It also bad in red states like Florida with petty state and local agencies dictating what land owners can and cannot do with their property. Almost every central Florida county has a full time arborist who tells the land owner/developer how many trees they must have on their property and where they must be located or pay a fine.
Heck Volusia County’s Department of Elections just spent $ 9 million on buying a strip mall to put their facilities. Their justification was they won’t have to pay rent like they are now. They didn’t publish nor were required to publish any financial data as to why owning was better than renting. You bet they won’t have any of the hassles that a private buyer would to renovate the property to their needs. Even when they move in the other tenants in the mall will stay. This creates a financial conundrum because the business pay taxes while the elections office does not. No one from what I read questioned or demanded more info on this decision. Just another local bureaucracy spending taxpayer money without being held to account for their decision.
My county probably has some similar dictators lurking in the county offices like an arborist.
One of the worst state departments in central Florida is the Saint Johns River Water Management District. Heaven help you if you have property that is on the St. Johns River. Not only do you have to have the city or county approve but the SJRWMD supersedes them and has a totally different timeline.
Too much bureaucracy at the local level in a so called red state. Just as poisonous as the poison infesting the Pacific Northwest and the Rocky Mountains only more subtle.
> Their justification was they won’t have to pay rent like they are now.
That’s not a FL issue, that’s everywhere. Town/city don’t pay shiite.
-SB
You seem well informed. I live in Orange County but perhaps all the noise nationally plus endless medical hurdles to clear (i.e.: I have had to discontinue two prescriptions this year) have left me uninformed on Florida.
I have found DeSantis responsive on the few things that I have contacted him about - but I suspect he is not completely trustworthy. I think that he has national ambitions.
I have been peripherally involved with SJRWMD; while they seem to be helpful, I hear disturbing things from time to time. Average Orange County employees seem to accept the role of public servant but some take themselves too seriously and some high level officials need to be keep-an-eye-on.
Biden DOJ defends convicted spy for Cuba in court against claims for restitution, judge agrees
https://adncuba.com/politica/abogados-del-gobierno-de-eeuu-defienden-traidor-manuel-rocha-dice-paya
Translated excerpt with translator comments:
Rosa María Payá, leader of the Cuba Decide organization, expressed disappointment this Friday that U.S. government lawyers allegedly defended former diplomat Víctor Manuel Rocha, who was convicted of working as a secret agent for Cuba’s communist dictatorship.
Payá and her family participated in a hearing scheduled by Judge Beth Bloom concerning the victims of the convicted Rocha.
“We have witnessed something shameful. We saw U.S. government lawyers come to court today to defend a traitor to the United States, Víctor Manuel Rocha, and an oppressor of the Cuban people. Today was supposed to close the criminal case against him… The U.S. government came to say they were the only victim. How disgraceful,” she stated.
According to the activist, she and her family were not allowed to speak in court on June 21. “We didn’t have the opportunity to speak in court today… We will not stop until we have access to all the information, know the whole truth, and obtain justice.”
Payá recalled that in the case of her father, Oswaldo Payá, “all the agents were tasked with spreading misinformation” about his assassination.
“At the very least, Víctor Manuel Rocha is responsible for trying to cover up the murder of my father while he was working for the Cuban regime,” the exile asserted.
********
Since the news of Manuel Rocha spying for communist Cuba broke out, the Biden administration has done all it can to hide the real extent of the damage done to the U.S. by this traitor. From the plea deal that ignored the majority of the crimes he committed to avoid having to reveal them in court to the ruling on Friday, there is obvious information the U.S. State Dept. does not want us to know or does not want made public.
In a sense, the judge and the prosecutors are right, the victims of Rocha’s crimes is the U.S.: the American people who are being kept in the dark about a traitor who spied for an enemy of America for 30 years.