Letters to the Editors

Keep renaissance fest, ditch library

Re: Renaissance fest told to pack up, leave, April 3.

As a first-time participant in the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, I am highly disappointed at the selfish act carried out by Largo. I fail to see why the city needs to spend $22-million on a new library when it has a perfectly good library already in place. I can think of so many other ways to spend taxpayer money.

I have been led to understand that part of the reason for the destruction of the festival is that neighboring residents have complained about the noise. First of all, the festival was around long before those houses were. They knew what they were getting into when they bought that property. Second, I can guarantee you that if neighbors complained about the noise from, say, a Bucs game, they would be told, "Too bad." Sadly, sports take a higher priority in our society than the arts do.

During the festival, we spent much of our time gathering signatures of supporters of the festival. We got thousands of signatures. Do people's opinions not matter when it comes to how things should be run? What happened to government by the people and for the people?

The only people who want this new library are the people building it, merely to prove that this land can be used for other things -- like the other arts festivals that they have throughout the year, perhaps? This just goes to show you that the voting public truly has no say in where their money goes anymore. Frankly, I am disgusted.
-- Stacey Glazer, St. Petersburg

Rays fans need the Looper Trolley

Re: Looper Trolley for Devil Rays games.

I want to express my dismay that the Looper Trolley has been discontinued for all Devil Rays games except when the team plays the New York Yankees. I see this as a lose-lose proposition. Fans will not have the incentive to go downtown and have dinner before the game and be delivered to the gate at Tropicana Field. Surely that will hurt downtown restaurants and other businesses both before the games and after.

It also discourages fans from attending the games if they dislike being in the traffic fiasco around the stadium as much as I do. I would certainly be willing to pay more to have the convenience of the trolley.
-- Jeannie Gaines, St. Pete Beach

90-minute parking is not adequate

I have read letters from tourists about the parking in downtown St. Petersburg, and as a person who has lived in Pinellas County for 21 years I would like to make my comment.

For many years my husband and I stayed away from St. Petersburg. We took our friends to the Pier when they came to visit and went to the Bayfront Center to see the circus or an entertainer once in a while, but as for going downtown shopping or to a restaurant, no way.

About five years ago, we rediscovered downtown St. Petersburg. What a wonderful place to shop and eat. Still go to the Pier, but have made a point of taking our friends to BayWalk and shopping along Beach Drive. I might add I was down there not long ago and a lot of the neat shops were no longer there. Some of the restaurants are gone also. I wonder why.

Is it because of the 90-minute parking along Beach Drive? In some places it may be two hours, but I saw a 90-minute parking sign on that visit. Oh, I know, you want everyone to park in the parking garage, right? Well, there are a lot of places to go and restaurants to eat in that are too far away for some people to walk to from the parking garage.

Just what can be done in 90 minutes? You can't enjoy a nice dinner, you can't go to a movie, you can't even take a walk down Central Avenue. I think the city of St. Petersburg is only hurting itself. It is a wonderful city, but officials are making it impossible for people to enjoy what they have to offer.

When BayWalk was still under construction, my husband was ticketed for parking at 7:30 in the morning in an area with the "No parking" sign lying against the building, behind a bush. It had not been placed along the curb. He did not see the sign until he returned to his vehicle.
-- Linda Poynter, Seminole

Speed traps only generate resentment

Using speed traps for revenue is not something new, but when speed traps enrage the citizenry, as one recently did me, it's time to make my disgust known so that hopefully something can be done.

I am repulsed by criminal acts and I believe that we should live civilly and obey the civil laws as well (including traffic laws). However, I feel that speed traps generate resentment and animosity between citizens and the police.

On March 22 at noon, St. Petersburg police had a trap set up on the southbound lane of Fourth Street N, a half-mile north of Gandy Boulevard. The speed detecting patrol car was on 106th Avenue N aiming north. Just 1,000 feet north of that position is the first notice of a speed reduction, from 50 to 40 miles per hour. This in essence is the trap that was cunningly arranged to haul in the most vehicles. Even the most astute, safety-minded individuals were caught decelerating from the legitimate 50 mph to 40 mph.

A half-mile beyond the detector vehicle were lots of patrol cars and motorcycles levying their tickets to lots of vehicles. This was a major operation, and the question is, for what reason? I would like to see red-light running reduced. I do not see any enforcement for that. I suppose it is not as efficient as a trap.

I was not stopped and did not receive a ticket, but nevertheless, I was enraged.

I discussed this with the St. Petersburg police and they stated that they generally have to do this because of complaints of speeding. At this section of Fourth Street, it is four lanes wide with a grass median and spreads to six lanes south of the Gandy intersection. This is a major thoroughfare with no residential homes, complexes or even businesses. If the city needs revenue that badly, it should make a roadblock and ask for donations rather than use the pretext that everyone is breaking the law.

I have noticed these revenue collecting campaigns many times in St. Petersburg. These speed traps are counterproductive to our society and they only generate undue resentment.
-- Hank Swiatkowski, St. Petersburg

No one "owns' the fast lane

Re: Retirees slow rush hour traffic, letter, March 20.

Perhaps the letter writer should be removed from the roads for the safety of the public! She could have her children ride the school bus or walk to school. Has she ever noticed the traffic jams caused by parents driving their children to and from school at rush hours?

I am not a senior citizen yet. I do believe we all pay taxes to use our roads. Perhaps she is one of those who believe they own the "fast lane." Maybe allowing a few extra minutes for the morning drive would not require her to use that fast lane!
-- Doug Wulff, Redington Shores

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright