Brightline bridge brouhahas; city manager, DeSantis controversies; bans | Letters, Feb. 19

St. Lucie bridge close example of railroad run amok

Brightline just announced there would be no boat traffic across Florida through Lake Okeechobee for at least three weeks in May, with incidental boat traffic closures preceding that during March.My concerned letter to the editor ("Train traffic end to boating?") published a couple of years ago is suddenly becoming true and our elected officials are doing nothing to stop this grievous abrogation of public rights to our St. Lucie River, Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee waterway!It’s about time railroad prerogatives are curtailed, with their heavy-handed treatment of the public good and well being.This is not 1860, and the railroad is not the end all, be all related to transportation it once was simply because Henry Flagler was given free land to entice him to run his railroad through Stuart 100 years ago.These 100-year-old land grants should NOT warrant in perpetuity the suspension of property rights, waterway access, endangerment of the public at countless at-grade-level roadway crossings and the elimination of emergency access to local hospitals when mile-long trains are going through Stuart.

This is 2023,  not 1900. Enough!

Paul Vallier, Stuart

Hold Port St. Lucie council accountable for waste of our money

Thanks to Blake Fontenay for his factual reporting of just how this debacle of the hiring of Jesus Merejo as Port St. Lucie manager was put into play from behind the scenes.

As a retired banker and former executive recruiter, I found it absolutely absurd that any candidate could get away with writing his own proposed employment contract. To make it even worse, giving him an unprecedented salary increase of $58,382 from his current position, which was $20,665 more than the man who had held the job and performed well for a long time, is just unheard of and an abuse of the City Council's authority. It should be revisited and renegotiated.

Here was an individual, an assistant to the city manager, untried and untested as a city manager, who simply outsmarted and outnegotiated our local government leaders, who should be held accountable. These are our tax dollars they are spending.

I would think that in any business, an individual would have to prove by his or her performance over some period of time to merit a raise of 8% over what his predecessor was earning when he retired.

Dick Diamond, Port St. Lucie

Could railroad trestle solve U.S. 1/Aviation Boulevard issue?

Thanks to Laurence Reisman for another great column in the Sunday paper.  I was glad to hear that some good minds are at work to prevent a disaster of a plan regarding U.S. 1 at Aviation Boulevard in Vero Beach.

The worst thing that could happen is to listen to engineers and not people who have a lot to lose and know the area better than study teams. It wouldn't hurt to get input from first responders either.

Now my two cents: Whatever happened to railroad trestles? All the money they would be spending on land development and road improvement could be spent on a trestle, an additional right turn lane on Aviation Boulevard, and at some point, a quicker, more direct, road to the medical area, avoiding U.S. 1.

Larry Murray, Vero Beach

From controversy comes message: Teach Black history

If there's a silver lining to the assault on teaching African-American studies in our schools, it's that the reaction to it shows how important our history really is.

Academics, clergy and politicians throughout the country have stood up and spoken out on behalf of teaching Black history, and teaching ALL of it.

Our organization's mission is to preserve that history at the local level, and share it with others.

In places like an abandoned, overgrown cemetery in Hobe Sound and a historic one-room schoolhouse in New Monrovia, we are connecting the dots between the past and our present.

We welcome every opportunity to tell our story and applaud those who support our efforts to do so.

Lloyd L. Jones, Port St. Lucie, is founding chair of Martin County Black Heritage Initiatives.

DeSantis all talk, money, but no results, on water quality

You published a column from Anna Upton, CEO of the Everglades Trust, making it seem like Gov. Ron DeSantis would make a name for himself in his first inaugural address in 2019 with his commitment to saving the Everglades.

But the facts show otherwise.

All he did was pledge $2.5 billion over four years for Everglades restoration and protection, but without specifically defining how that money would be used.

He also established a Blue-Green Algae Task Force charged with “expediting progress toward reducing the adverse impacts of the blue-green algae blooms,” again without any specifics of how or when that task force would accomplish its goals.

In short, like most everything else, DeSantis is mostly all talk and no accomplishments in saving the Everglades or our environment. He may be the biggest baloney artist we have seen as governor.

He is now in his second and final term in office as governor. Wouldn’t you like to see the report on what has been accomplished to date regarding his policies in restoring and protecting the Everglades? I would.

Stuart Gollinger, Port St. Lucie

Support educators threatened with punishment over book bans

The politicization of textbook and library book inclusions in public schools is neither new nor singularly a Florida phenomenon.

Germany began its reign of terror on the world with the banning of books. The Scopes trial was about science and the scientific method of reasoning. U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy demanded we deny whole groups of writers a platform due to the writers’ political values.

The language of the  law that criminalizes the use of books in school libraries is both specific concerning the accountability for transgressors and so general as to ensure the most bland, uninspiring and unimportant books will be the only ones to survive. Even the Bible, with the description of war, discrimination and sexual behavior is vulnerable to removal from school shelves now.

In an attempt to make everyone comfortable, the law denies the opportunity to our students to know how this country has responded to complex issues: political equality, personal accountability, economic opportunity, integration of the waves of immigrants into our society.

What will result from this frontal attack on public schools, the basic institution supporting democracy, will be an uninformed, unprepared and wholly ignorant student graduate class.

Can the Civil War be discussed without an understanding of horrors of slavery? Can World War II be analyzed without appreciating the authoritarian government use of state power to subjugate whole classes of people? Indeed, can national holidays be explained without understanding the context of the leadership of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Martin Luther King?

All citizens pay taxes to support schools because we know public education is  critical to the survival of democratic society. Now we must continue to support and protect our educators in performing that crucial role without the false distortions and political distractions that lead to banning of books.

Steven Benardo, Ed. D., St. Lucie County

Floridians getting money's worth for taxes they pay

A recent editorial in the Wall Street Journal makes one wonder how politicians in Florida are so much smarter than those in New York.

We have a population of 22.2 million to New York's 19.7 million, but the annual Florida state budget is only $115 billion versus the New York state budget of $227 billion. That means that we spend an average of $5,180 per person to their $11,523.

The New York state income tax has a top rate of 10.9% to our 0%. If one lives in New York City, there is an added 14.8% top rate of city income taxes. Compare this to 0% in Miami or Tampa.

While the state sales tax is 6% in Florida to 4% in New York, the sales tax in New York City is 8.875%.

The jobless rate is 2.5% in Florida and 4.3% in New York. The growth rate of gross domestic product the past five years is 17% in Florida versus 8% in New York.

This is not government money New York politicians are spending. It’s tax money residents of the state pay. With the higher unemployment rate and lower growth, are they getting their money’s worth? We are!

Tom Miller, Vero Beach

More: Is Tradition's 'small-town' atmosphere sustainable as the community grows? | Opinion

Here's why families flocking to Tradition neighborhood

Local Facebook groups are filled with comments from both supporters and critics of the changes happening in Tradition. It's undeniable that Tradition has undergone an evolution.

The T-Trail connects the entire community, allowing pedestrians, bikers, and golf carts to explore the area.

The TIM service takes locals and visitors to their favorite restaurants and spots. There are frequent events, including a weekly farmer's market that features local foods and products.

While some may not appreciate the increased activity, young families flock to Tradition in droves.

I moved to the area from West Palm Beach two years ago and was followed by my sisters, my parents, two other relatives, and several friends who also bought homes here.

Part of this mass entrance was due to COVID-19, which prompted people to reassess their lives and make major decisions. Additionally, people were getting priced out of areas in South Florida and up north.Although there have always been desirable areas, young families in South Florida often struggle to find a strong sense of community.

In Tradition, however, it's easy to connect with neighbors and friends at places like Coffee Grinds, where you run into someone you know daily. Or Christ Fellowship church — a strong community that holds events and services throughout the week. The Square also provides plenty of entertainment for families.

In Tradition, young families can take things slow and immerse themselves in a community of like-minded friends who want to invest in each other.

It's a safe area with many children, which my wife and I have appreciated for our two toddlers. As Tradition expands, more young families will be attracted to living here.

And that's a good thing because the "traditions" promoted in Tradition are all about family, love, and enjoying beautiful quiet things..

John Paul Hernandez, Port St. Lucie

Expanding Medicaid good return on investment

Is Medicaid "welfare"? I saw it as covering medical care for financially less fortunate people in our country. Under the Affordable Care Act, the philosophy follows the belief that everyone in America has the right to health care.

To qualify, a single person's income is at or below the federal poverty line of $16,000 a year.

A gentleman wrote opposing this health care as "welfare" unless someone is working, going to school or worked or volunteering 80 hours a week. I assume he believes every state accepted Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.  It is available to all states, but a large majority of Republican governors and legislators have refused to accept the federal money and rejected the program.

Medicare covers all senior citizens whether they have ever worked or not. So why the difference?

In February 2013, eight Republican governors expanded Medicaid. They were later joined by a few more. Now, with strong Democratic acceptance, 14 million people have gained health insurance.

Republicans tried 54 times to kill the Affordable Care Act. The final unsuccessful vote saw Republican Sen. John McCain, who was dying of cancer, leave his sick bed, walk to the floor of the Capitol and point his thumb down against killing the act.

Former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich has been working to discourage fellow Republicans from again moving to destroy the Affordable Care Act since they won control of the House of Representatives in 2022. Kasich's argument: With no health insurance, people get sicker and end up in hospital emergency rooms, where health care is required  and very expensive.

Costs versus benefits: "It is better to keep them well," said Kasich.

Ruth Sullivan, Vero Beach 

Urge elected officials to protect Social Security

Today, I received an email from U.S. Rep Bill Posey stating, among other things, that "There are NO proposals or plans being considered in Congress that would harm current or future Social Security or Medicare beneficiaries."

Well, the fact is that our U.S. Sen. Rick Scott did write a proposal to "sunset" Social Security every five years.

Also, there is a video of Sen. Mike Lee of Utah saying: "It will be my objective to phase out Social Security, to pull it out by the roots and get rid of it."

So there are prominent Republican senators pushing for drastic actions that threaten Social Security and other safety net programs for seniors that they have paid into and earned over their lifetimes.

While all Republicans may not support these actions against Social Security, there is documented evidence of the threats to these vital programs.

I urge you to contact your congressmen, senators and governor and ask them to publicly renounce these threats to Social Security and state their unequivocal support for Social Security and Medicare.

By the way, there is a simple long term solution to the funding of Social Security: Just raise the cap on Social Security payroll deductions.

Richard Sheehan, Vero Beach

Similarities between two news items in same newspaper?

I read two interesting articles in today's newspaper:

Today is the anniversary of the German Reichstag investing the Gestapo secret police with absolute authority exempt from any legal review.

The other article was about Gov. Ron DeSantis wanting to expand his Florida State Guard from 400 to 1,500 members and increase its budget from $10 million to $95 million. As far as I understand, this group is under his command.

I leave finding similarities up to the discretion of the reader.

Donald Doscher, Stuart

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Brightline bridge woes; city manager, DeSantis controversies | Letters