Key West The Newspaper

More on Fairy Tale (Peary) Court…

by Rick Roberts (aka Raccoon)…….

Dear Editor:

Once upon a time, in a reality far, far, away sensibility and intelligence somehow escaped Key West. And in that purge the normal folk of Key West that remained were saddled with the self-proclaimed superior genius of a toxic reign of grocery “palace” owners, former schlepping auto parts clerks, pompous gas bag commissioners, and a bevy of their cohorts. This cabal of condescending Kings of Key West collectively believed they should fleece their moronic flock by buying a prime piece of dirt covered with dilapidated debris that they called “workforce townhomes”. So out of whack was this fantasy, that they believed they could derail the current owners by fabricating reasons to turn down their request to tear down the trashy townhomes and replace them with brand new, modern, upscale single family homes that fit the prime property location and the free enterprise market that the immediate area dictated. There was a purpose behind their setting up the owners to get turned down and fail in capitalistically profit on their free enterprise investment. That purpose was these government criminals wanted to gain off Fairy Tale Court, they wanted to penetrate private industry by competing directly with realtors, landlords, real estate investors, developers, builders, and the like. All while they taxed the shit out of them, and while they controlled them through their maze of approval processes and inspectors, all paid for by also taxing the shit out of them.

Of course, being not only “the law itself”, but also in their minds obviously above it too, they could spend a ton of taxpayer money on this new business to compete against free enterprise that they wanted to get into. Why not, worked building a $18,500,000 city hall for a town of 28,000 people, they lined the pockets of lots of cronies on that one too. Why not now line the pockets of the contractors and businesses they know that will need to remodel and reinstall to the tune of millions of dollars in Fairy Tale Court.

Now “Car Parts” Cates wants to run for mayor with the battle cry of affordable workforce housing. $55,000,000 affordable. Rents around $2400 a month. That’s $28,800 a year. Plus, affordable workforce utilities.

Wonder if a NAPA driver makes that much. Kindly trolley porter Ed Swift, you know, the guy who built $2,000,000 a pop SteamPlant and the affordable workforce housing next door called Railway ($400,000 each). He thinks that new PAC (of him and his cronies) is so cool that he had hi Jolly Trolley company contribute $5,000 to help ensure the Fairy Tale Court passes. Wouldn’t be because he owns Location One and wants to get 10% commission every time L1 rent the units in Fairy Tale Court? Naw, Ed’s a straight up fella… Wouldn’t be prudent.

And now it comes out in the Blue Paper that only 1 bank is even willing to think about financing the city buying Fairy Tale Court. And that institution says no, we ain’t going for you collecting rent for 30 years to pay us back. They want a guarantee on all city assets. Sure, then they could confiscate the $8,500,000 KWDOT bus terminal, the $18,500,000 new city hall, the $35,000,000 Fairy Tale Court and be even up. I’d evict them from my new city hall and the bus terminal too.

You say wait a minute $35,000,000 Fairy Tale Court. Yes, that’s what it’s worth. Ask the Navy, and ask the guys that bought it to tear it down. How about looking over the detailed inspection the current owners surely have. The only bank that will even consider it thinks it’s worth only the land…

Here’s why no bank will touch that city loan. A governmental entity is forbidden by law in competing with private enterprise. I say the city should put an affordable grocery store next to Fausto’s. Oh wait, I used the wrong name. It would be a “workforce grocery” store. Run old Weekly right into the ground with it. Give tourists a workforce trolley for say a buck, old Ed Swift won’t mind the city running him into the ground. Let’s keep letting government tax the crap out of their competition, and put up a workforce hotel next to the Westin. How about a city owned workforce bar to run Rossi’s shack into oblivion? Or a workforce Restaurant Store to flatten Tallmadge’s private enterprise…

I can envision developer Singh sitting in the wings licking his chops at the city buying and leasing Fairy Tale Court. He would devastate the city in Federal Court for competing against private enterprise – while they tax the crap out of them simultaneously. Maybe he will throw me a bone to shut up and not blow it for him…

That’s enough. Time for the voters to say the same thing…

Raccoon out…

Rick Roberts [aka Raccoon]