Destin woman hosts rally supporting sales tax (DOCUMENT)

DESTIN — Jennifer Galati said she usually doesn’t get involved in politics, but her positive experience with Okaloosa County schools convinced her to leave her comfort zone.

Galati hosted a rally Tuesday evening at her family’s business to support the proposed half-cent sales tax to raise money to fund capital projects in the school district.

“I’m not a very political person, but this I stand for,” said Galati, who substitute teaches and has two children at Fort Walton Beach High School. “I use their bathrooms (and) I’ve seen their computers.”

See the list of projects to be funded with the proposed sales tax

Voters will decide on the tax in Tuesday primary election. If they approve, it would generate about $131 million over 10 years.

Galati said she did her research before she came out in support of the tax. She said the public needs to understand that the money collected would go directly to projects such as updating technology and renovating aging buildings.

At Fort Walton Beach, for example, every other room is hot or cold because the ductwork must be replaced.

Galati decided to host the rally to not only garner support, but to open the floor for questions and to send people out with “the right information” about the tax.

The small rally was attended by residents, school officials, a School Board candidate and WAVE (We All Value Education) representatives, who are leading the effort to gain support for the tax.

Regatta Bay residents Chuck and Jan Mills were on hand. The Millses, who both graduated from Choctawhatchee High School, were able to convince their adult daughter to leave the best school district in Texas to move to Okaloosa County because of the school system.

“It was a big deal to them,” Jan Mills said of her daughter’s family.

The Millses are trying to convince their neighbors to support the tax, even if they don’t have children in school. Good schools ultimately benefit everyone, and the projects proposed by the district will ensure the schools remain the best, they said.

“I think this is an investment,” Chuck Mills said. “If you don’t have that structure and technology, we’re going to be left behind.”

First-grade teacher Michelle Rathmann agreed.

“(The students) need to be able to compete when they get out of the schools,” she said. “So, hopefully people we get onboard.”