Today's Letters: Officials, plan for county's future

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published October 3, 2007

After viewing the Hernando County Board of County Commission's final budget hearing, I'm reminded of a George Clooney movie, the Perfect Storm. The movie portrays several simultaneous weather events that, taken individually, would be far less powerful than the result of their combination.

I believe we are experiencing our version of a perfect storm. Thankfully, it's not weather related, but the result is equally chilling.

In our case the events are:

1. A quickly-appreciating real estate market and property tax assessments.

2. Questionable sub-prime home lending practices and low interest rates.

3. Quickly escalating property insurance rates.

4. A local economy dependent upon the retail and construction industries.

I believe these factors, taken together, have contributed to the public outcry exhibited at the budget hearings the past two weeks. However, it seems as if the County Commission, and the employees thereof, have taken the brunt of the complaints. I think the reason for this is they are the most accessible.

Sure, you can go to your local insurance agent and question your homeowners insurance and increase deductibles or reduce coverage to save some premiums. But a long-term fix cannot be had there. Yes, foreclosures have increased. But many of these people shouldn't have been able to purchase homes in the first place due to insufficient down payments, poor credit, adjustable rate mortgages, 0 percent interest loans, etc.

The real estate market is fluid and ever-changing. It is in the process of correcting itself and property taxes will follow.

Can county government reduce expenses and operate more efficiently? Of course it can. But it is unlikely it can achieve the level of cuts demanded by a vocal few.

I hope that the sitting commissioners and those that are seeking election are looking beyond the sound bites and focusing on the future of our county. I look forward to a discussion on how to make the tax base more diverse and the level of service needed to make this county more attractive to industry.

Nick Nikkinen, Brooksville

Editor's note: This letter was sent to John Kelly, also known as "the walker," as he recovers at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa:

Walker's pain touches chords

My wife and I were extremely upset about what has happened. You are a good and noble man.

So many times I would see you on your walks. I drove a medical van for years. Always a smile would come upon me when I spotted you. I knew that you moved to the beat of your own drum.

John, there are thousands of people pulling for you. Please be strong and heal quickly. Bring back the sunshine to our highways.

Quill and Kathy Carufel, Brooksville

Re: Can we outsource county work? Sept. 26 letter

Outsourcing jobs hurts Americans

I have recently retired from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tampa. One of the things I do not miss is watching a nearby building's employees leave for the day. Almost all of them are workers from other countries on temporary work visas, taking computer jobs from Americans - like your son or daughter, for whom you struggled and did without so they could go to college and fill those positions.

How do you feel knowing that all your hardship and sacrifice has gone for naught and the jobs you thought would be there are given to lower-paid people from foreign countries?

An apartment complex is part of the Telecom Park complex and is so filled with foreign workers that a lovely, very well-liked co-worker of mine at the DEP, who rented an apartment there, was unable to build friendships with other tenants because of the shared backgrounds of so many of them who excluded her.

I know Jennifer Sullivan and have been told that her letter to the editor was written satirically, which would be in accordance with her well-known views and her love of our country and its values.

That we would even consider seeking a Hernando County administrator, giving even more, and incidentally, higher-paying jobs with great authority, to foreign nationals, coming from Jennifer, would have to be satirical. Are these the jobs that "Americans don't want"? I think not!

Also, I really am tired of hearing of how much of a raise county employees should be getting as, for the past two years in a row, state employees at the DEP have received no raises and were offered instead a $1,000 bonus. That means if, in the next fiscal cycle, those workers are granted a raise, it will be based on a percentage of salary that is 2 years old, as the bonus is not considered as part of the salary rate.

We covered matters concerning the whole state, not just the county. Are county employees harder working or busier than we were? I can tell you that is not the case. I wish I had made $35,000 a year.

Frances Earl, Spring Hill

Sheriff doing a super job

Look around; you can't drive 2 miles from your home without seeing a Sheriff's Office marked car.

When a violent crime is reported in the newspaper, usually within days the person responsible is caught.

The Sheriff's Office is continually educating the public on safe driving habits.

I don't know about you, but with my 27 years police experience, both in patrol and criminal investigation, this seems like our sheriff is doing a super job.

John Masterson, Spring Hill

Give sheriff the tools he needs

I think our law enforcement officers do a great job protecting our residents and fighting crime, at the risk of their own lives.

Our county is facing many budget cuts at a time when the economy is slow, many homes are vacant and/or in foreclosure. Hernando County Sheriff Richard Nugent has implemented many programs and services to protect all of our residents.

Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line every day to serve and protect us. The risk is at a critical point when so many gang members and criminals have all kinds of high-powered weaponry at their disposal, such as AK-47s, MAC-10s, armor-piercing bullets (a.k.a. "cop killer" bullets).

In the first three months of this year, there were 30 assaults on law enforcement officers. This is just in the Hernando County Sheriff's Office and the Brooksville Police Department. By year's end, that total may triple.

A few weeks ago, a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office deputy was ambushed and killed. A few weeks later, four Miami-Dade officers were ambushed; one was killed, three wounded. In both instances, high-powered weapons were used.

We need fully funded and equipped law enforcement officers in our county to keep up with the more than 25,000 new residents expected in the next few years, thanks to the big-city developers.

So far this year in Florida 10 law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty, compared to six last year. Nationally, there have been 132 officer fatalities this year, compared with 97 at the same time last year.

Let's not handcuff law enforcement. Let's give our sheriff what he needs to continue his fight against crime and for his desire to protect our residents.

Mickey Cook, Brooksville

[Last modified October 2, 2007, 20:36:08]