Thursday, October 22, 2020

Hendry County Home of Heartland Values Small-Town Tension Say Tampa Writer

LABELLE, FL. -- Claire McNeill, writer for the Tampa Bay Times writes today in a story about rural Hendry County in Southwest Florida that the people in small towns LaBelle and Clewiston are, "Divided, wedded to an old, patriotic vision. Warring over health care, classrooms and jobs, insiders and outsiders. Its residents are exhausted, anxious, unsure their votes really matter."

A few weeks back, McNeill visited Hendry with Times photographer Ivy Ceballo and interviewed local folks notable in politics and business among the citizens of the county of 42,380, most living outside the county's two towns.

Among those interviewed were Charlie Harris, coffee shop owner: Brenda Hoots, Supervisor of Elections; Debbie Klemmer and Vicki Reynolds, restaurant owners; Steve Nisbet Sr., McDonalds owner; David Harrod, Facebook page creator; Cythia Santana De La Salas, Montura resident, County Commission candidate; Nora Ned, retired Elections clerk, community organizer; Becky Rhodes, Jennifer Wingard, Chrisina DeVault: three generation family from Port LaBelle, community activists; Brandon and Dori Jett, teachers; Janet Taylor, former Commissioner and community organizer; and Emma Moore, Harlem resident.

Tampa Bay Times article by Claire McNeill

1 comment:

  1. Is there something wrong loving one's country? Is being patriotic really the insult, as it came across in this article? I live in Labelle. I work in Labelle. I don't feel as if we're "warring" with each other on anything. No everyone will agree on important matters, but the kind, friendly people of Labelle generally agree to disagree and continue visiting. In my 9 years living in Hendry County, I've only ran across one individual in town who lost her mind when another disagreed with her on Gun laws...and she was liberal. This county is filled with amazing,honest(for the most part)hard working, intelligent, and friendly people of all walks of life, that don't deserve to be touted as a divided, warring community. This article is misleading and offensive to the citizens of Henry county.

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