Health & Fitness
Higginbotham's Waste of Time "Listening Meeting"
Citizens are upset with the proposed Wal-Mart. So what does your Commissioner Higginbotham do? He "listens" that will do nothing buy waste your time.
I have been out of town for the last month, so it was with
real surprise that I saw the article in the news patch re: Commissioner Higginbotham holding a “listening meeting” with Bloomingdale residents regarding the issue of building the new Wal-Mart. There are so many things wrong
with this that it is difficult to know where to start.
First, and foremost, all citizens who attend this meeting
need to know that it is a complete waste of time. This is a standard tactic used by the county to deflect resistance to a project. The
county employees, or, in this case a commissioner, will meet with a group of
citizens who are upset with a proposed project. The citizens are lead to believe that their input will be considered. Wrong. Nothing a citizen says outside of the hearing master’s official hearing and/or at the Board of County Commissioners meeting can legally be considered. To have your voice heard,
you must attend the zoning master hearing and/or submit a written statement to
the zoning master prior to the hearing. It is also essential that you attend the meeting of the Board of County Commissioners when the item is before them.
If you want to know how to submit a written statement, why
don’t you call Commissioner Higginbotham’s office at (813) 272-5740? After all, he is your elected commissioner. Shouldn’t he being providing information that will help you address the issue instead of wasting your time pretending he is going to “listen”?