Fort Pierce News from Fort Pierce, Florida (2024)

January 21, 2000

Publication:

Fort Pierce Newsi

Location:

Fort Pierce, Florida

Issue Date:

Friday, January 21, 2000

Page:

10

Extracted Article Text (OCR)

AB The News Friday January 21 2000 Pern Lve Fort Pierce IB News Suite 47 800 Virginia Avenue Fort Pierce FL 34982 lyier Treadway Editor (561)489- NEWS The Fort Pierce News is a weekly publication To receive the News or stop delivery for vacation please call 930-5800 Letter from the Editor MyJurn Confidentiality vital in luring business to area Out of sight not out of mind Dear Readers: Today will be the last time you have to look at the mugshot you see accompanying this column Almost three years after helping start this newspaper in May 1997 I'll be leaving to become features editor at The Stuart NewsIPort St Lucie News our mothership paper So let me take this opportunity to thank first of all our readers So many people have taken the time to call me drop by the office or stop me on the street to say they read and enjoy our paper That really makes the job worthwhile Even when they take issue with something in the paper even something I've written I get a good feeling knowing that they read us and that they feel strongly enough about issues we raise to talk about them I'm going to miss Fort Pierce You know one of the reasons Scripps Howard wanted to start a newspaper in Fort Pierce three years ago was because the mucky-mucks saw that it was a city on the move It still is And been great to be around just to watch and perhaps play a small part in Fort resurgence I'd also like to take this opportunity to introduce you to John Sayers the new editor of the News What I think you'll like about John is his dedication to community newspapers papers like the Fort Pierce News For the last two years he was editor of The Eastsider an arts and entertainment weekly in the Sun-Sentinel Community News Group at Fort Lauderdale Before that he was editor of Boca Thursday a general news paper in Boca Raton also in the Sun-Sentinpel group I think you're going to find John to be a strong supporter of local community organizations John says he and his wife Maggie (and their Australian shepherds Jake 5' and Sara 3) were drawn to Fort Pierce by its laid-back old Florida atmosphere as well as the potential for growth partic- ularly in downtown I think John the Fort Pierce News and the Fort Pierce community are going to be a nice fit Who wants to be a millionaire? Seems that I'm leaving in a heavy news week Top of the heap is the City Commission granting SI million for thetestoration of the Sunnse Theatre I hate to admit that I've got some mixed feelings about that Sure all for restoring the Sunrise I agree that it will be the centerpiece of the downtown Fort Pierce revitalization a point of civic pride and eventually a possible economic boon for the city But a million bucks from the city coffers? That could spread a lot of civic pride over a large area I'm also surprised that the deal with the city was accomplished so quickly I was expecting the commissioners to say they needed some time to scratch their chins and mull over a decision I think the only person surprised by this Is naive to think that the approval a foregone conclusion or is it callous to think that it was? Do I need to reiterate that I'm pro-Sunrise and not against the grant I'm just a little taken aback fay such a quick-as-a-wink decision to plop down $1 million of money on a project been dragging on for years The Art of Compromise On the other hand I've got no misgivings about the compromise decision made by the St Lucie County Commission on the proposed court move: Like Ed Fisher of the Downtown Business Association said Fort Pierce have expected to come out any better I'm also heartened by the fact that the issue got due process: Everybody involved got a chance to have his or her say on the matter and the compromised that was reached shows that all those opinions were weighed Some people may be upset because St Lucie County officials want to conceal the names of businesses interested in locating in the county As a journalist I am not in favor of governments keeping secrets from the public about the business but which companies may or may not be interested in coming to the Treasure Coast is proprietary information not yet the concern After a business decides it wants to locate in the county and asks for the necessary building and zoning approvals as well as any incentive packages the county may offer then it is public business The people have a right to have a say about zoning planning impact fees and even if they want the new corporation or not There is a practical side to the matter that should not be overlooked We live in a capitalistic society that believes in free enterprise Corporations have as much right to fair treatment in the marketplace as do individuals yet they sometimes do not get it Waft Disney World in the Orlando area is an example of what I am trying to explain When Walt Disney decided to locate in the Orlando-Kissimmee area he remembered what had happened when he started building Disneyland in Anaheim Calif There he bought just enough land for his theme park When he wanted to expand it he found that property owners who knew who and heard a broker blurt out that he was taking options for Disney It was a thunderbolt announcement Everyone now saw that Disney had put together a big parcel of land that unfortunately was broken into several segments separated by equally large parcels on which options had not been secured You know what happened! The price of the lands without options suddenly went sky-high Disney abandoned the project and did not exercise its options The beachfront resort in Brevard was dead Today Disney has a beachfront resort in Indian River County It is called Veto Beach Resort and is the sort of thing that might have been built in Melbourne if business secrecy could have been maintained St Lucie County officials are right to try to keep uie names confidential until the companies decide to move to the county After that the public needs to know The officials however should not expect that reporters will not try to find out the names and publish them Our business after all is telling what is happening not just what someone thinks the people should know Joe Crankshaw can be contacted by telephone at 464-6414 exsten-sion 4181 or at Crankshawstu-artnewscom via e-mail His columns are archived on TCPalmcom the website wound up in the poorhouse Secrecy worked for Disney and ultimately for Central Florida It is now one of the world's great tourist destinations and there are hundreds of thousands of people earning good livings There is another case again involving Disney that eventually had an impact on the Treasure Coast In 1970 Disney officials decided they would create an oceanfront resort and entertainment center on the Atlantic Ocean below Melbourne Beach and Indialantic in Brevard County They engaged brokers to go out and option large tracts of beadi-front under the name of shell corporations which would not be immediately identified as Disney subsidiaries I was bureau chief for The Miami Herald in Brevard County at the time Soon I was hairing reports of people taking out options on long stretches of beachfront I had a part-time writer Jackie Reid working in the Melbourne area and die heard even more stories Everyone wondered what was happening but a clear picture could not emerge because the firms taking the options did not seem connected (We did not have the Internet and massive data bases that would have helped us figure out the situation quickly) Extensive research was really not needed however because one night Jackie was attending a party Joe Crankshaw was trying to buy the land jacked up their price per acre even as they tried to build right to the Disney property line In Florida he did his dealings through shell corporations and bought land at what can only be considered fair market Value That value is determined to be what a willing seller will accept and what a willing buyer will pay Disney bought up hundreds of thousands of acres He now could expand as he desired without being held up on the land prices and he could control what went up next to his property 'After the deal of course when the property owners found out they had been dealing with an entertainment giant with supposedly deep pockets they groused about not being able to get even more money for their land It should be noted none of than Letters to the Editor MINORITIES SADLY LACKING IN THIS JUDICIARY Editorial Dear Editor The defiance of the Judicial Nominating response to the letter to make an earnest attempt to seek minorities for the new available judicial openings is contemptuous to say the least Investigation shows that this circuit not only lacks diversity among judges the problem is more far-reaching: There are no minority attorneys employed at the State Office in the four counties Repair the breach Fran Ross an African-American attorney who was one of two minorities who filled out applications for the available judgeships is the only minority attorney at the Public Office in the four counties And she was hired by Diamond predecessor There are no minority employees of any kina in any position working in any of the four offices of the public defender except for Fran Ross of our community I was saddened to learn that has sold its building at the Orange Blossom Mall However there is no reason for to forsake St Lucie County altogetha If property is not available in Fort Pierce surely Fort St St Lucie West a beautiful and fast-growing community in our county can offa an appealing location close to one of the I-95 interchanges Our Chamber of Commerce is working hard to keep in the area If you are tired of giving away your tax dollars to otha counties please write and express your concern Visit die store in Fort Pierce or the Chamber of Commerce pick up a copy of the Us What You brochure fill it out and send it in (postage-paid by You can also write the chairman of himself Mr John Belk Belk Stores Services Inc 2801 Tyvola Road Charlotte NC 28254-3425 Palm Beach County fought to keep Pratt Whitney and won We can too fight to keep and our tax dollars in St Lucie County Debra Gisler Fort Pierce RICK WIDOW: THANK YOU ALL Dear Editor The entire community has rallied around us during this terrible time and I thank in particular Lt Don Kryak County Corona Harry Browning and all our dear friends who have cared and watched over Us Yean ago Rick and I chose to raise our children Racna and Carson in Port St Lucie Rick coached Little League iww and roller hockey teams We traveled to Belize Fiji and Honduras We ran in local races raised endangered reptiles and played together He had a joyous sense of humor and was not above pranks Our son favorite memory: used to put black plastic bugs in the shower heads and sometimes soap and ice Our daughter Raena remembers his soft side: I got my braces on he said I nnH them look like Rick loved life and he lived it to the fullest Just last Sunday the two of us went on a run through the Savannas and we watched the sunset togetha My children and I will always treasure his memory My husband's death has left us emotionally devastated and with some real financial concerns My thanks go out to Filial Pmitt of Harbor Federal Savings Bank who set up the ashler Family Fund and I am immensely grateful to all who have made donations Carolyn Madder Port St Lucie Editor's note: Carolyn Mashler is a teacher at FK Sweet Elementary School in Fort Pierce In other words a minority defendant in the 19th Judicial Circuit will be prosecuted by a white attorney before a white judge and if indigent probably will draw a white attorney who works for the Public Office The questions that I pose to the readers are these: Could State Attorney Bruce hiring practices be interpreted as being racist? Could Public Defender Diamond hiring practices be interpreted as being racist? Diamond Litty is married to County Judge Walsh Why does she not bear his name and could it be to deceive thejpublic? If you interpret Diamond's hiring practice to be racist does her racism carry over to ha husband who happens to sign a good majority of the warrants issued? Could the three branches of the local justice system be cumulatively deemed racially biased? If your answer to the above is yes can a minority ever get fair justice in this circuit? Can a minority child ever grow up to believe that they could ever be part of this circuit otha than as a criminal defendant or inmate? Both sides looked bad in teacher-pay wrangle Neither side will be fully satisfied with the settlement of St Lucie teacher contract dispute but at least the wrangling is over for a while The deal worked out a few days ago means that the union will get less than it sought and the school district will give more than it wanted to The union accepted the school offer of a 5 percent pay increase this year a SS percent increase next year and an amount to be negotiated later for the third year of the contract The union earlier had asked for pay raises totaling 225 percent over three years Further talks are expected later this year on other issues: Teachers remain concerned over what they think is too little time allowed for planning lessons and activities Right now teachers and district officials ought to be learning what lessons they can from this troublesome process The bickering consumed everyone's attention for several months diverted the focus from classroom instruction and finally required the help of an outside mediator which indicates that neither side trusted die other enough to reach an equitable bargain That is not a healthy sign for the school district In addition neither side did itself any favors in the community-relations realm At the beginning when the teachers outlined what appeared to be legitimate grievances the school district seemed to take them too lightly and with too little respect It is not easy to teach in public schools and pay was just one of several pressing concerns Perhaps a more conciliatory stance by district officials at an earlier stage might have helped to prevent polarization As for the teachers one can hardly fault them for protesting by working merely to the letter of their union contract Everyone knows that teachers provide extras for students hours that go unappreciated until they are withheld However! many citizens must have regarded picket lines as unseemly using a blue-collar labor tactic is inconsistent with claims to status In addition some efforts to instigate a large-scale student walkout early in November was highly unprofessional a contemptible attempt to manipulate children Citizens should appreciate how difficult it is to stretch the budget in the St Lucie County School District More people probably would support better pay for teachers if they could be certain the union would do more to encourage and reward the best teachers and either improve the bad ones or weed them out Sieg Christman Port St Lucie HELP KEEP STORE OPERATING IN ST LUCIE Dear Editor As a long-time resident of St Lucie County I have watched our neighboring counties lure away our merchants The Fort Pierce has proved to be a haven for all of us who want to keep our tax dollars in St Lucie County Belk's courteous and professional employees have made available to us quality name-brand merchandise at honest prices has been welcome in St Lucie County and we consider Belks part.

About Fort Pierce News Archive

Pages Available:

13,772

Years Available:

1997-2000