In sum: A Beverly Beach resident explains how protecting Flagler County’s beaches through the proposed county plan is similar to supporting communal benefits and responsibilities like roads, schools, parks and libraries: not everyone benefits from those services equally, but the services all play a crucial role in the local quality of life and the economy, and must be supported evenly. So it is with the beach.
By Ellen Karp-Bendana
I am a Beverly Beach resident. I want to address Flagler County’s beach-management plan to all concerned, and ask that you try to have an open mind as I approach this issue from a different perspective.
First, let’s state the facts: we have been given a very large sum of money to renourish our beach, and I’m hoping that everyone in the county would agree that it would be a huge mistake to let this gift go to waste. That would be like cutting off our nose to spite our face.
Perhaps doing nothing and letting nature take its course is the viewpoint of a few folks. But think about how future generations will judge that choice. We need to be good stewards of our resources.
So, the question becomes how to pay for beach maintenance in a way everyone can agree to move forward?
I appreciate that Flagler County is proposing a plan that is attempting to be fair to all, so the folks who benefit more from the beach pay a bit more, as opposed to those who benefit less. One option is to try to hammer out an agreement based on what is fair, on how much everyone benefits.
Those in Palm Coast might argue that “hey, we don’t live beachside, so why do we have to pay?” Those who live beachside might say “hey, I already pay more for taxes and insurance, have the cost to evacuate, and studies show that most of the use of the beach comes from outside the barrier island, so why do I need to pay more?”
This is where I think the thinking needs to adjust. Why? Because life isn’t fair. By which I mean that as members of a community, we all have costs and benefits, but none of those costs and benefits are equal. Some of us pay more and receive less. Some of us pay less and receive more. Yet we are all obligated to pay our share, whether we receive more or less.
Let me give you a few examples that apply to me as I’m sure they apply to many of you:
1. School taxes: Now, I’m a senior citizen. I live in a 55+ community. But I am still obligated to pay my fair share of school taxes. Is that fair? I mean, there could be some families that have three or four school-age children in Palm Coast that benefit from great schools, from my tax dollars. I don’t get a direct benefit.
2. Playgrounds and recreation centers: I don’t have children who use them, I don’t play tennis or pickleball. Why should I have to pay the same as someone who has a direct benefit?
3. Libraries: Hey, I just download books to my Kindle. Why don’t I get a rebate or credit for tax revenue that goes to libraries?
4. Law enforcement: Where I live in Beverly Beach we don’t have very much crime. Why should my taxes pay for salaries of sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who are mostly deployed elsewhere?
5. I’m a snowbird. I’m only here six months of the year. Hat’s half the year when I’m not using up roads, drawing on public safety services or benefiting from the beach. Why should I pay the same amount as folks who live here and use services year-round?
6. I live beachside. State Road A1A is adequate. Why do I care if other parts of the county have road improvements if I never leave the barrier island?
As you can see from these examples, it is ridiculous to think that we can figure out a solution to beach renourishment by trying to be fair. Instead, we need to accept that this needs to be done, and all of us should step up to do our equal part, even as some parts may be more equal than others. We’ll probably never agree to an ideal formula. But we can agree on a principle that gets us as close to the ideal as possible. Put simply–and I hate to use this term but it sums it up–we need to grow some balls and accept the fact that it needs to be done.
My proposal is as follows. Let Flagler County increase the property tax by a minuscule amount. Everyone in the county would bear the cost, just like we do for the above examples. It would be a few dollars more. Then raise the sales tax by a half-penny to fund the difference. As the money accumulates, so does interest if it is wisely invested when it is not spent, thus generating the revenue needed for maintenance and the periodic renourishments.
We all benefit by having the beach remain viable. Whether we live close or far, our property value, our quality of life, our business climate and our attractiveness to tourism are all intertwined. We are one community. Let us not put that in jeopardy at the cost of our greatest asset.
Ellen Karp-Bendana retired from a career in pharmaceutical sales and divides her time between residences in Beverly Beach and North Georgia. She delivered a version of the above to a joint meeting of local governments earlier this week.
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