Editorial Archive

Efforts have been made for decades to educate the public about the downfalls of using and abusing mind-altering substances.  These slogans, while well-meaning, may not say enough about what drug addiction does to a person, to a family.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – On Friday, December 2, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater and Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier hosted an insurance roundtable discussion with representatives from more than 25 insurance companies operating in Florida. Hosted at the conclusion of the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season, CFO Atwater and Commissioner Altmaier invited the insurance industry as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency to engage in a public conversation about the successes and challenges related to the first two storms Florida has faced—Hurricanes Hermine and Matthew— in more than ten years.

She walks along the same path every time she takes her daily walk.  She is 76 years old, not as active as she use to be and she lives alone.  Cooking for one is a challenge so her nutrition suffers because of it.  She has lost weight.  Yet, every day she takes a walk: just a stroll down her street and around the block. 

To paraphrase an old saying; Give a kid a toy and they might play for an afternoon … but, teach a kid to build a robot and they might change the world forever.

What began with the Brexit in the UK last June has spilled over to America in the wake of the nation electing Donald Trump as president.  People are wearing safety pins to make a silent statement that the groups of people who feel threatened by the supposed hate and fear mongering of Trump and his supporters can feel “safe” around people wearing the pins.

This week we were all broadsided by four agenda items for the Santa Rosa Board of County Commissioners meeting this past Monday which was released at approximately 4:45 p.m. on Thursday afternoon leaving no time for citizens to do their homework and leading to a lot of speculation.

There is a sizeable faction in this country that is disgusted with the choices we have going into the 2016 General Election. While the choices are far from the quality a great nation like the United States deserves, they are what they are. No amount of complaining, abdication of responsibility or indignation will change this reality.  Put bluntly, this election isn’t about personalities, capabilities, soundbites or even criminality; it is about issues and on these issues, we do have choices to make. 

This election is indeed as important as they come.  Who will be our next president?  United States Senator? State Representative? Will the medical marijuana law be expanded?  And for all the residents in Navarre and Holley, the life safety issue is will we vote yes to raise the fire-assessment fee for the Holley-Navarre Fire District?

“Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience, and just plain loving one another. “

Florida’s extraordinary tradition of open government is founded on the simple but essential concept that the people have a right to know how and why the government makes decisions on their behalf. After all, it’s our government.