𝗪𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗧𝗘𝗡 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗔𝗥𝗬 𝗢𝗙 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗫 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗪𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚, 𝗗𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗢𝗬𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗘-𝗣𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗢𝗖𝗔 𝗖𝗛𝗜𝗖𝗔 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛

 

Musk with former Mayor Trey Mendez

Several years ago a prominent local realtor laughed when I referred to Boca Chica as a "pristine eight mile stretch of untouched natural beach," likely thinking with a smile about the commissions, house sales, expansion of his real estate firm SpaceX would bring.

Oh sure, there's been some economic benefit to Cameron County by Space Explorations Technologies Inc., SpaceX, but don't forget that Elon's Musk's company was allowed to operate mostly scott free with millions of dollars of tax abatements over the last ten years.  Elon bought silence for his many, many violations of the 2012 agreement he'd signed with local officials, sending a $10M bribe to the City of Brownsville and $20M to Cameron County schools.

                               

County Commissioner Sofia Benavides

Musk had only to deal with the Cameron County Commissioners Court, a loose collection of uneducated goobers led then by Sofia Benavides, a nice lady but easily overmatched and out of her element dealing with rocket launches on our turf.

Oh, Cameron County had heroes; certainly the two educated octogenarians Bill Berg and John Young of Save RGV and the relentless Mary Helen Flores and Patrick Anderson speaking out to protect our beach.

                                    

Bill Berg, John Young, Mary Helen Flores

Over the last decade our region has been encroached by static fire tests, illegal beach closures, poisonous rocket emissions, black carbon, soot, nitrogen oxides, water and industrial waste pollution and destruction of wildlife habitats, nests and wetlands without so much as a wimper of protest from Cameron County government.

Oh, the late Carlos Cascos, while running again for County Judge, did make it clear that SpaceX was in clear violation of the 2012 agreement they'd signed but there was no enforcement or penalities for the multi-billion dollar company.

                                             

Recent fire and explosion at SpaceX

Someday, our grandchildren will revisit this SpaceX mess and realize how short-sighted, foolish and duped their parents and grandparents were by a billionaire with no actual concern for their best interests and for the ignorant giddiness with which local politicos welcomed an unprincipled grifter to freely profiteer in their midst.