Brightline blues; growth, traffic woes; outside agitators; DeSantis deadly? | Letters

We're losing freedom, thanks to developers, Florida Legislature

Florida has long been a stronghold of independence and freedom. It is not a one-size-fits-all state; we are rich in diverse landscapes and communities.

New laws dictate that each county increase its development plans to accommodate growth. Martin County’s comprehensive plan is currently under review for changes.

Why should we be forced to behave like larger or smaller cities? We are unique and individual and should govern ourselves that way. We know what is best for us. We should not be reduced to the lowest common denominator.

The argument for mandated regulation is negated by allotting for policy freely and willingly. If we choose to make our own decisions, we won’t have to accept the portions that do not suit us. How can we expect to maintain and defend our rights while our elected officials lay down and roll over to tyrannical legislation like Florida’s Senate bills 102 and 540?

But do not be too quick to point fingers; these are bipartisan bills. They take away our ability to challenge overreach and make decisions for ourselves. They serve the interests of developers and those that profit alongside them.

There were hundreds of bills introduced in Florida in 2023. Numbers like these occur every year. Most of them are written by the developers' attorneys. If elected officials serve the developers, who then is running our state?

Whatever happened to "for the people, by the people"?

It is time we unite and fight against any politician, regardless of party, who treats the government like an enterprise. We must free ourselves from the shackles of abuse. If it was true that we were only one generation away from losing our freedom, then today, we are just one bill away.

Nick Gulotta, Stuart

Stop outside agitators from disrupting Treasure Coast meetings

I am writing to express my deep concerns regarding the recent disruption caused by outside agitators during our Indian River County School Board meeting.

It is disheartening to witness how certain individuals or groups are trying to impede the democratic process and prevent meaningful discussions on important matters.

School board meetings are crucial platforms for parents, educators and community members to address pertinent issues concerning our children's education. They offer an opportunity to have transparent and constructive conversations, enabling us to make informed decisions in the best interest of our students.

Outside agitators' presence introduces chaos and hostility, undermining the purpose and effectiveness of these meetings. Their disruptive actions, rather than providing constructive input, solely create division and hinder productive dialogue among participants. This behavior not only impedes the progress of the meetings, but also detracts from the larger goal of ensuring high-quality education for our children.

Maintaining an open and respectful environment within our school board meetings is essential, where individuals can express their concerns and engage in meaningful conversations. Disruptions caused by outside agitators only serve to divert attention from the core issues at hand and dilute the valuable contributions of local stakeholders who genuinely care about our community's welfare.

We must emphasize the importance of local voices and the need to address challenged material through constructive dialogue. Encouraging rational discussions and respectful exchanges of ideas will help create an inclusive educational environment that meets all students' needs while respecting our community's diversity.

I urge our community to come together and reject the interference of outside agitators in our school board meetings. Let us reaffirm our commitment to open, constructive dialogue, ensuring that our educational system fosters growth and prepares our students for tomorrow's challenges.

Lee Klein, Vero Beach

I lived Browardization of Palm Beach County; Indian River residents must be vigilant

Larry Reisman's recent column concerning the long-range consequences of the Oslo Road/Interstate 95 connection project is spot on as a likely predictor of unintended consequences relating to accompanying development of the southwestern portion of Indian River County.

His references to what has developmentally occurred to our south in Palm Beach and St. Lucie counties should serve as a cautionary tale to Indian River County residents and elected officials.

As a former 25-year resident (1982-2007) of Palm Beach County who wrote for local newspapers there and later served on a municipal council, I am more than familiar with the ways in which unchecked growth and creeping urban sprawl can ruin the quality of life in an area.

While living in Palm Beach County, I heard countless pledges by elected officials and those seeking elected office that they did not want to see what was termed the "Browardization" of Palm Beach County. Tens of thousands of acres of agricultural land, including approximately 7,000 acres of citrus groves, are now commercially or residentially developed.

As Reisman noted, an entire incorporated municipality — Westlake ― now sits on former citrus groves. It is a textbook example of urban sprawl and poor planning.

As a brilliant city manager once told me: "Development never pays for itself." Despite developer's promises of an increased tax base, residential developments require expensive infrastructure improvements as well as additional public safety, public schools and other amenities.

Clear-cutting vegetation for many of this county's projects has already been allowed and I have no doubt that unless residents demand better, further rezoning and other changes will be approved that will adversely impact our present quality of life. Let's not let the "Browardization" of this county happen.

Barbara Yoresh, Vero Beach

Brightline: Put sheriff's catchphrase on billboards

“To put a Brightline train through Confusion Corner: What are they thinking?”

These words from Martin County Sheriff William Snyder, as quoted in a recent column by Laurence Reisman, should be put on billboards along the train route.

It's amazing how easily corporate interests steamroll over public safety concerns. With a little help from the state, of course. Gotta make those tourist dollars.

Beverly Palmacci, Vero Beach and Gloucester, Massachusetts.

Improvements north of Lake Okeechobee help waterways

The state of Florida has done a yeoman’s job of advancing the storage projects north of the lake, such as the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project and aquifer storage and recovery wells. It’s time for our federal partners to step up to help us get the projects finished.

Aquifer storage and recovery wells would be the quickest way to do so.  Additional storage north of the lake would reduce concern about rising lake levels or harmful impacts to the coastal estuaries.

As summer winds down, peak hurricane season has rushed in, along with heavy rain and winds. Both elements have had a significant impact on Lake Okeechobee levels, and those levels are at the heart of a heated debate attempting to link the lake to blue-green algae blooms along coastal waterways.

The increasing Lake O water levels and being in hurricane season raises the likelihood of releases to the coast. Lake levels are a concern because they affect the environment, specifically the submerged vegetation, which naturally filters marshes and grasses, keeping the lake water clean. Levels too high can destroy the vegetation and negatively impact the lake’s future.

Water levels on Lake O also influence tourism and the fishing industry. Fishing Lake Okeechobee is my lifeblood. Blue-green algae is part of the lake’s natural ecosystem, likes to grow in the warm, summer months, and can be caused by weather, inflow north of the lake, nutrients and septic tank issues. It’s a seasonal dance we’ve all come to recognize. But more importantly, it’s one we now prepare for with knowledge based on science.

The hope is the water release plan will stand up to the uncertainty of Mother Nature. So far, it’s been working.

Scott Martin, Clewiston, is a professional angler, host of “The Scott Martin Challenge” and co-founder of Anglers for Lake Okeechobee.

Martin County deputies above the law?

Did you know that the Martin County Sheriff's Office believes that the health professionals who drew blood revealing that an officer was legally drunk when crashing his patrol car on Kanner Highway while on duty are not capable of doing their job correctly?

According to Sheriff William Snyder, his organization is much better equipped to draw blood and perform its own analysis and investigation. The officer has apparently been disciplined and will now receive a pension.

You can't make this up. Kanner Highway is a heavily traveled road, as most of us know. If you or I did the same, we would be in jail posting bail and receiving court dates.

Does Snyder think his staff is above the law? It appears as though he knows how to draw blood correctly and even better than the professionals. Shall we wait and see?

Donald Greninger, Palm City

Union chief: Martin County deputies need raises so they won't flee to Palm Beach

I'm writing to set the record straight in response to Blake Fontenay's column Aug. 29, "Snowballing pay hikes make officials richer, taxpayers poorer."As the president of the Martin County, Palm Beach County and Florida PBA, our unions take great pride in enhancing our members’ benefits. As everyone knows, our law enforcement officers in Martin County are among the best in Florida.The starting pay for Martin County deputies is $53,878, going up to $60,500 starting in October, which is a good start, but it still needs to be increased in order to be competitive with other jurisdictions.For example, the starting salary of law enforcement officers in the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office is almost $70,000.I’m tired of hearing people say you can't compare the salaries and benefits of workers in Martin County with the workers of Palm Beach County.Municipalities need to provide competitive pay plans in order to retain and recruit the best men and women to take this job and to stay in this job. If not, these municipalities are going to lose those people within two years.The Martin County Sheriff’s Office has outstanding people, whether they are civilians, corrections officers or other law enforcement officers, proudly serving the citizens of Martin County.However, the bottom line is that if the compensation and benefits for these essential workers remain stagnant, while inflation drives the cost of living up significantly, the end result will be a depleted workforce and in turn, public safety will be diminished.It's time to stop nickel and diming the compensation of our essential workforce. A meaningful investment in us is a responsible investment in public safety.John Kazanjian is president of the Florida, Martin and Palm Beach counties police benevolent associations.

In failing to battle illegal gun trafficking, DeSantis destroys lives

A surging flow of firearms transported illegally from South Florida to Haiti is fueling gang violence, atrocities and a breakdown of order in the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Rather than training his sights on gun traffickers in Florida, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis targets migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border fleeing violence caused in large measure by weapons shipped from his state.

More than 150 gangs wage war in Haiti, where mass murders, kidnappings and gang rapes are commonplace. Gangs regularly post videos of beheadings or rivals being burned alive.

Last year, Homeland Security Investigations announced efforts to combat gun trafficking in Florida.

"Today we make it very clear that the United States, and in particular South Florida, is not open for business regarding the illegal trafficking of weapons," said an HSI spokesperson in announcing the formation of a multi-agency task force to spearhead the campaign.

Seven federal agencies and the Miami-Dade police department were present. The DeSantis administration was conspicuously absent.

Instead, with his presidential ambitions top of mind, DeSantis pledged to dispatch to Texas 300 state troopers, 800 National Guardsmen and other assets that could have been used against illegal gun trafficking in his backyard.

Florida has long been the hub of firearms trafficking. So-called "straw men" purchase firearms in states with lax gun laws for transport to Florida for delivery throughout the Caribbean. With the enactment of new state gun regulations earlier this year, straw men have no need to shop out of state.

DeSantis' focus on interdicting migrants while ignoring arms trafficking is to turn a blind eye to what the United Nations labeled "a gross violation of human rights."

Haiti is in chaos, and our governor has a responsibility not to make conditions worse ― especially given his ambition to be leader of the free world.

Richard Leonard, Vero Beach

Gerrymandering case shows latest DeSantis folly

On Sept. 2, a Florida judge threw out Gov. Ron DeSantis’ gerrymandered map as unconstitutional. This is another attempt by DeSantis to score points in his bid for the White House while overstepping his gubernatorial duties. It is another waste of Floridians' tax dollars.

Pointedly, gerrymandering should be outlawed throughout the country. Both parties do it, but it is antithetical to democracy. The Democrats in the Congress must be compelled to enact this long-overdue legislation because the Republicans will not.

An independent commission should determine district boundaries in the keeping with the U.S. Constitution, which must have supremacy here at least. If states must control boundaries through the states-rights argument, then let them do so with state and local races, but not at the U.S. House, Senate and presidency levels.

This is another reason to vote out Republicans. They have no other mandate but to hold power and not represent.

Richard C. Silvestri, Fort Pierce.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline blues; growth, traffic; agitators; DeSantis wrong | Letters