Dear Editor,
I am writing about the article “Commissioner to explore retail options” in the Wednesday, April 22 edition of the Santa Rosa Press Gazette. County Commissioner Jayer Williamson bringing large retailers to SRC? We are spending tax payers money on road trips to educate our leaders on business strategies that will encourage businesses to want to do business in Santa Rosa County. Yet the commission feels that my desire to build a grocery store in Jayer Williamson’s district is not worth a trip to East Milton. I attempted to first rezone a parcel in this district and was told by the zoning department and commissioners to purchase a parcel of HCD property on the opposite side of the street. I had a contract ready to close on the parcel and the county said I would have to spend $225k in road work since Dollar General did not construct turning lanes when they built. (The combine traffic count from their store and mine runs this number up.) Every dollar my current store has earned has been spent here in Santa Rosa County. I am currently building a frozen yogurt and sub shop to hope to bring people back into downtown Milton. The City of Milton is working as a team once again and open to promoting growth. They have been very helpful in the process of my new venture. These big corporations we are chasing may provide us jobs but I ensure you they will spend their revenues in their hometowns and not in ours.
Stuart Norris
Milton
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County needs more encouragement to promote business growth