F&N Article 8: It's Go Time!

If you’ve been reading our columns, you know it’s been over a year since we launched our outreach efforts to Martin County residents to discuss the opportunity to purchase and conserve natural lands that will protect our quality of life.

Well, now it’s GO TIME! All that effort brings us to a critical decision-making moment for our Martin County Commissioners. This Tue., Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m., commissioners will decide whether to vote in favor of placing a referendum on the November 2024 ballot for a half-cent sales tax to acquire and preserve environmentally significant lands.

As a reminder, a YES vote by the Commissioners is NOT a vote to raise our taxes.

A YES vote means that we, the citizens of Martin County, get to choose our own destiny.

We encourage you to attend the commission meeting at the Martin County Admin building (2401 SE Monterey Rd in Stuart) and speak in support of the ballot initiative. You don’t have to say much. Something simple and heartfelt is all that’s needed. We’ll also be waving signs at 8:30 a.m. if you’d like to join us for that.

If you can’t attend, please show your support by sending a simple email to comish@martin.fl.us by Feb 19. All five Commissioners and Senior County Staff will receive it. Put “Vote YES TO Let the Voter’s Decide” in the subject line.  

Key Points:

• The land acquired will be limited to four regions – “Blueways” beach areas, Pal-Mar, Indian River Lagoon Region, and Loxahatchee/St. Lucie Rivers.
• There will be a Citizen’s Oversight Committee and an Annual Audit.
• The sales tax increase won’t apply to groceries, prescription meds, school supplies and doesn’t apply to purchases exceeding $5,000.
• About 37.5% of the sales tax money will come from tourists.  
• The local money raised will be used to leverage additional matching funds from state and federal sources.

Any questions? Please reach out to us at martincountyforever@gmail.com. 

For more info visit www.martincountyforever.com. Follow us on Facebook at Martin County Forever Facebook  or on Instagram at Martin County Forever Instagram.

We can’t thank you enough for your support!