My Blog has moved!!!

Folks,

Some of you may think that I've quit blogging.

Not true!!! But I have moved.

A couple of weeks ago, the Northwest Florida Daily News moved our blogs so that our page views could be counted directly on our Web site.

But...I miss some of you fellow bloggers. Here's a new link to my blog. I hope you'll click on it, and continue to offer your insightful comments. Or, you can reach my blog by going to our homepage, nwfdailynews.com.

Cheers!

click here for my new blog site

A speed limit challenge

Some courageous anonymous person sent the following comment to my blog that speed limits on a few roads in the area are set too low:

"Pat Rice is 100% correct and I fully concur with his suggestion. We should raise speed limits by 10 MPH on a trial basis for one year. The first streets we should do the one year study are the streets where Pat Rice, Charley Morris, the Mayor, the FWB police Chief and all city Commissioners reside. After one year lets get thier feelings on raising the speed limits on thier streets. If they're happy with the new increases then I'll be happy too. I'm sure we'll get positive feedback from our public servants and I personally look forward to this one year study. Let's go for it, what's one year of increased speeds on the roads in front of thier homes for starters. Good idea Pat, way to set the example."

Thank you, courageous anonymous person, for the email. I think you miss my point, but I'm glad so many others got it. My point is that some speed limits on some MAIN roads are too slow. The one I specifically pointed out is Hurlburt Field Road, which was recently expanded to five lanes -- two in each direction with a turn lane in the middle -- but still carries a 25 mph speed limit. That speed limit on that road is ridiculous. By the way, just this morning as I was traveling on Hurlburt Field Road at about 33 mph, an Okaloosa County deputy passed me. I sped up to 40 mph in an effort to keep up with him, but he was still pulling away. The deputy proves my point; it's nearly impossible to stay within the speed limit on that stretch or road.

As for my street -- I live at 1003 Sandra Drive in the Parrish Point subdivision -- it would be fine with me if to raise the speed limit. I don't think it would matter much. The street's only about 100 yards long, with a stop sign on each end.

But really, courageous anonymous person, thanks for writing, and please keep the comments coming. And by the way, "thier" is actually spelled "their."

Ridiculous speed limits!

Time to share some Daily News associate complaints about speed limits we find to be ridiculous for one reason or another.



My current worst speed limit is on the newly expanded stretch of Hurlburt Field Road between Beal Parkway and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.



Taxpayers just spent a few million dollars expanding this stretch into four very smooth lanes with a turn lane in the middle. But for some reason, the speed limit is 25 mph. Which no one obeys. Which, I suppose, is why I see deputies and even state patrol pulling people over on this stretch.



The problem isn't the speeding drivers. It's a speed limit that is way too low!



When I mentioned this in the newsroom this morning, reporter Wendy Victora immediately pointed out the 45 mph stretch of State Road 85 near Okaloosa Regional Airport. The speed limit there was decreased from 55 mph after the road was repaved with asphalt that can't safely handle higher speeds when the pavement is wet. Presto, another speed trap for motorists.



And Entertainment Editor Brenda Shoffner pointed out that a section of Beal that used to be 45 mph, but is now 35 mph. Anyone that drives this stretch knows that it's almost impossible to keep to that speed limit.



I say, let's adjust speed limits so that they're reasonable. Do you agree or disagree? And do you know of other stretches that are unfairly slow, or perhaps need adjusting downward. Share your knowledge.

Best way to die...

Death -- and how we die here on the Emerald Coast -- was the subject of a fascinating story on the front page of today's (Sunday's) edition of the Northwest Florida Daily News.

Reporter Rachel Kyler pretty much covered all the bases. She even took video of people talking about their fears of death. If you haven't read the story, or seen the videos, I encourage you to do so.

Rachel did miss one angle. That is, what would be the BEST way to go? I mean, if you could choose what killed you, what would it be?

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said: "I want to die in my sleep like Grandpa. Not screaming in terror like the people in the back seat of his car!"

Ok, a bad joke. Still, I think I would prefer to die in my sleep. Quickly and without warning.

How would you like to go, fellow bloggers? Share if you dare.

Is anonymity necessary?

I enjoy writing this blog, and greatly appreciate readers' comments to it.

And I love The Breeze and our online polls. And I DEFINITELY love Spout Off. And I love the comments many readers place at the end of articles we publish on this Web site.

All of these efforts have greatly increased our interaction with our audience, and they have greatly increased the degree of ownership the audience has of this Web site and the Northwest Florida Daily News.

But here's what bugs me. Why do so many people who leave comments choose to remain anonymous?

I understand that some features, such as Spout Off, publish anonymously, so it hardly makes sense for those who write Spout Offs to give their names. I get that.

But I don't understand why so many people who post comments at the end of stories, or who post comments on my blog, choose to remain anonymous.

Do people really have that much fear that their comments will lead to retribution of some sort? Are many of you simply shy? Or what?

The ones who bother me the most are those who post mean-spirited anonymous comments. To me, those people lose a good amount of credibility. If you're going to take a shot at someone, you should be willing to put your name to it.

What's everybody else think about anonymity?

Let me know. And yes, it's fine with me if you wish to remain anonymous in responding to this request. And no, I don't plan to stop people from posting anonymous comments.

County spinmeisters follo

I just spoke on the telephone with Cragin Mosteller, a spokesperson for the Florida Association of Counties.

Mosteller said she is also the writer of the 22-page document I posted on a previous blog. The document is essentially a guide for county officials to use to argue against the state Legislature's efforts at property tax reform, which have forced cuts to county and other local government budgets.

The document I received from a source is clearly marked "NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE." But Mosteller said the association never labeled the document as such, and she pointed out that it has been posted on the association of counties Web site for weeks sans the "NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE" label.

"We try to be very transparent," Mosteller told me. "Our position is clear. I'm upset that someone would alter the document. We wrote it in the sunshine."

The source who sent it to me said he received it from the Web site of the Walton County Association of Taxpayers. The document is still posted on that association's Web site, exactly as I received it and posted it myself.

I spoke with Bob Hudson, who handles the association's Web site. Hudson said he received it some weeks ago via email exactly as it is posted from another taxpayers association in another county.

That's as far as I've unraveled the mystery so far. I'll keep digging, and tell you more when I know more.

However it's labeled, the contents of the document are still newsworthy.

County spinmeisters

A source has shared with me a document from the Florida Association of Counties. The document, clearly marked "Not for Public Release,"is a blow-by-blow strategy they asked county officials to use to sway the public -- and the media -- against the state Legislature's efforts to lower property taxes and at the same time get local governments to tighten their budgets.


There's nothing wrong with such a document, and I'm not sure why the association wouldn't want it to be made public. I mean, surely they believe that John and Jane Q. Public should know how PR campaigns attempt to shape/manipulate taxpayers' opinions! Don't they?


Anyway, below is a link to the document. Let me know what you think of it.


http://www.nwfdailynews.com/blogs/FAC_Playbook_1.pdf