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County's environmental protection efforts must continue

County's environmental protection efforts must continue 

The Florida Green Building Coalition recently awarded Pinellas County the Green Local Government designation silver award.

In making the award, the coalition recognized a number of Pinellas' environmentally friendly practices, including its focus on water conservation, progressive solid waste collection, preservation of wildlife habitat and public lands, and use of biodiesel in certain county vehicles.

The county government can take pride in this recognition of its efforts to protect the environment.

However, unless these efforts continue, awards such as this one mean little. Specifically, the county should protect environmentally sensitive areas like the Brooker Creek Preserve and Wall Springs Park by ending development there.

The county also should strictly scrutinize any proposed construction in the 100-year floodplain. In addition, the county should expand mass transit rather than building more roads.

Unless the county expands its commitment to environmental protection and ending urban sprawl, the progress it has made toward these goals will be negligible.

Elizabeth Drayer, Clearwater

Re: Group must help teacher morale Dec. 3

Letter erred on adjunct teachers

A recent letter to the editor signed by Bob Snow of Clearwater claimed that adjunct instructors make up 70 percent of the teaching staff at St. Petersburg College. The writer's claim is untrue by a wide margin.

SPC's adjunct, or part-time, instructors make up about 35 percent of our instructional staff - one of the lowest ratios of part-timers to full-timers among colleges and universities in the state.

The college's adjunct instructors are fully qualified and make a valuable contribution to the educational experience of our students.

Still, St. Petersburg College takes great pride in its full-time, permanent teaching staff, a faculty that is widely respected among educators in Florida and beyond.

Amelia Carey, director of institutional advancement, St. Petersburg College

Re: Probation ends for Coats' friend Dec. 7

Motto on judges is move in, move out

In the business world as well as the political world, it is not uncommon for people to help each other out or scratch one another's backs, so to speak. This is the practice of "quid pro quo," where there is an exchange of something for something.

The letter that Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats wrote on behalf of his close friend and political supporter Robert D. McIntyre (for the purpose of getting his probation on a felony traffic charge ended early) may well have been a payback for McIntyre's monetary support.

Even though the case was transferred from Pinellas to Hillsborough County to avoid the appearance of impropriety, bias or partiality by the presiding judge, I still have my doubts.

It's not that I believe that all judges are corrupt by nature, although my humble opinion is that our judges are under a great deal of political pressure by their own peers, which at times, could become more than they can bear. And, there may also be circumstances when they are tempted by the forbidden fruit ($$$).

Even though Hillsborough Circuit Judge Wayne Timmerman proclaimed that Sheriff Coats' letter hadn't swayed him into ending McIntyre's probation, who's to really know?

It is precisely for this reason that I vote "no" to every judge's name on the ballot, when asked if they should be allowed to serve another term. My motto is this: Move 'em in and get 'em out, before they have a chance to do more harm than good.

JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater

Re: Don't forget the elderly this season Dec. 6

She looks out for our lonely seniors

Evelyn Frank, activities director at Edinborough Healthcare Center in Dunedin, is what all nursing homes need. She looks out for the very things others seem to forget at this time of year, and that's our lonely and many times left-alone seniors.

Not only does she request warm sweat suits for our seniors, but she even came and picked up the ones we donated last year. Several sets can be a blessing when a person may need to change more than once or twice a day.

I hope everyone will donate a couple of sets for a warmer and brighter Christmas for our shut-ins. We are talking about someone's mother or grandmother, sister, aunt, or even a close friend, and who would want to forget any of them at the blessed time of the year?

May God bless all who share with others in need.

Fran Glaros, Clearwater

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You may submit a letter to the editor for possible publication through our Web site at www.tampabay.com/letters, or by faxing it to (727) 445-4119, or by mailing it to Letters, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. You must include your name, address and phone number. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified December 11, 2006, 08:05:48]