The Florida star. (Titusville, Fla.) 1880-1917, 1908-07-31
Shall the County Site be Moved

10 the lax RayefS OF brbNaro OOonty.
Owing to a petition signed by more
than one-third of the registered vot-
ers of Brevard county, your county
commissioners were compelled by law
to order an election, to take place on
August 18th, 1908, at which election
you are to decide by your votes
whether the county site shall be
changed.
If by your votes you decide to move
the county site, it behoOves:every tax
payer in the county to look calmly
and dispassionately into the matter,
and count the cost to themselves and
the county before casting their vote
on so important a question. Permit
me, therefore, to call your earnest
attention to a few facts that you
should take into consideration before
casting your vote:
The court house lot in Titusville
composes a whole block and is thor
oughly cleaned up and well fenced
and is we'll worth $1,000. 1t was
decided to Brevard county as county
site and for no other purposes.
Should you by your votes change the
county site, it will become a question
at law as to its final disposition, as
the Titus heirs will surely bring up the
question of reversiOn when no longer
used for the specific purpose for
which it was decided, and have been
automatically informed that this ques-
ton has been decided by the supreme
court in several instances. Should
this matter be thrown into the courts
the county would be debarred from
moving or dispOsing of anything on
the present site until such question
should be finally decided.
The present court house is in per-
feet repair and is of ample size and
has all the rooms and offices necessary
and in itspresent condition cannot be
duplicated for less than $1,000.
The clerks office is on a different
lot and the present building with fire
proof vault could not be built for less
than S. 1000.
The county judge Office is of brick
and has a fire proof vault and could
not be replaced for less than $1,000.
The jail, as it now stands after
the fire with the steel cells (which
are practically uninjured by the
fire., is we'll worth to the county
1000, and Contractor Decker offers
to put it in perfect repair, one story
high, with iron roof, ceiling and win
dow castings, making it fire-proof for
$1,000.
The sheriff's house, which was to-
tally destroyed, was insured for
enough to rebuild.
The water system, sewerage and
sanitary fixtures of the present local
ity cannot be replaced for less than
$500.
The total value of the property be-
longing to the people of Brevard
county on the present county site is
$50, 800, and this is a very low eSti-
mate, as Mr.. Decker, after careful
examination, estimates its value at
$50, 900.
Now. Fellow Tax Payers, let us
look the matter squarely in the face
and act with due judgment and de-
liberation. Are we in such prosper
Gus circumstances that We can afford
to throw away this amount of prop
erty to move the county site only 10
miles as we'll as the loss of time and
the immense Inconvenience and trOu-
BILE involved in such a move? Are
our taxes SO low and our burdens so
light that We can willingly aNl with
open eyes involve the county in such
a calamity?
As soon as you shall decide by your
vote that the county site shall be NOV
ed, your board Of county commission
ers, under section sos of the general
statutes, as amended on page 2ll,
Acts of 1907, may levy an additional
five mill tax on all the taxable prop
erty in the county as building fund
] To erect q court hnnSe and iail This