Milton is declining due to special interest groups

Dear editor,

To some point, William Wilson is right regarding the downtown Fisher [& Hamilton] building. (See “Milton’s Fisher & Hamilton building—why keep it?” in the June 21-23, 2017, Press Gazette.)

If the county taxpayers are assuming the repairs and only getting a dollar rent, what is the point? Then $1.5 million to move it — why? Unless it costs about the same to demolish?

But moving it just south onto the Doc's Courtyard property is just another expense to the taxpayer. Also, isn't it the state's public defenders office that has this lucrative rental agreement? Wasn't it the state prison that ended up sitting on the county property intended for a new courthouse?

William talks as if this one building is all that stands in the way of a four- or now six-lane road. To put four lanes through downtown will take buying numerous properties and leaving what businesses are left with even more limited parking.

Six lanes will completely wipe out downtown along Highway 90.

The new bridge, just east of Blackwater (River), costs double of what it should have and, again, is only two lanes.

Are we sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing?

The fact is the city of Milton is drying up. There is less and less private money to rebuild downtown and it is maybe even a bad investment for anyone to do so today.

Thrift stores are the latest thing in regard to new businesses in this town and (that) reflects my statement …

More people living here work in Pensacola, and that is why Pace has experienced its growth without being incorporated as a city.

This long list of failures is a sign of a historically inept city and county government historically dictated to by multiple special-interest groups. These same special interests wanted a southern bypass route bringing their own swamp properties into play for taxpayer buyouts.

A downtown road expansion does the same by causing these properties to be bought by the taxpayer for this road expansion.

There is a simple alternative to this huge expense for just moving traffic from point A to B, yet no one in local government has brought it up for discussion.

Why is that?

No taxpayer money paid to any of the special interest groups is the reason! 

STEVEN KING

Milton

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This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton is declining due to special interest groups