Not a fan of Bill Cotterell’s column

Editor, The Sun:

Bill Snowden,

As a longtime fan of a very fair editor, Mr. Bill Snowden, I have to ask, are you trying to lose subscribers to your great newspaper, the Wakulla Sun. As for me, it would take far more than the misguided ramblings of a Mr. Bill Cotterrell in your last two Opinions column. I was completely surprised that no one responded replied with a counterattack in this week’s paper of Thursday, December 7th, 2023 which happens to be Pearl Harbor Day.
I don’t have a lot to say about Mr. Cotterell except I don’t understand his opinion. First it was a hit piece on Trump, now another on Ron DeSantis who dealt the Governor of California a severe blow to reality in the encounter of late. I don’t understand why he has such a negative opinion of either Trump or DeSantis. Did he not forget all the others that he seems to present as upstanding individuals such as Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden & son, one just being indicted and the other headed for impeachment.
What we have under DeSantis and earlier from Trump is a pledge of support for law enforcement, control of illegal immigration, a robust economy and so forth. I have to say however, that feces, needles on our street corners, murders and mayhem at businesses and tent cities of the homeless in such formerly great cities as San Francisco, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Chicago et al do not appeal to me in the least. I can only assume that those items are what appeals to Mr. Cotterall. Try as he might to promote that sort of liberal lenient policy, it’s falling on mostly deaf ears in Wakulla County. He might try Tallahassee. He’ll get a much better reception there.

Bill Catalina
Crawfordville

Editor’s Note: We received quite a few responses from people who didn’t appreciate the Bill Cotterrell columns, so maybe we’ll take a break from them.

Shell Point seawall needs county attention

Editor, The Sun:

An open letter to the Wakulla County Commissioners:

Dear commissioners:

Like the rest of our neighbors at Paradise Village of Shell Point, I am quite concerned about the deterioration of our seawall and am more than a little displeased by the County’s refusal to assist with this essential need.
I have done some research and have learned that the County receives more than $300,000 per year in property taxes from Paradise Village of Shell Point (the highest tax rate per square foot in Wakulla County) but spends very little on the Village’s needs. We do our own roads, our own landscaping, our own traffic control, etc. Essentially, about the only thing special the Village receives in return for our taxes is the repair of an occasional pot hole in the main road and occasional law enforcement assistance.
Meanwhile, the county is going all out to assist St. Marks with their sewage problems, spent $1.6 million to purchase Wildwood Golf Course in response to wastewater problems, and has spent untold amounts on other projects such as the attempt to save the airport in Panacea and even approving a not-so-popular pickleball court just a few miles from Shell Point. All of which have been made possible by the taxes paid by citizens of Shell Point Village.
I understand that our Board of Directors attempted to obtain the county’s help with our seawall, agreed to all requirements, and was even given assurance we would be helped, only to be followed by an outright refusal to even consider doing so.
What will be the county’s reaction when the Village becomes uninhabitable and the County no longer receives our hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes as well as the money we spend at stores, gas stations, entertainment facilities, and our ever ready assistance to charitable activities?
It would seem that the county has much to gain by assisting in the repair/replacement of the seawall that is essential to the continued existence of the residential community known at Paradise Village and much to lose by their refusal to do so.
I can assure you that we, the residents of Paradise Village, will cooperate fully with the County in this essential effort and assist in any way we can. We are far less concerned about the technicalities than we are about protecting our homes, our investments, and our way of life.
Thank you for your attention to this letter. We shall look forward to your positive response.

Kathleen Lamarche
Shell Point

Thanks for The Wakulla Sun

Editor, The Sun:

We are so grateful… Thank you for putting David in the newspaper of this wonderful county he grew up in, Wakulla County. (“After Navy career, David Sellers returns to Wakulla,” Nov. 30 edition)
Thank you for having this newspaper…. our heartbeat for here, our community we hold so dear. our family grows up in Wakulla…..and is family forever…..family…. At Hardees we sit there and have our Wakulla Sun…. I dont know how else to say it…. At Hardees talking to Jean (Dykes) she’d say when I go home I will sit in my easy chair and read about the goings on in my home town, and I love to read about our history…. She said I read both newspapers, but I am particular about Bill and Lynda…. I remember saying to Jean how much my family loved reading the article in the Wakulla Sun about you Jean… She said Lynda is such a sweetheart… I loved talking to her. she cares so much about everything I had to say and her work. I loved talking to Lynda. For me I enjoyed so much listening to Jean talk. She had that way of making every word count and you feel important. I miss hearing her voice.
We can go anywhere, Panacea, Sopchoppy, and we’re always home….. I know a lot of folks feel the same way because we talk about it…. So many people hold such appreciation for all the hard work everyone does at The Wakulla Sun…
Oh, whoever takes the pictures is awesome. We were talking about that at the last Optimist Club meeting this month….such great pictures….

Diana Sellers
Crawfordville

No to military aircraft at Panacea airport

Editor, The Sun:

Re: Panacea Int’l Airport (PIA)

While PIA has been quiet for a few weeks, I thought this would be a good time to demonstrate good will and glad tidings to the Wakulla Board of County Commissioners and their elite volunteer airport manager. Not!
For quite some time, residents and neighbors have complained of the heavy-hand management of the “volunteer” management of PIA and the absolute lack of oversight and action by the BOCC.
Chief among the complaints was permitting military aircraft to conduct “training” utilizing the vaunted facilities of the Panacea Int’l Airport, particularly the CV-22 Osprey. Residents and neighbors, on Surf Rd, lodged many legitimate complaints which fell on the deaf ears of the BOCC. Volunteer management even stated, on this publication, that it was un-American to not have military aircraft utilizing PIA. How dare we? The original terms of the Trust and Deed for the airport restricted the size of aircraft utilizing PIA. However, the BOCC chooses to ignore their commitments. I suppose they view Washington, D.C. as a role model.
Now, we have full knowledge that the entire fleet of Ospreys, both in the U.S. and Japan have been grounded due to a fatal accident recently. While this accident is tragic, let it be a reminder to the BOCC of whose best interests must be served. Not themselves, not the volunteer management but the vast array of residents and taxpayers who merely want the BOCC to abide by the Terms of the original Trust. We don’t want to subsidize someone else’s toys and we don’t want noisy, unsuitable aircraft disturbing our peace.
Will the BOCC finally listen or are they waiting for a similar event to occur?

Robert Franco
Ochlockonee Bay

Attachments include a letter from Air Force Special Operations Command about the November “mishap” with a CV-22B in Japan which led to the death of eight Air Commandos.