On any given day, DeSoto County resident Terry Partaka can be found along the banks of the Peace River at the Lettuce Lake boat ramp. Partaka and many others enjoy the free entertainment of watching residents and tourists do their best at navigating the outdated and deteriorating ramp. Partaka is quick to converse with anyone from snowbirds to law enforcement. And one common question seems to always come up in those conversations: When is the county going to fix up the ramp?

“I come here all the time with family and friends, said Partaka, a former DeSoto County employee. “My grandson, Tyler, fishes here all the time. I am all for making the ramp safer and improved. It could use it.”