Events and Opinions

CONSIDER THIS WHEN VOTING FOR YOUR NEXT COMMISSIONER

The Santa Rosa County Commissioners have done it again! They have extended the suspension of residential impact fees under the false proposition that this suspension will serve as an economic stimulus for our county. This absurd premise is graphically demonstrated as being false by the Winners Gate development on West Spencer Field Road in Pace. Visit the Winners Gate development and you will notice that the contractors and venders have signs and license plates that are from "out of county" and "out of state." Even the sales staff is non local. The materials are manufactured elsewhere and delivered on site for installation. Winners Gate is being developed by a national corporation (D. R. Horton, Inc.) that undercuts our local industries and our local workforce. D. R. Horton is the second largest homebuilder in the nation and has assets of $6.75 billion! The developer gets a pass on the impact fees of $2,090 per home which would be a total of $349,030 for the 167 lots to be developed. Since impact fees are based on need, the $349,030 will be borne by the existing taxpayers. The suspension of residential impact fees is a negative economic stimulus for Santa Rosa County.

Growth counties throughout Florida have learned the hard way that impact fees are necessary for their economic health. It appears that the current County Commissioners are bound and determined to repeat the mistakes of other counties. Unfortunately, the existing Santa Rosa County taxpayers will pay the price for the Commissioners' mistakes. Please remember this example when voting for County Commissioners in 2010.