Objects to expense of five-county bike path

Objects to expense of five-county bike path



By Helen L. Masters
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 09/30/08


Editor: This is unbelievable. The country is in a recession. The state of Florida, counties and cities in Florida are cutting there budgets and laying off people, right and left. Funds are being cut from schools. Homes are in foreclosures.

But this brilliant bunch of politicians are proposing to build a 262-mile bike trail and walking path that will wind through five counties.

U.S. Rep. John Mica and state Rep. Bill Proctor joined the five county delegations on Sept. 22 to sign a joint agreement that the trail will be completed by 2013.

The question we should ask is -- where is the funding coming from? Perhaps the tooth fairy? Perhaps some money could be diverted to the school districts.

Have these politicians officials completely lost their minds?

St. Johns County Commissioner Chairman Tom Manuel was quoted in The St. Augustine Record as saying, Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson was the "sparkplug" on the commission for this. "Without her, this wouldn't have happened."

Stevenson said she and her husband, Henry, are bicyclist. "I'm delighted to be part of this today," she said, according to The Record.

Bully for her.

Brevard County will shell out $8 Million for 11 miles.

That's our tax dollars at work. These people haven't the foggiest idea of the cost of this trail. Their only thought is they want it.

How about asking the taxpayers what they think about this project?

Hold on to your wallets, folks. Come the Nov. 4 general election, county voters are being asked to vote for a 1 percent hike in the sales tax for five years.

If this is the way the powers that be will be spending this 1 percent sales tax increase?

I say a resounding "no" to this tax hike.


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