Management Practices? FDACS. Retrieved 10/2/21. https://www.fdacs.gov/Agriculture-Industry/Water/Agricultural-Best-Management-Practices
David Hafner’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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FLETCH’S PERSPECTIVE
By Keith Fletcher CEO & President of
Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County
Growing up in the south taught me that no gesture better expresses respect and appreciation than cooking someone a delicious, heartfelt meal.
Showing appreciation was the main reason—but not the only one—behind a recent initiative where the Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC) Teen Culinary Training Program made dinner to honor local first responders the day before the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001.
More than a half-dozen teens staffed our Fork in the Road food truck—the centerpiece of our culinary program. Setting up at the Martin County Sherriff’s Office administration center, they prepared and served meals from the “South of the Border” menu they created to honor the service and sacrifices these heroes perform to protect our community.
Members of Martin Sherriff’s Office, Martin County Fire Rescue, corrections officers, Stuart Police—including Chief Joseph Tumminelli—City of Stuart firefighters and more enjoyed their choice of chicken, steak, or fish tacos, alongside taco salad and churros for dessert.
It was a great in-the-field experience for our teens in the culinary program, which more than 60 kids have completed—learning food handling, cooking, knife skills, menu creation, etc., in route to earning a Level I certification.
A core BGCMC tenet is good citizenship. Sept. 11 is particularly instructive.
We’ve timed recognition of this tragedy with the opening day ceremonies of our AmeriCorps programs—always including neighborhood and park clean-ups.
Our H.E.R.O (Helping Each Other Realize Opportunities) mentoring program led 7- to 10-year-olds in an art project featuring a heart of their handprints in red, white, and blue with messages thanking law enforcement, firefighters, and military. Afterward, the “Heart of Hands” displayed in Stuart City Hall.
But these events took things a step further, granting our would-be chefs a chance to serve those whose job it is to protect and serve society.
Our kids are growing and inheriting a world they’ve viewed through the same media prism as the rest of us—one where conflict between law enforcement and citizen, particularly if you’re a certain race or age—appears inevitable.
We believe, however, by simply making someone a meal, you can also make a connection that not only changes personal impressions, but just might change for the better decisions that carry lifelong consequences.
Keith Fletcher’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
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FARMER MEIER’S PERSPECTIVE
By Michael Meier
As we walk through the grocery store – or the farmers market for that matter – we’re inundated with labels. Natural, low-fat, non-GMO, clean, organic, pasture raised, paleo-friendly, unprocessed, vegan… the list goes on and on, and it seems a new label appears every season. It’s confusing to navigate to say the least, and when we hear just how much our diets matter to our health and wellness, the stakes become awfully high.
The truth is our diets do matter, and not just for our own health. But sometimes these labels cause more harm than good. Many are unregulated to boot, meaning there are no standards or enforcement for them. And those that are regulated may not mean exactly what we think they do.
What nutritionists and researchers recommend hasn’t changed much over the years. For most people, a good diet is full of fresh and minimally processed vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans and pulses, and low in animal fats and sugars. Most food additives like flavorings, colorings, texture enhancers, and preservatives are generally recognized as safe in small amounts, but some research has shown them to cause various health effects over time. Overall, eating a healthy diet is much simpler than we keep making it.
That’s because food companies jockey these labels to attempt to imbue their products with a sense of these general healthy diet guidelines. Packaged processed foods might lure us into thinking they’re “healthy” because they have pastoral packaging and a host of healthy-sounding labels. But a box of certified Organic, Non-GMO macaroni and cheese isn’t an easy substitute for a fresh unprocessed food.
Most of us know that “natural” is a term of art with absolutely no regulation; we can just disregard that. On the other hand, “Organic” is highly regulated and means a heck of a lot. Organic certified products are made with ingredients grown on farms under reviewed organic systems plans, using only organic-approved pesticides and fertilizers, and GMOs are not allowed. But that doesn’t mean that NO pesticides are used to produce those foods, nor that they’re always grown on happy little family farms with properly paid employees.
Non-GMO labels have popped up on so many products over the past few years, and often they’re actually completely irrelevant. The USDA maintains a list of commercially produced GMO (or “BE” – bioengineered) crops here, and the list might be surprisingly small to most of us who have been taught to fear GMOs but haven’t learned much more beyond that. For the most part, GMO foods have mostly been used for processed, packaged foods and additives, rather than fresh and minimally processed foods. Only a few GMO foods for direct fresh marketing have been commercially produced in any way: new varieties of apple and potato that don’t brown after cutting, a virus resistant papaya and summer squash, and even a salmon. Seeing a non-GMO label on a box of wheat pasta, a bag of salad mix, or a pint of strawberries or cherry tomatoes is just plain silly because there aren’t even commercially produced GMO versions of these foods. Again, mostly this can be disregarded, because, cleverly, these labels almost exclusively appear on products containing foods that have no GMOs versions anyway. Sneaky, huh? But, if you choose to avoid GMO foods, you can save yourself a step and buy organic as, again, GMOs are prohibited there.
As for animal proteins, keep an eye out for labels intending to communicate how the livestock were raised. These can be important since animal agriculture is the most intensive and impactful type of food production. The USDA does not regulate the term “pasture raised”, so unless it’s backed by an independent Certified Humane label, we might as well disregard it. “Cage-Free” is regulated, but only means that animals aren’t kept in cages – they may be kept in small, cramped barns with no outdoor access; likewise, “Free Range” is regulated to mean animals have “access” to the “outdoors” but in practice these features can be so limited as to not be very meaningful.
All in all, labels should not be reduced to mean good or bad. They are there to provide information (sometimes) to help us make choices about our food. But that’s just it – extra information. In an industrial food system, labels can be useful because we ourselves aren’t able to know how our foods were raised, grown, and made. When they’re actually regulated, they can allow us to make better-informed decisions. But the importance of labels falls away when we can buy direct from our local farmers and ranchers; there we don’t have to rely on labels as much to know more about our food; we can just ask the farmer herself.
Michael Meier’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.
11
Martin County Taxpayers Association
Not Against Tax Increases
The Martin County Taxpayers Association is not against tax increases, but what we are against is bad tax policy.
The BOCC certainly has exhibited that on more than one occasion. For some time now, it has decided that it was better to own and operate businesses than have agreements with private vendors to do so. What happened at their last meeting shows what happens when good policy is sacrificed to the whims of commissioners who use taxpayer money to play entrepreneur.
This short article will not go through why public investments in water parks, golf courses and restaurants are not good policy. When you use tax dollars for those projects and not for the people’s roads, storm water, and parks, there is either a tax increase or the real job of government fails.
For the budget planning sessions this year, it appeared to us and others that the commissioners were not publicly engaged. Much work does happen behind the scenes between staff and the commissioner. Yet the reason for public meetings is for the public to understand the thought processes of the commissioners.
As usual, Commissioner Heard was loud and clear on which items she could support and which she could not. Commissioner Hetherington also made her trepidations known at several meetings. The other commissioners, when not acting completely uninterested, were wanting more allocated to their favorite projects.
The surprise occurred when it came time to vote on the 2022 budget. There would need to be tax increases in a few funds that would require super majority (4) votes since they were raised beyond what the law allows for a simple majority vote. As a result, Commissioner Ciampi took the lead in asking different departments to cut their budgets on the fly at the meeting.
It has become quite clear to us that what is considered untouchable budget items such as the sheriff’s department (34%), fire/rescue (21%), and other constitutional officers at 8% leaves very little room for other departments. Politically speaking, funding public safety has become the prime example of what it means to never say no for fear of alienating a core constituency.
It has become unsustainable to the taxpayers of the county. The commission has completely abrogated their oversight role. At some point, you can be too safe, and dollars spent have a diminishing return.
After making cuts on the fly and under the euphemism of deferring capital expenditures, a budget was passed needing a simple majority vote. In some cases, even a roll back rate was reached. This is not the way to have rational budgets created.
Every taxpayer in Martin County should demand more fiscal responsibility from every commissioner. Taxpayers should look at the trend toward businesses being created and operated by their government throughout the parks system. It may be time for MCTA to do another study on the waterpark where the county is claiming to have made a profit.
There can no longer be budget increases in public safety without a thorough cost analysis. Other counties have civilian budget authority boards which may be something Martin County should look to create. The BOCC is not fiscally conservative, but they do have fiscally conservative members. That majority should be built upon by the voters looking for fiscally responsible commissioners.
We are truly disappointed in how some of our commissioners are governing.
10
CONSTITUTIONAL CORNER
Here is where we will post notices from our constitutional officers:
And from our Supervisor of Elections:
From Our Property Appraiser:
Homestead and Other Exemptions
Homestead Exemption
Homestead is one way to reduce the amount of real estate taxes you will have to pay on your residential property. In the State of Florida, if you own property and make the property your permanent residence, as of January 1st of the tax year, you may qualify for the $25,000 homestead exemption. An additional $25,000 homestead exemption is applied to the assessed value above $50,000.
Please file your homestead application by coming into Martin County Property Appraiser’s Office or online at www.pa.martin.fl.us.
Other Exemptions Available for Homesteaded Property Owners
- INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY EXEMPTIONS:
- Limited Income Senior Exemption for Persons 65 and Older (Your total household adjusted gross income did not exceed $31,100 in 2020).
- Limited Income Seniors Who Have Lived in Their Current Home for 25 Years or More
- Widows and Widowers
- Granny Flats
- Paraplegics, Hemiplegics, Quadriplegics, Legally Blind or Totally and Permanently Disabled Wheelchair Bound Disabilities
- VETERANS AND ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY EXEMPTIONS:
- Disabled Veteran and Veteran’s Widow/Widower
- Total and Permanent Disability for Veterans and Veteran’s Widow
- Veterans 65 or Older with Combat- Related Disabilities and Veteran’s Widow
- Deployed Military Exemption
- Surviving Spouse of Military Veteran Who Died in the Line of Duty
- OTHER
- Total and Permanent Disability for First Responders
- Surviving Spouse of First Responders
Protect Your Homestead
By law, a homestead exemption is not transferable to your new home. If you move, you must file a new application for your new residence.
Property taxes may be affected with change in ownership. When buying real estate property, you should not assume that property taxes will remain the same. Whenever there is a change in ownership, the assessed value of the property may reset to the full market value, which could result in higher property taxes. Please use the Property Tax Estimator available on our website to approximate your new property taxes.
From Our Tax Collector:
For the biker in you
Live to Ride
The services provided by the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles touch lives of nearly every Floridian, and millions of visitors and part time residents of our state. Ensuring safety on our roads and providing quality service to motorists, with ever changing standards, rules and regulations, is an overwhelming challenge that all involved departments responsibly accept every day. With the commitment to provide highway safety through excellence in service, education and enforcement, we all continue educating drivers on the path to a safer Florida.
Our state is a great place to ride motorcycles all year round. Being properly licensed is required by law, so if the FLHSMV records indicate the motorcycle is registered to an owner that does not hold a motorcycle endorsement, the owner may receive a letter from the state, and the owner is at risk of having their motorcycle impounded if riding it. A motorcycle rider without a motorcycle endorsement can result in a $500.00 fine, up to a six-month probation, or up to 60-days in jail. Florida state requires a motorcycle endorsement or a Motorcycle –Only license, to operate a two or three-wheeled motorcycle over 50cc.
Steps to obtain a motorcycle endorsement:
- You must hold at least a valid Class E driver
- Complete the Basic Rider Course (BRC) or Basic Rider Course updated (BRCu) motorcycle safety course with an authorized More information on courses and locations can be found at flhsmv.gov/FRTP
- After successfully passing the Rider Course, you must obtain your endorsement within (1)
- Visit a driver license service center and inform them that you completed the course. Upon providing proper ID and paying the required endorsement fees, your license will be issued with a motorcycle
Keeping the roadway safe for all users is the responsibility of both motorists and motorcyclists-everyone can do their part.
Information on courses and locations can be found at flhsmv.gov/FRTP. We are ALL responsible for keeping our roads safe!
From Our Clerk Of The Court:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 4, 2021
EVENT: Passport Day
DATE: Saturday, October 23, 2021
TIME: 9:00 a.m. – Noon
LOCATION: Martin County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller
Courthouse Complex
100 S.E. Ocean Blvd., First Floor
Stuart, FL 34994
The U.S. Department of State warns that mail delays are significantly impacting processing times for passport applications. Routine service can take up to 16 weeks from the day you submit your application. Expedited service can take up to 12 weeks.
“Now that more overseas destinations are opening to travelers, this is the perfect opportunity to apply for your passport. “In today’s busy society it is often difficult for working individuals and families to apply for passports during the school and work week,” Clerk Timmann explains. “This special Saturday event provides a convenient opportunity for U.S. citizens to complete their passport applications. Our office will have trained staff available to assist with passport photos, applications and to answer any questions.”
To schedule your appointment, or for information regarding required documentation, forms, fees and payment information, please contact the Official Records Division at (772) 288-5553 or visit our website at www.MartinClerk.com and click “Passports” under the Divisions tab.
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We have two letters this week the first is from Audrey Taggert:
It is hard to imagine that our President shows more anger towards our unvaccinated than he does of the Taliban. Could be that the former release of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay are some of the now current leaders in Afghanistan? A release that he agreed to.
This sitting President has focused his aim on taking away our own citizens constitutional rights when his focus should have been on the crisis at the border and the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Open borders with little or no focus on who is entering our country and whether or not they have COVID or other diseases, or whether or not they are possibly terrorists is a National Security Crisis. This administration will not even admit that this is a crisis. The migration is already in excess of 1,000,000 YTD.
What will the president declare war on next? Flu shots, vitamins, proof of vaccination, permanent masking? Silly you say? People have been arrested for noncompliance of vaccine mandates and yet criminals are stealing from retailers and apparently that’s acceptable.
It is somewhat frightening to imagine where our county is going to end up in the next few years. There seem to be powerful forces attempting to change our values and challenge our Constitution. Please stay informed and look at policies when you cast your vote.
It’s unfortunate that all of your opinion writers are male. Certainly doesn’t represent a cross section of Martin county residents….
My answer to her:
Our female contributors are Dr. Michele Libman, Missi Campbell, Darlene VanRiper, Joan Goodridge, Kallie Jurgens and Carol Howaart-Diez. We would be glad to add others both male and female if they fit our criteria. If you would like to give it a go send me what you want to write about and a sample column of 400 words.
This meeting was a bit inconsistent in its approach to taxes.
The first part was about collecting more revenue in the form of sales tax. Last year, the thought was that our property values would take a Covid beating. Instead, the real estate market took off.
This led to a discussion about acquiring environmentally sensitive lands. There is a misunderstanding by some that the county by acquiring this type of property in IRL South or Pal Mar would take developable land off the tax rolls. For the most part that is not true. These lands are predominantly wetlands. They can’t be developed. And Pal Mar is a series of small lots making consolidation difficult. Acquisition will give Martin County flow ways which are critical to preventing flooding and to our ecology.
Both Smith and Heard would like to see a program developed to fund the acquisition of these lands. Is it a good idea…if we can keep the program dedicated for just that and not have any other projects such as for non-profits as part of the referendum. That is what happened a few years ago and it went down to deserved defeat.
For some reason at another point in the meeting, Commissioner Smith wanted everyone to know that the golf course was coming along splendidly. That paeon to socialized government business was going to be something that Republican Martin County would be proud to own. Now keep that in mind as we go to the next and final part of the meeting.
We have reported on the budget process for the past 6 months. All along, Commissioner Heard has voted no on parts of the budget. She does this so regularly that her fellow commissioners no longer pay her much mind. However, throughout the process Commissioner Hetherington has also made her opposition known to some of the budget items.
During both the capital and operating “discussions,” there were very little discussion happening from the three gentlemen commissioners, Campi, Jenkins, and Smith. Just “laissez les bons temps rouler” as they say in New Orleans. Because of the nature of the law, in some cases there needed to be a super majority vote to raise some of the tax rates. But Hetherington and Heard stood in the way.
Here are a few budgetary facts. 34% of the Martin County budget is allocated to the sheriff. While the county commission supposedly controls the money, who is going to tell the sheriff no? Another 8% are other constitutional offices. The other 58% of the budget is allocated to Martin County employees and programs that the BOCC control.
Yet 21% of that is for Fire/Rescue. For every commissioner but Heard, there is no challenge to the revenue requested by Fire/Rescue. Public safety takes up 55% of taxpayer and other dollars collected. That is primarily what government is all about. My contention is there is never a critical examination of these departments’ requests for political reasons.
So, at 5:05 pm when it came time to vote and a super majority (4 votes) was not going to happen, Commissioner Ciampi began asking departments to take haircuts. After a budget process of many months where commissioners did not seem interested, it was time to create a budget that could be passed. Each department under the BOCC, except of course Fire/Rescue, volunteered cuts.
The cuts were made in capital projects and not operations which was a smart thing to do. This is not the way budgets should be made nor tax rates decided. The deliberative process failed because commissioners were not listening to each other.
The list of those projects cut can be found here
There is not any one project in what the county is calling deferred that is devastating. They are solid improvements for the most part to our parks and roads. Even the $500,000 that is being cut from the golf course improvements is not the much-vaunted clubhouse or “Top Golf,” but rather money allocated to the removal of exotics.
We should expect more from the commission than on-the-fly cuts. All year round, the commissioners cannot wait to vote for cafés or the running of restaurants with little regard for the real needs of their constituents like everyday parks, roads, and storm water.
The commission succeeded in not needing a super majority this year. They even had a few tax rates that were lessened. What happens next year and the year after? More seat of the pants tax policy creation?
COUNTY COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 28, 2021:
There was some good news for the county from Tallahassee. Martin County was awarded $10 million for septic to sewer conversion. Staff should be given a big pat on the back for that.
While Sewall’s Point is acting as if it is a punishment to have the ability to hook-up to sewers, the rest of the county is working hard to be able to do so. Governor DeSantis has made it abundantly clear that his goal is to eliminate septic systems as much as possible. Places like Sewall’s Point are in his cross hairs in that regard.
There were two housing developments that were approved. One was the Pulte/Christ Fellowship development which I believe is a mistake and have written about how it contributes to sprawl. This is purely a political decision on the commission’s part which seems to feel it cannot buck a politically connected church.
The second development is more in keeping with the existing neighboring developments. It is on Cove Road and Willoughby and will have a PAMP with 84% open space. The development which is being built adjacent to Summerfield will have the same feel.
At 5:05 pm the commission passed the final budget for 2021/2022. Nothing was changed from the first budget meeting. As a taxpayer, I am no happier than I was after the first meeting which I detailed earlier in this edition of the newsletter. The allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars deserved more respect than what was accorded those numbers.
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The commission had its first vote on next year’s budget. There had been two budget workshops previously.
In Stuart and in every government, I see that revenues continue to increase but I do not see a vision for spending the money. We are currently in good times so money is flowing out the door for all kinds of things. This is how governments behave. But the boom times never last forever. When the inevitable bust does come, there should be no surprise that good solid programs are cut but rarely the bad ones of commissioner’s dreams.
In private business, you can develop a plan that takes a decade or more to be realized. If you can remain in business, you can work toward your vision. In government, the people in charge seldom last more than a few years in their positions. Managers come and go. As a result, they often manage their governments in ways to avoid having any problems only during their tenures. Under the “weak” form of government Florida has, elected officials can only exert so much influence.
Bridge Hunter
In the last newsletter, I reported in detail on a meeting held regarding the railroad bridge but got one thing wrong. I was told by staff that Congressman Mast had been invited but did not attend. Mast was not invited. In my opinion, not issuing him an invitation was a mistake.
I have a further editorial piece in this week’s edition of News & Views. His representative, Stephen Leighton, spoke at this week’s meeting. I have copied the transcript of his remarks from the meeting record. You can find them here
MONTEREY MEDICAL CENTER
How many of us have tried to go to the medical buildings on the corner of Monterey and Federal to find parking a challenge?
The solution, according to the center’s owners, is to create 51 new parking spaces by building over the retention areas. In South Florida, there always needs to be a place for storm water to go. Their solution is to add something called a Cultec System to deal with storm water and then pave with asphalt over what is now a retention area.
RETENTION AREA
This is not the problem for just the buildings’ owners and their customers. Since the inception of this project more than twenty years ago, the commission has allowed this project to have insufficient parking. In 2009, the buildings received a parking credit of 35 spaces alone. The attitude for this project and others by the commission is that the market will decide. Unfortunately, this is not a market decision alone.
If it were just a strip center and there wasn’t enough parking, then you wouldn’t patronize the stores there. As a medical and surgical center, you do not have the same luxury. Of the many medical businesses that are in those buildings, the only one where the public may have a choice is the urgent care as they could choose to go to a different urgent care center.
In many areas of the city, I think we should do away with parking requirements entirely (e.g., downtown). This is not one of those places. So, should the commission agree with another patch on this parking dilemma? It looks like this commission is trying to get this one right.
They have tabled the matter to October 25th. There was an incomplete packet that did not encompass the resolutions and minutes of the earlier meetings that approved parking and building this development. A management plan for the Cultec System was not included. Captec, the city’s expert for the proposed storm water solution, was to be present and have a thorough review of the system. Lastly, they want to see the applicant’s garage study.
The parking dilemma should be resolved by building a parking garage. The surgical center was originally situated in a very problematic place, and it is only one story. It is understandable that the facility needs to be on one floor, but why did they not build two or three floors of parking with the surgical center on top?
Stuart is an urban environment. Green spaces that exist within the urban footprint are important. It would be a mistake to allow a lessening of green space in this instance. The applicant made a big deal about the corner on which there is an upland area and noted they are not touching it. They can’t without the commission’s ok.
After all these years, Stuart needs to get this right. They need to build a garage that has all the parking required by code, including the spaces for which they received a waiver initially.
You can find the staff and applicant presentations here
STUART CITY COMMISSION SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
The city has two new legal fights on its hands.
The first is an administrative hearing challenging the methodology the commission used in determining the Costco project land use. You will find a full report about it in the “Final Thoughts” section of today’s edition.
The second lawsuit is regarding that perpetual “stinko” project known as Northpoint. Trying to get that piece developed goes back to 2005. The newest challenge was from the developer slated to buy the property before the current one slated to buy the property.
This suit, which is not the first one, is about the city not being able to perform. It will probably not succeed any more than any of the other suits. I just hope that the newest buyers will do something with the property.
A MOST CONSEQUENTIAL DECISION
Most people do not know that at one point Stuart had its own landfill. Decades ago, Florida passed a statute that all landfills and transfer stations must be under county jurisdiction. Stuart’s land fill was closed, and the city’s waste are now taken to Martin County’s transfer station.
LAND FILL SITE
Having an old landfill in the middle of the city with limited use opportunities is not great. The city is the responsible party environmentally, and it costs about $50,000 a year to monitor compliance with the EPA regulations. Over the years, various schemes have been tried including a golf driving range on the property. Currently, there is a storage facility and funeral home that have long term net leases on parts of the area.
For the past two years there has been ongoing negotiating between Goldstein Kite Environmental, LLC and the city. Goldstein Kite has made an unsolicited offer to buy the property. Usually in government parlance, to sell a property, the government must make it available on the market as an RFP. While the offer may be unsolicited and therefore technically legal, I do not understand why the city would not put it on the market as an RFP if it was determined that it was going to be sold.
As to whether it should be sold to Goldstein Kite, Mr. Goldstein who did most of the talking, was quite persuasive why it should be them. They seem to be experts in “brownfields.” If anyone is going to be able to have that large parcel brought back and made economically feasible, they would seem to have the ability to do so. Their website can be found here
If this goes through, they will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just to determine whether the cleanup would leave room for a profit. There will be millions spent just to make the property ready to be built upon. Mr. Goldstein stated that anything built would probably be done as pier construction which would add considerably to the expense.
They will pay the city a very nominal $100 for the land. The advantage for Stuart is at some point it will be environmentally remediated. The property will be brought back on the tax rolls, and it will become an industrial center that could employ thousands of people.
What is the downside? There is the potential that it would bring to light an environmental mess, and if the deal doesn’t go through the city will have to deal with the mess. But as several commissioners stated, Stuart already owns the mess now. That is so true.
McDonald made a motion to go forward with some minor conditions that was seconded by Meier. The vote was 5-0.
Troy McDonald
This is a very consequential decision for the city. It will probably be more than a decade before the city sees any upside by industrial development there. Probably none of the current commissioners will be on the dais. Was it the right decision only time will tell?
You can see Goldstein’s presentation here
OTHER MATTERS
For some time now, there has been disagreement between the city and the county over fire/rescue calls. For the time being, the matter has been settled.
The city will continue to use the county’s dispatch system which is paid for out of the county’s general fund as are the helicopter evacuation and hazmat parts of fire/rescue.
The main change will be to keep city and county response units in their respective jurisdictions. In the past Stuart, could go all the way out to Cobblestone to answer a call. This will hopefully prevent that. At some point Stuart, will need a third station in North Stuart or it could get very expensive. To see the entire agreement plus charges per call go here
The commission created a sinking fund for potential St. Lucie River litigation. Each year any money left over in the legal professional services category will go into a reserve in case legal action is necessary against the Corps.
A couple of years ago, the city put aside a 2-acre parcel on Federal Highway to build workforce housing so that the Housing Solutions Council could see whether they could find funding to build the project.
The council either found a partner to build the housing or is one step closer in doing so. The commission approved entering a long-term lease to tie up the parcel more formally for that purpose.
Whether or not this ever comes to fruition, it is needed.
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I came away from this meeting confused. I could not help feeling that it is everything that is wrong with the way public education operates.
I remember when I was young, the Catholic mass was still in Latin. When I received my First Communion, my present was a Maryknoll Missal. For every mass in the year, it had one side of the page in Latin and the other side was in English. It was a guide as to what the priest was saying on the alter.
I needed a missal to help me decipher staff’s explanation of the Martin County School District Success Plan. There was so much verbiage that I once again felt like the child in the pew trying to understand what was going on in front on the dais.
It should not be this hard for lay people to understand what the school district is proposing and doing. Perhaps it is not as mystical as the Tridentine Mass was, but it does require study to understand. How many parents are going to devote the time to unearth the concepts being conveyed in the language of education?
There seems to be something in the plan for everyone. Students, teachers, employees all have a stake for success. The plan requires coaches and experts to help the teachers teach. There seems to be no limit to the amount of personnel needed. Pedagogical justifications can be just as mystifying as trying to know how many angels are on the head of a pin.
Perhaps that is why parents are looking for alternatives to public schools. Charters, both public and private, must explain what they are selling to their consumers. Their success depends on having buy-in. Traditional public schools need not bother so much with the families consuming their product. Like the Bishops of old, they can continue speaking to each other about methodologies that parents are increasingly finding remote and immaterial to the education of their children.
The Board decided it was best to bring back the presentation later for more discussion. You can see the presentation here
There also seems to be a shortage of teachers, custodians, bus drivers and any job category the district may have. Does that mean the district doesn’t meet employee needs also? How do you attract people to work in a field that more and more prospective employees are reluctant to do?
Board Member Defenthaler once again brought up hearing from health experts but, except for Anderson who I think was for listening to those experts, no one else was biting on that apple. If she knows how to do it, she can place an agenda item to take a vote on whether to proceed with having those experts such as Cleveland Clinic address the board.
SCHOOL BOARD MEETING SEPT 21, 2021:
In the almost 3-hour meeting, much of the time was devoted to COVID not education.
It was not just the board that could not move onto other subjects but the public speakers also. The same points were made over and over during the speakers’ comments. Pro, con, and a little “out there” with some of the claims for masks, quarantining, and having the vaccine. What is a board member to do?
Victoria Defenthaler
Victoria Defenthaler continues to want the county health officials and Cleveland clinic to address the board. If this were a sane time, she would not be alone in that reasonableness. But this is Florida in the time of unreasonableness, and it is quite apparent how limited the power of local government really is.
She is a lone voice for facts that the other board members do not want to hear. For their options of what to do are so narrow. They are keeping their heads down and waiting for their orders from the Department of Education.
The governor has insisted that there is power only in himself from his lair in Tallahassee. Defenthaler claims the district has a 32% positivity rate…higher than last year. With the governor’s new quarantine regulations, it may be even higher in the weeks to come. What we have adopted in Martin County is the old Sgt. Schultz credo of keeping your eyes down and seeing nothing.
Anderson was not going to stick his neck out as he spoke. My impression is he thinks that Defenthaler is correct, but he realizes the uselessness of fighting. The two other members present at the meeting, Roberts and Powers, would be fine with a presentation by health officials during 3-minute public comment. They will all safely keep their salaries and benefits since the governor will not be threatening this group.
As Roberts stated, she receives info from the health department and would be willing to share it if any member of the public wanted to send his/her email address. There will be no special meeting, presentation, or any other act of stepping on the toes of Tallahassee by this board.
At future meetings, there will be continued inane public comment, threats, and incivility. Perhaps in between all of that, there will be a few minutes for educational issues and policies thrown into the mix by the board for discussion and implementation.
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Staff has still not figured out how to please Vice-Mayor Campo yet.
James Campo
It may be impossible no matter what they do. In this case, they did not give him the budgetary information he wanted. Manager Berger and her staff argued that what they provided was the same or better than before. It may be better, but it wasn’t the same according to Campo.
A commissioner should get the information requested in the format he/she wants. It won’t matter in what format they present budget information to Campo, he is going to vote no. That is a given, but he is the guy elected. As Campo continues to stress, the two things the commission is responsible for are the budget and hiring the manager.
Today, Sewall’s Point is better run that it has been in the past. Much of that is because of Berger and her staff.
It is not staff that is getting in the way of moving ahead with needed work, it is the commission because they have not spent the money needed on their infrastructure through the years. They are going ahead and allocating funds for the completion of one project costing $4.5 million in a capital budget of many millions. The commission for doing this is portraying themselves as belonging in the next edition of Profiles in Courage.
They voted to raise the millage to 3.268. The increase will be to service the debt on the South Sewall’s Point Road improvement. There is still no money anywhere for maintenance of that improvement or any other completed project.
Four commissioners took the “brave” baby step of going forward. James Campo voted no which was a forgone conclusion. Public comment echoed his belief, so perhaps it was more than just a baby step taken by the rest.
Campo is looking more and more like the odd man out on the board. Despite that, he should be given all the information he requests in the format that he prefers. Although he is unlikely to say yes to any tax or spending increase, but why give him an unrelated reason to vote no?
SEWALL’S POINT BUDGET MEETING SEPTEMBER 22, 2021:
The last in a long series of meetings on the budget brought the town no more unity than before the process started.
The budget for operating expenses is less than last year in most categories. The entire increase above the current millage rate of 2.87 is devoted to funding the completion of South Sewall’s Point Road. Apparently, that is not good enough for everyone on the commission and in the public. The crux of the problem is the need to define the town’s mission.
Michele Berger
When they hired Berger, I heard the commission say that they wanted a functioning town government rather than what they had had. One of the things that the town has been lacking was an up-to-date comp plan. The state has written the town putting it on notice that it was not in compliance with state law. Several commissioners complain about creating a new comp plan because of the costs. There are steps that must be taken to have one by law. That requires money.
The town’s past building official was mostly MIA. The current one has brought in revenue and has the town inspecting…just look at the additional revenue in the town’s coffers. The current clerk has modernized the office. While it was getting better under the interim clerk, the disfunction in that department had been there for years. I knew something was wrong when a couple of years ago, it was the commissioners who had to search their official emails to satisfy public records request.
For the first time in a long while, the town has a certified financial government official instead of what passed for the town’s financial records person in the past…and they were paying a fortune. Campo had complained for years, and rightly so. I heard a public comment asking why there should be an auditor in addition to an employee? It is the law…and it is just good practice to have someone checking the books.
Berger took on an impossible job. She probably did it because she was new to this position in government service. Has she made some mistakes in approach that a more seasoned person would not have? Probably she has. Yet how many managers would also be the janitor and clean the town hall bathrooms?
Besides few experienced people are going to spend the time it takes to run a town and remain within the law for the salary offered. Berger has done research on projects in response to a commission request only to have the commission balk when it entailed spending money. CEOs do not like to spend time chasing their tails.
I have heard commissioners speak against the fire contract with the City of Stuart. I do not believe one of them has read it. Unless the “negotiators” of Sewall’s Point think they could do something that Indiantown could not…they are currently paying about 300% less than what they would under the county MSTU. While the Sewall’s Point taxpayer would pay that fee directly to the county and it would not go through the town’s books, it still would be a substantial increase to the constituents.
Perhaps it is time to look at the police department. Law enforcement is expensive. Maybe they could outsource to private security? Sewall’s Point wouldn’t be quite the same. Yet it is becoming quite apparent the taxpayers want to have everything but pay nothing.
The new tax rate of 3.2688 was moved by Tompeck and seconded by Fender. It passed 4-1 with Campo dissenting. The budget was approved 4-1 with Campo dissenting. You can find the budget and a complete town payroll here
Berger also said she does not want to have the town move forward regarding septic to sewer until there is a referendum. The commissioners believe the same thing. So, this will be where the next fight begins. I have a feeling that the governor wanting sceptics replaced (especially in places like Sewall’s Point), there will be mandates within the next few years from Tallahassee.
SEWALL’S POINT MEETING SEPTEMBER 28, 2021:
Staff went through what ARPA funds can be used for. It is a good idea to review that while the funds can be used for water and sewer projects, they cannot be used for matching funds or to pay for projects already under way.
Then it came time to discuss the RFP realtor agreement for 7 Heritage Way. When it last was before the commission, the commission led by Campo said that not enough realtors applied because it was overly complicated. There had been only one respondent and he had left out what he would charge. There was another application by KC Daniel’s office, but it was only an advertisement for some lots he auctioned for Stuart.
Campo brought up that Stuart City Attorney, Mike Mortell, spoke highly of Daniels. K.C. Daniel is a good auctioneer. Mike Mortell is a good attorney, yet I cannot believe he endorsed any one person for another city to choose.
Glen Torcivia, the town’s attorney, brought this back because he wanted clarification on whether the town commission wants to re-zone the property to residential from a government classification. Campo now doesn’t even want to rewrite the RFP, which was his original idea. He wants to get it out there as fast as possible. The rest of the commission is not in such a rush. They want to re-write the RFP and hold off on releasing it until the property has been rezoned.
John Tompeck
Campo believes that the K.C. Daniel, an auctioneer, was not scored fairly. He made a motion to select him. It died for a lack of a second. Fender and Kurtzman believe, along with Mayfield, that the town could use the lot as greenspace. Tompeck probably has the right balance, it will have a beautiful house on it that will pay property taxes.
Fender made a motion that was seconded by Tompeck to have the O&M insurance qualification reduced and to have it rezoned before going out.
David Kurzman
Kurtzman led the discussion on moving forward regarding sewer to septic on South Sewall’s Point Road. The Supervisor of Elections will send a ballot to every South Sewall’s address. The expense would be capped at $8000 per homeowner. That was the same price as North Sewall’s Point Road paid. Both Stuart and Martin County utilities may be interested in being the utility. Tompeck would be the commission liaison.
While hookup would be voluntary until a septic system failed, Tompeck and Berger believe that within the next 5 years, the state will make conversion mandatory. That would be especially true in coastal communities like Sewall’s Point.
Lastly, I want to say that Mayfield has come a long way this year. She runs a good meeting and has gotten to the point where she does not take guff from her other commissioners or the public. However, in one of the votes at this meeting, she wanted to be called last so she could tailor her vote.
This was a regular occurrence with past commissions…it’s wrong! Bringing it back does nothing for the integrity of the commission. Voting should be random.
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When most councils elect a new mayor, they usually make that the first item of business at the meeting. Not Indiantown. The first Item of business was changing the legislative priority.
At their last meeting, the council had no problem in asking for hundreds of thousands of dollars for their legislative representatives to garner in Tallahassee. It seems that Manager Brown and the village’s lobbyists wanted the council to bring its request in line with reality. So, Brown and staff scrambled ahead of the meeting to come up with a paving and drainage project on S.W. Lincoln.
It is attached here
As you can see by the attached agenda item, it would be $730,000 in total and it would be a cost share between the village and the state. That project would be the safer bet in being able to have funds come from Tallahassee instead of the larger ones that were approved at the last meeting.
Jackie Clarke
Then it was time for the council to elect a new mayor. There are no surprises here. Stone made a motion for Clarke to become mayor. It was seconded by Dowling. It passed 5-0. Mayor Clarke gave a nice acceptance speech.
When it came time for vice-mayor, Hernandez made a motion for Dowling. It was seconded by Stone. That was the normal “everyone gets a turn part.” What was unusual was that Gibbs-Thomas said she refused to support that nomination because Dowling doesn’t have the support from citizens in the village. Stone said he that he had seen a big change in Dowling and that is why he seconded. The vote was 4-1 with Gibbs-Thomas dissenting.
Anthony Dowling
Committee assignments were made. Gibbs-Thomas had no desire to be appointed to anything new perhaps because she was unceremoniously removed from her position with the Treasure Coast Regional League of Cities last year.
I will not even discuss different committee assignments. In general, and not just in Indiantown, it doesn’t seem that clerks and managers want to take the time to have an accurate list of which boards have alternates. Council members were being sent as representatives of boards as members and alternates where the council has no appointments. Certain council members look as if they are on more boards than they are. Maybe the League of Cities should put together a list of boards and whether they have alternates or not for each municipality.
SPECIAL MEETINGS AND WORKSHOP SEPTEMBER 23, 2021:
There was a second budget meeting at which the budget was approved unanimously. There was no millage increase.
As the Council, matures something that would have taken hours in the past could be done relatively quickly. There were no surprises. Whether you believe they are wisely spending their funds is a political matter but not any longer a procedural one.
In a second meeting, they hired Grey Robinson to be their lobbyist at $35,000. Do they need a lobbyist? Again, a political matter not a procedural one.
They also approved the agreement with Martin County for $1.5 million as part of the 5-year Fire/Rescue plan. What was once thought to be a complicated intractable fight has become routine. The village will receive this once a requisition is sent to the county.
The workshop included the village’s creating a special permit system. Staff had questions. The council had questions, and both were coming to terms on their respective roles. Earlier, there could have been a less positive outcome. Staff will return with a better understanding of what the council wants.
At another meeting, there was a heated discussion over spotlighting businesses in the village’s bulletin. Upon reflection it was determined that the chamber would be a better vehicle for that. That is a more mature attitude.
There was a discussion of ARPA funds and the parks. It was not a set of flamboyant discussion items. The council was deliberative, and staff was helpful.
The reason that special meetings were needed was because of the council’s new workshop policy to allow for citizen input. So far there has been little citizen input. By the end of the year, they should see whether it would be better to go back to two meetings a month. You could always do a special workshop if needed.
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There is a high stakes game happening on Jupiter Island.
It is being conducted in a gentlemanly way, but make no mistake, there are millions of dollars in the balance. Right now, it is still more or less internal with the players being neighbors, friends, and homeowners on the island. The stakes are for what you can build and where on your property. That can translate into vast sums per buildable parcel.
When you listen to some commissioners and residents, they are a little heartbroken to see the town changing from a sedate enclave to a more “palm beachy” place. The dispute settles around where the waterfront setback line should be. It was last evaluated in 2019, and several months ago the commission decided to discuss it again.
To thoroughly examine the parameters of the waterfront rule, the commissioners issued what is known as a zoning-in-progress to prevent further building applications from being processed. This has resulted in some wanting to keep the setback line where it is and others to begin or threaten lawsuits since it impacts their property rights and pocketbooks.
Jupiter Island has been a place for the wealthy for generations. Most thought of it as a place for “old money” to live…those content with relatively small and non-flashy homes instead of the Palm Beach mansions. That has certainly changed over the years a bit. Yet even with the addition and subtraction of big-name celebrity, it had Martin County values.
Most residents are or were the working wealthy. They are the products of the right schools, white-shoe law firms, and corporate jobs. Some started out as working class, but most were either born well off or had the advantage of the right family connections. Yet while I am sure there are snooty residents, everyone I ever met was always polite and welcoming. The island is exemplified in my mind by gentlemen like Nat Reed and Whit Pidot, who give or gave unselfishly to their communities.
In 2021, however, Americans are different from who they were before. Love of place can be set aside for more pecuniary reasons. To its credit, the commission is trying to balance competing interests, the future of the community, and environmental concerns. There are no good guys and bad guys, just Type A personalities having the dough and the savvy to try and get their way.
The town could be in for millions in Bert-Harris Act claims and other damages. Bert-Harris is a statute that protects the property rights of owners. Government in Florida cannot inordinately burden owners with what can be allowed on private property. Commissioners are sad, residents are sad, and even outsiders should be sad. This is not how Martin County behaves. Jupiter Island is part of Martin County.
Yet Martin County was embroiled in a lawsuit recently with Lake Point over property rights and is in another one with Harmony Ranch. In the old days, everyone would meet and amicably settle things like that. The times are changing including on Jupiter Island.
The zoning-in-progress will remain at least through January 31, 2022. The town may begin non-binding mediation with most of the parties. Perhaps the pending litigants will see whether a larger settlement is possible.
One of the things that did come up yesterday was the lack of transparency in the town. Some were claiming that it was difficult to know when meetings would be held. In my experience it is easy to obtain information from staff. However, the website can be a little hard to navigate. The agendas have no backup materials provided or detailed explanations on what the item is. This could lead to residents not being able to know how significant an agenda item is.
There is no set monthly meeting date. Yes, the commissioners are busy, have multiple homes, businesses, and responsibilities but a meeting date that is the same every month would go a long way in being transparent. The commission does not need to start it immediately but can do it beginning in the 2nd quarter of next year to allow for the transition and their personal planning.
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In The Spotlight
by Jackie Holfelder
Jackie is always looking for a good story…you may reach her at: jackieacolumn@gmail.com
JLMC On Track for a Great Year
If you haven’t checked out the Junior League of Martin County (JLMC) recently, you definitely should give it a look.
Comprised of some of the most vibrant young women in the community, JLMC is right on target when it comes to objectives and partnerships.
Kim Waser Nash shares information about the non-profit with In the Spotlight.
The Junior League of Martin County (JLMC) was founded in the spring of 1992, with the purpose of providing an ongoing program of education to train volunteers and encourage leadership in community service.
Beth Conway, Kim Deulemeester, and Suzanne Karr were the driving force behind the establishment of the organization. These three women – along with twenty-two dedicated volunteers – became the charter members who addressed the needs of the community through volunteer service.
Since its inception, JLMC has contributed to countless local organizations including Florida Oceanographic Society, Gertrude Walden Child Care Center and Children’s Museum of the Treasure Coast.
For the 2021-22 league year, JLMC is continuing its partnership with the 10th Street Community Center, providing literacy programs and donating books, clothes, and pantry items.
This year’s leaders are a robust board of directors, including Emily Karr, president; Kathleen Dempsey, executive vice president; Andi McAvoy, president elect; Keri Gustafson, treasurer; Erin Heck, assistant treasurer; Taylor Gilmour, secretary; Karen Moore, nominating chair and Paula Chamberlin, sustainer director.
2021-22 JLMC board of directors: Andrea McAvoy, Kathleen Dempsey, Emily Karr, Keri Gustafson, Erin Heck, Paula Chamberlin, and Taylor Gilmour Photo Provided by JLMC
“We’re thrilled to kick off another exciting year. We are focused on building community engagement, delivering innovative leadership and development experiences for women and connecting our members across the community,” said president Emily Karr.
“The Junior League of Martin County has remained strong in its mission and we are excited to continue our legacy, inspiring dreams of what we have yet to accomplish and setting the stage for the important work that lies ahead.”
For more information, visit www.jlmcflorida.org. Follow the Junior League of Martin County on Facebook or Instagram at @JuniorLeagueMC.
Kiwanis Club of Stuart Plans Exciting Park Renovations
Cher Fisher, president of Kiwanis Club of Stuart, has great news about the exciting improvements coming to Kiwanis Park in downtown Stuart.
Renovations will begin in late 2021. A poured-in-place surface will replace the sand in the “tot lot”.
Vision of one of the new areas in Kiwanis Park Photo by Kiwanis Club of Stuart
Exciting new playground equipment will include a fire truck, market café, and friendship swings comfortably located in a shaded area.
Perhaps the best news is that Maddie’s Garden will be included in this phase. This area is specifically designed for those with physical and/or developmental issues.
Looking ahead to 2022, it will be time an older children’s play area to open. Think 18-foot slide, rock climbing wall and rope structure, all located in shaded areas.
Kiwanis Club of Stuart doesn’t just want a new playground. They’re developing a destination park where the whole family can gather and enjoy time together while making memories.
The Park has been a beloved gathering place since it opened in 1990, but now is the time to “kick it up a notch”. When the Park is completed, it will include four separate and distinct playgrounds for all ages and abilities.
The warm and welcoming area will be the perfect backdrop for future events hosted by Kiwanis Club of Stuart and outside vendors, including anticipated educational and informational events for the children of the community.
The plan is for it to be a perfect combination of structured activities presented by Kiwanis Club of Stuart and other organizations, offering all children the chance to enjoy the wonderfully upgraded playground.
To learn more or to donate, visit www.kiwanisclubofstuart.org
Happy Birthday to the Fabulous Kane Center
Members of the Day Medical Center team: Millie Ardiano, LPN/Medical Assistant; Melissa Gonzalez, DNP; and Megan Merrifield, medical office manager
In 2011, the Council on Aging of Martin County opened its new headquarters at the Charles and Rae Kane Center on Salerno Road in Stuart.
Although the Council had provided safety-net services to Martin County’s seniors since 1974, with the state-of-the-art Kane Center as its anchor, the agency could embark on a new chapter of growth and innovation.
The story of the Kane Center began with necessity. The Council was overflowing its small location on 10th Street in Stuart. Plans were drawn up to build a larger, but simple, senior center on an adjacent property.
Then a phone call from the Florida Department of Elder Affairs changed everything. Then-State Representative Joe Negron was interested in finding out if the seniors in his district had access to the services they needed.
It turns out that there was much more that could be done—if there were sufficient resources.
Under the leadership of the Council’s then-President and CEO, Barbara Kauffman, and its Board of Directors, the Council launched a public-private initiative to bring a world-class senior center and community hub to Martin County.
When it opened, the Kane Center became one of the few senior centers in the state to offer a social-medical model. In a single location, seniors could access primary care, Meals on Wheels, therapeutic adult day services, wellness and cultural programming, and expertise about navigating the challenges of aging in a bright, inviting venue.
This November 12, the Council will host the Kane Center’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. Cocktails and tours begin at 5 p.m. followed by a live performance by O-Town Motown in the Frances Langford Theater.
In October, the Council will publish a commemorative magazine that will feature a more in-depth history of the Kane Center—including the answer to, “Why is it called the Kane Center?” Copies will be available at the Kane Center and distributed during the celebration.
More information is available at www.kanecenter.org.
Many thanks to Chelsey Matheson, Marketing and Community Outreach Manager of the Kane Center, for sharing this with us.
Church “Celebrates 90 Years” Doing 90 Days of Community Projects
Port Salerno Church of God is celebrating its 90th anniversary by sharing the love with the entire community.
Although the actual church celebration takes place December 3-5, the 90 days of outreach that worshippers will be doing with various nonprofits and residents has already begun.
Port Salerno Church of God officers Paul Curate, Gay Barnes, Dr. Xenobia Poitier-Anderson, Alfred Patton and Charles Anderson
The first took place on September 27 and the last will be December 4, with a variety of acts of kindness being undertaken. They include:
- The Christian Education Board’s adoption of one minority teacher at Anderson Middle School and one at Stuart Middle School, each of whom will receive $200
- The Evangelism Department purchase of two $50 gift cards and to be given to a needy family in Port Saint Lucie and one in Stuart/Port Salerno.
- Girls’ Ministries’ gift basket presentation to a local family
- Women’s Discipleship sponsoring five of its members to join the Salvation Army Woman’s Auxiliary Board for the year and filling a wish list for the nonprofit’s Compassion House
- Youth Department members will complete various activities to benefit children and staff of Gertrude Walden Child Care Center
- The Music Ministry’s free gospel concert on Nov. 6, 2021
- Greeters and ushers’ drive-by boxed lunch event on November 13 for First Responders
- Senior Ministries’ providing of Thanksgiving meals to several families on November 23
- Men’s Discipleship project with the Samaritan Center for Young Boys & Families
A special program on Friday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m. with “Music and Ministry from Past to Present;” presented by guest speaker, Bishop Anthony T. Pelt, State Administrative Bishop for Florida-Cocoa Churches of God concludes the 90 days of community service.
For information, call Dr. Xenobia Poitier-Anderson at 772-263-6986.
Thanks to Kherri Anderson for this information and photo
Jackie is always looking for a good story…you may reach her at: jackieacolumn@gmail.com
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Anyone who has read this newsletter knows where I stand regarding the approval of Costco and the apartments. I thought it was a great fit for the 50-acre parcel located on six-lane Kanner Highway between Indian Street and Monterey.
Stuart has changed since I first came here more than 25 years ago. Stuart was a bit like the fictional Scottish village in Brigadoon. It was a place that was sleepy and was clearly no longer the economic and social heart of Martin County. The Stuart that once was a real center of commerce died in about 1975.
Sure, there was a Potemkin downtown full of novelty stores, but there had been no new construction for years. In that time, Palm City arose from cow pastures to become a residential center with 25,000 residents today…easily dwarfing the county seat of Stuart with about 16,000 people which is only few more people than lived in the city a decade before.
Now Robin Cartwright, a vocal critic of the project, is the plaintiff in an administrative hearing challenging the land use given to the Costco project. This is a state administrative hearing that will be heard by an administrative judge. Whichever party loses can appeal to the courts.
Her claim that the land use is incorrect is not the most logical to make. The Stuart City Commission discussed the land use during their hearings. Commissioner Meier asked during deliberations of his fellow commissioners what other land use would be better. None had a better one to submit.
If the developer had wanted, he could have built many more units on the site. The commercial part could have been less environmentally friendly. Is that the end game to make it less environmentally and socially acceptable by Cartwright?
Or is it just prejudice on her part and other NIMBY types? Apartments may mean there will be other than the typical white suburban homeowners living in Stuart. My entire life, I have seen supposed socially liberal people try to freeze out minorities and the working class in the name of keeping things the same. It is prejudice by another name.
This land is inside the city limits of the City of Stuart…optimum word being city. It isn’t a suburb, rural or exurban. For over a hundred years, the City of Stuart has been a city. If you want a big yard, go to Palm City where no city exists.
Osceola Street
There is a problem with the way we develop here. It is ruining the very thing that Martin County so much wants to keep…open land. Urban areas are where people need to live, work, and shop…otherwise you have sprawl. Our wetlands will disappear as will our farms and ranches.
Just last week the county commission approved several hundred single family homes in two developments, one off Kanner and one on Cove. Not a peep was heard from anyone. Environmentally, these single-family homes will have a much larger carbon footprint than any residential project currently being built in the city.
Ms. Cartwright’s argument is that there should be no development within the urban core. That is not a recipe that will serve this county well over the next 50 years. It is environmentally, economically, and societally a failing strategy. Not only will it prevent the most vulnerable from having jobs and homes, but it will at some point kill Stuart for lack of the resources needed to maintain services.
I trust the state administrative judge making the call will know that too.
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GET THE WORD OUT Friends and Neighbors of Martin County are your eyes and ears so that you know what is going on in Martin County’s municipal and county governments. I attempt to be informative and timely so that you may understand how your tax money is being spent. Though I go to the meetings and report back, I am no substitute for your attending meetings. Your elected officials should know what is on your mind.
Tom Campenni 772-287-5781 (o) 772-341-7455 (c) Email: thomasfcampenni@gmail.com
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Articles Tom wrote:
From Martin County Moment:
“A Deal In The Works”
“The Emperor Has No Clothes”
From Medium
“School Vouchers Can Prevent School Censorship”
“Christian Nationalism For America Is A Fallacy”
Other Articles:
The Capitolist: “Jeff Brandes’ think tank: Live Local Bill will help, but bigger changes needed to fix affordable housing crisis”
The New York Times: “How To Clear 500,000 Ferel Cats From New York Streets”
Trump’s Indictment
Florida Phoenix: “Statehouses debate who should build EV charging networks”
The Washington Post: “Tracing the power of Casey DeSantis”
GLOSSARY
American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)
Annual Medium Income (AMI)
Basin Action Management Plan (BMAP)
Best Management Practices (BMP)
Board of County Commissioners (BOCC)
Business Development Board (BDB)
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
Career & Technical Education (CTE)
Center For Disease Control (CDC)
Centum Cubic Feet (CCF)
Children’s Services Council (CSS)
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
Community Development District (CDD)
Community Redevelopment Board (CRB)
Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)
Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)
Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Emergency Operation Center (EOC)
Equivalent Residential Connection (ERC)
Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU)
Evaluation & Appraisal Report (EAR)
Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA)
Fixed Asset Replacement Budget (FARB)
Federal Rail Administration (FRA)
Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND)
Full Time Equivalents (FTE)
Future Land Use Maps (FLUM)
Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)
Hobe Sound Local (HSL)
Indian River Lagoon (IRL)
Land Development Code (LDR)
Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule (LORS)
Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual (LOSUM)
Local Agency Program Certification (LAP)
Local Planning Agency (LPA)
Martin County Fire/Rescue (MCFR)
Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO)
Martin County Taxpayers Association (MCTA)
Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU)
Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU)
Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY)
Organization For Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD)
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB)
Planned Unit Development (PUD)
Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
Preserve Action Management Plan (PAMP)
Request for Proposal (RFP)
Residential Planned Unit Development (RPUD)
Right of Way (ROW)
Secondary Urban Services District (SUSD)
South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD)
South Martin Regional Utility (SMRU)
State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP)
Storm Water Treatment Areas (STA)
Tax Increment Financing (TIF)
Urban Planned Unit Development (UPUD)
Urban Services Boundary (USB)
World Health Organization (WHO)
Zoning-In-Progress (ZIP)
