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Tom Germond
A sinking feeling
By TOM GERMOND
Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007 |
Ahoy, there. At the risk of polluting the Gulf, It’s time for me to Davy Jones some tidbits that have been on my mind in recent weeks.
THE BUCK STOPS WHERE? I must have missed something. I didn’t realize that the county uses the Penny for Pinellas revenue to finance controversial real estate acquisitions. At issue, and under a grand jury investigation, is the county Board of Commissioners’ decision June 5 to buy a vacant lot from Property Appraiser Jim Smith.
Of course, the $225,000 price tag was only nickels and dimes out of the $2 billion in revenue the tax is expected to raise in the next 10 years, but I’m betting most taxpayers aren’t happy that the Penny for Pinellas was used to buy the land.
“The Penny for Jim Smith.”
Put that on a flier.
SEND LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY – Have been trying to figure out how Madeira Beach got its nickname – “Mad” Beach. The truth has something to do with the political climate in the city.
Based on the lawsuits filed in recent years and all the threats of such, it appears that many of the city’s politicos are perpetually mad at each other.
Officials should make things cheaper on the taxpayers; let the Mad ones settle the score like gentlemen. Face off like Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
Give ’em squirt guns, of course.
MY PLACE IN THE SUN – With all due respect to Dr. Beach’s claim that Caledesi Island is the No. 2 beach in the country, I prefer its sister, Honeymoon Island.
Both beaches are “pristine and nestled” – to use clichés and touristspeak. They both have similar types of vegetation, such as slash pine forests and dense mangroves, are mostly undeveloped and offer amenities for picnics and hiking.
But you don’t have to pay the $9 ferry ride to get to Honeymoon Island, just the $5 admission fee. Also, the trails are wider on Honeymoon Island, making it easier to dodge rattlesnakes.
Both beaches are great, but at the end of the day, I’ll take Honeymoon Island.
Oh, by the way, you can buy a beer at the watering hole on Honeymoon Island.
Just an afterthought, I assure you.
CHADS OF THE PAST – Not ready for election season yet. However, the way the states are trying to outdo each other, I wouldn’t be surprised if the first primary is scheduled before the end of the year.
Halloween would be an appropriate election day in Florida, based on the state’s recent turmoils at the polls.
Casting a ballot can be quite scary.
OUT OF SYNC – Is it just me who gets stuck at intersections where traffic signals are malfunctioning? I swear on anything you’d want me to that I’ve been stuck three times at intersections in the past four months between five to ten minutes because the lights wouldn’t change.
About two weeks ago, I waited for what seemed to be an eternity for the light at Seminole Boulevard and 113th Street – to give me a left-turn signal. Other impatient drivers pulled out of the turn lane into the flow of oncoming traffic. Accidents waiting to happen. I started to call 911, but then the signal began functioning again.
Maybe it’s just my bad luck that I get stuck at malfunctioning lights. The bridge at John’s Pass Bridge is programmed to rise every time it sees my vehicle. Maybe it’s time to get a new car.
I’m just thankful the bridge doesn’t topple and Davy Jones me.
Tom Germond is executive editor of Tampa Bay Newspapers.
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Article published on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2007
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