Don’t vote for Quincee Messersmith
Editor, The Sun:
Commission Chair Quincee Messersmith is deeply involved in our community and a genuine delight to talk to. When she was elected four years ago, there was reason to have high hopes for her time in office. But unfortunately, she has become a pawn of the Wakulla political establishment and consistently failed those who elected her.
Commissioner Messersmith’s record can be summarized as “higher taxes, faster growth.” She has repeatedly championed property tax hikes while refusing to support impact fees on new subdivisions. As a result, we – the taxpayers – now heavily subsidize infrastructure for developers while roads and services go underfunded for the rest of us.
Development can be a good thing, but Wakulla County is being gobbled up by poorly planned subdivisions. Commissioner Messersmith has supported nearly all of them: those that dump traffic into neighborhoods and school zones, those that pollute our water, and those that hoodwink home buyers with shoddy construction. Sadly, Messersmith is a reliable rubber stamp for reckless, unchecked growth, no matter its impact on our community.
Commissioner Messersmith has also been involved in questionable county business. She voted to spend nearly $500,000 on overpriced property from former commissioner Jerry Moore, a supporter of hers. (The commission’s intention was to build a wastewater dumping site, but the land – which was hardly vetted before the purchase – was later deemed unusable.) More recently, as Commission chair, Messersmith oversaw a surprise sewer moratorium when the system was overwhelmed by all the new subdivisions that she and her colleagues approved.
Finally, Messersmith refuses to tell voters her position on a critical issue: the proposal to build a 16-pump gas station above the main Wakulla Springs groundwater cave. The company hoping to build it, Southwest Georgia Oil Company, has a history of catastrophic spills and has already been found grossly negligent once for contamination in Wakulla County. Messersmith claims that she cannot take a public position because the hearing would be “quasi-judicial,” but this is false. (Florida law and state supreme court precedent clearly show that changes to a county’s comprehensive plan are legislative, not quasi-judicial. See Martin County v. Yusem, 1997.) I hope she’ll clarify her position but must assume for now that she plans to vote for this proposal, which threatens our fishing industry, drinking water, and tourism economy.
I honestly like Commissioner Messersmith, but her actions are misguided and wildly out-of-touch. Thankfully, her opponent, Sam McGrew – a small business owner and fifth-generation resident – wants to reign in reckless growth, protect our water, stand up for taxpayers, and introduce impact fees on subdivisions. It’s time for new leadership.
Donna Burmeister Shell Point
EDITOR’S NOTE: Since the above letter was negative, and with early voting underway, Commissioner Messersmith was given an opportunity to respond.