Hello To One and All!

  It is a Thursday night and so far it has proven to be a rough week. In fact it has proven to be a rough start of the year for me and things are going so well. My business has just closed a record year. My work at the hospital proves to continue to be busy and full as well.  In hopes of avoiding putting you through a lot of diatribe and meaningless words that you will not read I need to say something here that YOU MUST READ.

  For years now I have listened to a number of the proprietors complain about so many things. We have been quick to blame so much for our problems but we have failed to look at where the real problem exists. You know if I truly wanted to control a situation I would use a very simple tool that the rulers of yesteryear used. Divide and conquer. This has been policy here for some time.  

The elected officials of this city promise much and deliver little. In fact, some have taken active roles in stopping good things. They pander to those of us who they think will affect the vote in this City until they get elected then they do whatever it is they want.

As I said, this is important and YOU MUST READ this because it will tell how much they think of the organization formed by us and run by us - the Visit Mount Dora team of Merchants.

On the 7th of this month I attended a City Council meeting where I asked to get up and speak. There was a lot to say and I was not at my most eloquent that night as I am still not feeling up to par. At any point, you really need to go to the city website and listen to this exchange. Long story short I walked out. I could not in good conscious allow a City Official no matter who, address the President of this Corporation in that manner. No elected official has the right to address any head of any organization in such a manner in public, period.   Please take the time to go to the City website, listen to this conversation and realize the Mayor was well prepared to act in such a manner, note how much he thought of my position and this organization.  Form your own opinion.  If this is how much respect he gives to this position think how much respect he gives to those of you. Remember this was not about me it was about you.

The rest of this is bullet pointed so you know what it is this Board does for the betterment of this town and especially you.

• Another successful Labor Day Celebration in town with crowds I have not seen since I arrived. Done in partnership with the Chamber and Jump Committee.
• Another record Craft Festival with a record amount of promotion again (isn't this getting boring?).
• The listing of Mount Dora in the top four destination/tourist spots in the country in social media. Thank you Brian Young.
• The establishment of an Open Air Market at the Lakeside Inn on Sundays. As expected it is slow to start and slow to grow. Even with that said we are now having vendors call us for spots.
• We are also now sponsoring the Blues and Wine Festival. This is a festival that was not going to happen again this year here but was going the way of the Exotic Car Festival and the Antique Boat Show, leaving our town. Now it will be a bi-city celebration and part that will be in the actual downtown area. This has GREAT potential for Mount Dora.

 We must form a campaign to protect our interest against those within this City who think they do not have to pay for what it is our hard work accomplishes. I have been personally told that it is perceived that we have lots of money which is evidenced by the fact that the City just increased our cost for the Spring Show by 17.3%.  You want to complain about high rent!!

It was also said to the Council that these services have to be paid for one way or another. True it does, but they believe they should only receive the benefits and that we should pay for them. It either gets paid for or we lose the revenue generated and the city loses the tax revenue generated.  The Life blood and heart of this town is its downtown and this City exist because of it.

Thanks for listening.

Working for you and the betterment of ALL of us.

Terry.