Midterm Vote 2018 Escambia County, Florida

What is it about Escambia County voters?  You vote to keep the beaches public and out of the hands of corporate rule, and you vote “No” to offshore drilling, but you still freely give your vote for the Congressman who introduced the legislation to privatize Pensacola Beach, and who is clearly an advocate for offshore drilling, who has even gone as far as attempting to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.).    I’m speaking of Matt Gaetz, who by the way didn’t sink a dime into winning your vote!   A pretty confident move if you ask me. 

Although Congressional House District 1 encompasses six Northwestern Florida counties, did you see any Gaetz for Congress signs anywhere in Escambia County?   Because I didn’t.  I didn’t even see a television commercial for Matt Gaetz.   Although somewhat refreshing to be spared from another political ad, I have to ask, “WTF?”

And if you haven’t noticed, in addition to three area hospitals, there are quite a few dialysis centers popping up all around the county.   I found eight dialysis centers in Escambia County alone, and that is not counting two of the area hospitals that provide this service.  You would think that healthcare would be a priority among our community.  But apparently not.

Republican, Matt Gaetz was running against Democrat, Dr. Jennifer Zimmerman, who rallied for universal health care for all.  Gaetz on the other hand, is all about abolishing the Affordable Care Act that protects those American’s who have preexisting conditions.  In other words, one of the candidates wants to build and give, while the other wants to destroy and take away. 

Maybe Dr. Zimmerman should take a hint from Matt Gaetz - next time run as a Republican.   That red label is apparently all that is needed to win the hearts and minds of Escambia County.  You don’t even have to invest any money into being reelected. 

Simply take a look at the election results:  https://enr.electionsfl.org/ESC/1953/Summary/   Not one Democrat was elected to office, by Escambia County voters.   Regardless of how we all feel about the environment and our beaches, we contradict ourselves by electing candidates like Gaetz and Red Tide Rick.

Not only did Rick Scott pave the way for a pipeline to be laid across Florida wetlands, he profited from it too![1]  And let’s not forget the largest Medicare Fraud in history in which Scott pled the fifth 75 times, meaning he refused to answer questions for fear of criminating himself; he profited from that as well. [2]

Rick Scott has NEVER had an approval rating over 50% the entire time he has been Governor of Florida.   In May 2011, 57% of registered voters were unhappy with Scott’s performance, while only 29% of voters said they approve of Scott’s job performance. Still, Rick Scott was re-elected as governor.[3]

And more recently, according to Morning Consult, Rick Scott comes in second as the least popular governor in 2018.  Yet, Red Tide Rick is contending for a Senate seat, “with 27% net approval,” and he may have won, pending a recount of close race.  Again I have to ask, “WTF?”[4]

Morning Consult also polled registered voters in regards to Senator Bill Nelson; 51% approved his job performance, while 29% did not.[5]

Still, according to Escambia County voters – Republican, Rick Scott was a far better choice.  Scott walked away with 59% of the vote over Senator Bill Nelson, who happens to be a Democrat.

So I ask, why would you vote for someone who does not support your interest?  Clearly that is the case for Escambia County.  If we took away the colors, red and blue, and stopped with the labels (Democrats/Republicans), would Gaetz and Scott still have a chance in hell of winning?    I think not. 

Otherwise, why vote to protect the beaches from corporate rule or another Deep Water Horizon Disaster and then turn around and elect those who wish to do just that?  Isn’t that kind of like chasing your tail?

Please feel free to leave comments & explain this to me.

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[1] http://www.floridabulldog.org/2015/08/gov-scotts-pipeline-investment-gets-a-boost-from-florida-environmental-regulators/

[2] https://www.factcheck.org/2014/06/floridas-medicare-fraud-flashback/

[3] https://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/poll-rick-scott-earns-his-worst-approval-rating-ever

[4] https://morningconsult.com/2018/02/01/governor-rankings-jan-2018/

[5] https://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2018/01/poll-bill-nelson-has-highest-net-approval-of-any-red-state-senate-democrat-running-in-2018.html

Be Careful What You Wish For Pensacola

I recently traveled to the West Coast to a place I use to live.  It has been 28 years since I’ve lived in San Diego County (El Cajon, CA).  I was blown away by how much it has grown.  I use to tell my friends that I’d rather live in California verses Florida any day.  But after my trip, I changed my mind.  Pensacola is a fine place to live.  But it got me thinking, do I really want my home to become another San Diego, or Columbus, Ohio?

I was living in Columbus before I moved to Florida, and it has grown beyond belief as well, in the 15 short years that I have lived here in Pensacola.  Growth is often associated with wealth, but when it comes to a city, I’m not so sure that growth is a good thing.

The more people, the more trash; the more cars on the road, the greater the aggravation to travel about, not to mention the greater the exposure to toxic air pollutants.   And traffic on the beach has most certainly become a major concern over the past few years. 

TOLL BOOTH NUMBERS (for Bob Sikes Bridge – Memorial Day Weekend):

                2009 – 45,620 (inweekly)

2010 – 43.356 (WEAR TV)

                2011 – 48,774 (WEAR TV)

                2012 – 53,797 (WEAR TV) (57,472 inweekly - inweekly.net/wordpress/?p=15314 )

 

                2015 – 246,750 (Escambia County, Florida)

                2016 – 267,402 (Escambia County, Florida)

                2017 – 274,402 (Escambia County, Florida)

                www.publicnow.com/view/36CFE50014FA9432EC747B687918B9FB3DB55C92

Although these are holiday statistics, they are also an indication as to how popular Pensacola Beach has become over the years.  And it doesn’t have to be a holiday to get caught up traffic going to and coming from the beach.

This past Saturday on June 10^th, the wife and I attended a drum circle out on the beach that began at 6:00 pm.  Traffic was backed up in Gulf Breeze from 3-mile Bridge on.  I didn’t time the ride, but it certainly took quite a bit longer than we anticipated.

When we arrived at the pavilion we witnessed bumper to bumper traffic exiting the Casino Beach parking lot, and the entire time we were playing it stayed bumper to bumper busy.  When we decided to go home at 10:00 pm, there was still a long line of cars.

I’ve been out there twice now since they changed that particular parking lot with one way in and one way out, and I can honestly say, “It sucks!  And it isn’t working.”  We’ve all heard the rumors of roundabouts as well, and from a personal perspective, I believe that roundabouts will cause more accidents to occur on the beach then what we see now. 

 I like the idea of a ferry, and the trolley is good, but they are not impacting solutions. 

Face it Pensacola, we’re growing out of control.  With growth comes more hotels and high rises.  Do we really want that?  I moved to Pensacola, because I found it to be a treasured secret place on the planet.  If we begin adding more hotels and condo’s we’ll be no different than Ft. Walton, Destin, Panama City and all the rest of Florida.  We’ll no longer have bragging rights!

Maybe we ought to simply take ourselves out of the spot light for a minute?

Here’s the words I use to use when I spoke of San Diego – laid back, rancher style people, best Mexican food in America, upbeat, very friendly, environmentally aware. 

Now here’s how I describe San Diego today, after my short visit – very fast paced, unfriendly, mean-spirited people, you may want to think twice if you’re white and you go into a Mexican restaurant, and the people may be environmentally aware, but totally ignorant of the damage being caused by over populating an area. 

Now you may say Pensacola is no where near the size of San Diego, but we’re not talking about the county, we’re talking about a “small” island that has seen its limit.  If the island cannot handle the amount of traffic coming onto it (and leaving), and in turn has traffic backed up for hours at a time, then we’re killing ourselves with the smog alone.  In addition, long waits in line promotes anger anger!  We’re tired of sitting in the sun, and then we sit some more as we wait in a parking lot made of black asphalt and hot metal cars everywhere! 

If people are getting angry and frustrated just to get to the beach, they’ll eventually quit coming.  I know.  I did.  I’m a local and I avoid the beach like the plague when the Angels fly.  And although I am a lesbian, you won’t catch me anywhere near that beach on Memorial Day Weekend.  For me, it’s not worth the frustration and anger that accompanies these mob-cramped holidays. 

Maybe we should do like they do in New Mexico, at Bandelier National Monument.  They post several signs saying you are not allowed to drive into the park.  Instead you must park in a designated area and take the tour bus.  Only if you had a pet(s) would they allow you to drive into the park.  Here in Pensacola, we could take it step further and only allow locals to drive onto the island, and/or those with reservations who are staying more than one night on the beach.

We could use the parking lot at Gulf Breeze High School.  We could post signs that say all out of state visitors must exit here (at the high school) and take the bus.  And if a tourist does blow off the warning signs, we could charge them $20 just to cross the toll booth, or even more. 

Clearly, roundabouts and one way parking lots will not address the overcrowding.  Common sense dictates limiting the amount of vehicles on the island.  And in order to benefit from the trolley and ferry, we need to enforce legislation that restricts access to the beach.

And we can begin by ditching this needy corporate attitude of more, more, more.  We’ve seen our hey day; enough’s enough.  I’m grateful to live in such a place of beauty, and I would love to see it preserved for generations to come, not for just any Tom, Dick or Harry with a white collar and a fat wallet looking to profit at our expense.  It’s we the residents of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze that suffer and struggle with the negative consequences of these horrific traffic jams, not the CEO of Day’s Inn, or any number of these other hotels and condo owners looking for that uninterrupted daily 100% capacity.  So don’t buy into that false facade that we need to build more.  More hotels and more parking lots promote more traffic and more heat.  Think about it. 

We live here, and we need to protect what we love.

Gulf Islands National Seashores Propose Fee Increases

Gulf Islands National Seashore officials are proposing a fee increase from $8 to $15 dollars; a $25 to $30 for an annual pass.  In addition park officials want to charge a new fee to travel the seven mile stretch between Navarre and Pensacola Beach, daytime hours, during tourist season. 

You have until January 2, 2015 to voice your opinion to park officials. 

EMAIL:  GUIS_superintendent@nps.gov

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE:  Gulf Islands National Seashore, Attn: Fee Program, 1801 Gulf Breeze Parkway, Gulf Breeze, FL 32563

FOR MORE INFO:  http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=55396

 

 

Here are a few points that I made:

I am totally against the proposed fee restructure of Gulf Islands National Seashore; this includes raising park entrance fees!

First off, I don’t know why anyone would want to pay money to visit these beaches, when they can enjoy other parts of the island for free. 

Secondly, I live in Pensacola, and I am a witness to the lack of regard for the beaches that lie within the National Seashores.  Most times they are trashed and the chance of stepping on a toxic tar ball is much higher.  I never ever have seen a ranger, or anyone else for that matter, picking up trash on these beaches that fall under the National Seashores protection. 

Which brings me to this question, why do you need a raise?  Apparently, the only overhead the National Park service in this area has is paying for people to collect money at a guarded gate entrance into the park.  And the fees you are proposing go way beyond a cost of living raise for those employees. 

In addition, because I am a resident in this area, to pay a fee to use the road to get to Navarre from Pensacola, is an insult, after all these years of traveling that route for free.  You didn’t need the money to maintain the park then; then it would only make sense that you wouldn’t need it now, because nothing has changed.  It isn’t like you are offering to widen the lanes to include parking or anything along those lines.  Instead, the National Park service only sees an opportunity to make money.  This behavior is nothing more than an act of greed - plain and simple.

So as you see, there is no justification for these fee increases.  Adding an additional fee to travel between Navarre and Pensacola Beach would increase traffic on State Route 98, which is notorious for traffic accidents, and most certainly would contribute to the mortality rate, as well as the air pollution that comes with stop and go travelling.  So not only are you promoting an economical hardship upon an area of Florida whose citizens are financially challenged as it is, a fee increase would impact the health and wellbeing of those of us who live here as well.

You asked for my opinion and you got it.  Please reconsider your fee increase proposal.  The National Park Service was established to preserve and protect the natural beauty of this place we call Holy Ground.  Not make a mockery of it by taking advantage of the tourism industry.  Thank you for your time.

Respectfully,

VOTING & THE BLAME GAME

How does a governor whose approval ratings have never been over 50% while in office wins a second term and is re-elected?  That is exactly what happened in the State of Florida, on November 4^th, 2014.  Rick Scott should have lost the election by a landslide.  Although I share in the anger of such a notion, I find it even more disturbing when others begin attacking those who voted in support of Governor Rick Scott. 

Don’t be mad at your neighbors and family for whom they voted for; be mad at the system that is widely corrupt. 

Rick Scott spent his evening on the day of the elections in Escambia County, of all places.  It’s the night of the elections; wouldn’t you rather be at home or in Tallahassee (the Capital City of Florida) to await the results? Why would you spend your evening in small town Northwest Florida?  Was he here to grease some palms to ensure he won this close race?  What’s to keep the supervisor of elections, for any county or the state, from switching up the count?  Then there’s the software used to tally up the count statewide – how do we know it’s working correctly?

When you consider the year 2000, when Jeb Bush was Governor, and his brother G.W. miraculously won the presidential election, based on the controversial Florida hanging chad, you begin to see a pattern of sophisticated voter fraud within our State’s boarders. 

On August 28, 2014, the Gainesville Sun reported glitches in the software that uploads election results for Alachua County’s primary to the Supervisor of Elections web site.  The software vendor had to reset the system.  Reset the system?  I wonder how many votes were lost.

In addition, a problem with phone lines kept poll workers from sending that areas results electronically.  Pam Carpenter (Supervisor of Elections) said they had checked the each of the phone lines before the elections, “So something had gone wrong in the meantime.” 

On the same day, Putman County’s phone lines went down, and poll workers had to actually drive the results to Supervisor of Elections, Charles Overturf’s office.  “Things that make you go hmmmm.”

On November 4^th, Charlie Crist, Rick Scott’s opponent requested that Broward County extended polling hours due to one location being off line for over an hour and a half, as well as confusion among voters as to which polling place to vote at.  But only the current Governor can officially approve voting hours, which would be Rick Scott.  Consequently, Crist’s request was denied.

So you see, there are many hands in the pot, so to speak; from poll workers to software manufactures, to the candidates themselves.  There are a hundred ways to illegally tip an election to one side or the other.  Don’t allow the powers to be divide us by pointing the finger at the common voter.  Instead direct your anger at those who will stop at nothing to be in power.

THE BATTLE OF ATHENS

August 1 – 2, 1946

Tennessee, USA

The Battles of Athens was an armed revolt that gained national attention.  Attempting to end the control of an entrenched political machine, World War II veterans used force to ensure that on the day of local elections in 1946 every vote “was counted as cast.”  After local authorities locked themselves and the ballot boxes in the jail, veterans suspicious of foul play gathered weapons and ammunition and exchanged fire. The besieged authorities surrendered.  At a meeting in the courthouse, and interim government was set up, followed by the election of the veteran’s slate.

SELLING PENSACOLA - Jobs & the Oil Industry

Has it really been that long ago that the people of Pensacola, Florida can not remember the devastation of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster?

Since the BP bungle, the health of the Gulf of Mexico remains in dire straits.  It hasn’t even begun to heal from the damage caused by the Corexit (a toxic oil dispersant), let alone the crude that gushed uncontrollably for eighty-seven days directly into the Gulf waters.

Despite the lesions on fish, the eyeless shrimp, the death of the oyster industry, dolphin and whale strandings, and the steady incline of vibrio vulnificus (flesh eating bacteria), Pensacola has opened its port to the oil and gas industry.  This includes a new manufacturing facility that would test flexible, deep sea piping.

In an inweekly (Independent News) article, reporter Shannon Nickinson writes, “. . . we are poised to exploit a niche market related to offshore oil and gas work that is bringing jobs into the community and investment into the Port of Pensacola.”

WHAT? 

According to the Pensacola News Journal, Buddy McCormick, vice president of offshore operations for Offshore Inland, said the average salary for the positions would be in the $60,000 range; that’s a six figure income for engineers, and $20 per hour for laborers.  An estimate of 200 new jobs was provided by the Pensacola News Journal, but if you do some research, you’ll find that DeepFlex Inc., the manufacturing company that is coming to the Port of Pensacola, states that only 100 direct jobs will be created.

The Houston BizBlog posted, “Houston-based DeepFlex manufactures flexible pipe used in the subsea oil and gas industry. The company currently has 100 employees, but about half of them are based in its Wisconsin manufacturing plant.”

And what about those 50 Wisconsin jobs?  Back to the Pensacola News Journal article, McCormick said the Pensacola plant is to replace the factory in Wisconsin.  Do you truly believe that those 50 people who are familiar with DeepFlex’s manufacturing operation will not be offered jobs here in Pensacola?  Of course they will. 

So now, we’re talking maybe 70 new jobs for the locals.  And don’t let the word laborers fool you.  I know plenty of laborers who have a technical degree to qualify for their jobs.  That could quite possibly narrow that number from 70 to just 30 jobs for the average Joe, if we’re lucky.

So is it really worth selling out to the oil industry?  Are we really going to pat ourselves on the back for attracting such an enterprise?   Where’s the pride?

In the meantime, we have pipe laying ships in and out of our port that spew carbon all day long.  We have tar mats laying just off our shores attracting the vibrio vulnificus bacteria.  And with new oil spills occurring, the oil companies are still using the same toxic dispersants they’ve been using for years.  No new research, no improvements on how to clean the oil from the water.

And here’s a little something more to chew on as we roll out the red carpet for the fossil fuel industry.  On March 13, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lifted its ban on BP’s drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.  Less than one week after the ban was lifted, BP bid on and won rights to drill in 24 new blocks of the Gulf of Mexico for $42 million. 

 

On March 25th, BP spilled tar sands (heavy sandy oil) into Lake Michigan just a few miles from Chicago. 

 

Then on April 28th, a BP pipeline ruptured spraying a 34-acre area with crude oil and natural gas along Alaska's North Slope.  To top it all off, shortly after the EPA lifted the ban, BP put an end to its internal claims program here in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Aligning ourselves with an oil manufacturing company is the same as supporting BP, or any other oil and gas enterprise.  It doesn’t make good cents for tourism, if you know what I mean.  Oil and water just don’t mix!

BOOK: The Crude Oil Adventure of the Human Re-Evolution

 

GET YOUR COPY TODAY!

 

REVIEWS: 

"This book is grounded in personal experiences of how the BP oil spill effected life along the Gulf Coast. A must read for anyone who wants a more in depth look into on the ground, real world aftermath of an eco-system crash."  – Dot Schwartz

 

"A raw account of a personal journey through hell after the BP disaster takes the Sunshine State into darkness. Kim takes us through the Gulf Coast tragedy that impacted the health and welfare of people all along the Gulf region, the death of thousands of wildlife, plant life and a rare tribute to the death of the 11 men on the rig Deepwater Horizon. This is the read for anyone that wants to understand the impact of the BP tragedy had on one individual that reflects the stories of thousands. A narrative of sorrow, faith and belief we all can make a difference; reminding us of the rape mankind is having on Mother Earth though drilling, dumping, the spraying of deadly toxins on land and on the water with no regards to the lethal consequence on all life and the survival of the earth. She reminds us that none of us stand alone in the battle for the right of a clean and healthy environment."  - Gloria G. Horning, Ph.D. Social Justice Advocate and Scientist.

 

“I just finished reading your book. I cried.............you did a wonderful heartfelt piece of work and it had a lot of Great information in it. Thanks. Love and Light” - Trisha Springstead

 

 

 



Connecting the Dots - BP/Deepwater Horizon Disaster

July 6, 2012 - Connect the dots. When you view the news regarding the Gulf of Mexico this past month, you can't help but feel we're under a terrorist attack down here. The use of Corexit has been documented and seen from Louisiana to Florida. Including a large number of fish kills, and two newly reported stories regarding human health.

   THERE ARE FOUR PARTS TO THIS VIDEO


And here's a story of another fish kill in Miramar, Florida on July 18, 2012: 

THE FOLLOWING VIDEO WAS PROVIDED BY: Melissa Carter Neidert

Seascape Resort in Miramar Beach Florida. This was taken today at 7:00 pm. Over the past year we have lost our turtle population, then we watched our ducks disappear, and now our fish are dead!