Letters to the Editors

Pet control problem rests with public

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 10, 2001

Editor: Recently a few letters attacked Hernando County Animal Services, namely Jim Varn and his staff. There are complaints about roaming dogs that have not been picked up, complaints about animal neglect and cruelty that have gone too far, and complaints about the county finally building a new facility for Animal Services.

How would you like to be an animal lover with Varn's job? His department is understaffed and under-equipped, working out of a dilapidated dungeon. Every day they have to kill healthy and not-so-healthy animals due to a surplus of unwanted pets. I love animals and could never do Jim's job. He loves animals, too, but knows his job is necessary as long as there are ignorant, selfish humans in this world who don't care if their animals continue to produce more animals as long as they can find someone to take them when they become inconvenient.

It is quite easy to find a cute puppy or kitten a temporary home, that is until they grow up and are not so cute anymore, then they become disposable. Jim's staff cannot drive around all day searching for poor animals that need help. They need the public to inform them when there is a potential problem with stray or neglected animals. Only then can they attempt to help, armed only with the weak laws designed to protect our pets. Our county and country need stronger laws to help protect our pet animals.

As for spending money on the new facility, have you seen the old one? They need more space, they need livable conditions even if the pets will only live for a few days. I have lived in Hernando County for 15 years and this is the first measurable amount of funds spent on our pet animals. The county has built many parks, roads, and a library, but nothing for our animals. Ninety-nine percent of the animal control problem is caused by humans and also could be prevented by humans. Jim would love it if we put him out of a job!

Let's promote spay and neuter for our pets, lobby our lawmakers for stronger laws to protect our animals, and when you see an animal in danger, report it to animal control. Please don't begrudge the pets who are about to die a clean place to rest their heads for the last few days of their lives.

Last December Jim Varn contacted Mary Peter (Stillwater Dog Training), who contacted me to save a wonderful Akita dog whose time was up. If no one came to get him he would be euthanized the next day. My husband and I went to get him and he is the best dog; there was no reason to kill him except lack of a home to love and care for him.

Please do not criticize Jim Varn; he is a caring man who is capable of doing his job with the little resources he is allowed to work with.
-- Brenda Green, Brooksville

Commission misuses power, hurts taxpayers

Editor: I have been very quiet about the commission follies over the past several weeks. However, the oppressive attitude is really getting out of hand. They were right when they decided we did not need the Economic Development Commission any longer. The County Commission has wreaked more havoc and caused more of an anti-business development environment than the EDC ever could have done.

Commissioners Chris Kingsley and Diane Rowden seem to have decided that anyone who does not bow down to their every whim should be eliminated. The Planning and Zoning Commission was doing just fine, as long as they did not buck the hierarchy. But in the slash of a tongue, these arrogant rulers can eliminate them. This does not seem fair, when we cannot take back our mistakes for four years.

I think it is about time for someone to contact 60 Minutes and Gov. Jeb Bush and have them do some research into the lost-found-lost monies in our county, and the inconsistencies in introductions and applications of ordinances against the constitutional rights of a person to speak freely in this county without recourse and fair treatment of free enterprise (big and small).

As for the Big Box/Wal-Mart Supercenter ordinance being shoved down big business throats, we also have those tapes that attorney Joe Mason is speaking of, where Commissioners Kingsley and Rowden made clear innuendoes and jokes about their usage of the term "big box" instead of Wal-Mart. I don't think a 3-year-old could miss the connection.

The sad thing is that this commission is on the verge of dumping us into a very costly lawsuit that taxpayers will end up paying for. If we checked back into County Attorney Garth Coller's tenure in other counties, I wonder if we would find an excess amount of lawsuits against the counties as result of his direction?

Most of the commissioners will be gone in two to four years (hopefully), and will leave a path of destruction unequaled by any other commission since its inception, and the residents will bear the fruits of their arrogance.

I am not for or against Wal-Mart coming into the area, but I do find it amazing that our commissioners can sit up there and contradict themselves so blatantly in the same meeting, and still think they have a chance of winning a lawsuit against Mason and Wal-Mart.

I do have to commend Commissioner Betty Whitehouse for occasionally bucking the self-appointed gods of the commission and speaking out against the stony hearts and eyes of the chairman and second-chairwoman.
-- Lynette Ball, Spring Hill

World War II memorial should not be forgotten

Editor: Some years ago, a committee was formed to erect a memorial at the World War II bunker located at the edge of the Hernando County Airport on Spring Hill Drive.

Like so many well-intended projects, nothing was done, and unfortunately this also will probably be allowed to gather dust. This is true of so many World War II memories that will vanish with time.
-- Otto K. Mueller, Spring Hill

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