Letter to the Editor -- Sarasota Herald Tribune re: "In Switch, North Port Gets County Tourism Seat"

I submitted the following in a Letter to the Editor regarding an article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune (SH-T) on September 30, 2009:

In switch, North Port gets county tourism seat | HeraldTribune.com ...

I found the quotes in the article really humorous, in a macabre way.... hmmmm, guess Sarasotans haven't noticed that we doubled our population in less than 5 years... or that we're the 3rd largest geographic city in Florida. Or that our median age is 39, not 58 -- AND that we are one of the few municipalities in Florida that doesn't plan to base its entire economy on tourism. We're more than a one trick pony -- We can Achieve Anything!

What doesn't make sense to me is that ALL those quoted -- commissioners, others on the board and the few uninformed commentators -- just seem to think that if they pretend not to see the change coming from South County, it doesn't exist. May I gently remind you that when your heads are in the sand that certain other delicate parts of your anatomy are up in the air.

For those of you who don't know about what's going on in North Port, let me try to awaken you -- that's not a light at the end of your tunnel vision -- it's a freight train... and it's picking up speed. Ever seen what a train will do to a penny on the track? Think about it.

Having been born in Venice 51 years ago and having family living in Sarasota since the 1920's -- I've seen HUGE changes all along the Southwest Coast of Florida. 40 years ago, Sarasota wouldn't have held a candle to current day Venice. And Tampa wasn't much more developed than downtown Sarasota is today.

About the only enclave that has retained its existence in more or less status quo is "little" unincorporated Englewood -- home to one of the most beautiful beaches ever created on earth. I remember back in the 1970s, when construction on the beach was restricted to 2 stories high (I graduated from Charlotte High in 1976). Thank goodness someone slowed that growth down -- I sure wouldn't want to see another Sand Key or Clearwater Beach on the edges of Lemon Bay.

Eleanor Roosevelt said: "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." Our citizens can Imagine North Port and are participating in developing Vision North Port -- not by focusing on what has been, but by forging ahead toward what can be.

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