Milton pastor joins efforts to continue ban on sale of hard liquor in Santa Rosa County

MILTON (FBW)–The dispute over legalizing the sale of hard liquor is heating up in Santa Rosa County, according to David Spencer, pastor of First Baptist Church in Milton. Many public officials who have argued against the proposed legalization “have taken some heat,” including one of Spencer’s church members who is a county officer.

“We have a good quality of life here and we sure don’t need alcohol,” Spencer said. “Alcohol is not going to make a better quality of life.”

Spencer, a member of the advisory board of an anti-liquor organization formed in 1992, Citizens Against Legalizing Liquor (C.A.L.L.), told Florida Baptist Witness he and several members of his church are fighting against a pro-liquor organization’s campaign to legalize the sale of hard liquor.

“As Christians we believe this is essentially a moral issue, although that doesn’t sell to the general public,” Spencer said. “A lot of the people … don’t see morals as being important at all. They think that alcohol is perfectly acceptable, and we certainly don’t.”

A relatively new organization, Grow Our Local Economy (GOLE) formed at the beginning of the year to advocate the legal sale of hard liquor within Santa Rosa County.

To bring the issue to an election, GOLE must collect signatures of 25 percent of the county’s residents–about 25,000 people–within 120 days of filing a petition with Santa Rosa County’s clerk of the court. GOLE will launch its petition drive May 14, a month earlier than originally anticipated.

Spencer has asked his congregation to sign cards pledging to vote against the legalization of hard liquor should it come to an election. He said that publicity is one of the major ways to combat GOLE right now. He and leaders of other churches in the area keep their members informed on the issue and encourage them not to sign a petition to bring the question to a vote.

GOLE advocates the convenience of buying wine and mixed drinks without leaving the county, but also claims changing the law will attract more restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centers, and retailers.

Spencer argues that Santa Rosa is already “far outstripping” its neighboring “wet” counties in growth and prosperity.

“Our schools are running over with people and people are trying to move in here,” Spencer said. “It’s one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Florida.”

Legalizing the sale of hard liquor will be detrimental to the quality of life in Santa Rosa, according to Spencer. He fears that with increased alcohol sales there will also be an increase in drunk drivers, domestic abuse and other crimes.

“If you increase the sale of alcohol we believe that you lower the quality of the morality in the community,” Spencer said.

According to a February 27 article in the Pensacola News Journal, pro-liquor initiatives in Santa Rosa have been voted down seven times since Prohibition ended in 1933. The most recent vote was in 1993.

For more information, go to C.A.L.L.’s Web site at http://www.callsantarosa.com.