Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Quotes from St. Augustine Report, by George Gardner, former Mayor


Quotable

One of the things that is different about St. Johns County as compared to other communities in Florida is the very high number of (homeless) people who are totally unsheltered, people living outdoors. In most communities it might be 75 percent are sheltered, 25 percent are unsheltered; here 10 percent are sheltered and 90 percent are unsheltered.
Susan Pourciau, Director of Homeless Training and Technical Assistance,
Florida Homeless Coalition, in a presentation to the City Commission Monday

Maybe tourism growth will seem more manageable if we can continue to emphasize authenticity. If tourists want to eat and shop at the same places that local residents do, that seems like a win. If tourists want to partake in festivals and traditions that local residents love, that seems like a win.
But if tourists come to Savannah for manufactured events, food, activities and history that have little to do with authentic Low country culture, then we will likely find ourselves, as Becker warned, overbooked and overrun.
Savannah Morning News Columnist Bill Dawers, after visit by Elizabeth Becker,
author of Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism.

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