I recently attended a Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting to voice my opposition to a sweeping proposal to raise fees across the county. The plan would act as a de facto tax on county residents, costing our community hundreds of thousands of dollars in new charges. From boaters to recreational facility users, from airport tenants to outdoor enthusiasts, the Commissioners are poised to double fees in many cases. In one particularly glaring example, just 121 residents will be saddled with a $600,000 tax burden—simply because the BOCC decided they were an easy target.
During the discussion about a proposed usage fee for boat owners, BOCC Chairman Kerry Smith looked out at the crowd, LAUGHED, and dismissed concerns with a flippant remark: “If a boat owner is worried about this fee, that is a First World Problem.” The comment was callous, tone-deaf, and revealed just how disconnected some of our Commissioners have become from the people they were elected to serve. Perhaps this is how they truly view us—not as citizens with legitimate concerns, but as little more than revenue generators to fund the whims of five officials.
The hypocrisy on display was staggering. Commissioners Wright, Smith, and Rowell all claimed to favor a “consumption tax,” meaning those who use a service the most should pay the most. On the surface, that principle is fair. But when airport usage facts were presented, they immediately abandoned it. The flight schools, transients, even military aircraft that frequent the airport and which account for the majority of takeoffs, landings, and wear and tear at Peter Prince Airport, would see no fee increase at all. Instead, the Commissioners zeroed in on the 121 hangar tenants—already responsible for 81% of the airport’s operating revenue—and decided to squeeze them even harder.
Peter Prince Airport, located east of Milton, is one of the rare county-run operations that actually generates a profit. The airport earns roughly $370,000 annually, at a cost of $350,000 to operate. Of that $370,000, about $300,000 already comes directly from the hangar tenants, while the remainder comes from leases with two Fixed Base Operators and maintenance facilities. Those 121 residents are already carrying the load, and yet the BOCC appears ready to impose an immediate 57% increase, escalating to a 107% increase. That would push their contribution to nearly $600,000 per year—while the flight schools, the heaviest users of the runway, remain untouched.
This is not a consumption tax. This is political expediency dressed up as policy. Rather than spreading costs across all users in proportion to their impact, the BOCC is scapegoating a small group because they believe they can. The airport does need improvements—$11.7 million worth, with $2.7 million required from the county to secure federal funding. But fairness would mean sharing that responsibility across the full community of users, not singling out a few.
When elected leaders laugh off the concerns of their constituents and dismiss legitimate financial burdens as “First World Problems,” they show us exactly who they are. The people of Santa Rosa County deserve leaders who actually mean what they say about fairness, who don’t hide behind empty slogans, and who understand that public trust is earned by listening—not laughing in the face of their constituents.
Craig J. Walker, Col, USAF, Ret
Navarre
