EDITORIAL: At 25, growing pains continue but city shines

Are you better off now than you were 25 years ago?

That is the question we pose to longtime residents as the city marks its silver anniversary  

On Nov. 7, 1984, 63 percent of residents turned out in a 1,135 - 1,027 vote to incorporate. And so the city of Destin was born from a mere margin of 108 votes. The destiny of our little fishing village was determined and we grew, and grew and grew — into the bustling city and tourism mecca that we are today.

Over the course of this auspicious year for Destin, we at The Log have waded through many comments like this one from an online poster named Ed.

“Another layer of government, higher taxes, uncontrolled growth, traffic problems, same police, fire, etc., no high school, and the list goes on. I do not think it could have gone much worse had we never incorporated. Looking back you can see many promises that were not honored once incorporation passed. And on it goes.”

We can understand Ed’s pessimism in light of the pre-incorporation promises to control growth — promises that seem plenty hollow in the shadow of the wall-to-wall condos that too often hide one of our greatest assets from visitors and residents.

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WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Vote in our online poll at the right hand side of the page.

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TO READ THE LOG'S PROGRESS EDITION ON THE CITY'S SILVER ANNIVERSARY, CLICK HERE.

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But consider the good that has come to Destin since its drive to incorporate. We have the Morgan Sports Center. Its grounds rival that of any facility in the Southern states. We boast a beautiful nautical-themed library that has plenty for kids and adults alike.

And now on the horizon we see a push to protect our heritage and the harbor, and with it the possibility of a harbor boardwalk — something that would be impossible without a driving force to unite a disparate bunch of land-owners.

And of course there is that priceless sense of pride and community ownership that you just can’t get from living somewhere like, say, unincorporated Wright.

As we struggle through the worst recession since the Great Depression, it’s easy to look back at those “good old days,” but the past shouldn’t blind us toward seizing and steering the future.

Happy Anniversary, Destin, you’ve come a long way.