If only we could see it

Have you ever wondered how others see Apalachicola and the people who live here? If you are like some, you probably never consider the question.

However, since my election as Mayor, there have been several instances where visitors have expressed their feeling to me regarding both our fair city and its residents.

One most recent occasion, was when City Administrator Betty Taylor-Webb and I met with Ms. Evelin Ramirez, Partnership Specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau.

Ms. Ramirez resides in Tallahassee but her job with the Census Bureau requires her to make frequent trips to Apalachicola. To hear her express her love for the city, its cuisine, cultural diversity, and historic ambience make one wonder whether she see Apalachicola the same as everyone else.

I can recall another point in time when I was convalescing in a Panama City healthcare facility right after undergoing emergency back surgery. When one of my caregivers, shared with me that she and her friends loved traveling to Apalachicola just to stroll the downtown area shopping for whatnots and how much they enjoyed eating local caught seafood in the restaurants.

Even the President of Sacred Heart Hospital once told me that as he enters the city from the west, he experiences a serene aura the moment he sees the palm trees that line U.S. Highway 98.

Another visitor challenged me as Mayor to keep the historic temperament of the city exactly as is.

However, the most animated description of Apalachicola was voiced by one of the Plein Air artists that visited the area from South Florida during the recent great Plein Air paint-out. The artist described how the city, especially the community garden captured her attention.

She described a garden full of life, and a jovial group of people who passed by, visited, and tended the beds of the garden. She continued by saying that as the week passed she captured on canvass the essence of the garden while she watched as it sprouted new life.

It may be hard for some to understand, but there really is a simple explanation for as to why people leave behind the big city amenities such as shopping malls, super Wal-Marts and multi-screen cineplex’s to travel hundreds of miles to Apalachicola just to hangout, fish, eat seafood and shop.

If those of us who were born and raised here looked a little closer, than we could probably see it too. However, in anticipation of that day and until we begin realizing the economic benefits of preserving the natural uniqueness of the community, then we remain at risk of losing it all.