Endorsement: Re-Elect Damone, Enriquez To ITID Board

The Nov. 6 general election is just days away, and Florida voters have plenty to decide before they enter their polling place. For the past several weeks, the Town-Crier has offered opinions on some of the items voters will find on the ballot. This week we offer our recommendations for U.S Congress in District 18, State Senate in District 25 and the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors.

INDIAN TRAIL IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT — ITID incumbents Carlos Enriquez (Seat 2) and Michelle Damone (Seat 4) are both up for re-election, being challenged by Gary Dunkley and Ken Hendrick, respectively. In both races, the question is whether the district is going in the right direction or if it needs new leadership. Wanting change when you don’t know what you want that change to be isn’t necessarily a good idea. Whether you like her style or not, Mrs. Damone has been on a board that has been remarkably financially sound. Granted, Tropical Storm Isaac was a disaster, but just weeks before that disaster, people were complaining that water levels in canals were too low. It’s impossible to make everybody happy 100 percent of the time. Unfortunately, the flooding problems have overshadowed the board’s past four years of accomplishments, which include moving forward with the Acreage Community Park expansion, getting the library built and continuing the fight to get the State Road 7 extension to Northlake Blvd., for which Mrs. Damone deserves much credit. The fact of the matter is that everyone is saying they want major drainage improvements — until they’re told what the bill would be, and then all of a sudden they don’t want the changes that much. The county has no money for it, the state has no money for it, and the South Florida Water Management District has no money for it. Indian Trail has been working and lobbying to get the changes done in such a way that it does not fall on Acreage residents to come up with thousands of extra dollars out of pocket. That is going to take time, and it is going to take experienced leadership, not new leadership. The district’s powers are limited. Because The Acreage lacks a real government, residents look to an improvement district that is reliant on county and state support. Changing leadership will not change that fact. The Town-Crier endorses the re-election of Carlos Enriquez and Michelle Damone to the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors.