Reply #14: I met tons of Floridians along the way! [View All]

[The Backlash Cometh]

We discovered at the beginning of our river rafting adventure in South Carolina that our group consisted of Central Floridians! And outside Dollywood, while I did the family laundry, I bumped into this rather obese white man who just started talking to me when he realized I was from Florida. He was originally from my state but went to Tennessee looking for work a few years back. He talked to me with confidence, as if we were old good neighbors even though he probably wouldn't give me a second look in Florida! Very, very surprised to hear that we had lots of similar views when you take out all the minority hatred crap out of the conversation.

I learned that he just wanted to find construction work but he knew a whole lot more than you'd ever expect. He knew about all the little secrets in Central Florida. He even knew about the Boars' Head Hunt Club in Sanford! and a few more in Lakeland that I didn't know about.

Construction people really do know what's going on in town. They just don't seem to trust anyone enough to support them to change anything. I understand why. It's like voting in the pigs in Animal Farm. I realized the book was written to discuss the big problem with Communism but it applies here too. You vote in a buddy into the city commission, and that buddy may be a true Mr. Smith, but soon a transformation begins. From my observations, it begins with the city attorney's indoctration. The city attorney starts changing Mr. Smith's perspective by teaching him legal interpretations of court cases or legislation, which may not be all that accurate. This limits the new commissioner's decision-making process until the commissioner begins to vote the way the city attorney wants him to vote. The problem is, that the city attorney belongs to a law firm which has clients in the development business and who want to conduct business in the city, unhindered. So the city attorney may not be fully objective. Is this kind of lawyering legal in Florida? I would think there would be a conflict of interest, but it happens here all the time. I've met many an ex-commissioner who turned community activist after they did not get re-elected because the public got sick of the sell-out. They were used by the system and spit out to live the lonely life of a Florida activist. And the city attorney who promised to protect them as if they were good close friends, never returned their calls.

I think Florida's problems would be cleaned up if there was a clear distinction between law firms that represent the government and law firms which represent private interests. The Florida method is incestual which is why no one trusts lawyers. I don't think the Florida Bar has the public's confidence. It's a shame.