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Today's Letters: Keep promise of beach parking

By LETTERS TO THE EDTOR
Published March 15, 2007

One of the major redevelopment components in the city of Clearwater's planning for Beach by Design was the promise of additional public parking on Clearwater Beach.

Today, while hundreds of public parking spaces are being removed for Beach Walk, one has to ask the question: Where are the taxpayers who paid more than $110-million for the new bridge, roundabout and Beach Walk supposed to park?

The city is not even close to replacing these lost parking spaces, much less providing the first of 900 public parking spaces recommended in the Beach by Design plan. The city's attempt to pawn off this municipal responsibility on condo/hotel developers is not working either.

Adequate public parking is basic infrastructure of every quality community. Lack of parking and associated traffic gridlock negatively impact residents, customers, visitors and emergency services, and reflects poorly on the image of the whole community.

The city of Clearwater and its residents have long recognized the need for additional parking on Clearwater Beach. Numerous traffic studies, consultants and city task forces confirmed this need evidenced by the growing number of days the beach experiences traffic gridlock.

Neighboring cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa provide numerous public parking facilities for their many attractions. While the Clearwater City Council has approved numerous high-rise developments on the beach, council members have yet to bite the bullet for a desperately needed public parking garage.

Former Clearwater City Commissioner Karen Seal stated that good planning called for two beach parking garages to be built before the new bridge was complete. That was almost 10 years ago! City staff has provided the City Council with excellent parking garage options to consider on publicly owned lands.

If the bridge, roundabout and Beach Walk are important projects, so is the promise for "additional" public parking on Clearwater Beach! If Shephard's Resort and little John's Pass Village can build parking garages, what's wrong with the third-largest city in the Tampa Bay area? After all, the city has collected more than $50-million in beach parking revenues in the past 25 years.

It's time for our elected officials to keep their promise to the taxpayers, who also deserve a place to park on Clearwater Beach.

David R. Little, Clearwater

Kudos to leaders for boat slip plan 

Re: Approval of downtown boat slips in Tuesday's election.

I wish to congratulate Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard and the City Council for their tireless work in planning and winning approval for the downtown boat slips project. This will help energize the downtown and provide a superlative recreation area for generations.

As a small-business attorney who has worked downtown for the past two years, it is clear that the downtown needs a shot in the arm. The boat slips and streetscape project provide the needed impetus for change. The vision of the mayor and council for this "renaissance" deserves praise.

Suggested next step: Remove the parking meters within two blocks of downtown. In order to bring people downtown, parking must be free.

Keep up the good work, mayor. The times they are a-changin' for downtown Clearwater.

Christopher R. Sullivan, Clearwater

Building new jails isn't best solution

Dealing with the issue of jail overcrowding, Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats proposes a $225-million "solution" as the only way to solve the problem of the sheriff being disturbed by the prospect of releasing inmates.

Releasing inmates shouldn't be that much of a problem since the vast majority of those incarcerated will be released through the posting of bail, judicial findings of not guilty, probation and other paths to release.

It is disturbing that many inmates are being held in atrocious conditions awaiting hearings and trials while having a "presumption of innocence." It may be more than some inmates can comprehend that they have a presumption of innocence when they are incarcerated alongside the convicted and sentenced.

Rather than spending $225-million to feed the edifice complex of the government, let's spend $25-million to streamline the judicial process, beginning with fewer arrests, more summons, swift bail and preliminary hearings, with more release on own recognizance and other obviously needed reforms.

The present system simply leads to building more jails with more tax dollars. Let's lock the door and throw away the key for serious crimes (99 years without parole for child molesters), but let's also find another way of dealing with minor offenses and dubious cases, and let's review the process that allows bail bond firms to reap huge profits off that system.

We can build more jails to hold more inmates, and if they build them "they" will come. And government officials will continue to empire build with our tax dollars.

Terry Kelly, Clearwater

Club's request was outrageous

Re: Dunedin club won't get a break story, March 10

Staff writer Sheela Raman spoke only of the Dunedin Country Club's response to the decision made at the March 1 Dunedin City Commission meeting. There was opposition read into the record. This concerned the golf course reporting $2.7-million in income per year, but where does it go? The rent is based on 5 percent of reported revenue in particular areas.

The country club has not paid its rent for 2005-06 as yet. It wanted the city to forgive the rent retroactive to 2005-06 from 2.5 percent to a stunning 1.25 percent.

Just ask the question: Where does the country club's money go?

Bill Rodgers, Dunedin

Your voice counts

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 March 14, 2007, 23:41:44]