Page 9 - Hobe Sound Reflections - June '24

Hobe Sound, Page 9
LocaL governMent
Martin County Tax Collector
We Salute You!
By Ruth Pietruszewski,
Martin County Tax
Collector
The freedoms we enjoy
in our country inspire people
all over the world. It is
because of the selfless acts
of bravery, courage and
patriotism of the men and
women who serve and have
served our country that have
provided and kept our “Land
of the free.” Every day our military put their safety at risk
and their lives on hold to defend the liberty we all enjoy.
Through the course of American history, courageous men
and women have taken up arms to protect the most important
principles upon which our country depend.
License plates honoring the individual armed services
are available to the general public. Your purchase of the
“Florida Salutes Veterans” or one of the state’s U.S. Army,
U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, Marines or U.S. Coast Guard
license plates directly helps veterans.
Honorably discharged Florida veterans can add a veteran
designation “V” to their driver’s license or ID card by
visiting any Florida driver’s license office. There is no
charge or fee collected to display this designation on a
veteran’s driver’s license. A homeless veteran may renew
or obtain a new Florida ID card free of any charges.
Any honorably discharged veteran who has a valid
FDVA 100 percent disabled veteran card or who has been
determined to have a 100 percent total and permanent license plates with a wheelchair emblem are available for
service-connected disability and is qualified to obtain those veterans permanently confined to a wheelchair and
a driver’s license is generally exempt from all fees. An who otherwise qualify for a DV plate.
honorably discharged disabled veteran who has been Disabled veterans with mobility impairment may
a resident of Florida for the past five years or who has apply for the disabled parking plate with the wheelchair
established domicile may apply for one free disabled emblem. No state agency, county, municipality or agency
veteran “DV” license plate for an owned or leased vehicle; thereof may charge the driver of a vehicle displaying a
however, there is a $4.80 annual state registration fee. Free “DV” license plate any fee for parking on public streets,
highways, or in any metered parking space. Total and
permanently disabled Florida veterans are exempt from
county and municipality building licenses or permit fees
when making certain improvements to their residence in
order to make the dwelling habitable or safe.
The Military Gold Sportsman’s license is available for a
reduced fee of $20 to any resident who is an active or retired
member of the U.S. Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces
Reserve or National Guard. State hunting and fishing licenses
and permits shall be issued without fees for five years to any
veteran who is a Florida resident, certified or determined to be
100 percent totally and permanently disabled by the VA or the
U.S. Armed Forces, or who has been issued a valid disabled
veteran ID card by FDVA.
Martin County Tax Collector provides a free business
tax exemption for veterans of the United States Armed
Forces, or the spouse, or un-remarried surviving spouse of
such veteran for a new or an existing business.
America owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to the
men and women in military uniform sacrificing so much,
because we truly are “The Land of the Free Because of
the Brave.” Ruth “Ski” Pietruszewski, Martin County
Tax Collector, and her staff annually honor veterans by
participating in the Veterans Day and Memorial Day
parades, daily prioritize serving veterans any way they can,
and support the men and women who bravely serve our
country.
God Bless America.
Book Review from page 8
marine, the other terrestrial – stared into each other’s
eyes across a chasm of half a billion years of evolution.
“It stole me in a way I’ve never felt with a human or
an animal before,” says Janicki. “It was an honor and
incredible. I’ll never forget how powerful it was.”
You would do well to read both of Sy Montgomery’s
octopus books to derive the most benefit. If you consider
them as cameras from which to view the lives of these
creatures, Secrets of the Octopus will provide a rich
panoramic view of their truly superhuman combination
of intelligence and range of physical capabilities, as well
as today’s broad diversity of species in this 300-million-
year inheritance.
The Soul of an Octopus, a deeply satisfying and
emotional read, will be your close-up lens from which
to view how two of
this world’s creatures,
so alien in every way
from one another –
author Sy Montgomery
and the several
octopuses she studied
– were able to form
close relationships
as evidence of
the cognitive and
intelligence abilities
now known to be a part
of the lives of these
undersea geniuses.