Editorial Archive

“Florida tourism” conjures images of theme parks, resort hotels, state parks and the finest beaches the world has to offer. Sailfish, marlins and mackerel don’t immediately come to mind, but recreational fishing is an important part of the tourism industry in Florida, too. Florida is uniquely positioned to attract visitors to the state for recreational fishing, as our natural fresh and salt waterways are truly world-famous. Each year, millions of Americans and international visitors come to Florida to spend time fishing on our waterways.

Politics starts from the bottom up, not the top down.  Lawmakers in Washington are elected by the people and have a responsibility to the people.  It is an immense honor and privilege for me to represent the people of Florida’s First Congressional District, and it is absolutely vital that I have the opportunity to hear from them so that I can ensure that Northwest Florida’s voice is heard in the halls of Congress.  One message that I continue to receive loud and clear from constituents in all parts of Northwest Florida is opposition to and concern about Obamacare. 

“Where were you, and what were you doing, when you first heard about President Kennedy’s death?” That question will be lofted many times in the next few weeks, as the nation marks the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. For millions of Americans, the response will be, “Why are you asking me? I wasn’t even born yet.” For those of us in upper age brackets it won’t be difficult for us to recall exactly the moment and our location when the shocking news from Dallas reached our ears.

Thanksgiving is approaching once again, and with it come visions of children’s plays with Indians and Pilgrims, complete with little Pilgrim hats made of construction paper. The story told in these plays and learned by public school students at every grade level is a simple one.

Public input is a key element in the development of governmental policy and community services. We the people, after all, are the government. It is through public input – elections – that we decide who represents us and whether or not we want a tax to pay for something or to fund a service.

To market an area and its events and attractions, a marketing firm needs to fully understand the community. Navarre is a unique location when considering many of its Panhandle neighbors. Marketing Navarre is not like marketing Destin or Pensacola or Panama City, which are well-known destinations that practically market themselves and can easily be marketed from afar.

The Santa Rosa County Tourist Development Council (TDC) is recommending county commissioners approve $64,000 to allow for the doubling of the artificial reefs on the Gulf side of Navarre Beach Park. This should be a slam dunk for commissioners, as this is a no-brainer.

Putting the public in harm’s way is bad enough, but when it’s a business that is acting on behalf of the county, it makes us all look bad – the county, its residents and the business.

We’ve been calling it the end of an era for a long time now.

The weather was beautiful, the sculptors were enthusiastic and accommodating and the sights were incredible last weekend at the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. Everything was perfect except for one detail: the damage to several sculptures done by vandals Friday night.