The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-08-14
COST OF REMOVAL
TO TAXPAYERS
The Question Reviewed By a Resident
Of MsFKittS Island
Tropic, Fla, Aug. 5th, 1907.

In reference to moving the county
seat, no one would have dreamed of
suggesting such a thing but for one
supposition and that, that a fire had
utterly destroyed the county Jail,
which represented the most valuable
property belonging to the county.
Before the county was divided, ev-
en- when half of it lay south of the
Sebastian river, putting Cocoa as
well as Titusville in the northern part
of the county, even then when there
was so much reason for it and, at
one time, agreat number were in ia
vor of it, yet as soon as our splendid
Jail was built it put stop at once,
and, as it was supposed forever, to
any such idea, and the many thous-
sands of dollars further invested by
the county in Titusville in the build
ing there of the county clerk S Office,
the county judges Office, installation
of a fine system of sewerage, etc.,
virtually could mean but one thing
in all mems minds and that the per-
manent location of the county seat
in Titusville, and that it did mean it
was evidenced by the complete cessa-
ton of all talk of a change, even
though at the time four-fifths of the
county lay south of Titusville.
When the county was divided it
put Titusville within convenient
reach of all and all was well.
Of a sudden, though, the voters of
the county are startled in their peace
full avocations by the advent of has
ty messengers from Cocoa with the
woeful news that our county seat has
been afflicted with disastrous fire,
totally destroying the splendid Jail
and jailer's house, "but leaving the
wooden courthouse intact" no men,
ton being made of the other valua-
BILE property that escaped.
Under this suppositiOn and this
alone, that the Jail was total wreck,
and forgetful of the fact of the coun-
tvs owning so much more property
there, namely, the county judges
and county clerks offices, costing
$4,000; over third of the voters of
this county signed a petition to the
county commissioners to allow the
people to decide by ballot whether
they desired the county seat moved
or not.
state, unhesitatingly, that it was
only under the superstition that very
little was left of value to the county
but the courthouse that signed this
petition, and a number that | know
of signed it under the same impress
sion.
But now that the actual facts have
been ascertained the county has suf-
fered but a comparatively trifing
loss and with the expenditure of but
$1,000 she will be where she was be-
fore with as good and complete a set
of public buildings as she needs, on
ly the Jail will have the advantage of
being freproofed.
She has $2,250 insurance on the
jailer's house which she can use in
erecting another similar house.
Mr.. L. +. Decker states over his
signature that the damage to the
Jail can be remedied by the eXpendi-
ture of s., 800 anu he has offered to
replace the building for that sum-.
This does away with all talk of the
Jail being destroyed, for | have known
Mr.. Decker for % years and know
him to be as able builder and con-
tractor as there is in the state, and
he is a man of means and cOnserva-
tive and entirely responsible.
The only possible motive for chang
ing the county seat and saddling the
county with the enormous expense
of erecting a second complete set of
county buildings being happily
founded upon a mistake, the only
reasonable thing to do now is to drop
the idea as quickly as it was taken
up and make no change.
Let us consider for a moment what