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Developers become public enemy No. 1

Re: Mobile homeowners must unite against developers, letter, Dec. 28.

I'm sure there is a "top 10" list of vocations that the general public trusts the least. If so, I'm also certain that politicians and/or lawyers rank high on that list. My No. 1 on the list is land developers.

Land developers completely disregard the welfare of residents displaced by their money-grabbing projects, i.e., purchasing mobile home parks to make room for condominiums and townhouses to accommodate the wealthy.

Land developers couldn't care less about the impact their building schemes have on the roads, schools, water supply or environment. They remind me of sea gulls: swoop in, do their thing and swoop out. They don't have to worry about the mess they've created or have to live with the misfortunes they inflict on a community.

Residents of Pinellas County should be angry with the county commissioners who don't have the courage to stand up to land developers. Commissioner Susan Latvala should be chastised for her glib and smug statement,"Well, it is inevitable. There is nothing we can do to stop progress." What an inane thing to say.

Latvala needs to be reminded that not everything is inevitable and there are ways to stop what these land developers are doing that disrupt residents' quality of life. The way to do it, Ms. Latvala, is to simply say no!

Land developers have run rampant over the county and city commissions for years. It's high time to get tough with these developers. Commissioners need to act much more responsible in their obligation to all the average residents, not just to the elite.

Mobile home reimbursement actually tantamount to theft

I have been following the numerous stories you have published regarding the plight of mobile home owners when their park owners receive and accept an offer from a developer.

I am puzzled as to why what I view as the major issue here has not been addressed. Our elected officials, who are supposed to be protecting the residents of our county, are literally allowing the landowners and developers to steal millions of dollars from those homeowners.

Although it is true that old single-wide homes like those in Golden Lantern Park do not have great value, I'd be willing to bet that the median price prior to the potential sale would have been in the $7,000 range. Because there is literally no place to which the homeowner could move a unit this old, the $3,000 moving reimbursement is a moot point. That leaves the homeowner with a $1,375 reward, under state law, for abandoning his property: a theft of $5,625.

Although you might say this is not a lot, it certainly is for those being forced out of homes they own. But let's take this reasoning to another level.

Harbor Lights Park is a beautifully maintained community. I would estimate that the median sale price per home prior to this year would be in the $40,000 range. Again, these homes have no place to move to, so the double-wide $6,000 moving allowance is moot. That leaves the homeowner with his $2,750 abandonment fee for a double-wide.

Let's see: The $40,000 minus the $2,750 means that $37,250 multiplied by 313 homes equals $11,659,250 of assets will have been stolen from these 400 people by the landowners and the developers with the approval of our elected officials. What is wrong with this picture?

This is grand larceny under the guise of improving our community. The developers and landowners should be forced to fairly reimburse each homeowner for the property being confiscated. This is supposed to be guaranteed to us by our Constitution.

Correction

Because of an editing error, the following letters that ran on the Opinion page Thursday were attributed to other letter writers. The St. Petersburg Times is reprinting the letters with the correct attribution.

Eckerd Hall should host Coffee Series too

Pinellas County government has been asked to help the Florida Orchestra build a headquarters next to the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. Good idea, but why do they have the Coffee Series in St. Petersburg only? Why not alternate with Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater? Many seniors would enjoy a daytime performance because they do not drive at night and are unable to drive to St. Petersburg.

Heart-warming story turns cold for this reader

Re: Woman rescued from eviction, story, Jan. 6.

The story about the woman facing eviction from her home and the company that stepped up to make the repairs to her carport, as well as others who have donated to make her life better, started out as a great story of people helping people.

However, the St. Petersburg Times decided to finish this otherwise heart-warming story with information of alleged wrongdoing by the man fixing the woman's home and his company.

I will continue to read the St. Petersburg Times , but now I will make sure I skip over any story written by staff writer Tamara El-Khoury.

[Last modified January 16, 2006, 12:19:15]