Editor: Recently I went to the Spring Hill Transfer and Recycling Station on Osowaw Boulevard. While I was unloading a stack of newspapers, I noticed an old piece of lawn equipment sitting beside the paper bin.
The people at that station made it very clear that I could not have that piece of equipment. I couldn't buy it or make a donation for it, even though it had been thrown away. It had some parts on it that would have helped me very much. I am generally not a scavenger, but this part was a lot better than the one I was using.
I was told there is a person who has a contractual right to all the stuff that comes into that station, and that for more than five years, it has not been put out for new bids.
I was left to believe that the person in question pays the county for the right to cherry pick these items, but no one there knew how much he pays or to whom. He - and only he - can take what he wants, and the rest of it is then put on the metal (junk) pile.
I also was told this person has to have a $1-million bond to be eligible for the contract and that the state of Florida requires this.
I find this hard to believe, and I would like to know what state agency handles this and what statute requires it. To me, it appears someone is just looking out for a friend and blowing smoke at anyone who questions.
This practice makes me feel like a second-class citizen.
Are these employees working for those of us who pick up the tab (taxpayers)? They went way out of their way to let me know I couldn't have the used part.
-- Wilbur Martin, Hernando Beach
President Bush has plan to fight child abuse
Re: Task force to focus on stopping abuse, May 10 Times:
Editor: I read with interest your recent article on the coordinated effort in Citrus, Hernando and other counties in Florida to address the problem of child abuse and neglect. President George W. Bush has a plan to help.
First, the president understands that making improvements in the child welfare system will require additional resources.
That's why he has asked Congress to double the amount of funding under the Child Abuse and Prevention Act and increase funding for the Safe and Stable Families Program by $1-billion over five years.
But states need more than increased resources; they also need more flexibility in the use of federal funds.
That's why the president also has proposed to allow states to use federal foster care funds to focus not only on supporting children in out-of-home care, but on prevention and postadoption services, as well.
By so doing, states would be better able to prevent children from being abused and neglected in the first place, diminishing the need for more costly intervention after the fact.
With greater resources and increased flexibility, we are confident states, including Florida, will be better able to prevent child abuse, reduce the length of time children who are abused spend in foster care, and ensure successful adoption for those children who require it.
-- Wade F. Horn, assistant secretary, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
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