Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorFebruary 12, 2016

A103-St-Lucie-River-Marina-Stuart-Florida-Martin-County-Original-1024x1024.jpg

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 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 13, 2015

Martin_County_Fire_Rescue_Station_16_-_003-1024x1024.jpg

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 SwartzJune 22, 2015

Martin County residents tangled with the Florida Department of Transportation bureaucracy last week over FDOT plans for an ugly, six-lane highway with concrete noise walls as the entrance to the county from Interstate 95. As usual, FDOT – with the help of its copycat bureaucracy, the localMetropolitan Planning Organization — won. Residents who live near […]

Sally SwartzJune 9, 2015

As more human-style health care becomes available for pets, veterinary costs are trending into the week-in-Paris realm. I’ve sympathized with fellow pet-loving friends as they opened checkbooks when their dogs and cats got sick. A few years ago, a friend spent upwards of $3,000 when his young dog contracted a life-threatening auto-immune disorder. Another spent […]

Sally SwartzMay 20, 2015

Every few years, someone who doesn’t know how much Martin County residents love their beaches comes up with a new plan. In 2003, joy-killer bureaucrats wanted to limit beach hours and make swimmers, fishermen and surfers conform to a confusing set of ever-changing rules. They finally figured out lifeguards are too busy guarding beaches to […]

Sally SwartzApril 26, 2015

The emails are puzzling. They are misleading. They are sneaky. The subject lines, in lower case letters, are nondescript, such as “funding” or “need this finished.” The sender – the Economic Council of Martin County – does not want to explain them. The emails do not ask readers to back what the Council website lists […]

Tag: Sally Swartz

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

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: Local Martin County races generating heat 8 months out

Sally Swartz: Bureaucracies, like road builders, keep steamrolling along

Sally Swartz: There's no Obamacare for pets, and bills zoom into the thousands of dollars

Sally Swartz: Preserve free parking and open access to Martin County's beautiful beaches

Sally Swartz: Martin Economic Council misleads with sugar-flavored emails