Editor, The Beacon:
I know several people who have attended meetings to discuss the wetlands and to also discuss once again the issue of all the building in DeLand.
People are tired of the runaround being given them and the rudeness shown to them when attending the meetings to discuss and hear the input from those most impacted by the decisions being made without their knowledge or consent. After all, the leaders in our city of DeLand seem to forget that we the taxpayers pay their salaries, so you would think they would show more respect. Sadly this is not the case most of the time.
So, in response to the things I hear, I have written another poem addressing what is going on in DeLand.
ALL IS LOST…
Deny, Deflect, Destroy
these are words used to
annoy
those who care about
DeLand
the loss of habitats
and wetlands
These are fighting words
from our city leaders
it is what they say and
do
when selling DeLand
to builders and their
lawyers
without a visible plan
Denying what they do by
deflection
they cause an overwhelming
collection
seen and felt
throughout
the town of
too many people
too many cars
too many restaurants
too many bars
DeLand is being destroyed
our leaders have a greedy
ploy
a small, sweet Southern
town
gone with a stroke of a
pen
a handshake or two
our town is lost
not able to mend
it will never feel
quaint again
How did this happen
why can’t it be stopped
our city leaders let the
ball drop
systematic tactics
used for relentless
pursuit of more land
to build
more land
to destroy
all the money it
generates
so buying, selling
accelerate
People perceive
there is hope
but there is
no reprieve…
by barbie
Dec. 19, 2024
Barbara Meistrell
DeLand
Albeit words of no use?
No one remembers a recluse
You say there’s too many people
Are you at the same time on Sundays beneath the steeple?
Every time our elected officials grant a re-zoning of a piece of property to allow overdevelopment from it’s original designation is a nail in the coffin of our town, surrounding areas and natural habitats.
We’ve only been in this area for just over two years. Spent nearly 25 years over in Pinellas County, and before that I was born and raised in NYC. Pinellas back in 1998, still had orange groves and tracts of undeveloped land. It was refreshing to land there after decades of dealing with concrete, decay, noise, crowds and filth. Over the years Pinellas became ambitious. Slowly the orange and grapefruit groves surrendered to strip malls and car dealerships. The tone of the county changed, green spaces receded, fewer and fewer trees, more developments, more concrete everywhere. Little to show for it.
I’ll tell you what I felt the first time we arrived in Deland, the day of our closing. For the first time in my life, I felt that I had found home. I was overwhelmed by the lush green spaces, the neighborhoods, and the rural tracts of land appearing in unexpected places. What you have in Deland is a gift, it’s precious, it needs to be protected and I’m wondering if the city planners even understand, how unique this city is. Deland doesn’t need any more gated communities, it doesn’t need to expand its commercial footprint, you already have commercial areas, use them wisely. What Deland needs is to preserve and nurture its character, it needs to preserve its communities (especially the ones that aren’t fancy) to preserve its groves and farms and to keep this town from becoming just another concrete causality. I love this place, I don’t want to see it destroyed.