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Re: Wall Springs upgrade needs thorough review, editorial, June 17.
You acknowledge the need for green space in Pinellas County and then go on to claim a need for boat ramps. The two are not compatible, especially in this instance.
Although the property has been impacted by previous owners and is hardly in the most pristine state, it is far more pristine and natural than any developed neighborhood in Pinellas County and should be kept in such condition for the benefit of all life, not just to accommodate one segment of humanity.
Boat ramps require acres of parking lots to accommodate vehicles and trailers. Roads will be required to access the boat ramps. All this pavement will create stormwater runoff management problems.
Easier access to gulf waters will seriously impact avian nurseries on nearby islands. Increased traffic will adversely impact abutting neighborhoods, which have protested development of the Wall Springs park complex.
Many boat ramp users will be non-Pinellas residents, meaning Pinellas taxpayers subsidize them.
If there is such a need for boat ramps, then county commissioners need to find a method to preserve all those private commercial boat ramps that are being redeveloped under current comprehensive plans.
There comes a point at which property rights must yield to the greater good for the larger community. Legal precedents and innovative methods exist whereby that goal could be achieved.
All it requires is leadership.
Re: Bikers, walkers take risks, pay with lives, story, June 15.
I am so pleased to read that the Largo Police Department will begin ticketing those pedestrians who cannot cross major streets at designated crosswalks. I am petrified when I drive up and down East Bay Drive and see not only the elderly, but young adults with children in tow, and children on their own, trying to cross six lanes of traffic. What is going through their minds?
The Largo police need to actively enforce this decision. Those pedestrians who cannot find their way an extra 300 feet to a crosswalk need to know that could be a very expensive decision - one way or another.
Re: "Timeless' resort intended to rid beach of bargain label, story, June 13.
I found the position of the Clearwater City Council recently to be improper and possibly insulting to our current visitors:
"Officials applaud the latest plans of developers Mike Cheezem and David Mack, seeing a chance to finally draw an elite crowd." (St. Petersburg Times)
Why are we so interested in drawing an "elite crowd"? Do the current visitors not spend enough money?
When you seek to change your customer purely to gain profit, your current customers find a new place to dwell and you have nothing. Let's not forget the people who visit our beaches, restaurants and shops year in and year out. They may not be part of the "elite crowd" wanted by the City Council, but they are loyal and most businesses find that loyalty is immeasurable in terms of profit.
Re: Fluoridation of Pinellas County water supply.
No doctor in his right mind would prescribe medication to a person he had never met, had no medical history on, and had no control over the dosage that person will take. Add to that the fact that it would be prescribed for a lifetime with no follow up, and the idea is insane.
What makes the Pinellas County Commission think they have the right (with their lack of medical training) to do just that? The verdict is still out on fluoride safety, particularly those forms of fluoride that are pollution byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry.
No thank you! I will choose my own medical care from a qualified physician!
Re: Fluoridation of Pinellas County water.
Who are these people on the Pinellas County Commission that we as the population of Pinellas County had faith in - faith that our interest would be taken into consideration when they are discussing projects taking place in our area?
With the insertion of fluoride into our water system without a vote by the people, they have lost the confidence we once had in them. We voted them into office and can just as easily vote them out.
In the past, fluoridating our water system has been turned down. For 10 years the commission has known the feelings of the people they govern. For that reason they took it upon themselves to keep the vote from us. They decided to tell us what they think is good for the constituency. How dare they?
Commissioners say everyone else around us has had fluoride in their water systems for years. Listen, just because 10 people wear a red hat, does that mean we have to?
Fluoride is unsafe and will not help teeth already formed in an adult.
On a recent day at 2:30 p.m. my car died in the middle lane of westbound Roosevelt Boulevard. Two men risked their lives to come out and move my car to the side of the road. Mind you, cars and trucks are whizzing past at 50 mph.
They called for help and found a safe place for me to wait in the shade. I don't know their names, but they saved my life and I thank them. They are my all-time true heroes.