It happened gradually, and not everyone noticed. But look at Live Oak with fresh eyes and it's obvious: our little town has grown up around us.
Whatever we once were, we barely resemble. Our town - which, make no mistake, we love dearly and always will - looks nothing like the place that lives on in so many folks' memories. The county's population now approaches 40,000. The combined budgets for city and county government top $70 million. We're still a small town, just not in the way we remember.
As we grow, problems that have long plagued us become more apparent. Most of these are economic in nature. We're still having trouble attracting clean industry and high-paying jobs. As a result, our young people continue to leave out of financial necessity. The best many can hope for is to come back home to retire.
We think it's time to address at least one of the underlying obstacles to our community's continued well-being. The elephant in the room is alcohol.
The arguments in favor of going wet are well known. We won't restate them here. And no, we don't believe that one new Applebee's will open the door to sudden wealth. But we can't keep pretending we're something we're not. Much has changed since the issue was last put before the public. Another hearing is long overdue.
Lots of good things are happening in Suwannee County. To us the future looks bright. It's time to face it head-on.
