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Commissioner Kirschner,

My first thank you of the day is to you. I really appreciate all that you did, not only yesterday in Tallahassee, but everything that led up to it.

Like most people, I have been sitting on the sidelines for most of my life waiting and watching for our elected officials to take care of our problems. I believed that I was doing my part every election day by voting someone into office who I hoped was the best person to represent me. I did my part and then it was time they did their part.

But as years passed and the waiting continued, there was always a gap between identifying and solving the problem. I finally got tired of waiting. In fact, my frustration grew into annoyance and then anger, because no one seemed to be aware that the clock had been ticking and the argument was getting old.

I am not spending my time in Tallahassee because I think it’s a noble thing to do. I’m not there because I want the right to complain or the opportunity to lay blame; I’m there out of sheer desperation. It’s the only thing I can do because I don’t know what else to do at this point in time. Everything I have — my past, my present, my future — is tied up with this state. There is no other place for me except here. And throughout the years I have seen the things that I value diminish into sensible arguments that justify its extinction. And for every good, solid argument that I accept, I am left with the knowledge that we have sold our soul for the greater good.

As I said to you yesterday, the history of Florida only goes back as far as the individual can remember. The joke that goes around, “You don’t have to be born in Florida to be considered a native” is painfully the downfall of our state. How can you preserve things you don’t understand? Our state, throughout my lifetime, has been adapted to fit the needs and comfort levels that our tourists and transplants demand. We have sacrificed everything that we are for the need to survive. We have told ourselves over and over that our value lies in our tourism and our clichés. What could we possibly have to offer other than beaches and oranges? Give the public what they want and in turn we will be rewarded. It’s like the high school student who became student body president because she hands out cupcakes to everyone that will vote for her.

I have also met an incredible amount of politicians in my efforts; those who represent me on an immediate level and those that are further removed and yet have an amazing impact on my life. I am also old enough to be able to see through the formalities and recognize the writing on the wall. We do have very little to hang onto when it comes to hope. We cannot accept the solution of “waiting it out” and “hoping for the best.” For the past four months, our legislature and our governor have spent an incredible amount of time explaining why there is no plan for our future. Each time I sat with them, they offered their rationale for why nothing was happening. I heard it enough times that I became a sympathetic listener who accepted their logic. Even yesterday, members of the House and Senate were comfortable enough to admit that they didn’t know what was in the Senate energy bill. It’s the only energy bill right now in consideration. They weren’t even embarrassed to admit their ignorance. Why is that? Don’t they read the papers?

Several hundred people have spent the past four months in Tallahassee educating our politicians on both sides of the argument for an energy bill. The utilities and the oil companies alone have spent an ungodly amount of money lobbying for energy. I, myself, have been to Tallahassee on several occasions in the past three months and the only thing I talk about is energy. Their response, to my amazement, is, “We are only obligated to balance the budget.” Our governor was even forced to extend the session yesterday for one week because the budget hasn’t been balanced. There is only a remote possibility that the Senate energy bill will be put to a vote in the House. There are only two days left in this session for that possibility.

What is this? Why does the obligation to the people of this state only go as far as the obligation written into law? Why do our politicians feel that they have no moral obligation beyond their minimal requirement? And why is this okay with us? Are we so removed from the process that we feel there is nothing more that we can do? We are handing over our future to someone who has turned his or her passion into a job. It is apparent that most of our representatives operate in a fashion that is regulated by the calendar of the session and their interest in their next political move. And we, as a public, support that. We hold onto the ideology that our governmental system will prevail and that we cannot interrupt its process. We believe what we are told and are resigned with the knowledge that we, as individuals, cannot possibly be smart enough to understand what is happening. We accept this philosophy knowing that deep down it doesn’t hold water. But what can one individual do?

Well this is all crap, and a few other choice words. There is no excuse why we cannot pass a bill that supports our economy and promotes the infrastructure to have an independent, self-reliant future. If Florida doesn’t pass a strong renewable energy bill and the federal government does, then the jobs that will be created from the renewable energy sector will be created in another state. Our energy will be purchased from that state and Florida will not become a supplier of energy but will remain a consumer of energy. And the Sunshine State will remain the cliché that it is today.

Commissioner Kirschner, your hard work during our visit to our capitol went well beyond your call of duty. Your belief that there is a better future for our state is a tribute to your sacrifices. It is my hope that your efforts will be recognized.

Sincerely,

Susan Nilon

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