We have had colder than normal temperatures this winter. The snowbirds can’t be too happy.  I sort of enjoyed them though it appears to be warming up. We may have one more cold snap before the long march toward summer begins. The perfect giving way to the hot and humid.

We are heading to the close of another legislative session. Tallahassee continues to put holds on local government. I will say some of the bills are justified. Others are not. Yet for a local government that has exceeded its authority look no further than Stuart which continues to ignore state statute. I don’t understand how the city attorney can be a party to openly defying the law that he swore to uphold.

If you live in the City of Stuart, you may believe everything couldn’t be better. That would be a wrong assumption.  You need to read our articles regarding the gutting of the Finance Department. These are the people that make sure dollars are being spent appropriately.

There are also several stories regarding the terrible dissension at the BOCC. At all levels of government civility and just doing the right thing has rapidly gone downhill. Like they say leadership and acceptable conduct starts at the top.

Last month Brent Hanlon introduced himself as our food and restaurant columnist. In this edition he reviews his first restaurant for us. He will begin writing for every edition.

I don’t know whether most people know that a slaughterhouse is being proposed for Western Martin County. I would normally wait for it to come before the commission before informing you about it. It doesn’t look as though it will. The owners claim that the state will oversee and permit it. Greg Braun from the Guardians wrote about it in this week’s Friends & Neighbors.

The Martin County Taxpayers Association has a five-part series on property taxes. We have the first installment for you this morning. The four subsequent ones will appear in our next four editions.

So, sit back and pour another cup of coffee and enjoy your window on Martin County.

Have a great Sunday Morning!