Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Readers weigh in on moving state capital
Once again, a state senator is suggesting that, just maybe, we ought to not have the state capital somewhere just outside Outer Mongolia, but instead move it somewhere centrally located, like Orlando.
Despite the logic of moving it to a central location and allowing voters access to their representatives during the legislative session, when face-toface time with constituents can actually sway a vote or two, there’s plenty of logical regions to keep the capital on Mars as well.
Mostly, these have to do with cost. The last time there was a serious attempt to study moving the capital, back in the early 1970s, state lawmakers from near the capital’s current location just this side of the Andromeda Galaxy approved funding for a massive new capitol complex, thus assuring that moving the capital would be too costly an endeavor.
With that in mind, we asked readers whether, if they could have a do-over, they would move the state capital elsewhere and, if so, where.
Of the comments on our Facebook post, we received 14 in favor of keeping the capital where it is and 31 in favor of moving it, plus three ranting about what a stupid question this was to be asking.
But while those in favor of moving won the day, they broke down when they disagreed on where to move.
■ Seven went with Orlando.
■ Three called for South Florida to secede from the rest of the state, with one commenter calling for a proposed South Florida state capital in West Palm Beach, and another saying the current state capital could remain the capital of a new state he dubbed “Alababorgia.”
■ Hialeah inexplicably received two votes. We’re pretty sure absentee ballot fraud was involved somehow.
■ Of the rest, a bunch of places received one vote each, including Miami’s Overtown, Boca Raton, “atop Mount Trashmore,” Broward County, Fort Lauderdale, Saint Augustine, Okeechobee, Disney (“It’s magical. Maybe good things would happen,” wrote this adorably optimistic commenter), Havana, Yeehaw Junction, Jacksonville, Opa Locka, LaBelle, The Villages, the state of West Virginia, “the bottom of the ocean,” Everglades City so that we could “feed the politicians to the skeeters” and, finally, “The rendezvous room at Regency Tower, Galt Ocean Mile, Fort Lauderdale,” which is weirdly specific but would at least allow lawmakers ready beach access.
The suggestions were just as varied on Twitter.
Several readers also took the time to email, most of them approving of a move as well, though again, suggestions varied.
“Having the capital of the State of Florida hidden away in a corner of the state is not doing us any favors,” wrote Toby Blom, who suggested Belle Glade as a new location. “We are now the third most populous state in the U.S., and we have absolute no easy access to our capital. Our politicians are spending extreme amounts of money to travel within the state, based upon the location of our state capital. It is way too far away from our population centers.”
While many who liked Tallahassee over Orlando cited the latter city’s tourism and transient nature as problems, Delray Beach’s Bob Morrow looked at the tourism destination as a positive.
“Definitely move it to Orlando. Nonstop air transportation from just about everywhere in the state and from all major cities in the country and overseas,” he wrote. “Also, more direct train transport, more direct highway connections. Also, Tallahassee, in addition to be difficult to get to, just has no panache.”
We remain neutral as to the relative panache of Orlando to Tallahassee. Other emailers suggested Nebraska or Las Vegas, citing similarities in distance from Florida’s population and, in the latter case, a certain sympathy as to morals and ethics.
Several other emailers supported a move to Orlando, with Hallandale Beach’s Paul Haidet laying out a six-point plan as to why the move should happen, including greater economic effect, more transportation and people being better able to reach their representatives.
But for all of that, the inertia and tradition of having the capital where it is, somewhere on the far side of the known universe, will likely keep it there. As one humorless regular emailer wrote, “Why do you people want to do things over and move things and tear things down. God, enough. You lost. Get over it. The capital is fine where it is.”