On November 1, 2008, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection became the proud owner of Weeki Wachee Springs, the latest of the 161 parks in the State Park Service. The deal had been signed on February 18 for a couple of ‘fins’!
Ten bucks and what do you get? Breathing room for “The Only City With Live Mermaids”! After nearly three decades of declining tourism, thanks to Disney and other exotic attractions, the survival of the Springs has ‘sprung’ back to life.
In celebration, bring out the bubbly! through air hoses, giving life support to those wide-tailed beauties!
The depth of the Springs, at 403 feet, is considered the deepest of known natural springs in the United States. Some changes can be expected with the removal of the water slide and a review of the boat ride. Safety and environmental concerns of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, SFWMD or Swiftmud, were factors in the lengthy legal battle with the previous owners of the Springs.
The Springs may never reach the popularity it once had in the 50s and 60s but there’s a strong belief that, with the State Park Service in control, it will be rehabilitated to a newfound glory with Buccaneer Bay, Florida’ only spring-fed waterpark, providing visitors with fun in the sun with its white sandy beaches.
The State can’t do much about the declining water level, which in the past pumped 117 million gallons of 72-degree water from the depths of the Florida Aquifer, but there’ll come a day when Weeki Wachee will be as glorious as Wekiva Springs in Apopka, Florida. Such is my belief, albeit with a unique character of its own.
Just as Blue Springs State Park, in Orange City, and Wekiva, manatees are an attraction in themselves. Big and cumbersome in appearance and endangered by the ways of humans, they’re such lovable creatures, especially when seen lolling about with their young. Such was a sight I witnessed with inspiration and a sense of peace and harmony. Another wonder of Mother nature!
And here I sit with guilt that, as yet, I haven’t taken the time to visit Weeki Wachee. After living in Florida in excess of half my 58 years of life, I’ve not made a trip to Key West. With a personal commitment, this won’t be the case with the Springs located a mere five miles from my home. Shameful.
We should all be honored that Weeki Wachee Springs is safe, secure and reassured that the “Only City With Live Mermaids” will continue to be one of most treasured gifts to Hernando County, knowing the grace and beauty of those aquatic wonders will keep those fins a-flappin’.
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Rambling About Gambling
I began gambling at age 23, greener than a dollar bill at planning my financial security. I knew chances of winning were against me but I succumbed to the temptation strictly because newly found friends had invited me to participate in what they viewed as entertainment at the Sanford-Hernando Kennel Club.
It was then that I was faced with placing my hard earned dollars across a betting window at the Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club. It was also then that I came to appreciate the exquisite, intelligent design of greyhounds. They’re not as stately as horses but their physique is envious. If only I could have a waistline like that proportionate to my stature!
I had no idea what I was doing. The racing form was filled with an array of numbers - a history of past wins, places and shows – plus body weights and daily odds. It was all gobbledygook to me. So I resorted to placing my first bet solely on a hunch by the name of the greyhound. There was no rationale whatsoever. Regardless, my chances of winning were about as good as they could get.
I was standing in line, anticipating my initial experience at a betting window. Yes, I was a bit nervous. When I got to the betting window, I made my choice. With the noisy distractions of the crowd, I thought he couldn’t hear me so I repeated the numbers.
When he said, “four dollars”, I was speechless. I hadn’t intended to double the risk factor but here I was with two tickets with the same numbers. This was a very costly mistake. I gambled twice as much as I had wanted, now 20% of my overall acceptable risk.
I couldn’t share my faux pas with my friends. I was alarmed, ready to call it a day at the races and leave, but I put on a show of anticipated joy. I soon heard the words, “Watch the bunny” with an inflection similar to “Here’s Johnny”.
It wasn’t one of those moments when nervous tension makes it seem like time has come to a standstill. Before I knew it, the race was over and my dog was the winner! Momentarily speechless, my jubilation was soon apparent when I announced to my friends that beginner’s “luck of the Scottish” had made me a winner. The tickets rewarded me with $45 each! By the end of the day, I was still pleased to go home with a good amount of winnings in my pocket.
Since then I’ve been taken to a floating gambling casino in Illinois, the Santa Anita Race Track and a few visits to Las Vegas. My biggest win came in 1989 shortly after moving back to Florida after a ten-year period of personal mobility. The moves were risky in themselves but I always came out ahead. This time, I had beaten the odds of choosing five out of six numbers in the Florida Lottery. I cashed in on $1200 in winnings! Today’s dollar values would make it twice as much.
Since then, lady luck has avoided me, most recently putting my financial security at undeserving risk. With no exception, every homeowner in Florida is unjustly in the same situation.
The cause? First it was Jeb. Charlie has followed suit. Citizens Property Insurance is the culprit, drummed up by the Florida Legislature in 2002 for homeowners unable to otherwise obtain coverage in high-risk (coastal) areas.
When I recently reviewed my insurance renewal charges I decided to check out other options for coverage. Come to find out, since few companies are writing new policies, my sole option would be Citizens. My insurance agent forewarned me that Citizens’ rates are currently frozen. In 2010 the fees will most likely double. I nixed the idea, just as I did with thoughts of increasing the hurricane deductible from $2K to $10K. I could save about $500 in yearly premiums. I heard a voice telling me “Don’t do it!” It wasn’t my subconscious telling me - I was talking out loud to myself.
Like a jilted lover, private insurers are most likely to refuse to take back homeowners who choose to switch to the government-owned competitor.
The problem is that politicians and lobbyists in Tallahassee are clueless on risk management. Casino gambling is an individual’s choice but when it comes to protecting the value of a home it’s more than just poor judgment blatant disregard for the financial well being of the homeowner.
Forgoing flood insurance coverage when you’re not in a flood zone is one thing but eliminating sinkhole coverage could be a living nightmare to a homeowner. When you live in a state that assumes the risk of a heavy hurricane season without having sufficient funds to pay for claims, the additional liability is eventually billed to its citizens.
It was then that I was faced with placing my hard earned dollars across a betting window at the Sanford-Orlando Kennel Club. It was also then that I came to appreciate the exquisite, intelligent design of greyhounds. They’re not as stately as horses but their physique is envious. If only I could have a waistline like that proportionate to my stature!
I had no idea what I was doing. The racing form was filled with an array of numbers - a history of past wins, places and shows – plus body weights and daily odds. It was all gobbledygook to me. So I resorted to placing my first bet solely on a hunch by the name of the greyhound. There was no rationale whatsoever. Regardless, my chances of winning were about as good as they could get.
I was standing in line, anticipating my initial experience at a betting window. Yes, I was a bit nervous. When I got to the betting window, I made my choice. With the noisy distractions of the crowd, I thought he couldn’t hear me so I repeated the numbers.
When he said, “four dollars”, I was speechless. I hadn’t intended to double the risk factor but here I was with two tickets with the same numbers. This was a very costly mistake. I gambled twice as much as I had wanted, now 20% of my overall acceptable risk.
I couldn’t share my faux pas with my friends. I was alarmed, ready to call it a day at the races and leave, but I put on a show of anticipated joy. I soon heard the words, “Watch the bunny” with an inflection similar to “Here’s Johnny”.
It wasn’t one of those moments when nervous tension makes it seem like time has come to a standstill. Before I knew it, the race was over and my dog was the winner! Momentarily speechless, my jubilation was soon apparent when I announced to my friends that beginner’s “luck of the Scottish” had made me a winner. The tickets rewarded me with $45 each! By the end of the day, I was still pleased to go home with a good amount of winnings in my pocket.
Since then I’ve been taken to a floating gambling casino in Illinois, the Santa Anita Race Track and a few visits to Las Vegas. My biggest win came in 1989 shortly after moving back to Florida after a ten-year period of personal mobility. The moves were risky in themselves but I always came out ahead. This time, I had beaten the odds of choosing five out of six numbers in the Florida Lottery. I cashed in on $1200 in winnings! Today’s dollar values would make it twice as much.
Since then, lady luck has avoided me, most recently putting my financial security at undeserving risk. With no exception, every homeowner in Florida is unjustly in the same situation.
The cause? First it was Jeb. Charlie has followed suit. Citizens Property Insurance is the culprit, drummed up by the Florida Legislature in 2002 for homeowners unable to otherwise obtain coverage in high-risk (coastal) areas.
When I recently reviewed my insurance renewal charges I decided to check out other options for coverage. Come to find out, since few companies are writing new policies, my sole option would be Citizens. My insurance agent forewarned me that Citizens’ rates are currently frozen. In 2010 the fees will most likely double. I nixed the idea, just as I did with thoughts of increasing the hurricane deductible from $2K to $10K. I could save about $500 in yearly premiums. I heard a voice telling me “Don’t do it!” It wasn’t my subconscious telling me - I was talking out loud to myself.
Like a jilted lover, private insurers are most likely to refuse to take back homeowners who choose to switch to the government-owned competitor.
The problem is that politicians and lobbyists in Tallahassee are clueless on risk management. Casino gambling is an individual’s choice but when it comes to protecting the value of a home it’s more than just poor judgment blatant disregard for the financial well being of the homeowner.
Forgoing flood insurance coverage when you’re not in a flood zone is one thing but eliminating sinkhole coverage could be a living nightmare to a homeowner. When you live in a state that assumes the risk of a heavy hurricane season without having sufficient funds to pay for claims, the additional liability is eventually billed to its citizens.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Hernando County Running on Fumes
This past week the price that investors pay for crude-oil futures slid above $100 per barrel. The significance of the increase will accentuate the hardships of parents who transports kids to school events, charitable organizations whose volunteers deliver essentials to the needy, school districts whose bus expenses have already put thoughts of putting the lives of children at risk by making them walk to their schools, pizza delivery employees whose tips may be insufficient to warrant the limited pay they already receive… and residents of Hernando County who work outside the area.
The pay may be an attractive draw to seek and maintain employment in Pasco and Hillsboro Counties, but these commuters are going to be hit hard in their pocketbooks. With the cost of most everything else going up and the challenges of paying property taxes and homeowner insurance premiums there’ll be little left to spend on what the Federal Governments expects from citizens to spur the economy.
The only means of people to purchase anything other than the essentials for their families will be by credit card. The Fed can lower the prime rate to zero and you can bet your life savings that interest rates on those plastics devils won’t go much below 15%. Heck, even with an excellent credit score, the worst culprit of my credit purchase woes is Bank of America. Others are currently charging less but those introductory rates have an ending date that I don’t remember and, worse, the loan holders don’t supply that information on the monthly statements.
There are many Americans whose credit ratings put their interest rates above 20% or default rates close to 30%.
Let me go back a few paragraphs where I mentioned there are a good number of Hernando County residents working outside the area. Their numbers equal about 34% of the County’s working residents. Let’s say the average commuter puts 40 miles on their vehicle to get to work to destinations south of here, double that for a round trip then multiply by the 5-day workweek. That’s 400 miles per week. This is probably a conservative figure.
Not long ago the price of a gallon of gas was right around $3.00 so let’s assume a worst case scenario with the cost going up to $3.75 by July, as suggested by AAA, and the vehicle get 25 miles per gallon. The expense in gas would go from $48.00 to $60.00 every month. The cost of car maintenance and repairs will surely go up, but can’t be avoided to keep the machine at its best performance.
If there are thoughts of a new vehicle, forget it. The cost of my auto insurance just went up 10% from six months ago – no tickets, no accidents, no claims. A ’95 truck and an ’03 car. The telephone rep explained the increase was due to the cost of repairs and/or claims in Hernando County. I didn’t feel safe in lowering the coverage because of being a homeowner, so I fudged a bit about my estimated annual mileage.
If you think the cost of gasoline couldn’t get much worse, take into consideration that, just last month, investors in oil futures are betting that the price of crude to reach two hundred dollars - that's $200. As the cost of petroleum goes up, so do the prices of nearly everything we Americans take for granted. And, as prices go up, the Dow will likely go down because people will have less to spend.
Whenever anyone suggests the slump in the economy will correct itself in a couple of years, I just don’t see it happening. After a dismal December for retail stores, January figures showed a pitiful gain of .4% - just a little more than nothing. Then I read that retail sales include gasoline. Without the increase of the price of gasoline, retail sales would have been less than zero over the prior month! Hell-O! And a Happy New Year!
In a county that relies on retail, construction and property tax revenues, Hernando County has three strikes against its economic well-being. With a new administrator or not, there are some hefty challenges in the foreseeable future. It’ll be quite some time before new homes are built, thus construction laborers will have plenty of idle time in their lives to do whatever else is available to give them entertainment.
Workers are often displaced for lack of need in their chosen fields of employment and must seek other endeavors to achieve a measure of success in their lives. It’s a rude awakening but, when survival is at stake, the brave and venturous shall inherit the paycheck.
This can and should be addressed by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners. They and their “constituents of interest” need to get off their doo-dahs and plan for a future that leaves behind the ho-hum doldrums of menial jobs and low wages that have been allowed grow as quick and thick as unwanted Florida groundcover in a manicured garden.
Without the guidance and consideration of any and all the people of influence for the future of Hernando County, a solid economic future cannot be resurrected from the past decade of housing growth. At one point the County had a tank full of gas - now it’s running on fumes, about to stall out.
The pay may be an attractive draw to seek and maintain employment in Pasco and Hillsboro Counties, but these commuters are going to be hit hard in their pocketbooks. With the cost of most everything else going up and the challenges of paying property taxes and homeowner insurance premiums there’ll be little left to spend on what the Federal Governments expects from citizens to spur the economy.
The only means of people to purchase anything other than the essentials for their families will be by credit card. The Fed can lower the prime rate to zero and you can bet your life savings that interest rates on those plastics devils won’t go much below 15%. Heck, even with an excellent credit score, the worst culprit of my credit purchase woes is Bank of America. Others are currently charging less but those introductory rates have an ending date that I don’t remember and, worse, the loan holders don’t supply that information on the monthly statements.
There are many Americans whose credit ratings put their interest rates above 20% or default rates close to 30%.
Let me go back a few paragraphs where I mentioned there are a good number of Hernando County residents working outside the area. Their numbers equal about 34% of the County’s working residents. Let’s say the average commuter puts 40 miles on their vehicle to get to work to destinations south of here, double that for a round trip then multiply by the 5-day workweek. That’s 400 miles per week. This is probably a conservative figure.
Not long ago the price of a gallon of gas was right around $3.00 so let’s assume a worst case scenario with the cost going up to $3.75 by July, as suggested by AAA, and the vehicle get 25 miles per gallon. The expense in gas would go from $48.00 to $60.00 every month. The cost of car maintenance and repairs will surely go up, but can’t be avoided to keep the machine at its best performance.
If there are thoughts of a new vehicle, forget it. The cost of my auto insurance just went up 10% from six months ago – no tickets, no accidents, no claims. A ’95 truck and an ’03 car. The telephone rep explained the increase was due to the cost of repairs and/or claims in Hernando County. I didn’t feel safe in lowering the coverage because of being a homeowner, so I fudged a bit about my estimated annual mileage.
If you think the cost of gasoline couldn’t get much worse, take into consideration that, just last month, investors in oil futures are betting that the price of crude to reach two hundred dollars - that's $200. As the cost of petroleum goes up, so do the prices of nearly everything we Americans take for granted. And, as prices go up, the Dow will likely go down because people will have less to spend.
Whenever anyone suggests the slump in the economy will correct itself in a couple of years, I just don’t see it happening. After a dismal December for retail stores, January figures showed a pitiful gain of .4% - just a little more than nothing. Then I read that retail sales include gasoline. Without the increase of the price of gasoline, retail sales would have been less than zero over the prior month! Hell-O! And a Happy New Year!
In a county that relies on retail, construction and property tax revenues, Hernando County has three strikes against its economic well-being. With a new administrator or not, there are some hefty challenges in the foreseeable future. It’ll be quite some time before new homes are built, thus construction laborers will have plenty of idle time in their lives to do whatever else is available to give them entertainment.
Workers are often displaced for lack of need in their chosen fields of employment and must seek other endeavors to achieve a measure of success in their lives. It’s a rude awakening but, when survival is at stake, the brave and venturous shall inherit the paycheck.
This can and should be addressed by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners. They and their “constituents of interest” need to get off their doo-dahs and plan for a future that leaves behind the ho-hum doldrums of menial jobs and low wages that have been allowed grow as quick and thick as unwanted Florida groundcover in a manicured garden.
Without the guidance and consideration of any and all the people of influence for the future of Hernando County, a solid economic future cannot be resurrected from the past decade of housing growth. At one point the County had a tank full of gas - now it’s running on fumes, about to stall out.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Lucky Lucky Me
Whew! Aren’t I the lucky one! I figure there’s a whopping $240 savings on my typical, average home value now that Amendment One is said and done. And yet, I’ll still have an end-of-the-year tax bill that’s three times that of my neighbors.
A recent call to the Property Appraiser’s office informed me that I had the misconception that I would have an additional savings because the value of my home plummeted in 2007; property taxes are billed a year in arrears. The kind County employee explained that the $25,000 increase in the Homestead Exemption would be closer to $15,000 because school taxes are not inclusive of the tax reduction and that the 3% increase of Save Our Homes still applies. So, that $240 is the total sum of possible savings. Governor Charlie Crist poorly represented the understanding of Amendment One, just as The Times had professed. And yet, I’m still a bit confused!
So, I’ll still owe the County twice the amount of my neighbors who have stayed in their homes in excess of ten years and three times that of those of twenty years. I’ll still be paying a far higher share of taxes than those same neighbors who will continue to benefit from the same level of County services. Hundreds of other homeowners across the state are right there beside me.
Those same neighbors whose tax bills are a third of my own can downsize to another location and save their homes much more easily than myself. If I should downsize, I would still pay three times as much in property and school taxes as they. I’ll cross my fingers when County Commissioners give approval of the 2009 budget and hope they don’t inch up the millage rate.
I can take the overall savings in may devalued property taxes of maybe $240 and apply it to my home insurance premium reduction that failed to materialize as promised by Governor Crist.
Some homeowners made out like bandits from the passage of Amendment 1, but there are just as many of us still behind the proverbial bars of financial woes with little chance of reprieve. We’ve been sentenced to a foreseeable future of inequity because the Florida Legislature will rest easy that the people have mandated what boils down to the status quo. It may be deemed unnecessary to pursue other tax reform.
Demographics of voter approval of the Constitutional Amendment would surely prove to be retirees. They are more astute to issues and have the wherewithal to get out and vote at their leisure. I applaud each and every one of them for their fortitude, but the outcome may have been different if a broader range of homeowners had participated in the Primary Election.
Keep in mind that a class action lawsuit that claims the Save Our Homes portability provision discriminates and violates the State Constitution. So, don't county those dollars saved because Amendment One may be one big goose that laid a fool’s golden egg.
I feel the only way for me to make out ahead in this economic mess is to sell my current home and relocate to a cozy trailer valued little more than $50,000; my property tax and insurance relief would finally give me financial relief of owning a home in Florida. I can’t expect it otherwise.
A recent call to the Property Appraiser’s office informed me that I had the misconception that I would have an additional savings because the value of my home plummeted in 2007; property taxes are billed a year in arrears. The kind County employee explained that the $25,000 increase in the Homestead Exemption would be closer to $15,000 because school taxes are not inclusive of the tax reduction and that the 3% increase of Save Our Homes still applies. So, that $240 is the total sum of possible savings. Governor Charlie Crist poorly represented the understanding of Amendment One, just as The Times had professed. And yet, I’m still a bit confused!
So, I’ll still owe the County twice the amount of my neighbors who have stayed in their homes in excess of ten years and three times that of those of twenty years. I’ll still be paying a far higher share of taxes than those same neighbors who will continue to benefit from the same level of County services. Hundreds of other homeowners across the state are right there beside me.
Those same neighbors whose tax bills are a third of my own can downsize to another location and save their homes much more easily than myself. If I should downsize, I would still pay three times as much in property and school taxes as they. I’ll cross my fingers when County Commissioners give approval of the 2009 budget and hope they don’t inch up the millage rate.
I can take the overall savings in may devalued property taxes of maybe $240 and apply it to my home insurance premium reduction that failed to materialize as promised by Governor Crist.
Some homeowners made out like bandits from the passage of Amendment 1, but there are just as many of us still behind the proverbial bars of financial woes with little chance of reprieve. We’ve been sentenced to a foreseeable future of inequity because the Florida Legislature will rest easy that the people have mandated what boils down to the status quo. It may be deemed unnecessary to pursue other tax reform.
Demographics of voter approval of the Constitutional Amendment would surely prove to be retirees. They are more astute to issues and have the wherewithal to get out and vote at their leisure. I applaud each and every one of them for their fortitude, but the outcome may have been different if a broader range of homeowners had participated in the Primary Election.
Keep in mind that a class action lawsuit that claims the Save Our Homes portability provision discriminates and violates the State Constitution. So, don't county those dollars saved because Amendment One may be one big goose that laid a fool’s golden egg.
I feel the only way for me to make out ahead in this economic mess is to sell my current home and relocate to a cozy trailer valued little more than $50,000; my property tax and insurance relief would finally give me financial relief of owning a home in Florida. I can’t expect it otherwise.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
In Other Words, Other Blogs
www.hernandohews.blogspot.com
{Looks and Outlooks of Hernando County, FL}
There's more than what you might expect...
www.floridamenagerie.blogspot.com/
{The State Down Under}
There's More to Florida than Vitamin C...
www.floridamenagerie08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
www.parcel-post.blogspot.com
{Comments to Entice}
www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
There are no pictures. There are no sounds. It's the words that pursue me.
{Looks and Outlooks of Hernando County, FL}
There's more than what you might expect...
www.floridamenagerie.blogspot.com/
{The State Down Under}
There's More to Florida than Vitamin C...
www.floridamenagerie08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
www.parcel-post.blogspot.com
{Comments to Entice}
www.parcelpost08.blogspot.com
A New Year. A New Blog.
There are no pictures. There are no sounds. It's the words that pursue me.
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