A battle cry for prosperity - An opinion

Submitted by Bob Allison

April 14, 2015 8:59 a.m.

We live in paradise. We have the most beautiful beaches and downtown in the entire nation. We have some of the most interesting historical sites in Florida. Our salt and fresh water fishing and kayaking are to die for. Are there a better collection of great restaurants or exciting golf courses anywhere in Florida? ……I don’t know where.

People discover Nassau County and then can’t live without it. They buy property and settle in and we, as a county, grow. We have exposed our secret paradise to tourists arriving by car, boat, and plane but we have never really exposed our secret paradise to those roaming around the United States in million dollar motorhomes. What happens if we do? These folks are obviously retired or they wouldn’t have the time to be roaming around the country at their leisure. They also appear to have deep pockets or they couldn’t afford fuel for equipment that barely gets four miles to the gallon. What happens if this affluent group of tourists visiting Florida start flipping their plastic cards from their wallets and purses here in Nassau County?

To evaluate this potential, lets imagine if there was a place to park their motorhome in Nassau County close to Amelia Island they might spend on average a couple of hundred dollars a day. This is money to local merchants for everything from food to wine to fresh flowers and stationary. A small facility of just one hundred campsites for motorhomes would inject $20,000 per day in to our local economy. A huge share of this would be spent at popular local restaurants. Can we hear from the folks who are out there scrambling every day to make it in the food service industry? Can you come forward and say “We Support RV Tourism in Nassau County”?

Our local realtors know better than anyone what has driven property values and sales in Nassau County. It has been the process of discovery of the island by qualified buyers who came to the conclusion they had to own some piece of our paradise. If we want to continue to win on this we need to support this process of discovery by newcomers. What happens when five or six thousand retired couples who are roaming around in their million dollar motors homes discover Amelia Island? If just three or four hundred qualified buyers enter into a market as small as ours and are determined to own property we might believe the good times of 2006 have returned. With the kind of money this particular clientele throws around, our real estate market might actually become truly recession proof. Can our local Realtors come forward and say “We Support RV Tourism in Nassau County”.

The most severe limitation for those traveling and vacationing in motorhomes is the inability to bring along a boat. Most are towing a car and you can’t tow more than one thing at a time. RV Tourists will be all about boats if they can come here. They will want to charter, tour, rent and do everything else people want to do with boats when they vacation in new places. Can any of the folks messing around with boats here in Nassau County step up and say “We Support RV Tourism in Nassau County”.

Hello over there to the Ritz and the Omni……interested in any new customer patrons at the spa or at any of your fine restaurants? You might want to come forward and say “We Support RV Tourism in Nassau County”. One thing the big motorhomes always have room for in their storage compartments is golf clubs. Is there anybody out there in the golf business looking for a few new golfers? You might also want to support RV Tourism in Nassau County.

There have to be a few hundred families scattered around in Nassau County with a grown child living at home because he or she can’t find a job. Many fine, well paying and secure jobs are held by Nassau County citizens working in tourism related industries. The best way to get your child onto a meaningful life path and out of your house and into their own quarters is for them to find a good job. You might want to speak out and say “We Support RV Tourism in Nassau County”.

Let’s stretch this out and look into the future just for fun. Let’s say someone built a really nice RV campground in Nassau County and it was successful. This might lead others to do the same thing and perhaps one day Nassau County night have just half the capability to overnight park RV Tourists as St. Augustine. This number of new tourists would spend around $100,000 a day with local Nassau County merchants. Merchants, if you have read this far, you know what to say.

Has anyone noticed Nassau County has its best alignment of local leaders in decades? These are all men of outstanding character with true dedication to what is best for Nassau County. We should expect their leadership on such an important issue affecting the future of our County…………and our taxes.

Aaron we need to hear from you. You see the positive economic impact RV Tourism is having in Districts 1 and 6. What is your position on RV Tourism in District 4? Mike, opening the doors to RV Tourism in Nassau County may positively affect property assessments. Where do you stand on this issue? John, you are unquestionably one of our County’s most important leaders on all County issues and we will be relying on you and your staff to collect the new money. Where do you stand on this issue?

Finally, the not so good news……. Nassau County has a $12 million dollar budget shortfall problem. There are only two ways this can be dealt with. One way is to grow our economy to generate more taxes and more income to the County. The other way is to reduce services to Nassau County citizens. Any new growth in Nassau County which produces new sales and ad valorem tax revenues can be an important contributing element in the solution to this problem.

Can our Nassau County Commission wade into this discussion with a positive and supportive position on RV Tourism? Pat…Steve…George…Danny… Junior… where are you guys on this?

Is there anyone out there anywhere, be they business person or community leader or ordinary tax paying citizen, that can utter the simple battle cry for new local prosperity………………..…. ” I support RV Tourism in Nassau County”?

Respectfully to All,

Bob Allison