You get what you pay for
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12/13/2009
Florida in general spends less on its citizens than nearly every other state. Florida's legislative leaders have proudly declared that Florida is either 49th or 50th (depending on which study you are citing) in state spending on its citizens. State employees have had no or very small salary increases in recent years. In Marion County, public safety has suffered. Sheriff's Office Deputies and civilian employees have had no pay increases in 3 years, and this has been compounded by requests from the County Commission to decrease the overall budget. Fire and EMS are also at risk and face budget cuts. Other services such as Building Inspection, Code Enforcement and Animal Control have also been cut due to budgetary constraints. Many major intersections in Marion County are populated by people claiming to be homeless and soliciting money from motorists. Law enforcement is unable to effectively deal with this problem largely because the County Commission is reluctant to pass a county ordinance prohibiting this activity. Both the City of Ocala and the Marion County Commission seem to believe that keeping taxes low is more important than delivering services that would improve the quality of life in Ocala and Marion County.
Robert | Anthony, FL