Do you know why there is a special election Monday, June 25 at the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District to elect one supervisor to Seat 1?
While I support re-electing Robert Snowball to three more years added to his already 12 years of service to the residents and landowners of Loxahatchee Groves, I wondered what you have heard as to why we need a special election this year.
Have you heard the one about “the water control district is controlled by large landowners?” Have those same storytellers bothered to tell you that of the current supervisors, three live on two-and-a-half-acre parcels, Mr. Snowball on 5 acres and the fifth lives and works on a 20-acre nursery. That doesn’t sound like large landowners to me. Or maybe you heard about the storytellers’ claim that Loxahatchee Groves is really part urban like those cities so many of us have left to enjoy the rural country life. I don’t see anything urban about where we live, do you?
Then there is the story that it wouldn’t cost us anything if we change to “popular” voting. Not so fast! All property owners did have to pay a cost of over $100,000, which resulted in an increased assessment to all property owners of $13.50 per acre. Maybe those storytellers didn’t know the price to be paid would be so high, or maybe they didn’t want that to get out before the votes were cast. I say if they didn’t know, they should have, and that was a disservice to the voters. If they did know and didn’t inform all affected property owners, then that was far worse.
Also, you were told “it will be a popular vote versus an acre vote.” Well, those storytellers again sold you a bill of goods in that the Florida state statute they pushed to have adopted does not allow for a popular vote. Instead, the eligible voter definition mandated by this Florida statute (not the water control district) allows less than half the registered voters to participate in this special election. Once again, if they didn’t know all the consequences of adopting the state statute, then that was a disservice to you and as the saying goes, “being ignorant of the law is no excuse.”
As you can now come to understand the storytellers’ efforts amounted to: A) no “popular vote”; B) shut out some landowners and residents from this voting; and C) cost all of us unnecessary money.
I ask you to stand with me along with so many others and cast your vote for Robert Snowball on June 25 between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the water control district at D Road and Southern. You have already paid a high price for this special election. You should now come out and vote for someone working to keep your assessments low and at the same time let those who have needlessly spent your money know that you are tired of all the storytelling!
Jim Rockett, Councilman
Loxahatchee Groves
