News

Todays Letters: Angelo's working hard for Pasco

Letters to the Editor
Published January 25, 2008

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Developer doles out big money to officials Jan. 20, story

Our compliments to David DeCamp and the Pasco Times editorial board on your research regarding various political contributions we have made over the years. However, your contention that the contributions were made to gain approval of our composting and recycling facility is far off the mark.

DeCamp's own listing of donations shows that almost all were to officials who have no say or were made prior to our even having a plan, or were to people not holding office. Regarding property assessments, a private appraiser assessed all of our Florida properties. Three of our properties were shown to be overvalued, one of them was in Pasco, and we received reductions on all but one of these properties.

Your characterization of "$95,000 to ... nonprofit groups favored by large landowners and power brokers" would be laughable if it did not reveal a predisposition that is truly shameful. Out of hundreds of thousands of dollars of charitable donations, you decide to single out a small slice to which you attach some dreamed-up, negative connotation. Did our $100,000 to Hurricane Katrina victims or the many other charities we support not support your bias?

We have spent countless hours appearing before dozens of civic, charitable and environmental groups explaining our proposal and taking hundreds of questions. These include Rotary and garden clubs, chambers of commerce, fraternal organizations, the Sierra Club and Audubon Society. The support we have received from virtually all of these groups has been overwhelming.

We are proud of the composting and recycling facility we are offering to Pasco County. Instead of asking Pasco citizens to pay higher disposal costs and new recycling fees, we are offering to build a state-of-the-art recycling center and trash composting facility free of charge and to cut the county's disposal fees in half. To deny unbiased coverage of this issue to the tax, insurance and gasoline-price-weary residents of the county is an abandonment of journalistic ethics.

Attempts to attack our engineering, protection of the environment, financial benefits to the community and financial wherewithal have failed. Unfortunately, it is then that one reaches to the bottom of the barrel and resorts to attacks on our character and good intentions. We will continue to work day in and day out to educate residents of Pasco County. For when the people support an idea, public servants will not be far behind, regardless of who gives them donations.

Dominic Iafratevice president, Angelo's Recycled Materials

Landfill developer's generosity is suspect Jan. 22, editorial

Landfill is a horrible idea

I have been wondering if there is a lot of brain damage going around when I see that the ridiculous and dangerous proposed garbage dump is still in the news and not a dead issue by now. But since reading about the donations made by the owners/proponents of this project I understand why.

Those donations, although seemingly legal, were to put Angelo's Aggregate in the same rooms with influential people who could help put this preposterous scheme into reality. The people of Pasco County had better beware of a plan that could pollute their drinking water and place garbage collection and disposal into the hands of people who are not accountable to the government. One merely needs to read about the horrible situation that currently exists in Naples, Italy, to see what we will be in store for if that dump idea is successful.

Richard Back, Port Richey

Rescue services would be cut back Jan. 23, letter

Letter only plays on people's fears

I support all first responders. I appreciate the jobs that they do!

For a first responder to write such an irresponsible letter is uncalled for! As your letter stated, your job is to save lives and property. To make a statement that many more people will die as a result, if this amendment passes, is simply irresponsible.

I'll bet that as a firefighter you hate false alarms, yet what you just did is akin to a false alarm! You should be ashamed of yourself for playing upon people's fears!

Yes, cost comes into play when it comes to county services. Pasco County could save many lives if we had a fire station every half mile. Would this be cost effective or prudent? I think not!

We as taxpayers are fed up with property taxes and all other taxes and fees. It is a never ending barrel that our money goes into. I am not happy with this little amount of savings that this bill will provide but figure something is better than nothing!

I will vote for this amendment and any other that will lower what government confiscates from me. I will never ever vote myself a tax increase either!

The message that I want government to get both locally and federally is this. I am not happy with the way you spend my (the taxpayers') money and will no longer sit back and tolerate it!

Keith Reeves, Zephyrhills

Warning needed in emergencies

I am concerned that we do not have any sirens in case of emergencies or bad weather. The other night when we had a tornado headed our way, we lost power for two hours. We had a portable radio with batteries, but couldn't get any weather reports on it.

I can't believe there are all these people living in Florida but no kind of emergency warning system in place to warn them to take cover. Especially with all the hurricanes and storms that come through our state.

Joan King, New Port Richey

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[Last modified January 24, 2008, 21:02:19]

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