Re: Ex-mayor calls police to remove beachgoers, story, Aug. 1.
On a recent Saturday afternoon, I took some time to watch about a dozen young people enjoy a game of baseball on the beach behind the condo I live in. It pleased me to see that this piece of beach was being used as it should.
I have often thought that we do not provide enough open access to the beaches of Sand Key, but once people find their way on, they are not limited to where they can be.
Then I read in the Sunday Times that the former mayor of Belleair Shore has called the police to make sure that those who have tried to have a good time on the beach behind his home know that this beach belongs to him. What a shame! Shame on him for acting this way, and shame on that community for not allowing access.
Hopefully, the people who live on Belleair Beach, as well as those in other communities, realize that there is access available to them to the north and south of Belleair Shore.
-- Ed O'Brien, Clearwater
Does former mayor chase away gulls, too?
Re: Ex-mayor calls police to remove beachgoers, story, Aug. 1.
Judging from the previous record of former Belleair Shore Mayor Robert Clayton, he appears to be a pretty miserable person who delights in trying to make the lives of others miserable.
I feel sorry for him. He couldn't look at the fun the children were having on the beach. Instead, he saw only that they were on a piece of sand that supposedly, according to a piece of paper, belonged to him.
Does he go out and chase the sea gulls away if they sit too long on his beach?
-- Mrs. Donald Merritt, Seminole
Religion doesn't belong at City Hall
Re: Prayer at Clearwater Community Development Board meeting.
According to a letter to the editor on Aug. 4, an invocation by J.B. Johnson, a member of the Clearwater Community Development Board, included the words "forgive our sins in Christ's name."
It is surprising to find such religious bias at a meeting of that group, especially so on the heels of the well-publicized fiasco at the Tampa City Council meeting.
On the one hand, Mr. Johnson implies that he and his colleagues on the board are sinners, an admission to fallibility that I'm sure they did not make. Frankly, though, I'd rather they not sin than sin and ask to be forgiven. I'd like to think that their official actions are guided by good judgment and honest concern for the people of Clearwater, all the people, rather than by religious scruples.
On the other hand, invoking a specific divinity can easily and understandably offend many, perhaps a majority, in the community who may prefer another divinity or none at all. This should be abundantly clear in the city that is the growing religious headquarters of the Church of Scientology.
Religion belongs at home and in the house of worship, not in City Hall.
-- Seymour S. Bluestone, Clearwater
Maybe bridge just wasn't meant to be
Re: Bridge columns to come down, story, July 29.
Has it occurred to anyone that maybe this bridge was not meant to be built? I think it has been a bad idea from the start.
So far, it's been a nightmare. Traffic is a big pain in the neck anyway. Between the roundabout and the mess from the new bridge, I don't go to Clearwater Beach anymore. It used to be a really fun place and still is to an extent. But now a town that was an old-fashioned vacation place has become a victim of the wonderful world of modernization.
Haven't people had their fill? I for one won't feel too safe crossing the bridge when it is finally done (if ever). Why don't they just bag the whole thing, fix up the old bridge and keep nostalgia alive for an old place loved by many?
I'm no engineer, but it seems sad that now this eyesore will be here forever and probably never be finished. Good luck, Clearwater Beach.
-- Rob Gibson, Dunedin
YOUR VOICE COUNTS
We invite readers to write letters for publication. To send a letter from your computer, go to www.sptimes.com/letters and fill in the required information. Type your letter in the space provided on the form, then submit your letter to the appropriate section of the newspaper. If you prefer, you may instead fax your letter to us at 727 445-4119, or mail it to Letter to the Editor, St. Petersburg Times, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756.
Letters should be brief and must include the writer's name, city of residence, mailing address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length. We regret that not all letters can be printed.
