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Letter to the editor

Today's Letters: Preserve needs to be left alone

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published June 10, 2007

Why does our county government want to remove 2, 400 acres from the Brooker Creek Preserve? Is our county government still committed to a sustainable natural and urban environment in Pinellas for the current and future generations?

If so, how can reducing the size of the preserve help to sustain our natural and urban environment, with no undeveloped land of any size left in the county? It cannot be for a sustainable environment but for the freedom to use this land in ways that are prevented by the "green" designation.

This proposal is contrary to the mission of a sustainable natural and urban environment for Pinellas. This is breaking the trust with the public, as well as bad science. The utility department land is compatible with the preserve land, and that is why our county government in the early 1990s joined these properties together. Nature preserves and well fields do coexist in harmony in other places, and both are most important for a sustainable environment.

Brooker Creek Preserve gives us a place to experience and enjoy native Florida in our most densely populated county. It is a very important part of our heritage, and in the future, no land in Pinellas will be more revered.

I hope our county commissioners will reject this proposal to remove land from our precious Brooker Creek Preserve for those of us here now and those to come. If they truly want to protect our environment, they will not remove the utility land from the preserve for nonpreserve uses.

Reggie Hall, Ozona

Paramedics got the better of city

Re: Long clash over firings taught costly lessons editorial, May 29

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter what some individuals do, they emerge from it all clean as a whistle and smelling like a rose.

Such is the story of the two Clearwater paramedics, Mike Jones and Trevor Murray, who chose to ignore the 911 phone call from an obviously distressed and mentally ill woman (who called often and was referred to as a "frequent flier") who claimed she had been raped.

As a result of their unprofessional conduct, they were fired, and in my opinion, rightfully so - even though their records were otherwise (supposedly) good.

Now, after battling it out with the city of Clearwater, it appears Jones and Murray are back to work. While it seems to me that the city of Clearwater should have prevailed in this matter, apparently the federal arbitrator who heard Jones and Murray's case was more crafty than the attorneys representing Clearwater.

I hope that the city has learned its lesson and is better prepared for all legal matters in the future. Could it be that Jones and Murray had better legal representation than the Clearwater city government? Maybe our city officials need to re-evaluate the situation, as well as their legal representation - if you know what I mean.

JoAnn Lee Frank, Clearwater

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 June 9, 2007, 19:38:47]