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By Times Staff
Published June 10, 2007

Keeping the tax man at bay, 'Paycheck to paycheck' series June 4

We're stuck in Florida for a while

Loved the article about Kitt Burt (photo, right) struggling to keep her St. Petersburg home. Keep up the good work of publicizing this major problem in our state. In March 2006, we decided to try to retire to North Carolina. What a delusion that was! We were very excited to put our home on the market and get going. We tried to sell it ourselves, since my husband was an ex-broker from Arizona. Well, the real estate market was taking a downturn, insurance went to another planet and taxes did the same.

My husband left his job (big mistake) and we started planning. We had a sizable mortgage left on the home. We cleaned and recleaned and had a patio renewed, etc. We were spending our retirement trying to sell our home and pay the mortgage.

I continued to work and my husband started to search for a job. We spent more and more of our retirement savings. Luckily, he found a job that is paying the mortgage. We have taken our home off of the market until it improves. We are stuck in Florida for a little longer. Florida is a lovely place to be, but the politics, insurance and taxes stink. I work at a public school and we have not had an increase in registration of children from other states. In fact, we had people moving back to their home states or Georgia.

This is a far-reaching epidemic, and I'm sure others will have more stressful stories to tell. We are just one of the many in Florida worrying about our future and how to survive.

Scot and Sonja Thompson, Safety Harbor

Progress expects twins June 2

Why pay before product arrives?

And of course, the company expects its customers in Florida to pay for another nuclear plant before it even has a product for sale. It brings to mind an old saying: "the cart before the donkey." It makes a person wonder how much the Florida politicians were paid to agree to such a devious plan for a payout on the backs of people who use Progress. The same article says that a nuclear plant in North Carolina is being delayed. Are the politicians there smarter than in Florida and will not go along with paying for a product before receiving it?

Ronald A. Westwood, Pinellas Park

GM looks to give Volt a jolt June 6

Get rid of the fossil fuel engine

So GM wants to build another electric car. Let us hope that GM shows some more guts this time than with the EV1. Everyone who drove that car said it was great and they loved it. But GM caved in to the special interests of the oil companies and certain California politicians. GM needs to give that car and its technology a chance to succeed and to let the internal combustion engine go the way of the dinosaur, which is kind of ironic considering that the internal combustion engine runs on fuel that came from dinosaurs.

Carlos J. DeCisneros, Tampa

A rich, but hidden, pipeline of jobs May 20

Public Works attention helps

As chairman of the Public Works Academy Board of Trustees, I wish to commend Christina Rexrode on her article. The Public Works Academy in Pinellas County has strived to become the leader in providing training in the area of public works. Her story captured the essence of the academy's mission and how it can benefit students and the community as a whole.

The academy has received several calls, e-mails and even received a sponsorship inquiry for incoming cadets as a result of her article.

Thomas D. Nicholls, Pinellas Park

Chairman, Public Works Academy

Bank of America demystifies fees June 6

Look at credit card bills closely

Your article certainly struck a chord with me. I recently found about $1, 300 missing from my checking account. It turned out that Bank of America Visa had cashed a $1, 300 check twice, once by paper and again by wire. After complaining to the state, the bank credited me with a mere $15 for their "clerical error." Shortly thereafter, I found a "late fee" of about $35 from the same company, Bank of America Visa.

It turns out that they send out bills from out of state on the 15th of each month. Allowing five days in transit, this would arrive on the 20th. They count it as late if it does not arrive in their accounting system by the fifth of the following month. Allowing for transit time, this means you have to write your check to them and mail it within 10 days.

So if you write checks twice a month, you could be assessed a similar amount every month. Don't dare go on vacation or visit relatives. My advice is "caveat emptor."

Mark Reinecke, St. Petersburg

Unmasking Lou Pearlman June 3

State shares the blame in Pearlman case

I am the son of a man who was bilked out of all his life savings by Lou Pearlman. My dad worked 45 years so that my two sisters, mom and I could have a roof over our heads, food on the table and clothes to wear. I am surprised that the news of this didn't kill him. Why have no charges have been filed against Pearlman while we see, virtually every day it seems, someone else who defrauded people is being charged, tried and sentenced?

If the state kept a closer eye on businesses and checked them out more thoroughly, things like this wouldn't happen in the first place. I think the state is as much to blame as Pearlman.

Jody Paul Lindenmeyer, Largo

Progress Energy's blue notices get pink slip April 20

Color change will boost Progress profits

Progress Energy recently instituted a policy calculated to bring thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars into their coffers at consumer expense without regulatory oversight. All they had to do was change the color of their late-payment reminders from blue to white to increase their revenue without having to get approval from the Public Service Commission.

Thousands of working poor, disabled and elderly consumers have a difficult time juggling their bills and depend on the blue color of the late notices from Progress Energy to make their payments on time to avoid being disconnected. Because white notices do not stand out as much, they more likely will not be noticed by the consumer. We will see a dramatic rise in disconnections, and Progress Energy will reap the benefit in reconnect fees at $50 a pop.

Marian Lee, Palm Harbor

Black businesses make mark June 5

Numbers don't add up on list

The numbers don't add up in the Business section. If Michigan is No. 1 with 21 of the top 100 black businesses, and Florida is ranked ninth with 11, that would imply that No. 2 through No. 8 have at least 84 (seven times 12), for a total of 116 of the "top 100" - for only nine of the 50 states. Must be the new math.

Peter Ford, Tierra Verde

Editor's note: Mr. Ford is correct. The map in Black Enterprise magazine from which these rankings were drawn includes more than the top 100 black businesses in the country. We apologize for the error.

To the barricades! Property taxes spur revolts, column June 5

Be mindful of 'tax cut' scam

As John F. Wasik of the Bloomberg News writes, "Tax revolts from Florida to North Dakota have proven one thing: If you lower the local tax bill, you need revenue from other sources. You end up swapping one levy for another."

This simple fact is true. Yet politicians know they can pull their "tax cut" scam over and over because rather then seeing the whole picture as money comes out of their pockets somewhere else, many people will just focus on their property tax bill or income tax return and falsely believe that the politicians helped them.

Dan Favero, St. Petersburg

Time for an upgrade? column June 2

Do your own TV research

In Ivan Penn's Consumer's Edge column, he said nothing about what is going to take place in 2008. In the ads for televisions, they have added the 720p (1280 x 720 pixel) and 1180p (1920 x 1180 pixel). When all the broadcast stations switch over to high definition, you're going to need a TV with at least 720p. The 1180p will give you the best picture. Each consumer needs to do his own research to determine what is best for him.

Richard T. Welch, Zephyrhills

TIA takes free fall in satisfaction survey May 23

Tampa's airport is still impressive

"Wow! What a spectacular airport!"

That was my initial reaction in 1973 when I traveled to Tampa for the very first time. The airport was impressive and set a progressive tone for the Tampa Bay community. On the basis of that trip, I decided to make the Tampa Bay area my home. Since that time I have had the opportunity to travel extensively throughout the United States and many parts of the world. My initial reaction, notwithstanding the recent report by J.D. Power, has not changed at all. All of us in the Tampa Bay area are fortunate, from a service standpoint and from an overall area economic impact standpoint, to have this wonderful facility to serve our community.

Why? We have a first-class staff at the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority. We have a superior executive director in Louis Miller, who, in my estimation, is truly the best in his profession. Over the past seven years, the airport has invested more than $600-million in capital improvements. From a convenience standpoint, the steps taken by the traveling public from gate to transportation is still the lowest in the industry. The airport is not only attractive to the traveling public, with approximately 20-million passengers, but also to the airlines. The airport has one of the lowest cost per enplaned passenger paid by the airlines out of all of the large hub airports in North America.

Stephen J. Mitchell, Tampa

Chairman of the board, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority

Cards bring few rewards, column May 23

How about a cash discount?

I read your article about fees charged merchants on credit cards. Perhaps if merchants gave a discount to customers paying cash, they would increase their sales.

Tom McPherson, Shell Point Beach, Wakulla County, state senator (retired), Broward County

Offering credit is a choice that pays

The truth is that restaurateurs like Catherine Chiadmi choose to accept electronic payment cards for a reason. According to a recently released report by the National Restaurant Association, restaurant industry sales are forecasted to advance 5.1 percent this year, exceeding $1.3-trillion in 2006. Much of this growth would not be possible without debit and credit card sales. Indeed, retailers receive extraordinary benefits from accepting debit and credit cards, such as increased sales, expanded customer bases and prompt payment.

Despite the effectiveness of the current system, lobbyists for some retailers are asking for price controls in order to shift these costs onto consumers. But government price controls don't work. They result in higher prices and less consumer choice. Retailers choose to accept electronic payments. Customers choose to use plastic. And everyone benefits.

Peter T. Madigan, Washington, D.C., Executive director, Electronic Payments Coalition

Options abound in health insurance, column May 27

Agents help counsel their customers

As a licensed insurance agent appointed with several individual health insurance companies, I must take exception to Kathy Kristof's reliance on information regarding health insurance only from online quoting systems, as well as her prejudice against salespeople in this industry. While getting quotes may inform a consumer as to affordability of an individual health insurance option, most consumers need the information we agents bring to the table to understand the implications of co-insurance, out-of-pocket maximums and, certainly, health savings accounts. Only then am I comfortable that the client is making an informed decision, suitable medically and financially.

Paulette W. Kevlin, Palm Harbor

Maximizing mileage May 31

Be careful how you save gas

The article contains suggestions for increasing mileage that are either expensive, wrong or dangerous. "Shift into neutral going down hill" is harmful to the transmission. "Shut off air conditioner" has been proved not to affect mileage and, besides, this is Florida! "Draft sensibly behind semitrailer trucks" is extremely dangerous and generally unlawful. "Park at the highest point in parking lot and let gravity get the car moving." Once again, this is Florida! If you want better mileage, stick to coasting to a stop and avoiding jackrabbit starts.

Bill Burge, Pinellas Park

[Last modified June 8, 2007, 19:37:29]