Gov Bush Awards Rural Devel Grant to Regional Economic Devel Organization [How Jeb Helps Rural FL]

www.myflorida.com ^ | July 11, 2002 | www.myflorida.com

[summer]

Thanks, MeeknMing. :)

[summer]

Thought you might be interested in this. Also see posts #1 and #16, and, if you are not interested, my apologies for this ping. :)

[liberallarry]

Thanks for the ping. I am interested. But this is outside my normal range. And since I'm already overwhelmed it will take some time to read it with understanding.

Not unusual for the usual FReeper. :)

[summer]

LOL...I am totally sympathetic to your claims here. Thanks for your thoughtful post. :)

[Kay Ludlow]

Thanks!

While I don't really think tax dollars should be used this way (community groups who care enough to raise their own $$$ are a better way to do it), better this than 'open space preservation'!

Actually, it looks to me like the plan for the population would allow existing towns and villages in rural areas, just not being out by yourself. In PA the state is providing grant money for "planning" that encourages a growth boundary around every current developed area, with the idea that as soon as the state laws change to allow it all development outside the boundaries would be banned. There are paid proffesional planners in my community who advocate this, and encourage citizens to ask the state legislature to give them more tools/power to implement this vision. That's the kind of stuff PA's "Growing Greener" money is paying for!

[mafree]

GO JEB!!

[summer]

bttt! :)

[Dakotabound]

Thanks for the ping. A few thoughts:

Polk County is in a growing area of Florida, between Tampa and Disney World. The Jacksonville grant, while for a "rural area" outside of Jacksonville, is far less needed than in other parts of the state, since Jax is really Duval County is really Jax...one and the same. Not that there aren't needy areas in all these growing counties.

I'd rather see government getting out of the way of these rural areas. My county, Liberty, is one of those listed as recipients of this $100K grant. That's a drop in the bucket when spread across, what, 7 counties?

We don't want government welfare, we want to be able to log in the Apalachicola National Forest again. While that's not a Jeb thing, it is a federal thing, Brother George. That forest is home to the largest stable population of red-cockaded woodpeckers in the nation...which was just as large and stable before the logging restrictions in the nineties as it is now, thankyouverymuch. As a consequence, our largest "industry" lost a majority of its jobs, and now I guess we need to look for that handout from big daddy government.

Liberty county is an anomaly in today's world, though. We would like to be able to see a little growth, but we'd just as soon the rest of the world leave us the hell alone. We have one stop light, maybe one lawyer, and a lot of hunting land. As the seventh-largest county in the state, we are 60% national forest, 30% logging company land (mostly St. Joe, who will probably develop it over the next 50 years as the panhandle starts to flesh out), and only 10% privately owned. Our fairly new high school is PAID FOR with (minimal) taxes from the feds on the land they removed from private ownership in our county, pre-1990's. We get less money from them now.

We're getting money to renovate our courthouse to "comply" with the ADA....how quaint and how needed, in a county with 7500 people. If someone needs a handup the courthouse steps, we damn well give it to them or our momma's will give us hell. It's the Christian thing to do.

We'd rather have our jobs back and pay our own way, IMHO. Go away, government.

[summer]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts here, Dakotabound. I think creating JOBS -- what you said you are for -- is in fact the focus of what Gov. Bush is trying to do to help rural communities.

[summer]

Thanks for your comments here, Kay. :)