Questions about Ms Nipper

[Bob Wells]

I have a few questions. Does Ms Nipper live in the District she is running for, is she still running her business that was determined to violate the land use code, does she have experience in county government, has she attended county commission meetings, and what exactly is her stance on customary use?
Understand this isn't a hatchet job. While doing a search to find out more I found other folks bringing up these questions and I know there are a couple of folks on here who seem to be strong supporters of her.

 

[Danny Glidewell]

I am neither supporting or opposing any candidate but I will tell you what I know Bob. Ms. Nipper does not live in District 3, she still operates the business, they were flying this weekend judging from the number of airplane flights over my house and she has attended BCC meetings as I have personally seen her. As to customary use she favors waiting until the State of Florida determines what that means before doing anything. To my knowledge she has never been an elected official or an employee of any local government. She has worked for the US military most of her life. She flies Helicopters and repairs them as far as I know.

 

[Misty]

I have a few questions. Does Ms Nipper live in the District she is running for, is she still running her business that was determined to violate the land use code, does she have experience in county government, has she attended county commission meetings, and what exactly is her stance on customary use?
Understand this isn't a hatchet job. While doing a search to find out more I found other folks bringing up these questions and I know there are a couple of folks on here who seem to be strong supporters of her.

Bob.

I had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Nipper a couple days ago. Ms. Nipper is a resident and homeowner in District 3.

Customary use won't be decided in the Primaries or in the Nov. Elections, it will be decided in the courts. However, Ms. Nipper does support customary use.

During my conversation with her the thought never occurred to me to ask her how many County Commission meetings she has or has not attended. I'm assuming she has attended plenty since her small business was the subject of a lawsuit. If that is an issue for you I'm sure she would be happy to answer your questions via email or you can call her. melanie.t.nipper@gmail.com or 850-419-3580. The Professional Firefighters of Walton County, IAFF Local 4413 have also endorsed her campaign.

Ms. Nipper continues to operate a small skydiving business on her families land and the business she runs was the subject of a lawsuit against the County which Ms. Nipper won.

Like "Phony Tony" Anderson, Ms. Nipper has no experience in county government but has tons of experience in working for the Government serving her country. Ms. Nipper has 24 years of military service, having served in Bosnia, Haiti, Korea, and 3 tours in Iraq as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and is an active Army Reservist serving 40 days out of the year.

Prior to meeting Ms. Nipper, I was a total skeptic because of her lack of experience in County government! What I found in having spoken to her for almost 2 hours is that Ms. Nipper is very open, honest, sincere and I feel she has a real passion to push for open, honest government, operated in the Sunshine. She also has a sincere desire to see all of Walton County prosper and a "determined to learn" attitude.

Ms. Skipper went door to door asking for signatures to be placed on the ballot and is not backed by "Blue Crew" money. She has not caved nor does she pander too special interests and frankly, she has to much pride and integrity to be bought off.

 

[Misty]

Bob, please let me correct my first statement. Ms. Nipper actually owns property in District 3 and is actively looking to buy a home there. When I had the conversation with her I did not specifically ask her if her home was located on the property she owns....I just assumed it was.

 

[Misty]

Bob Wells...in response to your questions from Ms. Nipper herself who is not a sowal forum member.

No, I do not live in District 3, I live 6 miles to the East. I am required to move if I am elected and I am willing to do that. There is/has been more than one Commissioner who has dual households in order to be a Commissioner; it is not as uncommon as you think.

I have a small business, I have been a Supervisor for 24 years in the Army and have been to many Commissioner meetings, code enforcement meetings, and feel I have the code of ethics, level of responsibility and the desire to make positive change for the county. Like we say in aviation - no one was born a pilot. No one was born a Commissioner. Maybe you have not seen me in the meetings you are at since I have been required to serve overseas with the Army for months on end. That will change once I am elected.

Customary use - my website and Facebook page state my stance on customary use.

Regarding the Code Enforcement Board’s determination that “ The Board finds that the activities conducted on the subject property by the Respondents DOES NOT VIOLATE THE LDC AS ALLEGED BY WALTON COUNTY.
Thank you for allowing me to clarify these questions.

V/R
Melanie Nipper

 

[Bob Wells]

Bob.

I had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Nipper a couple days ago. Ms. Nipper is a resident and homeowner in District 3.

Customary use won't be decided in the Primaries or in the Nov. Elections, it will be decided in the courts. However, Ms. Nipper does support customary use.

During my conversation with her the thought never occurred to me to ask her how many County Commission meetings she has or has not attended. I'm assuming she has attended plenty since her small business was the subject of a lawsuit. If that is an issue for you I'm sure she would be happy to answer your questions via email or you can call her. melanie.t.nipper@gmail.com or 850-419-3580. The Professional Firefighters of Walton County, IAFF Local 4413 have also endorsed her campaign.

Ms. Nipper continues to operate a small skydiving business on her families land and the business she runs was the subject of a lawsuit against the County which Ms. Nipper won.

Like "Phony Tony" Anderson, Ms. Nipper has no experience in county government but has tons of experience in working for the Government serving her country. Ms. Nipper has 24 years of military service, having served in Bosnia, Haiti, Korea, and 3 tours in Iraq as a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter pilot and is an active Army Reservist serving 40 days out of the year.

Prior to meeting Ms. Nipper, I was a total skeptic because of her lack of experience in County government! What I found in having spoken to her for almost 2 hours is that Ms. Nipper is very open, honest, sincere and I feel she has a real passion to push for open, honest government, operated in the Sunshine. She also has a sincere desire to see all of Walton County prosper and a "determined to learn" attitude.

Ms. Skipper went door to door asking for signatures to be placed on the ballot and is not backed by "Blue Crew" money. She has not caved nor does she pander too special interests and frankly, she has to much pride and integrity to be bought off.

I looked that lawsuit up a while back and it appeared she lost it. I could be wrong but that was the reason I was asking specifically whether she was still operating her business.

 

[Misty]

I looked that lawsuit up a while back and it appeared she lost it. I could be wrong but that was the reason I was asking specifically whether she was still operating her business.

Business is booming and very operational.

 

[Red Dawg I]

Yes, business is booming. Why is the property the business is located on listed as agricultural?

 

[Dawn]

I can see how neighbors would be annoyed by planes...

Matt Gaetz and the sky-diving is agri-tourism argument | Naked Politics

Rep. Matt Gaetz is one of the Florida House's more accomplished debaters, but last month he couldn’t get a judge to agree that his client’s skydiving business constitutes “agri-tourism,’’ so on Tuesday, he prepared an amendment that would have asked his House colleagues to carve out an exception to the law.

Gaetz says the amendment, HB 137 and SB 158, would not have applied to Gaetz’s clients James and Melanie Nipper of Walton County, who operate “Skydive Live” on their property.

But he proposed the amendment, he said, to protect other aviation-related recreational businesses from facing the same scrutiny.

“In this circumstance, I represented a skydiving company,” Gaetz explained. “A government was trying to shut them down. At a public meeting, the government abandoned their efforts to regulate my clients but I was concerned the circumstance could arise again in other parts of Florida and I wanted to make sure that people who want to maximize the economic opportunity of their farms will have the same opportunity that the people that I represented are going to have.”

The Nippers’ neighbors see it differently.

“Rep. Gaetz is trying to use his office to get around the court case in Walton County,’’ said Steve Sansom, whose cattle farm is under the fly-path of the sky-diving planes. “He’s trying to get legislation passed to solely benefit one person.”
Sansom said that while sky-diving “sounds fairly benign,” it’s also been “a nuisance.”

“Every weekend, when the weather is favorable, there are planes going overhead. It’s akin to Chinese water torture -- the first five minutes is not too bad but it goes on and on,’’ he said.

Walton County attempted to shut down the business, arguing that the activity violated the agricultural zoning laws. The Nippers sued, and Walton County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Santurri ruled last month that skydiving “is not agri-tourism” but he also did not order them to ground their planes.

The judge concluded that even though the Nipper’s farm produced hay and honey, the skydiving business did not comply with the state’s agri-tourism statute.

“The farming activities are subordinate to the skydiving activities,” Santurri wrote.

Gaetz attempted to attach the amendment to a bill related to agricultural gleaning but withdrew it Tuesday because,he said, he failed to draft it correctly to consider the liability involved in the activities.

He denied that he was using the Legislature to help a client.

“We regularly have circumstances were in the professions of legislators we encounter people’s challenges,’’ he said.

 

[Misty]

Yes, business is booming. Why is the property the business is located on listed as agricultural?

My guess would be because it is a working farm??? Ms. Nipper does grow and sale hay and harvests honey according to the article Dawn posted.

I also listed her contact info. My meeting with her was about my interests. I'm sure she'd be happy to answer your questions.