This budget ‘turkey’ is worth saving

Dr. Peter Barile implored Gov. Ron DeSantis to get out his red pen and lineitem veto so-called “budget turkeys” from the 2022 Florida state budget in a May 9 column (“DeSantis should veto budget water turkeys”). He singled out the Nygren Buggy Collection as an example. There’s an old saying that “there’s always more to the story.” Here’s the other part of our story.

It’s true Florida TaxWatch slaps the label “budget turkey” on projects with no evaluation of merit. It’s also very easy to call something a name without understanding its background. The Nygren Buggy Collection is the focal piece of an effort to expand the Museum of Seminole County History in Sanford. The new exhibit will focus on the transportation history of Florida and be designed using a STEM learning methodology to serve school children in search of active learning experiences.

As president of the Seminole County Historical Society, I’ve been working with my organization since 2015 to fundraise public and private funds. We had procured the majority of needed funding in 2020 via grants from the state. Then COVID-19 hit. Like so many nonprofits, we watched our funding disappear instantly. Our appropriation was one of the smallest included in the 2022 budget. $25,000 is not a lot of money compared to others, but it’s everything to us.

Every November, the president traditionally issues a pardon to one lucky turkey before Thanksgiving. We hope that Gov. DeSantis will do the same and issue a pardon to the Nygren Buggy Collection. Gobble, gobble.

Don Epps Lake Mary

Don Epps is the president of the Seminole County Historical Society.