Feeling nostalgic for April '23

The ideas I come up with when I don’t want to use a particular subject on Thursday because it’s better off next week…
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Just for giggles, I looked back at the April 2023 blogs to see what we were discussing a year ago. Here’s a sample:

— A few blogs about attempts by Commissioner Rebecca Bays and numerous organizations to get a handle on mental health/addiction treatment in the county. I wrote about that a lot last year and while it’s a little bit off to the corner right now, Bays and her team set a foundation that will only grow.

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We’ll get there.

— I introduced you to PUDs. I cannot express, dear readers, how much I appreciate you allowing me to go the civics lesson route in a 700-word blog. That may be a snooze fest, but the beauty of links means I’ll never have to explain it again. PUD is now a household word (well, maybe not).

Some subjects simply need some time to build. They all start on the ground floor. That’s me. Ground Floor Mike. We get a little educated along the way and have engaging conversations.

I’ll wet your whistle for the coming months: MSTU. Try to hold your excitement.

— One Inverness Villages 4 blog. Case in point. The ultimate ground-floor issue. We’ll never have the depth of knowledge that those closest to the problem have, particularly the residents, but we can get a general idea as each blog builds.

That’s one to keep on the front burner.

— A few blogs in April '23 about growth. That’s a frequent topic of conversation around here because it’s a frequent topic anywhere. Someone posted a video the other day driving south on U.S. 41 from Dunnellon near the Front Porch restaurant, and out the windshield is a line of cars a mile long heading north.

Seems like every week, the Chronicle has a story about another mega-development wanting an uptick in residential density, telling us they’re the next greatest thing. It’s starting to get a little weary.

I see the big developments planned for vacant farmland or woods in Lecanto and wonder what that’s going to look like, or what’ll feel like.

We’ve got to figure out a way to turn this conversation around. It’s gotta be more than just saying no. But finding ways to appease developers doesn’t seem forward-thinking either.

It’s a toughie.

— I went to a Rays game and brought back photos of the adventure. That was fun. I must admit, I’m a little lukewarm on the Rays so far. I don’t have the games on my DirecTV package, so I’m disconnected. I could add it, but I’m always a little indignant about bumping my bill 30 bucks a month just for baseball.

Buddy has significantly curtailed my day trips. He’s OK in the car, but it’s clearly not his favorite, and I don’t like leaving him at home without a comfort break for more than five or six hours if I can help it.

Fortunately, he’s so stinkin’ cute that I enjoy his company anyway. (Speakin' of stinkin’, we’re all looking forward to a weekend bath…)

— I discussed the pendulum shift, a change in the prevailing winds that have stopped and started in many directions over the years. We’re either pro-growth, or pro-environment; pro-parkway, or anti-parkway (not so much anymore). You get the drift.

The point I made a year ago was the pendulum seemed to be shifting into a sub-element of the anti-growth position. It became much more focused on no EXTRA growth. Folks caught on right away that their fight was not the standard building permit growth that’s taking place here, there, and everywhere. No, it’s the developer asking for higher density than the land now allows (see PUDs above).

I’d say a year later we’re not closer to solving that dilemma. The public is rightly nervous.

That’s a wrap. As last-minute ideas go this one wasn’t all that bad. I say that now. Let’s see how I feel when writing this same blog in a year.

Have a beautiful April day, friends.

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