The TC Palm: Thumb down: Don’t burden taxpayers for funds to fight All Aboard Florida

PANDERING TO VOTERS?: We’re appalled by the audacity of the Martin County staff proposal to raise the tax rate by as much as 2.3 percent to help replenish the reserves used on legal fees and other costs related to the county’s court case against All Aboard Florida.

We feared would happen when the commission majority insisted on an expensive, Don Quixote-like legal case that was more about pandering to voters and donors in the 2016 election than it was about responsibly working toward common-sense solutions on the rail issue.

It is unreasonable to expect taxpayers to foot the bill for such reckless spending.

Our point here is not a defense of All Aboard Florida; rather, it’s an affirmation of our commitment to hold accountable public officials who spend foolishly.

To other Treasure Coast governments that also dug deep into public funds for legal fees and public-relations campaigns with little hope of success: Don’t dare burden citizens with higher taxes to pay for your follies.

We’re watching.