The past, present and future PIC
AL GREEN
Contributing Columnist
green@lbknews.com
A few weeks ago, I criticized the Public Interest Committee for holding off declaring their position on the expansion of the golf club. I said incorrectly that they were going to wait until they heard the club’s presentation at the P&Z meeting.
I received a harsh letter stating they weren’t waiting until the official presentation but that the Board of the PIC was going to have a private preview, and with that information, they would then determine their future course.
I can’t think of any example of what bothers me about this current PIC than their answer. Let me explain.
PIC was formed and had as its mission to be a countervailing force against the excessive development that was sweeping Florida. With reportedly 700 people moving into the state every day, communities were being transformed on an almost daily basis.
Longboat Key at that time was literally in the back pocket of the largest developer in Florida — Arvida. Not only through its political donations was Arvida dictating the election of commissioners, it also, because of being the largest advertiser in town, dominated the Longboat Observer.
A group of residents decided their only hope of making their opinions felt and having a say in the town’s direction was to create an organization dedicated to the concerns of the residential community. The organization they created was called the Public Interest Committee, or PIC for short.
PIC had as its mission to be the voice for slow growth, controlled density and a charge to foster the residential character of the key. After all, the developers had their weapons — they had the money, they had the lawyers and they had the newspaper; the commercial interests had the Chamber of Commerce, and all PIC had was public opinion, and in order to have that, there had to be a way to get their side of the argument across. They did this by collecting membership dues and using it to publish a newsletter about four times a year. They went further and encouraged like-minded people to run for office and then created the best political campaign team in the area. They got so good at it that if you were backed by PIC, you were as good as elected.
Through all of this, PIC maintained its original mission. The group kept everyone’s feet to the fire, and no one can argue with the results. Longboat Key had an assessable evaluation of about $750 million dollars when they were formed, and today it is more than $650 billion in assessable value and about $9 billion in actual value. This wasn’t an accident and it wasn’t just a rising tide, it was peculiar to the key and a direct result of the policies PIC sponsored.
This new PIC is something else. Its members seem to think that they are a sort-of League of Women Voters who will evaluate projects without any pre-conditions. To begin with, this type of organization is without meaning. Who cares? They don’t jump in early enough to be a force. They don’t get candidates to run who will back their positions; they don’t even publish a paper, having come to an accommodation with the Observer and even going so far as to partner meetings and debates with them. This is like NARAL and the Catholic Council of Bishops issuing joint declarations on abortion policy.
This club expansion was the golden ticket to PIC to become an important player once again, if PIC had followed its original charter. PIC could have had candidates for every seat open on the Town Commission where they felt the incumbent antipathetic to their views. If public sentiment can be judged, there is an overwhelming majority of the residents on the key who are against the $400 million deal. The residents who feel powerless would run to join in their battle. Membership applications would pour in. But now, in due course, there will be some statement from them. But who will care? It will mean nothing because they have no ability to influence events. The opinions of six people sitting having coffee at the Blue Dolphin would be just as relevant. Sic transit Gloria PIC.
A couple of items came out at recent commission meetings that are of interest. It appears that the trailer park residents are in agreement with my idea that they should have access to the 250 units. They want this for the same reasons — they want to make themselves more attractive to a developer, possibly someone with deep pockets like a Hyatt or a Marriot and buy their homes at a good price. I understand that it still is not too late to amend the ordinance. I strongly urge the Town Commission to do this. The P&Z Board members have already made their decision against this plan over the objections of one of their minority members, Allen Hixon, but the commissioners still have the last word.
I also found it a little amusing and even reminiscent to hear Murf Klauber complain that his tennis shop was being affected by the Longboat Key Tennis Center. In actual fact, both the restaurant and the shops at the Colony are not in a commercial zone and therefore are not supposed to be used by the outside public. Under the town code, they are accessory use for the guests of the hotel. In the old, old days when the town paid attention, The Colony had to amend its advertising so that only the hotel was featured in its ads. It was OK to mention that there was a restaurant in the hotel, but it was and is a no-no to advertise just the restaurant and appeal to non-hotel guests. This issue is not on the front burner anymore, but it is amusing to me to read of Murf openly complaining about losing customers as if his stores were in a commercial mall.
However, it is that time of the year that we should think only good thoughts, so to all who have put up with my meandering mind, have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
