Here at the Barometer Offices we’re switching into summer mode.

Now that most of the tourists are gone and most of the snowbirds have flown back to wherever it is they come from, it’s time for all the year-round residents of Southwest Florida to unite and reclaim what’s rightfully ours.

The roads are ours again.  No more lost wanderers trying to read a map and drive simultaneously.  No more fearing for our lives as the cars beside us veer across three crowded lanes because they weren’t paying attention to the signs.  No more gridlock on the crowded roads.  Far fewer margarita-fueled amateur drunks weaving their ways back to their over-priced hotels.

The restaurants are ours again.  No more never-ending waiting lines and full reservations rosters.  A lot less beach-tired and crying children ruining our special nights out.  No more having to remind the hostess we’re local and could she please squeeze us in.

The grocery stores are ours again.  No more throngs of sun-burnt tourists, no soft shuffle of flip flops and no crowds around the postcard display.  No more absentee parents and their obnoxious children lost in vacation-mode blocking our free passage through the crowded aisles.

The beaches are ours again.  No more full parking lots and rented cars.  No more finding our favorite secluded spots overrun by families from Ohio and all the cheap plastic tourist junk they could drag onto the beach.

The attractions are ours again.  No more inflated “season” rates.  No more full-price admissions.  These are the days of half-price tickets, buy one get one frees and two for ones.  These are the days of local businesses recognizing and respecting the true lifeblood keeping them all in business…the permanent residents of Southwest Florida.

These are the days we've been longing for...get out there and enjoy them.