Who can we, the people, turn to?

It’s an occasional subject brought up by County Government officials; talk of attracting higher paying jobs to Hernando County is more of a wishful thinking, cross your fingers idea. It hasn’t come to fruition so far, and unlikely to beIt’s an occasional subject with County Government officials. Talk of attracting higher paying jobs to Hernando County is more of a wishful thinking, cross your fingers idea. It hasn’t come to fruition so far, and unlikely to become a realization any time in the near future. I’m not sure if no one really cares or if there are just no drawing cards that would benefit businesses to invest their futures here.

The close proximity to Tampa thus far hasn’t proven to offer the opportunities that would appear to be of primary consideration. The SunCoast Highway is a designated commuter route, generally taking residents out of the county rather than attracting workers to our location. Sure, there are definite benefits of wage earners bringing their paychecks to be spent Hernando County but the loss of revenue to broaden our tax base is sorely lost to communities to the south.

Too much land has been rezoned from agriculture to residential. It has proven to be poor planning from the first designs of the future of the County. Impact fees have never paid the full cost of providing services to newcomers so the impact of suburban growth is negative from the very moment a tract of land is purchased. And yet, with Hickory Hill and Sunrise, and other developments north on US 19 near Citrus County, there are plenty of shortcomings in progress.

What we have are a broad array of homes but nothing else for the weak efforts of County Commissioners have shown to diversify the economy. Property values are down and, although property taxes are exorbitant for most homes purchased in the past few year, the results all point to an unbalanced budget for the needs of the County. New construction appears to be subdued for foreseeable future so the purchasing power of residents to support what businesses that are already here is limited.

It is, to say the least, a disappointment to have gone through the County Connection program to learn the processes of local government and learn the average income is $28,000 per year. I took the class this past Spring. Viewing the official Hernando County WebPages, it was shocking to find the median income is now less than $26,000! What a shame.

We are stuck in a retail wasteland, sure to find the working population will decline. Wal-Mart can stock every Made In China product available, but people still have to budget their moneys for food and housing expenses. Foreign clothing will place third in consumer spending as families are forced to put the basic needs of life above their wants and desires.

The close proximity to Tampa thus far hasn’t proven to offer the opportunities that would appear to be of primary consideration. The SunCoast Highway is a designated commuter route, generally taking residents out of the county rather than attracting workers to our location. Sure, there are definite benefits of wage earners bringing their paychecks to be spent Hernando County but the loss of revenue to broaden our tax base is sorely lost to communities to the south.

I-75 is more of a Hernando County by-pass than an exit for business interests. Heck, it's location has already proven to be more attractive as a housing bonanza than a gateway to business opportunities. This is another example of urban sprawl, exposing our lands to vulnerability of resiential real estate mongers.

Too much land has been rezoned from agriculture to residential. It has proven to be poor planning from the first designs of the future of the County. Impact fees have never paid the full cost of providing services to newcomers so the impact of suburban growth is negative from the very moment a tract of land is purchased. And yet, with Hickory Hill and Sunrise, and other developments north on US 19 near Citrus County, there are plenty of shortcomings in progress.

What we have are a broad array of homes but nothing else for the weak efforts of County Commissioners have shown to diversify the economy. Property values are down and, although property taxes are exorbitant for most homes purchased in the past few year, the results all point to an unbalanced budget for the needs of the County. New construction appears to be subdued for foreseeable future so the purchasing power of residents to support what businesses that are already here is limited.

It is, to say the least, a disappointment to have gone through the County Connection program to learn the processes of local government and learn the average income is $28,000 per year. I took the class this past Spring. Viewing the official Hernando County WebPages, it was shocking to find the median income is now less than $26,000! What a shame.

We are stuck in a retail wasteland, sure to find the working population will decline. Wal-Mart can stock every Made In China product available, but people still have to budget their moneys for food and housing expenses. Foreign clothing will place third in consumer spending as families are forced to put the basic needs of life above their wants and desires.

So, what’s the County to do? County Commissioners and their department heads have continuously displayed their lack of progressive thinking, and actions, on supplementing the limited manufacturing jobs already established. This is surely not their expertise. It may point to the inherent shortcomings of elected officials with little or no business backgrounds.

Candidates vying to defeat Commissioners Diane Rowden, Chris Kingsley and Jeff Stabins may not offer anything other than the same inaction. A realtor. A construction manager. A property appraiser. Rub-a-dub, three candidates in the same old rusty tub. Curbing county spending and promises of attracting higher paid industry jobs sound admirable, but their prospecting for gold with those exorbitant salaries won’t necessarily bring the necessary results. This is not to suggest they don’t deserve voter consideration but specifics, please!

So, who else can we turn to address our needs of attracting alternate sources of revenues… and jobs? If you label local government as the “rock” and federal government the “hard place” guess what’s left.

We're stuck in the middle with are our friends in Tallahassee. Senators Mike Fasano and Paula Dockery, and Representatives Robert Schenk and Ron Schultz. Can we rely on their political influences and business associations to fill the gaps and crevasses of our economic void? Hey, guys and gal, how about throwing a little pork into our barrel?