Redneck Riviera

The sand is white and sugary, and the sun bright, but beyond that little is the same here on Florida's Panhandle. That is when compared to 1993, the last time I was here. It bears even less resemblance to the halcyon days of the mid 80s when the drive down from Ft. Rucker, Alabama seemed a small price to pay to spend every Saturday at Spinnakers or La Vila in Panama City Beach.

After watching the building boom in Port Tampa for a while it was interesting to take the long way here to Mexico Beach via the SunCoast Parkway and 98 instead of I-75 to I-10. The building from Panacea west could be characterized in a couple ways. When you see an enormous home going up on the narrow strip between the highway and the water, right next to the skeletal remains of someone else's dream, you have to admire the eternal optimism or cringe at the stupidity.

On the plus side, both Appilachicola and Port St. Joe seemed to have benefited from some good economic times without totally losing their old Florida charm. Ah ha, a Port Tampa connection after all. We're going to see a lot of change in the next couple years, but with vigilance and the effort it takes to be the squeaky wheel, we should be able to keep our "small town in the big city" feel.