Fla. county may declare itself a (manmade) disaster area

[babylonsister]

Fla. county may declare itself disaster area
BRIAN SKOLOFF | March 2, 2009 05:16 PM EST | AP



PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Just five years ago, Port St. Lucie was America's fastest-growing large city. Then the foreclosure crisis slammed it like a hurricane.

Today it sits in one of the hardest-hit counties in the nation. Thousands of houses are empty or unfinished. Neighborhoods are littered with for-sale and foreclosure signs and overgrown, neglected yards. Break-ins are on the rise.

But one politician believes he has a unique solution: Declare St. Lucie County a disaster area as if it had been hit by, well, a hurricane.

"This is a manmade disaster," County Commissioner Doug Coward acknowledged. But he said that is why "we've got to do something. Clearly, the economic crisis of the country far exceeds the ability of local governments to solve it, but we're trying be a part of the solution."

The declaration would allow the county to suspend the usual bidding process for shovel-ready projects so that local contractors would get the jobs. It would also enable government officials to use some of the money in a $17.5 million county fund usually reserved for natural disasters.

more...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090302/florida-housing-disaster/

[Captain Hilts]

1. I thought this was going to be about the NYMets. Whew!

My brother lives in Ft. Meyers and the economy is VERY tough.

[belpejic]

2. I don't think this is a good thing

If you live in this area or have family/friends who do then my heart goes out to you. And Charlie Crist seems like one of the few decent Republicans. But this county shouldn't be rewarded for failure. Everything about Port St. Lucie is deeply screwed up. It would be much better, IMO, for the speculators to be driven out and the remaining locals to vote in politicians who actually care about local interests.