Congratulations to City Commissioners

Dear Editor:

The Biomass plant decision is finally over and our City Commissioners stayed the course and stood up for a new innovative industry to help save our economy and bring much needed jobs to our community. Now, we have a chance at becoming a hub for alternative energy companies including research and development for Northwest Florida.  In addition, we witnessed an exercise in one of our basic freedoms under unique circumstances and that is the freedom of speech (not to mention protest). Our Commissioners made sure everyone’s voice was heard regardless how ridiculous and even where they were from. We had people not a part of our community speak their troubled minds and in particular the misguided and misinformed from Tallahassee plus a tourist. It was an amazing collection of individuals who sought attention to themselves and wanted to do anything to derail and disrupt the approval to the point of being rude to any positive comments made by those in favor.

Our Gulf County population has been reducing in size contrary to the other counties in Florida for several years, our unemployment rate is over 10 percent, businesses and homes have been abandoned and foreclosed upon and yet the environmental extremist offer only complaints without facts and have no plan to stop this decay affecting our community. You can go through life complaining about everything and offering nothing positive to help or you can get your facts straight and do positive things to improve the community around you.  Have the protestors forgotten that Gulf County was spawned from a paper mill and two chemical plants since the 1930’s? It was a time when jobs were abundant and the pay was great allowing our worker-citizen to come home each day proud of their accomplishment and provide for the family. Peace, prosperity and positive attitudes prevailed in those times.

I am sure those old plants put out some chemicals in the air that are today in serious question but the Biomass plant in no way compares to them. It is like comparing the exhaust of a diesel truck to a bicycle. The new plant will put no more in the atmosphere than two Tahoe’s driving around all day in Gulf County. The protestors pulled every trick they could to include saying that the air will harm the lungs of our children and grandchildren when they come to visit. I noticed they said when they visit and that is exactly what our children and grandchildren are doing now and would have to do in the future because there is nothing here to sustain them. Our families are being torn apart by the economy and lack of opportunity to have a future. I am encouraging my children and grandchildren to come and stay as long as possible, I will even take them on a tour at the new Biomass plant when it is built. Some of the protestors threatened to move because of this but I doubt if they will because of how difficult it is to sell your home now in this ravaged economy. If they do move, I say farewell and good luck in finding anyplace like this again.

It is really a shame that the individuals against the Biomass plant were acting on partial information that was extracted improperly to put a negative spin on the plant. Think of what they could accomplish if they only had used all that effort and energy for positive things to help build our community in lieu of destroying it. Today, I am proud of our City Commissioners for doing the right thing and standing up for their principals and allowing the protestors who voiced their opinion to be heard. Thank You Commissioners for caring about our community and setting an example for other politicians to follow. Good Job!

Jim Garth

Port St Joe