Sally Swartz, Author at Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Sally SwartzFebruary 11, 2016

Candidates who want to keep Martin County different from the rest of crowded South Florida have lost county commission races when two who favor careful growth run against one development-friendly contender. In past elections, the two candidates who support careful growth split the majority vote and the candidate who developers favor coasts to victory on […]

Sally SwartzFebruary 1, 2016

Martin Commissioner John Haddox knows how to push a plan that has little public interest or support. First, schedule a meeting that doesn’t include any representatives of the general public or anyone who doesn’t support the plan. Next, declare that all the folks who attend support the plan, even if they don’t. Haddox used the […]

Sally SwartzJanuary 21, 2016

Huge pipes and trusses destined to become part of Port St. Lucie’s $150 million Crosstown Parkway bridge are stacked neatly in piles beside the St. Lucie River’s North Fork. Last week, Port St. Lucie invited the public to a workshop to check out the bridge design and vote for favorite sculptures to place on pillars […]

Sally SwartzJanuary 18, 2016

Some bad ideas don’t die. They lie dormant until a politician tries to resurrect them. So it is with the controversial $1.6 million customs facility at Witham Field, Martin County’s Airport. Martin commissioners considered the proposal eight times before they finally rejected it last March by a 3-2 vote, with Commissioners Doug Smith and John […]

Sally SwartzDecember 29, 2015

The good news about Martin County’s new $275,000 website: It displays nicely on mobile phones and tablet computers. There’s also a lot of bad news: No staff directory. No easy way to locate agendas, minutes, documents or just about anything else. And so many complaints and disgruntled users the county could use another website just […]

Sally SwartzDecember 27, 2015

A few of the buildings still stand as churches, homes, a community center, a bar and a garage in Stuart, Jupiter, and Hobe Sound. And traces of Camp Murphy’s 1,000 structures remain at Jonathan Dickinson State Park, where a $10 million village went up in three months during World War II. From July, 1942, through […]

Sally SwartzDecember 13, 2015

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It’s a measure of just how much interest Martin County elections generate that – even though the first local primary isn’t until Aug. 30 — challengers already are lined up to run for sheriff, tax collector and for three county commission seats. Retired Martin County Sheriff’s Office major Robert Pryor, 57, an independent from Jensen […]

Sally SwartzDecember 2, 2015

The fight to stop All Aboard Florida from ruining Treasure Coast downtowns and neighborhoods, slowing ambulances and endangering pedestrians at railway crossings is far from over. In fact, a spokesman for Citizens Against Rail Expansion (CARE FL) said his group of 15,000 already has raised and spent $1.4 million and is working to raise another […]

Sally SwartzDecember 1, 2015

The fight to stop All Aboard Florida from ruining Treasure Coast downtowns and neighborhoods, slowing ambulances and endangering pedestrians at railway crossings is far from over. In fact, a spokesman for Citizens Against Rail Expansion (CARE FL) said his group of 15,000 already has raised and spent $1.4 million and is working to raise another […]

Sally SwartzNovember 26, 2015

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for family. This year, I’m particularly grateful that I got to meet a descendant of my Wild West relatives. I’d never been to Jackson Hole, but when our plane landed in August, the picturesque Wyoming town felt familiar. The Grand Tetons, dotted with pines, rise abruptly around the […]

Sally Swartz
Crowds gather to see Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (Gabrielle Russon)

Sally Swartz: If growth advocates split vote, can conservationist win Martin commission seat?

Sally Swartz: Martin commissioners need research before deciding whether to move Fairgrounds

Sally Swartz: Port St. Lucie ready to build bridge with court appeal undecided

Sally Swartz: Customs facility was a bad idea – and it still is

Sally Swartz: New public website looks good, has little to say

Sally Swartz: World War II memories draw visitors to Camp Murphy Day

Sally Swartz: Local Martin County races generating heat 8 months out

Sally Swartz: All Aboard Florida needs to take new route

Sally Swartz: All Aboard Florida needs to take new route

Sally Swartz: Western roots flavor family thanks