Endorsement: Bob Dallari’s defense of Seminole’s rural zone earned him another term in office
By Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board
Orlando Sentinel | Oct 01, 2020 at 6:23 PM
Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari voted to reject the River Cross project and protect Seminole County’s voter-approved rural zone.
His challenger, Katrina Shadix, says she would have done the same.
That’s not a compelling reason to replace an incumbent politician.
Because he already made those hard decisions, Bob Dallari deserves another term on the Seminole County Commission.
We don’t disbelieve Shadix, a Democrat. She has deep, deep roots in Seminole County that she says go back some 80 years. She’s been a vigilant protector of the environment, notably the region’s bear population.
Dallari, a Walt Disney World project manager who’s on furlough, also knows his way around Seminole, especially after nearly 16 years on the County Commission.
The River Cross project was a test for him and other commissioners. They were facing a massive development project, headed by Chris Dorworth, a former state House member and lobbyist who — while his influence is thankfully diminishing — retains some of his former clout.
The project was proposed immediately east of the Econlockhatchee River, in a large, east Seminole zone that voters decided years ago should remain rural. Dallari was on the right side of all the votes on River Cross, from its initial rejection to the rejection of a proposed land swap that would have been a terrible deal for the public.
We admired his fortitude and praised the commissioners who were willing to face a federal lawsuit to uphold the will of the voters. It’s a big part of the reason why we endorsed Dallari in the August Republican primary.
One of the problems with continuing to protect the rural zone is it just takes a simple majority of commissioners to change the boundary. Dallari and Shadix both say they support letting voters decide if such changes should require a commission supermajority (yes, they should).
The two candidates have less to agree on when it comes to the SunRail passenger line. Shadix isn’t crazy about SunRail and says Seminole needs something better, like an elevated train that reaches multiple points. No harm in dreaming, but it takes magical thinking to believe that the state or local governments are going to come up with the money it would take to build such a system.
Seminole’s best mass-transit bet is SunRail, and it’s disappointing that Shadix, who’s running on an environmental platform, doesn’t recognize that it’s SunRail or nothing.
Dallari supports the system, though he’s balking at the county taking over payments for its operation from the state until the line is extended into Volusia County. At least he wants to keep it running.
Aside from SunRail, there just aren’t that many differences between what Shadix and Dallari want, which once again isn’t a powerful motivator to replace an incumbent commissioner.
Seminole’s voters should keep Dallari in office. He’s proved to them he’ll make difficult decisions that honor their wishes.
Election endorsements are the opinion of the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, which consists of Opinion Editor Mike Lafferty, Jennifer A. Marcial Ocasio, Jay Reddick, David Whitley and Editor-in-Chief Julie Anderson. Sentinel Columnist Scott Maxwell participates in interviews and deliberations. To watch the candidate interviews, go to OrlandoSentinel.com/interviews.
