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Re: Fishing trappers land an alligator, story, Aug. 11.
It is understandable that we, as humans, are scared of predatory animals. However, is it right to encroach on an animal's environment and then kill it just because it is there? I think not.
As we continue to develop neighborhoods in swampy areas, gators are going to have an ongoing presence. Not all of the gators are out to eat your children, and it is in rare cases that it actually happens. And simply stated, if you have an alligator in a lake nearby, don't let your kids fish in it!
I was quite disturbed that this article was published. As an avid kayaker, I have paddled in many alligator-infested rivers, some as shallow as 2 feet and only 6 feet wide. I have never run into situations where I have felt that my life was in danger from these animals. In all of the cases, the gators did their thing and I did mine with mutual respect.
Gators become a nuisance in neighborhoods as a result of people. When this happens, the gator should be removed. But if he is just living, with no signs of aggression toward people, let him be!
Re: Fishing trappers land an alligator, story, Aug. 11.
So the parents complained that the alligator - which has since been trapped by a private company, killed and skinned - was eating or trying to eat the bait their children were using to fish.
Anything wrong with that picture? The people live and continue to push wildlife into extinction. Both children and adults are guilty in this case.
Re: Remembering Ross Norton, story, Aug. 10.
I live in Largo and work on Clearwater Beach, so why am I meddling in Clearwater's name-changing game? I'm the clerk for Precinct 501 at Ross Norton Park on South Greenwood Avenue and have been since the 1992 election.
Every election we have persons designated to stop at every polling place to see if we need supplies or to drop off additional names that did not get onto the voter register. Last election this person came in later than usual because his map didn't denote the name change for the street (from South Greenwood Avenue to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue).
I've known Duke Tieman, president of the South Greenwood neighborhood association, for years; he's a nice man and very community-oriented. However, I believe the residents should make that decision (about changing the name of the South Greenwood neighborhood and its parks). We don't need a costly referendum. Next election just ask the voters after they cast their ballots what their thoughts are on this change. These tri-precinct voters - who, I might add, rarely miss an election - will tell you exactly how they feel.
How many people do you think will continue to contribute land and buildings for their neighborhood if you take that little bit of recognition away?
Re: Naming local public facilities for people presents problems, editorial, Aug. 13.
I agree that changing the name of South Greenwood won't change the way people think of the neighborhood.
I have lived on South Greenwood Avenue for 11 years and was not happy with the change to Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is a mixed neighborhood and a neutral name should be given or, better yet, just leave it South Greenwood. The park and rec center do not need a new name.
People need to leave history alone.
Re: Letters about Largo, "City of Progress," and defeat of the human rights ordinance.
Largo, the City of Progress, is, was and will continue to be. To suggest, indeed state, that if the commissioners of my wonderful city did not favor a badly worded, overly complicated, unduly long and unnecessary human rights ordinance that we could not and should not be the City of Progress really infuriated me.
Except for my recovery at home from a badly fractured hip, I would undoubtedly have been in attendance to voice my opinion on the subject at the meeting on Aug. 5. Nonetheless, I watched the entire procedure on Channel 15 and read the letters, opinions, editorials and studies on the subject.
I came to Pinellas County in 1953, a new graduate of the University of Virginia, which was founded by Thomas Jefferson. I set up shop as an attorney in the immediate area and practiced law the better part of 50 years. I was a city attorney, city judge, and a member of the Largo and Indian Rocks Beach city commissions for a total of 14 years, 10 of those for the city of Largo.
When I moved into Largo, it had just under 5,000 residents. Its police station on the corner of Ulmer Park was a shack, and it had a chief and maybe three or four full time officers.
Largo is now a city of more than 70,000 residents and provides service to more than 100,000. It has among the finest police and fire departments, an exceptional Recreation Department, a relatively new and modern City Hall complex, a progressive library soon to be larger and better, and our "crown jewel," Largo Central Park. And get this folks - all of the foregoing and many others while maintaining one of the lowest tax rates for municipalities of its size in Florida.
Having served with the late George McGough and our former young and outstanding Thomas Feaster, our current Mayor Bob Jackson, and under the watchful eye of former Mayor Warren Andrews (a true statesman), I feel I can - and must - take offense at some of the remarks made at that meeting regarding our motto, City of Progress, and what it really means.
If someone wants to put fluoride in their body, let it be their choice, but why should the county limit my choice as a citizen and as a parent to not have fluoride put into my body or my childrens' bodies? Toothpaste, fluoride rinses, etc., are all topical, and that is the recommended way one should get fluoride, not systemically/internally.
Why should we bow to pressure from political interests? We could use the money that will be spent on fluoridation on education or by buying toothpaste and floss for those at risk of dental caries. But do not use it to put an accumulative toxin in the water system.
Babies under 6 months old should not have fluoridated water, so what will their formula be made with if they are not nursed?
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