Letter: Goodbye Rural And Ex-Urban Lifestyles

Loxahatchee Groves incorporated to keep development out, but it now will infiltrate our lives as much as the metastatic tentacles of a cancer does within an otherwise healthy body.

The Ag-Enclave legislation made a lot of sense for agricultural areas that could no longer compete in the world market. That is, they can convert to what surrounds them. Again, as I stated before, this should have been only 2,303 dwelling units in the case of Minto West/Westlake. However, through the manipulation of county commissioners and their riding rough shod over the lives and dreams of existing residents, we now have the City of Westlake. Five “residents,” all with different last names, at a single address voted for incorporation and now get lucrative council pay. As Arte Johnson said on Laugh-In… “Verrry Interesting!”

In retrospect, the handwriting was on the wall with the change of the Department of Community Affairs to the Department of Economic Opportunity by the state, the flushing of concurrency down the drain and the total abandonment of the award-winning sector plan. You see, Palm Beach County has a government of the developer, for the developer and by the developer. For Commissioner Abrams to look forward to “juicy contracts” to provide police and fire services is a slap in the face to those of us presently living out here. With the huge increases in density and intensity, yes they will be needed, but who will pay? The existing residents, you and me, not the developer. As for traffic, hopefully the proposed residents of Westlake will know how to shelter in place when the big one comes because gridlock will rule the future. Traffic increases will obviously require new and expanded roadways. Who will foot those bills? You and me, the existing residents, not the developer (Minto) as their profits get shuttled to Canada, their base of operations.

Hopefully, The Acreage (the Indian Trail Improvement District) will incorporate to save some of itself from the developer-controlled county commission. I, and hopefully many of you, will join me in my pledge to never, ever frequent any of the future restaurants, stores or other facilities within the boundaries of Westlake.

I remain totally dismayed at the lack of consideration for the public by our elected officials. Our governmental system is a republic which was meant to mean that the elected officials act in accord with the will of the people, not just the developers.

Dr. J. William Louda, Loxahatchee Groves

2 COMMENTS

  1. Commissioner Abrams doesn’t represent our district. He only cares about his Boca district. He counts on them to keep him in office.

    This is what happens when there is ‘district’ representation established instead of county-wide representation.

    Abrams and the other commissioners would think twice about their decisions if all voters in the county were needed to vote for them.

    Time to remove District commissioners and go back to County wide voting for commissioners.

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