2014 03-12  83 Degrees Media
Greenlight Pinellas Yes or No?

Tonight here at NOVA 535 Unique Event Space, downtown St. Pete, Florida:

Thanks to Diane Egner, founder of 83 Degrees Media, and Nancy Vaughn of White Book Agency for bringing this CRITICAL DISCUSSION about the terrible state of our regional transportation system here in Pinellas County. 

Almost 100 people came to listen, discuss and debate all sides of this hotbed issue as to whether we once again raise our sales tax to pay for increased bussing and a proposed light rail system, HOPEFULLY with some kind of fabulous solution to our regional transportation woes. Tonight’s topic was GREENLIGHT PINELLAS.  As a born and raised native of St. Pete,

I’ve been hearing about trains and better roads and improved transportation systems since I could understand what they were saying. And as I turn 46 in a few weeks on April 1st, [BIRTHDAY PARTY PLUG: Friday 3/28 at NOVA 535] what I’m SURE OF is that

road/transportation projects are almost always over budget and run WAY late. Millions of $ are lost in graft, corruption, and just plain ol waste, yet we MUST DO SOMETHING to create a modern efficient safe reliable and effective transportation system here in Pinellas, Tampa Bay and throughout Florida. What I suggested to Diane and her friend was that we should turn this process over to a true visionary like Walt Disney, and not get led, once again, down the “yellow brick road”.

(Thanks to Nancy for wearing such awesome shoes to fit my OZ reference!!)

They laughed and said that traffic in Orlando and around Walt Disney World was awful and I agreed, replying, that it WOULDN’T be if ol Walt was still alive. So YES we need a solution, and one sooner than later, but as long as politics, greed, and shortsightedness are involved, instead of productive visionaries, we’ll likely end up with more of the same. Ulmerton, US 19 and I-275: 3 expensive, never-ending $ suckers that have been “under construction” since I was old enough to ask from the back seat of our station wagon: “Daddy, why is this road still broken?”

(Likely the most content human in the room.)

I’m an optimist and DO BELIEVE that we humans can learn, grow, adapt and evolve, so I’ll do my part to help spread the word that people ARE TRYING to make things better, and for now, I understand that  GREENLIGHT PINELLAS, might be a real solution. So read, listen and get involved, because waiting in traffic, or for a bus or for someone to pick you up, or even time spent bemoaning the lack of a European or Japanese high-speed train from TIA to downtown St. Pete, is truly time wasted. And time is our most precious commodity. And hitchhiking isn’t much of an option these days either.

Psst: If you are a business owner, Entrepreneur or just a positive person who wants to make things better AND wants to HAVE FUN, join us Thursdays 6:00 pm for the Entrepreneur Social Club here at NOVA 535. No religion nor politics, just the best social club for fun and productive solutions in Tampa Bay!