Think back to the three expedited discussions that we just had publicly about the Tractor Supply development efforts. With only one of those being open public discussion. Not comment, but discussion.

We went from the development application being heard by the PZA on a Wednesday, then exactly one week later a Town Hall in Indianwood. Then one day later a final vote by the Council to approve. Eight days of public discourse.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Let’s look.

On the good side the government sure is efficient in their clerical and administrative details. To what benefit for you, us, WE THE PEOPLE, is there for this rush of over efficiency to shove it through with such haste?

With an election coming you better make sure you know what you want to turn your Village into, what is their vision for you?

Be certain of the fact that your Council knew of this way in advance and had several opportunities to speak with the people involved. They knew well before you even heard a whisper of the plans. You only had 8 days though.

There is one caveat to this that is worth the mention.

Credible first-hand sighting of a Human burial on that property several decades back was presented to the PZA Board that voted 4-1 to approve it. They also approved what is a list of variances required to meet the same rules they are supposed to be safe guarding.

Even with the reality of a human body in their midst there was not even a whisper of getting answers before they voted. People like Marjorie Beary asked solid questions that raised serious concerns. Still though – Zoom Zoom!

Tony Zweiner was the only one that dissented with his vote. He said, “The sanctity of Human life is worth the effort to slow this down and make sure that what we are doing is right.”

Further he explained to his fellow Board Members that they were there to uphold the structure and letter of the LDR’s. “Not doing so would set precedent and create a potential for lawsuit moving forward.”

The LDR’s are the rules people have to follow to build anything in Indiantown. The idea being that everyone has an equal right to development under equal rules. When you allow variance for interpretation, well, who gets to interpret next time? The one that is paid the most?

What if you do not allow the next developers variance for similar reasons like you just did for Tractor Supply? That sounds more like equity than equality. It sounds like legal issues.

That next week after the PZA vote, there was a town hall at Indianwood Retirement Park. This is where the theme started to perform a rehearsed form of dialectic legal pattern. You heard it twenty times if you heard it once, “We met everything we were required to do.” Meaning, you should just approve us or we will sue you.

The problem with that though is they did not do everything required. They just wanted that drum beat to pound in your heads and your ears like the propaganda it is. Edward Bernays would have been proud.

See, they had to get approval from your Council to set aside portions of those common Land Regulations in order to give the developer the permission to build. Your Village Council in a 4-1 vote, voted for some pretty big variances from the rules, Ms. Gibbs-Thomas was in dissent. She said no to the variances.

Because of the 4 Village People who voted “YES”, the next guy has an argument to make that they deserve the same types of favors for exemption from the rules.

Not only that, did you see how quickly Antony was willing to sell the Peoples Development Rights to the highest bidder?

What do we mean? He gave away the value of the opportunity like a childish promoter. He did so for his more for his own gain of notoriety.

When we spoke with Ms. Gibbs-Thomas, we asked her what her general take was on the whole development affair.

To summarize the discussion, our general takeaway was this; Every piece of land in Indiantown that has the potential to be built on is fixed in number. There are only so many acres to build on. That makes the limited amount of land pretty darn valuable if you are looking to cash in. Like Tractor Supply was.

That makes the land a very valuable commodity. One people are willing to pay handsomely for. The Village Council in the end are the commodity brokers in a way. When you really stop to consider what she is saying, she is right.

There is only so much land, why back down from the first challenge of the rules, the LDR’s like Antony did?

Jackie, Janet, Antony and staff on more than one occasion has heralded the rules as the best in the land. Why not stand up for them instead of selling out to the first offer that comes down the pipe? Or do they have no real value to them?

You see, Antony was quick to rush in and give away the store if he had too. One has to ask why?  For what?

What benefit is there to the people of Booker Park or Up town?

What benefit for Indianwood or the local businesses?

As it turned out the Developer said he had a deal breaker on one of the rules that the Village required and the Village either set the rule aside or Tractor Supply was walking. How did Antony take it?

This is a picture of a sitting Councilman obviously praying with his Economic Development Director during discussion on the matter.

What else could they be doing IN THE SUNSHINE while the meeting is taking place?

What was said?

We will never know, in a public meeting, what was said by the two of them. That is wrong and very unethical. Play time is over. The people deserve better.

Especially when there is no consideration for the Hometown Family-owned businesses. Seems like an agenda by the few. Somehow, what has been here is not good enough and there is no loyalty or consideration to those who brought Indiantown this far. Elected or not.

So, for the $5,000.00 a year in additional taxes and the 6 to 8 people that will be employed (their numbers from the application) no one can point to another economic benefit when asked. Two of those jobs are management and will come from outside. So, we gain 4 clerk’s positions in Indiantown. For those four people we are sure the work will mean a lot. Good Luck.

The Staff claims that you, the People of Indiantown asked for this type of high density commercial retail development.

OK, so let’s recap a bit because there is more.

• So far, a development of impact application was heard by the PZA and the Council in an 8 day window.
• There was one opportunity for a poorly advertised Town Hall.
• There were over 400+ pages of related material to digest in a very short period of time.
• There was question of the still unsettled outcome of the Human remains. More on that in a minute.
• There was no consideration, by four Council people for the value or sanctity of the rules the Council is charged with guarding.

At this point it seems fair to say, something is just not right about all this.

Did you know that there is an additional 35 freshly platted acres adjacent to the Indianwood community for similar buildout?  They are already being brokered by certain powers in town. This will bring much more commercial density, noise, light and criminal element in the Village.

The transitory nature of the people in and out of the new development is cause for concern. Time and the crime blotter will tell the outcome on that one.

If we are to be governed then we should demand better from our elected. Know that this is just the first of what will be many similar applications for commercial retail coming forward. Not only there, but elsewhere.

If you were not there or did not see any of the three meetings, we will help you out.

Know this though. Your non participation in the process is enough to offset the needed weight of those that do participate. Your voice does matter, stand with your neighbor in your interests and theirs or what you have in store will be far worse than one Tractor Supply.

As you are hopefully seeing with fire rescue and now this freight train that just crashed the door, governance is not designed to be a spectator’s sport. The good people of Indiantown need to either get up off their backsides or wallow in the mess that is about to ensnare you.

In reference to the potential of human remains being known to exist on the property, TAM has been busy. We have contacted the MCSO under FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) in an effort to follow what is taking place as the Florida Statute requires.

We have also been in contact with an Independent Anthropologist that has used their access to satellite images to confirm that the mound is where it was reported to be.  Given the nature of the potential, we are hopeful the owners will be willing to let a third party that does not have a dog in the hunt do some digging as they say. We do not mean having the developer hiring or pay them either. How cozy of an outcome can that produce? We mean a true independent.

Oh, one last thing needs to be said to the those insisting that the story of remains is a “rumor”.

Your daughter was seen making out with someone a few years back in the woods. That is a rumor.

Having three eyewitnesses as well as several sources of corroborating independent knowledge about the burial of human remains is not a rumor. It is a matter that deserves the attention of everyone. That way we can make sure that the outcome of the investigation will bring satisfactory answers for everyone.

So, until there is law, eyewitnesses and corroborating knowledge, we cannot start an investigation into the rumor of your daughter.  An investigation has begun however with the eyewitness accounts and corroboration from independent sources of remains on the property.

God Rest Their Soul.

We have a lot more for you to follow on this and we will keep you updated on what we find. So, until next time step out, step up, get involved and – Standby