The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-08-14
Making an aggregate of $50, OS4 IS

NAMING OH oBBISSaCS VI -PGO,OO7 o.
To which should be added 81, 500, the
estimated cost of taking down and
transporting TO Cocoa and setting up
again the steel cages in the Jail and the
vaults in the County Clerks and County
Judges offices, making a grand total of
So, 534. IS, which the county will be out
of pocket by the abandonment of Titus
vile as the county seat.
Now as to the county's expenditures
at Cocoa, which would be involved in
the establishment of the county seat az
that place:
1t has been proposed that the Jail,
courthouse and all county Offices should
be put in one fire-proOf county building,
and as the lot upon which it is proposed
to put the county building at Cocoa is
not large it would be necessary to make
such a combination if the courthouse is
erected on that lot.
At Kissimmee, in OsceOla county,
the same plan was carried out, the Jail
being put under the courthouse; but
the results have been very unsatisfac-
tory. There is always an OdOr from a
Jail no matter how clearly the custO-
dian may be. 1t sometimes happens
that noisy persons are confined there.
Not many years since we had person
convicted of murder in the Titusville
| Jail who insisted on singing psalms
throughout the day and most of the
night, and there seemed to be no rea-
sonable way to prevent it. But the
most serious objection is from a sani-
tary point of view, the court and med
ical authorities having at times inter
fered in the case of the Kissimmee Jail
in the interest of humanity. The base
ment of a courthouse is not the proper
place, in this climate, to cOnfine human
| beings.
| another objection is that if the build
ing should turn out not to be fire proof
| the valuable property and county rec
ords might be destroyed; but. waving
all of these objections, if one fire-prOof
building is to be put up at Cocoa capa-
bic of accommodating the court and all
county officers as well as the Jail, and
is to be absolutely fire proof. what will
be the cost of such a structure?
! Is it unreasonable to say that by the
time this structure was completed, and
all the county officers housed in il. that
10000? The people Of Cocoa would nat
| uA any BC dllNiOhS LlidJ Llit Dulltlllik 3
when erected. should be a credit to
their village. and there would be a CON
siderable sentiment in the body Of the
county at large in favor of erecting a
creditable building whenever a new
courthouse is undertaken. Instead of
S25, 900 the taxpayers might have u
face an expenditure such as other cOun-
ties have made. and | do not think il
unreasonable 70 predict that $40. OOO
would be nearer the figure that the tan
payers would have to meet.
| Upon the present assessed valuation
of Brevard county it would take a spe-
cial building tax Of five mills for -four
years TO provide this money.
As taxes are lien upon the property
the taxpayer who votes for the remOva
Of the county seat practically votes tC
put mortgage upon his property fOl
the next four years, and this is not only
burdensOme 70 the freehOlders, who al
ways find the taxes coming due wher
money IS hard TO raise or thew have
other uses for il, but it tends TO lower
values and retard sales, and thus dimin
lsh the capital Of the land owners, fol
by far the greater part of the capital o,
our people Is invested in their lands.
WHY THEN SHOULD YOU VOTE To
REMOVE THE COUNTY SEAT?
GEO. NJ. ROBBINS.