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Huge increase in homeowner's insurance unfair

Has anyone opened his or her homeowner's insurance bill? My homeowner's insurance has doubled. It was interesting to read on the last page that you can shop around for a cheaper rate. That's a laugh when insurance companies are pulling out of Florida.

I don't mind a reasonable increase to defer the cost of hurricane damages that were paid out; but I do resent having to pay an increase of 100 percent to Citizens Insurance. We never had a claim so why do we have to pay? The people should be increased according to the amount of claims. We went from $989 to $1,993.

Parents ferrying kids to school, please don't block school buses

School buses are being held up in traffic at schools because parents who have to drive children to school block our path.

As drivers, we are not in a position to determine who gets to ride a bus or who walks. But parents still seem to take their anger out on us. At Seven Springs Middle and Mitchell High school, motorists daily go out of their way to block bus traffic. Most handicapped buses have to unload and load twice, once at the middle school and again at the high school.

Can't parents show some compassion to us and allow us to pass?

Fight Wal-Mart traffic link over bridge to Beacon Woods Drive

As Beacon Woods residents in Hudson, we are not in favor of allowing building a bridge over Bear Creek to Beacon Woods Drive from the planned Wal-Mart Supercenter at the old Bayonet Point Mall.

Wal-Mart's traffic through this bridge will bring lots of problems to our beautiful community, including crime, speeding, nuisance, burglaries, noise, dirt, car thieves, vandalism, exhaust fumes, and much more.

There is no benefit for this community whatsoever with this bridge. The benefit is only for Wal-Mart because its only priority is to make profit. They (Wal-Mart officials) do not care how much traffic goes into the neighborhoods.

Read the news about the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Ridge Road in Port Richey and speak to the neighbors. They will tell you how hard is to drive from their homes to U.S. 19 and encounter all the Wal-Mart traffic. This is a real nightmare for them.

This is why this community of Beacon Woods does not want a bridge connecting to Beacon Woods Drive. Let's stop this bridge.

The traffic plan Wal-Mart devises is not safe and we do not want it approved by the Development Review Committee and Pasco County commissioners during the next hearing scheduled for October.

Teachers get back two free days they gave to district years ago

There has been much discussion and publicity surrounding teacher pay raises with one erroneous fact. Here's a little history for those community members and new teachers buying into this misconception.

A few years ago, there was enacted the two staff development days. These two days were added to our yearly 196 working-day contract for teachers. Every teacher at the time was paid that year with a bonus check for these two days. The money was not incorporated into our salaries.

Subsequent years continued the 198 working-day contract for teachers with no bonus but our regularly scheduled pay which was based on 196 days. That translates into teachers working two days a year for free for these past years. Teachers give their personal time freely for the benefit of their students by grading papers at home, meeting with and calling parents after hours, attending open house and curriculum fairs in the evening as well as other activities that support our school community and ultimately our students.

It is being explained to teachers, concerning these contract negotiations, that the district is eliminating these two extra days labeled as staff development but not affecting our paychecks. In reality, we are finally getting back the two free days that we have been giving over the years.

If we want to attend in-service training for professional development on these two days, there will be no compensation. The district's stand is that we are already being compensated and given the option to attend trainings or not. The reality is that we again would be giving of our personal time if we choose to attend.

Thanks for a park for our dogs; What about a park for our kids?

Re: Dogs to get own public play area, Aug. 19 letter

Thank you Pasco County. I am so glad we are getting a dog park in the Holiday area. I don't like having to go to Tarpon Springs to let my dogs run.

I am in agreement with only one part of the letter. As a homeowner in Colonial Hills I think there should be a neighborhood park nearby. To suggest that it be on State Road 54, which is now a six-lane highway, is a stupid suggestion. The property on the east side of Pensdale is not the county's; it is privately owned. It is commercial land that should be cited for code violations for its lack of maintenance.

Now that Wal-Mart will be moving into nearly 25 acres in our neighborhood at the end of Galway and Manor drives, all the way to SR 54, from Grand Boulevard to the water treatment plant, maybe we can get them to put a small 1-acre park in the rear of the store area that would shield the kids from any traffic and keep them safe.

Let's be realistic in our assessment of land that is left to us. I'll bet most everyone would sign a petition or a letter asking for this.

[Last modified August 28, 2005, 01:14:15]