We need other industry besides tourism!

[florida girl]

I hate to reiterate my point, but? We need other industry besides tourism! The BP office is open for those who wish to file claims; they need 2 years previous evidence of income. Considering a good portion of our jobs are sub-contract work, for individuals, not large corporations employing many people, and that we have endured a serious recession for the last couple of years, this presents a problem. We had a good spring break, and were looking forward to a good summer season. Now what do we do for work? How many of us can actually work for BP? What can we produce here that we can market elsewhere?

 

[wrobert]

I hate to reiterate my point, but? We need other industry besides tourism! The BP office is open for those who wish to file claims; they need 2 years previous evidence of income. Considering a good portion of our jobs are sub-contract work, for individuals, not large corporations employing many people, and that we have endured a serious recession for the last couple of years, this presents a problem. We had a good spring break, and were looking forward to a good summer season. Now what do we do for work? How many of us can actually work for BP? What can we produce here that we can market elsewhere?

Yes we do, but how in the world do you get something started here? I know a guy that has been trying to expand his business in Walton County for the last five years. He finally get permission to move forward and then two weeks later was told to stop, now he has to upgrade a bunch of infrastructure in his area, the costs have finally become to much so he is moving his business to Alabama.

Look at the backlash you get any time you try to put a facility in. The only industry is tourism and prisons. Everybody would love something else, just not in their back yard.

 

[US98 Sports]

Not an industry totally unrelated to tourism, but it does provide an option other than just focusing on people going to the beach to attract revenues, and would spur real estate sales and development along with educational and vocational opportunities. Plus, it would allow SoWal to keep, if not improve on, its identity, while promoting preventive care health benefits that would save our community, whether Walton County or beyond, money.

S.P.E.A.K. Up for South Walton!

 

[GoodWitch58]

Yes we do, but how in the world do you get something started here? I know a guy that has been trying to expand his business in Walton County for the last five years. He finally get permission to move forward and then two weeks later was told to stop, now he has to upgrade a bunch of infrastructure in his area, the costs have finally become to much so he is moving his business to Alabama.

Look at the backlash you get any time you try to put a facility in. The only industry is tourism and prisons. Everybody would love something else, just not in their back yard.

So, is this a county issue? Why are people in Okaloosa and Bay counties able to start up businesses more easily than Walton? Surely they all have to follow the same state or federal regulations...so, what does Walton County insist upon that the other counties don't?

I found the segment on Need to Know this week on PBS very interesting...an entire island that switched to wind and solar. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/. It is the second segment I could not isolate it to post.

 

[wrobert]

So, is this a county issue? Why are people in Okaloosa and Bay counties able to start up businesses more easily than Walton? Surely they all have to follow the same state or federal regulations...so, what does Walton County insist upon that the other counties don't?

I found the segment on Need to Know this week on PBS very interesting...an entire island that switched to wind and solar. Need to Know | PBS . Video | PBS. It is the second segment I could not isolate it to post.

Rather true or not, local leaders blame it on the comp plan and ldc that they say was forced on us. My memory is that it was forced on us when no leadership emerged and was able to build a consensus for us to adopt a plan ourselves. After a while, I guess the State said here, use this one. And for the last twenty years they say they have been trying to fix it.

 

[GoodWitch58]

Rather true or not, local leaders blame it on the comp plan and ldc that they say was forced on us. My memory is that it was forced on us when no leadership emerged and was able to build a consensus for us to adopt a plan ourselves. After a while, I guess the State said here, use this one. And for the last twenty years they say they have been trying to fix it.

I seem to recall that Walton County refused to write a comp plan and I guess you are right, state said well, if you won't design your own; use this one; and now, the county leaders blame "the state" for making then follow the rules they had imposed upon them because they wouldn't write their own and for 20 years they haven't been able to revise the rules...
this is insanity!

I think it would help if we had an active Economic Development Office...seems to be a problem with that too. The director who was there for years apparently did very little; the new man with lots of experience who was hired fairly recently, suddenly, quickly, after only a few months, disappeared...now, the Chamber of Commerce is running the ED program. Wonder what they have done in the last six months about recruiting new industry/business into the county?
Or, have they spent Economic Development time on taking over the tourism advertising... When that director quickly "retired"?

 

[wrobert]

I seem to recall that Walton County refused to write a comp plan and I guess you are right, state said well, if you won't design your own; use this one; and now, the county leaders blame "the state" for making then follow the rules they had imposed upon them because they wouldn't write their own and for 20 years they haven't been able to revise the rules...
this is insanity!

I think it would help if we had an active Economic Development Office...seems to be a problem with that too. The director who was there for years apparently did very little; the new man with lots of experience who was hired fairly recently, suddenly, quickly, after only a few months, disappeared...now, the Chamber of Commerce is running the ED program. Wonder what they have done in the last six months about recruiting new industry/business into the county?
Or, have they spent Economic Development time on taking over the tourism advertising... When that director quickly "retired"?

Economic Development is a big issue. I believe that someone from Freeport is now running the program under a six month interim status. The other guy, I guess did not work out, but he went on to be selected as head of the Chamber in Navarre. He had a lot of Chamber experience in the past if I am recalling correctly.

The problem with ED seems to be two fold. They need government money to put together a program. But with those dollars, local government attaches all of these strings, mainly wanting to be involved in the process. Almost like a power thing, with more people who sign the back of pay checks instead of the front on the committee, how do they truly know what it is going to take to get business going? The biggest complaint I ever hear about is the length of time to get something through the planning process. The commissioners act as if they can not change that, but they to realize it is a problem. So everyone knows what the problem is, but instead of working to fix that one single issue, they create committees, meet, put together plans that have nothing to do with that single issue. It is almost like they feel fixing the real problem is too hard so they are going to go and work on creating problems that they can fix. And they fix these issues, by constantly changing out the staff. We get new ED directors, new Planning directors, but we never address the real issue. We need to fix the PROCESS. And it can be fixed. Jackson County is doing it and doing it quite well.

 

[GoodWitch58]

lots of counties/cities are doing it quite well; and have been for a long time.
Bay and Okaloosa seem to attract new businesses on a regular basis and many of them stay in business. It is frustrating to see how things go here...and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for it.

 

[Gidget]

I found the segment on Need to Know this week on PBS very interesting...an entire island that switched to wind and solar. Need to Know | PBS . Video | PBS. It is the second segment I could not isolate it to post.

What's the exact name of it? I dont' think I am watching the right one. Thanks

G

 

[GoodWitch58]

it's about an island in Denmark, look at 18