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Clearwater Beach needs more room for people to park

I am a longtime Clearwater resident. Clearwater Beach parking has always been a problem. I stopped going to that beach because the scarcity of parking makes it unfeasible for family beach outings, so I now am forced to go to other beaches.

However, I recently visited the beach to take a charter boat and was shocked that the construction of the city's Beach Walk would mean the destruction of the main (Gulfview Boulevard) parking lot, with no provisions for providing a suitable equivalent.

The construction of Beach Walk should be halted and the parking spaces preserved until the expansion of public beach parking has been accomplished. Clearwater Beach is a public beach that needs to be publicly accessible, as part of public policy. Instead, it is moving toward becoming a more private beach.

Since 1980, the area's population has grown, and the beach parking demand has increased. Yet no new parking areas have been created in these 26 years.

In recent years, the construction of a public parking garage has been investigated by the city. One site was deemed too costly to acquire. The other sites were deemed unsuitable because the city stated there was too much opposition to the disruption of the beach view. However, I know of no public vote or poll taken to support this statement. All were near the proposed Beach Walk.

So the city decided to go ahead with Beach Walk plans, which eliminate the largest public parking lot. That makes no sense. If no parking garage can be constructed, then Beach Walk should not be constructed. That makes sense.

Meanwhile, for reasons I can understand but which are not fair, parking on the majority of public streets has always been prohibited. Other than allowing for a more quiet place for beach residents, there appears to be no other reason for this restriction.

In recent years, the city spent millions on the construction of the Clearwater Main Library, millions on the new causeway bridge, millions on city beautification projects, millions on recreation centers. Spend the money on a garage. In time, you will get most or all of it back, and it will serve all of us.

Alan Polansky, Clearwater

Florida must find insurance fix before the state goes to the dogs

Is it me, or do we residents of Florida have our priorities misplaced?

We need to fix the homeowners insurance fiasco. My suggestion is a state lottery or a tax on legalized gambling.

Otherwise, instead of legislation allowing dogs to eat with us, we'll need legislation permitting us to eat with the dogs.

Robert E. Britton, Palm Harbor

Beach nesting birds need protection from dogs running loose on islands

I am absolutely appalled that after countless articles in this paper, numerous attempts by well-meaning people and sincere efforts to educate the boating community, people continue to let their dogs run loose on islands that are inhabited by beach nesting birds. The birds have nowhere left to turn, as every inch of Pinellas County beachfront has been developed, and their success on flat gravel rooftops has been hampered by predators.

Many of these islands and sandbars where the birds are attempting to nest were purposely set aside for protection of the beach nesting birds. It seems the only fair solution would be to prohibit access to these islands while the birds are nesting. People have shown they can't read or choose to disobey the signs, or that they flat out don't care.

These birds deserve a fair chance at life, too. I call on county and state environmental representatives to step in and do the right thing!

Don Margeson, St. Petersburg

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[Last modified August 5, 2006, 21:29:07]