FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS SEPT 18, 2022

Tom Campenni

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IN THIS EDITION OF THE NEWSLETTER

I take a walk every morning between 5 and 5:30.

It is still dark, and sunrise is still more than an hour away. While in the middle of the summer the temperature is in the 80s and the air is very still, I noticed in the last few days that the temperature has dropped into the 70s and the humidity is not as oppressive. There are few cars even on Federal Highway at that time. It is a pause for me between sleeping and the real beginning of the day.

I never listen to music or a pod cast on these walks. I enjoy the solitude and the chance to think without distraction. There are several routes that I take. I vary it so that boredom doesn’t set in.

One route has me walking through Flagler Park on the boardwalk or the roadway by Flagler Center in front of City Hall. I hardly ever see anyone else except delivery people. I may walk through Potsdam to Colorado Ave. and then across Federal Highway. For the almost 15 years I have been doing this walk the only substantial change has been Azul. I guess I should mention Seminole Street with the two new buildings but that is not on my path.

If I take my Palm City Road route and then around to Kanner and through the Downtown Publix shopping center to my St. Lucie Crescent neighborhood, the only change is the self-storage on Federal. When I think it could have been a gas station or a Walgreen, my neighbors and I should count our blessing.

When I hear of all the momentous changes that people believe have occurred, I must ask how much has really changed in Stuart’s core? Perception has become the reality. We are a panicky bunch that has no idea how much change has occurred. Statistically speaking you are more likely to die in a car accident on the way to the airport than in a plane crash. Yet we fear the latter and seldom think about the former. Yet many people are more afraid of flying than driving. Our perceptions in many cases are not born out by the facts.

This week we thoroughly examine the vote on the rural lifestyle amendment. Darlene gives us her thoughts on prison reform, Nicki speaks about development, David on the changes in Indiantown. We hear from John Gonzalez on real estate, Rob Ranieri from House of Hope, Fletch on the Boys and Girls Club and Missi lets us in on the housing symposium put on by the Palm City Chamber. MCTA analyses the sheriff’s budget and Sperco writes the best fishing tips and spots.

Don’t forget to sign up your friends and neighbors to receive a free copy of Friends & Neighbors. If your email changes, please make sure we have your new one. And we are always looking for more points of view if you want to become a contributor.

Have a Great Sunday Morning!

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MY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED REGARDING THE RURAL LIFESTYLE

The Discovery folks invited me, and a few Martin media people to the Hobe Sound Polo Club for an informational meeting about the Rural Lifestyle amendment. The new amendment is a very pared down version of the original presented back in February.

At the time, I was not ready to embrace the amendment because it was county wide and I didn’t think there were enough public information meetings explaining it. I also had questions about where the water and sewer lines were going to be run and how far they would extend. Every one of my concerns have been addressed in the new amendment.

The acreage that would be entitled to the designation has been substantially reduced from the entire county to 11,924 acres. The Discovery development is adjacent to the urban services boundary (USB). To qualify for the designation, the land must be along the boundary. The water and sewer lines cannot extend or piggyback onto adjacent properties. So, the idea of leapfrogging to other properties should be out of the question

There have now been four public meetings throughout the county held in the libraries of Indiantown, Hobe Sound, Stuart, and Palm City. They were moderated by Nicki van Vonno, the past director of the Martin County Growth Management Department. A few of those meetings also had Zoom participation.

Though it is a developer amendment, if adopted, it can be used by any landowner who meets the qualifications. There are precious few owners that do. Here is the list I received from the applicant’s consultant:

Along Bridge Road:

• Discovery/Atlantic Fields: 1530 Acres
• Whitworth Ranch: 2824 Acres
• Harmony/DiVosta: 2727 Acres
• Three Lakes Golf Course: 1218 Acres

Mid County:

• Atlas Family IV: 1695 Acres
• Agri-Gators Farm: 1930 Acres

Everyone speaks about the sacred comp plan as if it is Holy Writ. It wasn’t until the 1980s when adopted that we were required to have one by the state. It is required to be updated (changed) periodically to adjust for circumstances such as population increases within the USB. At some point in the next few years, the line of the USB will be moved.

The two ways we can preserve our rural lands are to encourage infill development and greater density within the USB and to allow limited development using planning mechanisms such as Rural Lifestyle. In Discovery’s case, 70% of their proposed development will be green lands and another 800 acres will be a permanent agricultural trust with Conservation Florida as the nonprofit owner.

We need to accept that these type developments will attract very wealthy people. They will pay a great deal in taxes and ask for few services. Martin County will be another playground to them. But is that bad?

I was in favor of leaving each project to stand on its own but then that may trigger a spot zoning claim. Spot zoning refers to when a piece of property or groups of property have special zoning laws applied to them that differ from the zoning laws surrounding them. By giving alternatives to landowners, the sprawl that these large parcels may engender could be avoided.

I am now convinced that the Rural Lifestyle is the way to proceed for Martin County in these very limited circumstances. I urge the commission to embrace and pass this amendment. Without it, I believe we will end up with western lands that may look like St. Lucie County or, heaven forbid, Broward.

But we need to remember there is a second piece to this puzzle. It is to increase density and development within the Urban Services Boundary preferably within the CRAs. If we do not do this, Tallahassee will do it for us in a one-size-fits-all bill. That may be a great boom to Miami-Dade but will be the end of the Martin County lifestyle that residents cherish.

(As Published In Martin County Moment)

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SOMETIMES IT NEEDS A STATE

Is it time for the state to take a more active role in making sure that local government acts responsibly regarding property and development rights?

I have been someone who has supported home rule. City and county commissions are the closest to the people. However, no one entity stands in isolation from their neighbors. The differences between development in Martin County as compared to St. Lucie County is a good example of this.

I recently drove from Palm City up Murphy Road and then Becker Road to eat at Oak & Ember Steakhouse. Martin County looks as it always has. There are a few houses and developments. Once you cross the county line, there are thousands of homes being built. A good percentage of those new residents will be clogging Martin highways on their commute to work or to shop.

The two counties do not live in isolation from each other. Martin County has never seen any growth that it liked, and St. Lucie has been just the opposite in its outlook. In a year or so, we are going to hear that Martin County has an even bigger traffic problem. And it will have nothing to do with Martin County. The Stuart election was predicated on too much growth causing traffic problems. Currently, most of what had been approved is not built yet.

Tallahassee needs to look at how the unrestrained growth in St. Lucie County is impacting the roads and citizens of Martin County. At the same time Martin County with almost a “no growth” sign on the door cannot ignore the rights of property owners to use their land in responsible ways. There needs to be some common standards throughout the state.

At some point, I believe the state is going to come down like a load of bricks on us…and rightly so to an extent. Our aversion to anything new is not in keeping with the 300,000 or so new people moving to Florida every year. The state wants that population growth to become an economic and political powerhouse. Without housing that is available for every income group that will not be possible.

We can respond to the need for increased housing within our municipal borders and Urban Services Boundary, or in the not-too-distant future, we may have Tallahassee give the development community and new residents what they need which are approvals. I am in favor of us making the decision of where our housing goes. The state will pass mandates that may work in Orlando but not in Stuart.

Back in the 1980s, First Lady Nancy Reagan’s drug plan was to “just say no.” It didn’t work for her, and it will not work for development in Florida in the 2020s. Our local elected officials need to act as responsible legislators and not like ostriches with their heads in the ground.

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MAYBE SOME HOPE, BUT IS IT TOO LATE

One good thing to come out of the rural lifestyle debate was Commissioner Hetherington’s insistence that her vote come with the condition of real planning in the future.

She was like a dog with a bone. As the deciding vote on whether the use would be part of the code or not, she had some sway over Smith and Jenkins who needed her. Ciampi, who was true to his word and voted no for the amendment, was in favor of a better planning strategy before this, so he was on board. Smith had been trying to do real planning for as long as I can remember. He is eager to have a workable plan but one that doesn’t just sit on a shelf.

Jenkins hit the nail on the head when he stated the reason that comprehensive planning doesn’t work in Martin County is because the extremes on both sides don’t want it to work. Some in the development community are against any prohibitions while the “no-growthers” want the issue to continue because they do not see property rights as important as their right to have open spaces even if they never set foot outside the Urban Services Boundary on land they do not own.           `

The only person to vote against the motion to have the staff prepare an RFP was Heard. There is no one that loves the current comprehensive plan more than she. Heard takes every word as Gospel. To some extent, she is right about that. However, the comp plan was never meant to be etched in stone. It isn’t the Ten Commandments as given to Moses by God. The plan is essentially a planning document that has changed over the past nearly 40 years since inception.

I am glad the baby steps of going out to an RFP is happening. It will give the county a head start when the state steps in. And make no mistake…Tallahassee will not allow the development see-saw of anti- and pro-growth commissions to continue.

If we are lucky the legislature will demand a five or even ten-year plan that will require realistic development goals. Those plans will be sent to Tallahassee for review, final comments, and approval. There won’t be local decisions on whether this gets built or not. Instead, every parcel will have a designation, and it will be as of right.

Florida will continue to grow. The state needs someplace for people to live. They are not going to continue to see development stalled or delayed because of a change in commissioners every couple of years. People can’t plan developments that take years to bring to fruition and cost millions of dollars to prepare and then, because of an election, see those plans evaporate.

If we lose local control, it will be because counties and cities have acted irrationally in development decisions. We have brought this on ourselves. In large part, we deserve the limitations that are coming.

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OTHER OPINIONS

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MARTIN COUNTY TAXPAYERS ASSOCIATION

The Sheriff’s Budget

The Martin County Sheriff’s budget for 2022-2023 will increase by $7,072,100 over last year to $86,012,617. That is a little under 10% more than the 2021-2022 budget.

The sheriff breaks down his budget into three parts. They are the courts, the jail, and law enforcement. Law enforcement (road patrol, detective, and other special units) is $60,447,513. The courts (bailiffs) are a little over $4 million. While corrections or the jail is $21,557,381. The sheriff does not have to operate the jail by statute. It is the BOCC’s responsibility. As in most Florida counties, the sheriff has taken that responsibility.

The $7 million plus increase has several components. Almost $4 million is due to wage increases. With inflation running at 8% that would not seem to be out of line. The Florida Retirement System (FRS) has an increase of $788,913. FRS is a state pension system so the sheriff has no control over that cost and is required to fund it. Health insurance has increased by $975,000.

The department is now being outfitted with body cameras. The personnel needed to coordinate the data and the camera rentals are an additional $1.1 million. The City of Stuart has had cameras for several years. It is something that protects the public from abuse as well as the deputy from accusations of impropriety. In 2022, it is the norm for law enforcement to have this technology when interacting with the public.

Out of the $86 million budget, fully $73.5 million is for personnel and benefits. Which brings us to the question of whether the department has too many employees? There is a total of 602 FTEs at the department, and 427 of them are classified as law enforcement personnel including the sheriff.

What should that number be? Indian River County, a similar sized county, has 500 employees in total as compared to Martin County’s 602. MCTA cannot find a breakdown of how many are in the three subcategories in Indian River County. Their entire budget is $71,829,844. Does that mean we have too many employees or that we are paying too much per employee?

That is beyond the scope of our expertise. The purpose of MCTA is to make you aware of what government costs. Some residents would say we should be doing more to combat crime which is low by comparison with other areas. In this instance, we cannot make any determination of what could be cut in Sheriff Snyder’s budget…if anything.

The MCTA’s opinions are their own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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VANRIPER’S VIEWS

By Darlene VanRiper

The truth about Florida’s prison system.

There are a few things one should do if one lives in Martin County.  They should read A Land Remembered and The Swamp.  They should take the CARES program offered by the County. Link  here.  They should watch the bi-weekly Board of County Commissioners meetings.  Link here. And they should hear our elected 19^th Circuit State Attorney, Tom Bakkedahl, which I recently did.

I have heard Mr. Bakkedahl on more than one occasion and jump at the chance each time it is offered.  Mr. Bakkedahl is a no-nonsense politician.  Refreshingly and surprisingly, often shockingly honest, he made a strong case for his latest crusade to protect Florida.

Mr. Bakkedahl’s fear is that our current law providing that criminals must serve a minimum of 85% of their sentences will be under attack once again, probably in this upcoming legislative session.  Our current system, Truth in Sentencing (TIS), has proven itself.   Its detractors claim that releasing NON-VIOLENT criminals early would save money and allow judges more discretion.

The dollars saved argument begins with a false premise.  That premise is that most of those incarcerated in Florida’s prisons are NON-VIOLENT.  Not true.  As Mr. Bakkedahl states, “You have to work really hard to get a prison sentence.”

There are only 3 crimes for which a prison sentence is predetermined in Florida:  1^st degree murder, trafficking in cocaine and aggravated battery.  That means that burglary to an occupied or unoccupied dwelling, possession of cocaine, robbery w/o a weapon, battery on a 1^st responder, grand theft of less than $5,000 for example are all non-prison terms.  More non-violent criminals are now being released from prison than are being incarcerated.  Who is in our prisons?  Over 95% are violent, repeat offenders.

Those who would reduce the current 85% time served to 65% time served will allude to drug crimes as being non-violent and advocate for rehabilitation and separate drug courts.  Sheriffs and Police Chiefs believe in those programs also…when appropriate.  Committing a drug crime will not necessarily amount to receiving a prison sentence.

Only 13% of the prison population are serving due to drug convictions.   Over 40% of first-time convictions are the most serious:  murder, manslaughter, sexual battery, robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault.  Overall, only 4.8% of those in prison are first time offenders.  As Mr. Bakkedahl explained, “The big take away here is that the offenders serving prison sentences have an average of 36 prior criminal charges and 18 prior convictions.  Of these offenders, 85% of them have committed either a burglary or a prior forcible (ie. violent) felony”.

Prisons are worth paying for.  There has been a 67% decline in the rate of crime since inmates started serving at least 85% of their prison sentences.  Releasing criminals early even under the supervision of probation officers does not work.

Probation officers are over worked and have no time to implement rehabilitation programs.  Statistics have shown that for each prisoner incarcerated approximately 15 – 18 crimes per year are eliminated!  That’s 15 or more lives which have been saved from being a victim of a crime.

Mr. Bakkedahl offered the example that involved the possession of fentanyl which is a 3^rd Degree felony punishable by up to 5 years in prison. A first offense will entitle a defendant to a diversion problem solving drug court program.  Not until the defendant has been convicted of 18 additional counts would he “qualify” for a mandatory prison sentence and then the minimum sentence would be 12.6 months.

We also talked about Grand Theft (theft of item over $750).  A defendant would need 43 additional convictions for grand theft before he/she qualified for a mandatory prison sentence.  The minimum sentence would be 12.3 months!

Florida’s crime rate has declined for over 20 years now because of TIS which was passed in 1995. With over 200,000 people having moved to Florida in 2021 alone, I can imagine not all are law abiding citizens.  That and the influx of illegal immigrants demand that we protect our state by nipping in the bud any dilution of Truth in Sentencing.  Keep chaos out of Florida.

Statistics were taken from  https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/docs/2019-11-12_FSA_Truth_in_Sentencing_Report_DIGITAL_(5).pdf

https://www.flsheriffs.org/uploads/docs/2020-02-17_FSA_Drug_Crime_Offender_Analysis_1.pdf

Darlene VanRiper’s opinions are her own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.

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Nicki’s Place

By Nicki van Vonno

Housing Us

The Housing Solutions Council is a citizen led council of community leaders supporting housing opportunities for members of our workforce.  The Council and the Palm City Chamber of Commerce hosted a Housing Symposium to talk about needs as seen by the non-profit sector, the business community, and the Identifying barriers panel.  It ended with a presentation by County Commissioner Ed Ciampi who is proposing a blueprint for Martin County’ government efforts.

The Housing Solutions Council promises a Solutions Symposium and a presentation for the County Commission.

A social worker spoke about the father working two jobs who will live in his car for the next year so his wife and children can be admitted to the shelter for women and children.  Men are not allowed in family shelters and there is no shelter for men. A native shared that when he returned to Stuart, he wanted to invest here and live here. He could not find a place to live and was told to go to Port St. Lucie.

We heard data from the experts. We have approximately 160,000 people in Martin County.  Our Hispanic population is 15 percent, our African American population is 6 percent. In our schools, Hispanic children make up 37 percent. Our poverty rate is 11 percent.

We attendees are preaching to the choir. All believe in workforce housing. The Council has been working for five years to build housing for people who work here. Our business panel told us what they need to attract workers here: places for their workers to live.  Teachers can’t move their family here if there is no place to house them. We know that Martin County serves as the training ground for workers in various industries who then move for better wages and housing.

What message do we send to newly arrived workers for our industries, non-profits, our schools, and local governments, when we say Oh thank you for joining us but oh, we don’t want you to live here. How is that good for our schools, our non-profits and our local shops and businesses, our industries?

Humans are social beings. We are meant to be together. We come in all sizes and shapes and colors and ages and abilities.  Wasn’t it wonderful to see a room full of people enjoying the event and each other’s company?  I look for to the Council’s next event, and to real solutions.

Nicki van Vonno’s opinions are her own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint.

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HAFNER’S CORNER

By David Hafner

On September 8, 2022, the Village of Indiantown held their first council meeting with their newly elected council members Angelina Perez and Carmine Dipaolo. To start the meeting the council voted and appointed Susan Gibbs-Thomas as Mayor and Guyton Stone as Vice Mayor.

During a special presentation, Phyllis Waters Brown requested village support for a program she is developing called “ITown, My Town.” “ITown, My Town” would work similarly to what Keep Martin Beautiful does. From the presentation, I gathered that members of the community would take part in adopting the streets they live on and pledging to keep them clean.

Another layer of the project is to ask the village to stop imposing fines on residents from code enforcement and instead notify “ITown, My Town” of the infractions so they can help the residents become code compliant. Brown’s proposal to be more supportive instead of penalizing is something that Gibbs-Thomas spoke about in the past and I have written about it two times in this publication- 9/5/21 and 2/6/22. Joshua Kellam from The Garcia Group spoke during the public comments period after Brown’s presentation and offered financial support of $5,000 to get the program going. It is great to see this idea becoming a reality.

Councilman Carmine Dipaolo’s first action as a member of the council was to address the village’s public records fees and the community’s accessibility to public records. It is Dipaolo’s perception that the costs to obtain public records are too high and it takes too long to provide those records to the public. It further was his position that all current fees be waved, and requests be expedited, and the topic of public records requests be brought back at a future council meeting.

At the request of Councilwoman Janet Hernandez, Village Manager Howard Brown, Administrative Services Director Susan Owens, and Village Attorney Wade Vose took turns explaining from their perspectives that all fees and time frames were within appropriate bounds, yet Vose recommended it may be time to look at making a change on the way things are done to make public records requests more accessible. I agree that change needs to be made.

Councilman Dipaolo’s second action also came during this meeting. His request was to amend Ordinance No. 07-2021 to remove the village manager’s authorization to provide benefits to an employee more than those that are typically provided. This authority was given to Village Manager Brown on 12/9/21 against the spirit of the Village of Indiantown’s Charter.

Further this issue was brought before the village residents by referendum in March of 2020 and the residents voted to keep the charter provision in place, but still the council approved it. Vose advised that in fact the authority given to manager Brown is against the village charter, but it is not illegal. After two failed motions the council took no action on this item.

My personal thoughts of the meeting: each village mayor since incorporation has spoken on the village’s civility policy, yet civility is often on the verge of being broken by the very councilmembers who once served as mayor and propped up that very civility policy. There was a lot of inaction and gridlock, which could be a good thing in the long run, as less government is my kind of government.

A bright spot through it all is the seats in the audience were full and the residents were engaged. That was a great thing to see.

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

A new Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County program launches Sept. 24 and it’s sure to elevate the future career prospects of local young people to new heights.

Plus, for the purpose of this Friends & Neighbors column, its pun potential is, well, truly next level.

I’m referencing our new Beginner Remote Pilot Program. Created in conjunction with Indian River State College, the program introduces and immerses participants to the drone industry. Moreover, its curriculum—complete with hands-on sessions to train and sharpen those fine-motor skills so essential to maneuvering the aircraft—is a prerequisite to the follow-up course offering an FAA remote pilot certification.

BGCMC designed the course specifically for beginners ages 16-18. (The FAA-certification course requires a minimum age of 16.) The five-week course takes place from 8 a.m. to noon at IRSC’s Chastain campus in Stuart. One cohort begins Sept. 24 and a second starts Oct. 29. All necessary equipment will be provided. For more, please call (772) 545-1255.

Once widely considered a curiosity or novelty, today drones (also referred to as unmanned aerial vehicles) represent a rapidly growing industry. Originally a tool of the military and law enforcement, aerial photography by drone is increasing ubiquitous in real estate, agriculture, firefighting, construction inspection, film production and more.

The global commercial market is nearly $14 billion with growth rates forecast at nearly 60 percent by the end of the next six years. The opportunities appear limitless. The sooner we prepare young people to compete in this space, the greater the service we provide them.

Drone certifications rank among coding, spatial reality, and other advanced technologies we’re planning to avail not only to BGCMC club members but also young people countywide. Such training complements our food truck, food prep and cooking program, which enables kids as early as middle school to earn certifications ideal for establishing great jobs and potential careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Much of substance is said these days about the labor crisis, youth inertia and the overall erosion of our collective work ethic. At BGCMC, we aim every day to defy the negative trends and surprise the critics. Thanks to our partners and diverse future workforce development programs such as these, the future of our members, and the workforce they’ll energize and define, looks as bright and big as a cloudless blue sky—conditions ideal in which to soar.

Keith Fletcher’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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MICHELE’S MEDICAL MOMENT

By Michele Libman M.D.

Dr. Michele is on vacation.

Michele Libman’s opinions are her own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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HOPE IN OUR COMMUNITY

Rob Ranieri

CEO for House of Hope

At House of Hope, we focus on both basic needs and life skills in our efforts to empower residents to overcome hunger and hardship.

Over the last five years, we have successfully added and improved critical infrastructure, programs, and services to make a difference for our clients and community. These strategic changes have helped us to improve the quality of the food that we distribute in our pantries and to our partner agencies, as well as raise the caliber of programs and services we offer to clients in health and nutrition, education, job skills and job readiness, and more.

The ultimate goal at House of Hope is to provide those we serve with the resources and support necessary to reach their personal goals and attain a level of sustainability.

House of Hope is excited to announce that the latest addition to our infrastructure, a 3,080 square foot packing house located on the campus of our Growing Hope Farm in Palm City, is nearing completion. The packing house will allow us to safely and efficiently wash, package, and store the produce that we grow, glean, and receive through generous donations. The facility will be inspected, monitored, and permitted by the USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and follow all appropriate food safety protocols and industry regulations.

Our packing operation will include:

• Fruit and vegetable wash, dry, sort and pack production line
• Continuous feed lettuce, greens, or cut veggie submersion & wash tank
• Large capacity, high speed spin dryer
• Two station set up for bulk or individual weighing and packaging
• Bag sealing, boxing, and labeling stations
• Root veggie and small products wash and rinse
• Walk-in, multiple temperature refrigeration
• Water reclamation system to conserve and repurpose processing water

The benefits of the packing house to our organization and partners include, but are not limited to, improved shelf life for produce, access to more nutritious foods for clients and partners, the ability to accept, process and store large volume produce donations, and expanding our existing educational and paid internship programs to provide additional training.

The packing house will also allow House of Hope to assist small, local growers by providing them a resource in the community to clean and package their products for sale, increasing profits and helping to keep local agriculture viable and successful. Our Pack and Pay program will give local producers the opportunity to have professionally packaged items and either pay a reasonable fee to House of Hope or share some of their products, allowing us to have even more resources to provide our clients and partners with high quality food and improve overall household health.

Our team at House of Hope will continue to look for innovative and impactful solutions to the challenges that our clients and community are faced with. Our cutting-edge model continues to garner attention across our region, our state, and now in other states.

We are grateful for the incredible support we get from funders, philanthropists, government, partner agencies and local residents that allow us to be a leading agency in the fight against hunger and poverty. For anyone interested in learning more about our services for local growers, or our other services please email us at info@hohmartin.org or visit our website at www.hohmartin.org.

Rob Ranieri’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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PALM CITY HIGHLIGHTS

By Missi Campbell

Executive Director of the Palm City Chamber

The Palm City Chamber of Commerce has heard from many of our business owners struggling to recruit and retain talent in their industries.

We are working with key community leaders to be a part of crafting effective change. While most in our community and our nation recognize there is a housing problem, few understand the short and long-term effects it is having on our local workforce. Some still do not realize how deep the issue runs.

On September 7th, the Palm City Chamber of Commerce held a symposium to cover how the housing crisis is affecting our local businesses and began to delve into what got us here. We asked the Housing Solutions Council of Martin County (HSC) to sponsor a panel in the discussion with local experts to discuss barriers to affordable housing for our workforce and touch on some solutions in the works.

Sadly, this crisis is affecting many members of our local community.  Homelessness is REAL for people and families of all ages.  Families, seniors, and young professionals are one financial crisis away from losing their homes. If you are living paycheck to paycheck and have a health emergency or car trouble, that could mean the difference between keeping your home or losing it.

As homeowners’ insurance rates increase and home prices rise, many landlords are finding that they must raise rent to cover their expenses.  We have out-of-state corporations coming into Martin County and buying up all the real estate they can and then charging huge amounts to our residents.  There is not a quick fix to this issue.  We must all work together to create new opportunities for homes for our workforce, seniors, and families.

We are very grateful to the members of our 3 panels, one from non-profits, one from businesses, and one from the HSC for participating. We truly appreciate Martin County District 5 Commissioner Ed Ciampi for his support and presentation. HSC has shared with the Palm City Chamber of Commerce and our guests, that they will be putting on another Affordable Housing Summit to continue the conversation in November 2022 to share real solutions to bring about positive change.

I would recommend that Martin County residents attend meetings, like the Housing Solutions Council’s upcoming summit in November, and engage in the conversation to develop solutions.  Martin County is an amazing place to live and work.  We ALL need to come together and work on a solution to keep it that way!

There are options to explore but it will mean change, and no one likes change.  However, if we don’t change, Martin County will not be able to stay sustainable.  There needs to be equity between a working wage and housing.  Let’s step up together and be the change that Martin County needs!

Missi Campbell’s opinions are her own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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FISHING TIPS

BY Capt. Paul Sperco

It’s the middle of September and our Fall Mullet Run is filtering down from the Melbourne/Daytona area.

This is the most anticipated fishing event for surf fishermen, river anglers, and inshore boat owners of the entire year. Our unusually warm water temperatures have the mullet movement a little behind schedule but reports from up north have tarpon, jacks, sharks, and snook hammering those schools of bait.

This movement also triggers the first schools of pompano as they leave the Carolinas, Georgia, and northern Florida for their migration south. Locally we have been dealing with some large swells lately that are coming from the last couple of systems that have stayed out to sea.

Although it’s put a damper on the surf fishing, I am happy to deal with a few days of big surf instead of some big storms. Be sure if you are going to target some of these big tarpon and jacks once the mullet arrive make sure you have some equipment that can handle a 30 pound jack or a 100 pound tarpon.

An 8 foot rod with a 6000 sized spinning reel spooled with 50 pound braid or 25 pound monofilament will put you on the game. The strike of a 100-pound tarpon from the beach is something you will never forget. I always look at the beach access before I take my gear off of my truck because if you don’t see the bait activity with pelicans and terms diving on them, move to the next beach.

Driving an extra half mile can make all the difference in the world. Find the mullet, you’ll find the fish. Good luck and catch em up .

Paul Sperco’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

10

MARTIN COUNTY REAL ESTATE

By John Gonzalez

Do you remember the 1980’s television show Hill Street Blues? The desk Sergeant would tell the officers, as they left their daily briefing, to “be careful out there!”

I want to repeat this warning to all the readers that may be buying, selling or have real estate investments. The new and improved frauds out there are extremely tricky and especially scary If you are “careful” then you should be safe from many of the schemes that we are seeing in and around the state and the nation.

I know very good real estate professionals that have been targeted by fraudsters. The list includes Realtors, title companies and attorneys – all of whom have been intended victims of the current round of deceit. Ultimately, the criminals are looking for money from the buyer or seller of real estate. In some cases, they are attempting to hijack a property to steal the equity.

The most common fraud we hear about is wire fraud and it can be prevented. Buyers are especially susceptible to this type of deception. Thieves are looking for real estate transactions that will be closing soon. They try to log into the victim’s email and then they wait for the right moment to send phony wire instructions to the buyer for the transmission of the money for the purchase. This could be a life’s savings.

Wire fraud can be prevented by working with seasoned professionals, check and double check your email addresses, go and physically pick up the instructions and go to your financial institution for the transfer. What we see is very subtle changes to an email address when fake instructions are sent. The receiving party may have an email address that reads, sellerbank@bank.com but the fraudulent instructions may say sellersbank@bank1.com . Only one or two letters are changed but the money may be gone, forever.

Vacant lots are another target area of fraud. The criminals look for lots with out of state and especially out of country owners. The fraudsters create documentation indicating that they are the owner. They attempt to sell the property through the internet or by hiring an unsuspecting Realtor. Unfortunately, the deceit is usually not detected until after the transaction has closed.  If you own vacant land keep an eye on the tax rolls to make sure your address and contact information is up to date.

Recently, a USA Today (Stuart News) article alerted me to another scary form of theft. Many investors and corporations (including me) have property held in LLC’s that are registered on Sunbiz, operated by the Florida Department of State. The scam here is to “re-register” the principals of the LLC that holds title to real property. The clever scam artist then attempts to get a loan against the property. They appear to be the registered owners of the LLC and an unsuspecting lender lien the property and loans the “owners” money secured by the property. Although the lender is the victim it may take the real owner countless hours to unravel the crime.

I am confident that 99.9% of all real estate transactions and properties are safe. The best real estate professionals are constantly learning how to detect fraud. Our country and state have great safeguards to protect your ownership of real property. It is just so important for all of us to be aware, vigilant and to just “Be careful out there!”

John Gonzalez’s opinions are his own and may not reflect Friends & Neighbors viewpoint

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CONSTITUTIONAL CORNER AND OTHER GOVERNMENT NOTICES 

And from our Supervisor of Elections:

From The Clerk of The Court:

From the Property Appraiser

Tax Collector

Our first letter is from Zack Gazza:

Tom,

I read your most recent Palmar article in you Friends & Neighbors email. The easement discussion that was removed from the Palmar Water Control District agenda was only for a proposed new easement over Palmar owned property. This agenda item had nothing to do with existing easements for landowners, which were not a topic of discussion at the meeting. Further, the Palmar Water Control District has no control on landowner ingress/egress easements. They were recorded with the Martin County Clerk some time ago, along with Palmar’s drainage easements. Landowners do not need permission from anyone to access their property. I’m not sure where you’re getting your info, but your article missed the facts. I don’t need to get involved in a back and forth with you in your letters to the editor regarding facts. Maybe you would consider a discussion with me? I’m happy to sit down and go over the easements, when they were recorded, where they are, my history in the map, the future of the map, etc…

I’m not interested in being another Kyla Shea ranting about other people in your newsletter, and will not engage in that. I am interested in speaking with you regarding Palmar, as I know that many people use your newsletter as an information source, and although everyone is obviously entitled to their own opinion, the facts are the facts, and I feel its important for your readers to know them if you’re going to report on Palmar.

Let me know. Thanks.

The next letter is from Audrey Taggart

The recent school board election results are energizing, especially for the VIO movement. We had a candidate, Liz Bernstein, hand picked by the retiring Ms. Defenthaler, who was pushing CRT, LBGTQ agenda on our traditional American culture community. Martin County parents have expressed their renunciation of these assaults by homeschooling, seeking private and charter settings. Ms. Bernstein has no children, does not work with children, is a yoga instructor. Her credentials are over-shadowed by a mother of two experienced with and in schools. The taxpayers came out in droves to support the more experienced candidate who did run a very professional campaign and won resoundingly.

The other winning candidate, Amy Pritchett, who is a mother and grandmother, but ran a tightly budgeted campaign from the grassroots with massive non-paid support from the taxpayers. She campaigned against a man who ran almost a Biden-like campaign (from his basement)? Or was his arrogance so great that he did not feel the need to lift a finger? Was he, perhaps, resting on the laurels of his father and brother?

Reading an interview of the two candidates, Mr. Anderson, the incumbent, stated he was comfortable to “allow law enforcement and security to handle school security.” This, after Uvalde! He also stated a favorable view with “doing all we can to help with the housing problem” for teachers. Another quote: “it is no secret that racial issues are at an all time high.” (The US had a two term black president, elected by Whites, as Blacks are 13% of the population, black millionaires, even billionaires: Shaq, Tiger, Michael Jordan, rich, successful Black women: Oprah, Candace Owen.) Nowhere on earth are there any statistics anywhere near those in the USA. Martin Schools went from an A rating to a B rating, with two schools labeled D during his time in office. Amy Pritchett, on the other hand, offered suggestions to improve both academics and safety.

I applaud both newcomers, especially Ms. Pritchett, who showed others how to oust an incumbent who is not performing to expectation. This is the decade of the Parent. It only proves that we do have term limits – called Election Day. It just happened here in Martin County. It is called Vote Incumbents Out – unless they are doing a marvelous job in protecting or even extending your rights. Doc Collins did it in the city, Jennifer and Amy did it on the school board. Kudos to all three of them!

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THE 21^ST CENTURY “KNOW NOTHINGS”

I have noticed a pattern in our society that has become very prevalent. That is the rise of the “Know Nothing.”

In 1854, a political party rose from the ashes of the Whig Party known as the Native American Party. It subsequently became just the American Party. When asked what they stood for, their members were required to say, “I know nothing.” They believed that Jews and Catholics should be expelled from the country. The southern branch of the party was pro-slavery while those in the north were neutral on the subject.

They were generally conspiracists believing that sinister forces were at work to change the character of America from Anglo-Saxon protestant to a polyglot society. Keep America for Americans would be embraced by the “Know Nothings” of then as it has by some today. Expertise was frowned on as elitist.

Lincoln was a Whig that subsequently became a member of the new Republican Party. The Republicans quickly became the party of small business, northern farmers, and was anti-slavery. It was organized in 1854, ran John C. Freemont for president in 1856 (who lost to Democrat James Buchanen), and ultimately ran Lincoln who won in the election of 1860.

Marjory Taylor Green (Pinterest)

A hundred-sixty years later, we are going through our second wave of “Know Nothings”. In fact, we see it repeatedly that knowing something about government is seen as a detriment to some being elected to office. They are proud of their ignorance.

Mediocrity should never be seen as a virtue in any endeavor but especially in public office. Just as elitism has no place in government so too should ignorance not be tolerated. “I know nothing” may have been a good line for the fictional Sgt. Schulz, but it should not be accepted as a qualification in any elected official.

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GET THE WORD OUT  

Friends and Neighbors of Martin County is 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.