The Johnson- Helm house built by J.S.Maus I am told by a relative of the family, that it was a kit from Sears Roebuck and would love to know how to get clarification. Curious also who owned Oneco Block Works and if that was also the company that cut and quarried rock there off of 15th Street East?, From Oneco to Samoset. Thank you for the article.
Too bad the State screwed up the purchase of Rattlesnake key. Maybe this is a property the County should pick up. The County was part of the original purchase but the State backed out because of the so called appraisal of the owner who claimed there was 50 acres of developable land. The sustainability of that area into the future for development is highly unlikely given current flood maps for the area now and into the future. All of the rattlesnake key purchase and areas along Hwy 19 were inundated during Helene last year. This purchase would go a long way to meeting conservation goals.
Unfortunately, the author doesn’t understand insurance. The fact that investment income is 6 times the underwriting profit keeps rates down. Florida regional insurers have a much higher ratio of bankruptcies and are not as well funded as national companies. Higher rates are approved by state regulators only when actuarily sound. State run residual markets are subsidized by states and other standard companies.
Holding stock in oil companies is not causing climate change. Federal loosening of regulations is. The AI surge is doing more to cause increased energy use than any other industry.
Not paying claims is a common complaint without merit. Flood claims on homeowner policies are often made in hopes of finding some coverage. Flood is not covered and claims are denied. Claims under the hurricane deductible are denied.
Florida needs a strong insurance department to investigate unfair claim practices, and claim fraud policyholders and contractors. Florida’s insurance department is missing in action.
Insurance costs are a problem. Florida is preventing local government from requiring more flood and storm resiliency in new home construction. Developers and builders have too much influence and hinder progress. Florida refused federal funds to help people upgrade their homes to be more resilient, for partisan political reasons.
This is a multi-faceted problem. Constructive and factual discussion on the many facets of property insurance is required. This article doesn’t help.
And the counties will continue to let the builders, with all their money, continue to build and drain our water systems.
We need to think about desal plants all around Florida if we are to survive, and let the builders split the cost!
Butzow claims the reason the contract was slipped onto consent was because the roundabout would be welcomed by the residents? When has ANY roundabout been welcomed by residents? Especially one of this size. Butzow seems to suffer from the same honesty-challenged syndrome as Sarah Brown, Evan Pilachowski, and Tom Yarger when they said the new animal shelter kennels would be completed by December 2024. The same honesty-challenged syndrome that inflicted Courtney Depol and Charlie Bishop when they said eliminating wetland buffers was a county-initiated proposal that would not increase flooding. The same honesty=challenged syndrome that inflicted Nicole Knapp when she wrote that pretzel logic memo explaining that Carlos Beruff's dwelling unit did not violate the building code. The same honesty-challenged syndrome that inflicted the county's official stance that their timing in releasing water from the DAM last August went exactly as planned and produced the expected results. I could go on...And by the way, Butzow doesn't decide what goes on consent. The Administrator does. Does anyone see a pattern here? I see a transparency-challenged, ethically-challenged administration that the board has failed to hold accountable.
Very good and well researched article. You can put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig. Statistics don't lie but liars, deceivers use statistics, The administration has tried to rework the labor statistics to show a better employment outlook than the real stats show I have said you need to know what the stats are based on not the stats alone. The truth comes out through actual analysis of what a statistic is comprised of. The administrations smoke and mirrors are sending the economy on a disastrous path for the middle class.
Laural Oaks HOA mandates visitors hand over their drivers license, which is photo copied by the gate employee. This is "required" even if you are on the list submitted by the resident to allow entry to the community. What happens to these photo copies? If you refuse to allow the gate person to copy your license you are refused entry to the community.
The power and money grab on the local, state and federal levels remind me of Black Friday at Walmart. All of these unethical politicians see that now is the time to act since we are clearly in an anything goes stage of collapse, and they are just ramming through bills and projects and stuffing their pockets, and god help the people they trample along the way. If you are still supporting them, trust me, they will trample you, too. (TBH, they already have but you may not just feel it, yet.)
So are parents allowed to make decisions for their own children or not? The party of "limited govt" and "parental input" continues to confuse me.
If the kids are breaking the law when they are out late - arrest them.
The is not complicated.
What I've read about DeSantis regarding Guantanamo fits right in with a detainment camp where people are treated badly here.
I'm repulsed by anyone defending these horrors.
FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT against this back door deal by developers. Fighting for a legislative fix to SB 180 specifically to provisions to only properties damaged by hurricanes, offers several positive benefits. These benefits align with the goal of balancing disaster recovery with local government authority and community resilience. Here’s an analysis of the potential advantages:
1. Preserves Local Control Over Land Use Planning:
By narrowing the preemption provisions to apply only to hurricane-damaged properties, the proposed fix prevents the broad restriction on local governments’ ability to update comprehensive plans, land development regulations (LDRs), or permitting processes.
2. Enhances Community Resilience:
The clarification allows local governments to implement regulations that improve resilience to future storms, such as updated building codes or wetland buffer requirements
3. Aligns with the Bill’s Intended Purpose:
4. Avoids Unintended Consequences:
5. Supports Sustainable Growth:
6. Reduces Financial Burdens on Taxpayers:
7. Addresses Statewide Applicability Concerns:
8. Strengthens FAC’s Advocacy for Local Governments:
In summary, the proposed legislative fix to SB 180’s Sections 18 and 28 would restore local governments’ ability to plan effectively, enhance community resilience, align with the bill’s disaster recovery intent, and avoid costly legal and financial consequences. By focusing preemption on hurricane-damaged properties, it ensures a balanced approach to recovery and sustainable growth, benefiting Florida’s communities long-term.
ICE hiring away Florida’s first responders is analogous to Epstein hiring away spa workers from Mar-a-Lago. Simply intolerable. DeSantis must follow Trumps example and cut him off.
Unlike former councilperson, Cramer, I hope Mr. Schuessler actually responds to constituents concerns. Also, despite his career catering to wealth, I hope he takes the time to visit, understand and act to improve the not-so wealthy neighborhoods in ward 3 between 9th and 14th St W, where the streets are littered with trash. Most importantly, I hope Mr. Schuessler is not just another rubber stamp for good ol boy developer interests like the rest of the council. The council's vote to approve former City manager Carl Callahan's project for 400 apartments at the old city hall site is typical of what we've seen over and over. This site is at one of the busiest, most traffic-clogged corners in the entire county. It is also right on the river and could have been used to the benefit and beauty of the entire city. Now, it will not only be an ugly, traffic nightmare, but it will add 400 more toilets to the city's failing waste water system to add to the millions of gallons of raw sewage the City has already dumped into the Manatee river.
And also... there is an effect from the volume of homes that are only for Airbnb, second it third vacation homes and homes that are investment only where no one ever lives.
This subject is one I've had my mind on since I was quite young. My mother taught Earth/Space science, oceanography and geology in mandate county. I grew up in the back rooms of museums, in labs and on dig sites. I've watched Florida change radically from when I was a kid, to now, and information on "why" has been available
The real irony of this is the climate scientists who had the most accurate projections, earliest were largely those employed by the fossil fuel industry. Yet there was no change in direction and no alternative built up alongside the industry needing replacement. Instead, investors like the Koch Brothers sunk tons of money into protecting their money.
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