In a highly political move, FEMA has decided to punish the independent people of the Conch Republic. In a recent letter from a goverment burarat ( a person who can’t survive in private industy so becomes a non productive goverment worker). threatened all Conchs with strong United States Federal Goverment reprisals if they don’t destroy the lower floors on their homes. The US Fema official, in a nasty letter to local officials declaired that he, while sitting in his Atlanta office, will not comprimise, all first floors will be removed or else. To many long term Conch’s this is a replay of the 1982 federal blocade of the Conch Republic resulting in the revalution, and the formation of The Conch Republic. Over the years the U. S. goverment has used Border Patrol, Navy, Cost Guard, Army and Florida State police personel to attempt to squash the free thinking people of the Conch Republic with no sucess. Today Conch live under military rule imposed after their sucession in 1982. The Royal Family has rerquested all Conchs are to stock up on essentials such as (Rum, Lobsters, Fish, Crab ect.) in case of an invasion. All Members of the Conch National Guard are put on Alert.
I think FEMA has alot of nerve to pick on all conchinians. I’m sure there are far greater threats to emergency managers than ground floor storage/occaisonal guest room usage in the Conch Republic. Let’s face it. We all may live, work, and enjoy life from mm 124 to mm 0, and on a very narrow piece of land surrounded by water, but we haven’t had the history of disaster that many mainland areas have experienced. FEMA. Put your efforts into something more beneficial to all than recommending all illegal gound floor areas be torn down in our ightly populated area, the Conch Republic.