The Sky Has Fallen

This post is reprinted from the latest issue of CONA (Sarasota Council of Neighborhood Associations). It was written by Bill Zoller, past president of CONA and always active in preserving our quality of life. We are publishing it here because it echoes our sentiments and much of the message applies to the city as well as the county.

The Sky Has Fallen

A couple issues ago, I asked, "Is the Sky Falling?" I can now report to you that the sky has fallen… it fell 31 March 2005, at the Tiger bay Luncheon meeting. County Administrator Jim Ley, heading up a panel to discuss "Sustainability", pulled out the last prop holding up the sky when he blamed Sarasota’s woes on us, the citizens of the county.

From traffic congestion to high taxes, it is all our fault. He said that we (citizens) are the ones who want low density, who like to drive our cars, and all the other quality of life things that have, apparently, created all our problems. I stood up and, as best I could in a few seconds, told him and the assembled participants that the citizens of Sarasota have been engaged for years in innumerable workshops, charettes, hearings, etc., etc. as participants in the process. I said that we have told our leaders and planners at every turn that we could foresee traffic congestion and higher taxes and all the other ills that we now see around us. I said that we predicted the future that we now have, and that all our entreaties fell on deaf ears. We were called "Chicken Littles" and were told that "you can’t stop people from coming here… we have to plan for them…." and on and on.

We were told that Sarasota’s planning was recognized nationwide as on the cutting edge… as a model for other places … we are right out there in the forefront of planning. Right. Read the column on page 98 of the April, 2005 issue of Florida Trend, which is the business magazine of Florida….being in forefront of statewide bad planning may not be much to brag about.

This may sound as though I am a bit annoyed. The fact is, I am angry. I am angry that our administrator blamed the citizens for his administration’s failures. I am angry that the increased valuations here have brought in huge increases in revenue year after year, and yet we still cannot catch up or keep up with infrastructure deficits… yet our fabled planning keeps the welcome mat out. I have heard that our planning staff has been decimated and that morale is low… is this any way to run a county?

It is time to call for our elected officials to take a new direction. Jim Ley is exceedingly bright… and he can work the numbers with the best of them. Sarasota is not about numbers, though…. It is about a quality of community … it is about getting the citizens the future they want, not a future that is based on a Ponzi scheme that is doomed to failure. The citizens have spoken loudly and clearly for years, and the future we wanted seems to grow more and more distant by the day. It is time to reverse the trend and to find leadership that will secure our future.

Our elected officials are not off the hook, either, by any means. They set policy. We citizens are their bosses, though, and we can hire and fire them at the polls. It is said that we get the government we deserve… and I think we deserve great government that is responsive to the citizens…. So keep tuned as election season approaches next time. Let’s be sure we do get the government we deserve.

Note: to view the Florida Trend article you will have to register. The opening sentence says: "Growth management in Florida is a mess." This is an excellent article, highly recommended.