The controversy over whether Scripps Institute should be located out in west Palm Beach County, or closer to the coast and existing development, should be of interest to Martin County taxpayers. Additional development west of our Urban Services Boundary along our County lines will affect us by increasing demand for transportation and pressure to develop more “ranchettes” in the agricultural lands of Martin County, both of which cost us more in taxes.

Reading the newspapers it seems “everyone” is supportive of spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer’s dollars to recruit Scripps Institute to Florida, including those critical of its proposed location. However, we have found information about Scripps that should be of interest to all taxpayers in Florida.

The July 9, 2004 issue of Science magazine, published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, provides an in-depth analysis of Scripps’ faculty, facilities and financial difficulties at their San Diego headquarters. They have incurred operating cost deficits every year since 2000, and are predicted to loose $10M in 2004.

Scripps has not added faculty since 1986, or expanded research space since the 1970’s. About 1/3 of their scientists publish over 2/3’s of their research work. The University of California system, source of most of Scripps’ funding, is reportedly prepared to take significant measures to reduce their costs unless major reforms are undertaken internally.

After reading the Science article, we wonder whether Scripps is the intellectual and financial dynamo represented to taxpayers. The whole deal may or may not be a real estate boondoggle, but it certainly appears to be a taxpayers’ boondoggle either way.