We’re all for a lodgers tax, but be careful what you wish for.
My husband and I moved to Durango recently from what used to be “paradise” on the Gulf coast of Florida, near some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. When we moved there 20-plus years ago, it was a quiet beach town where you could look both ways down the beach and not see a soul for 200-plus yards.
Then our Tourist Development Council and county commissioners decided they should market our little town to bring more people to the area to help support the businesses. Big mistake.
Our little beach town became a “destination” and over a period of 10 years, it became a tourist trap and spring-break haven. The good intentions of the council and commissioners turned our charming town into a zoo, a traffic nightmare, an area where tourists trashed the beaches, increased crime (which was nonexistent when we moved there) and used up all the local resources.
Grocery shelves were emptied, with nothing left for the locals. Long lines just to get into restaurants. Condos and huge mansions replaced the charming “old Florida” character of the town. Development went awry and hasn’t stopped. Developers swooped into our town and starting building everywhere they could build, and when they ran out of reasonable land to build upon, they started filling in wetlands and destroying the local environment.
Vote ‘No’ on this version of a lodgers tax, please!
Marla Burns Durango
