Brightline station, dangers; Christian Nationalism; Port Salerno; St. Lucie tax | Letters

Here's the perfect location for a Treasure Coast Brightline station

As a Stuart resident since 2012, I have heard all the conversations about Brightline, both positive and negative.

All said and done, it happened. My suggestion is to now take advantage of the situation. Martin County and the city of Stuart should do everything possible to construct a Brightline station on the old Martin County Fairgrounds site. It would definitely slow the speed of trains through town and add significant income for our area, as well as support the local airport expansion.

Robert Blickenstaff, Stuart

Treasure Coast receives no benefits, plenty of risks, from Brightline

As a retired railroad worker, one would think I'd be ecstatic about Brightline. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I have absolutely no interest in riding Brightline. I agree with columnist Laurence Reisman that, as a Treasure Coast resident, I don't see any benefit from Brightline. I retired from the Long Island Railroad 21 years ago.

I don't see how Brightline will succeed. The Long Island Railroad is the busiest commuter rail line in the country and yet is heavily subsidized by New York State. Do we want the State of Florida to subsidize Brightline?

Why would I drive an hour to West Palm Beach to get a train to Orlando? Or to Miami? Both are about a 2.5-hour trip by car from St. Lucie West.

Miami and Orlando have different tourist demographics. Orlando caters to families; Miami caters to a younger set of travelers. Why would a family of four want to spend a couple of hundred dollars to drive between the two cities just to save a few hours?

And let's not forget the inconvenience to us locals. Confusion Corner? Forget about it! Will my frequent trips to the beach require me to stop for a train? Trips to my dentist, cardiologist, downtown Jensen Beach, downtown Fort Pierce? And let's not forget the inconvenience to boaters.

In less than a decade, Brightline will be gone. More frequent freight trains will move an ever-expanding amount of freight arriving in the South Florida ports from an enlarged Panama Canal.

As for safety, from Day One we were told: "Expect a train on any track, at any time, in any direction." Also, never race a train to a crossing: In a tie, you lose.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Howard Ginsburg, St. Lucie West

Brightline must be accountable to fix safety glitches

Regarding Blake Fontenay's column, "Train-safety protocols remain in spotlight."

Recently, I saw the upgraded 12th Street Vero Beach train crossing barriers going up and down repeatedly while warning red lights blinked for about a minute. Luckily, no trains came, but I saw several vehicles ignoring the warnings and crossing anyway.

I could not believe what I saw, so I failed to report it then. Seeing the similar incident Fontenay wrote about, which also involved a Brightline train, stirred me to write this.

I contacted the Brightline emergency number Fontenay mentioned. Someone picked up immediately and said someone would check the 12th Street crossing shortly.

Brightline must ensure these problems are fixed immediately and tested thoroughly before trains go to full-speed operations.

Mike Springall, Vero Beach

Christian nationalism on display at school board meetings

The Martin County School Board opens each meeting with a prayer. The Sept. 19 meeting prayer was Christian nationalism at its worst.

Prayer belongs in the home or church, not at a public school meeting. Every agenda I have seen involves a Christian pastor delivering a prayer.

What about other religions? Separation of church and state is paramount to our democracy. This practice needs to end. It's unconstitutional.

Angie Edwards, Palm City

Misleading claims make Florida retirement seem like bait, switch

With the dreams of retirement, I moved here last year from another state and noticed higher auto and home insurance rates and higher-than-normal property taxes.

The ever-increasing auto and home insurance rates are twice as much than I was paying before moving here, but the real surprise was this year's property tax bill. When I bought my home last year in Port St. Lucie, the real estate listing showed the "expected" property tax and I thought it wasn't too bad.

Because of the property tax "system," my property tax for 2023 has tripled and is now more than $10,000. The property appraiser removed the previous exemptions and reassessed my property, resulting in a misleading property tax amount that was printed on the original home listing when I agreed to purchase the home.

For anyone buying a home here in Florida, this is an unpleasant and misleading eye-opener that seems to be an unethical business practice.

I also learned that St. Lucie County is No. 1 in the state for highest property tax rates, more than Miami, Tampa and Jacksonville. Really? For a county that does not have a decent YMCA and lacking in other infrastructure that make a quality city, I find this surprising.

Maybe the Florida and county chamber of commerce officials should start making out-of-state residents aware of this misleading tax system to avoid any surprises before moving to this beautiful state for retirement.

David Tindal, Port St. Lucie

Keep the faith; college can open doors for anyone

I am a young professional from Fort Pierce now living in Chicago.

Growing up, limits and socioeconomic factors were often common themes for our young people in St. Lucie County. Seminars on crime prevention and the importance of education are prevalent in the eyes and ears of our kids. However, concrete examples of what it means to go to college are often not.

After graduating from Lincoln Park Academy, I went to attend George Washington University in our nation’s capital. Attending this institution granted me internships in both chambers of the U.S. Congress, internships in neighboring government agencies and the opportunity to lead. Utilizing the skills that I gained in college, I graduated from GW in May 2021 and decided to move to Chicago.

In Chicago, I have worked for large law firms, a U.S. mayor and even the White House. While exploring my passions in Chicago, I would go on to see every part of this new and massive city, meeting incredible people and continuously learning more about myself and life. Attending and graduating college has granted me a life of freedom. It has granted me the opportunity to choose my path for myself.

The lessons I learned in St. Lucie County taught me to fear no new adventures and to always have faith that it will work. St. Lucie County is filled with intelligent and ambitious young people, and I want to remind them of their power — in their personal lives and in the world.

All young people deserve a seat at the table and it is my hope that this 300-word short story will encourage them to chase it.

No ceiling is too high for them.

Devon Bradley, Chicago

Here's best solution to growth challenges in Port Salerno

Martin County is being swamped by development applications for three- and four-story apartment buildings, especially in the community redevelopment areas.

Port Salerno is one of our CRAs. We recognize that redevelopment of this older community is timely and desirable. We want to retain the character and charm of Port Salerno, but we also want to enhance and modernize it and make it sustainable.

The private investors who own land west of the railroad tracks will redevelop the land. The easiest, most lucrative and risk-free real estate investment for these developers is multifamily with maximum allowable density in 40-foot- high buildings. That is also the most incompatible with existing uses and heritage.

Port Salerno was a working fishing village with a traditional mix of uses. Mom-and-pop stores within walking distance served the needs of the neighborhood.

I want to encourage developers to build legacy projects. I believe that we should invest in high-quality public infrastructure amenities to encourage compatible, desirable private investments.

Successes in residential and commercial development in Port Salerno have created public parking shortages. Reduced parking requirements in CRAs have exacerbated this problem. Since the Florida East Coast Railway runs through the center of the village, we have asked the railroad to consider leasing us some of its rights of way for additional parking, just like the parking in downtown Stuart.

More public park land is most desirable in Port Salerno. Martin County already owns the right-of-way containing the flow way that connects the stormwater treatment area to the Manatee Pocket. I propose acquiring approximately 1.4 acres of adjacent upland along this creek to create a waterfront linear park for the public’s enjoyment.

Lastly, I propose enhancing Salerno Road between Dixie Highway and U.S. 1 with landscaping and low-impact lighting.

Sarah Heard is a Martin County commissioner.

Overpasses, tunnels questionable solutions to keep rails safe

I am a longtime reader who enjoys columnist Laurence Reisman's perspective on things. I often start with different opinions and modify them after reading his columns.

Anyway, with regard to Brightline, I have some thoughts.

1. I think overpasses are the only realistic way to ensure driver safety, but they will be ungodly expensive and probably difficult to design because of space restrictions and businesses located near crossings. I think many people don’t realize exactly how fast these trains will be going. I think conventional railroad crossings mean one thing: eventual deaths.

2. I do not think that underpasses will work in Vero (or anywhere on the coast) because our normal water table is so shallow.

I believe an underpass would require significant dewatering pumps, along with somewhere to discharge the water, which may not be realistic near railroad crossings.

Eventually, all pumps fail. I have significant experience with water irrigation and drainage on large agricultural land.  Lots and lots of huge pumps, both diesel and electric. They’re not reliable enough not to have significant backups. This is important because 1 inch of water can cause hydroplaning and significant crashes. Greater water could cause vehicles to become disabled and potential drown drivers and passengers.

I also believe that Brightline should install chain link fencing to keep people from hopping tracks outside of marked and constructed crossings.

Rollins Brown, Vero Beach

Brightline spins first-day death; how can it continue?

Opening day of (not-bright) Brightline service: Pedestrian killed at 7 a,m., but in typical Brightline language, here's a quote from the company: “The Brightline train involved in Friday's deadly wreck is not the same train that's part of the inaugural ride to Central Florida.”

As if that makes it OK?

I wish I could reprint all of my letters to the editor about Brightline that have appeared in this newspaper the past few years that showed my fears, my predictions and my disbelief that this monster would ever be allowed on tracks through our heavily populated, trafficked, endangered, exposed and enjoyed areas.

Statistics support this route tops the deaths per mile in United States. Is it OK if some of those deaths are due to drivers not following the rules? Or suicide?

No.

Why was this ever allowed? It has to be apparent that some entity somewhere expects to reap billions of dollars when you observe the billions it has cost to install the hardware for this heartless train. At fares of $49 to $179, how many years and deaths will it take to recoup that investment?

There is more to this than the innocent eye can see.

Please, everyone, be careful.

When will someone blow the proverbial whistle to stop the beast?

Lucy Anderson, Stuart

From dress codes to affordable housing, woke takes over nation

Hearing that the U.S. Senate dress code no longer exists (for men only), I had to look into the matter.

How could this be? Men are encouraged to dress in such disarray now that even most business offices would not allow ― even on dress-down Friday. However, it is true that women members and all the staff must continue to dress as grown-ups in business attire.

Where is the outrage from the women's movement? NOW?

The silence is deafening.

But even worse than this, what message does this send? In the Senate, those of all political parties ought to come to work in sneakers, work boots, flip-flops, bathing trunks, tennis attire, whatever. Next, the House of Representatives, with many more members, ought to do the same.

Hey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gets away with it; why not dress down forever?

Try to visualize it: Instead of setting the standard, we are following the woke religion and now accept what formerly were taboos, perversions and mandates from the executive branch, which does not have the power to mandate anything; only Congress does.

Maybe the Martin County Commission ought to adopt this dress code. After all, it is already trying to masquerade as conservatives. Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Its members talk about “affordable housing,” which is code for socialism, where the American dream of home ownership has been crushed. The first two goals of socialism are the abolition of private ownership and the equalization of wealth.

(In other words, it's OK to rob Peter to pay Paul.)

Wake up America. Woke-ism is Marxism.

Audrey Taggart, Hobe Sound

Bring Obama-era strategy back to budget talks?

If the House and Senate cannot agree on budget priorities, let's go the sequestration route again as was done under President Barack Obama.

This would essentially spread the pain of budget cuts evenly and prevent the House from having to perform.

Tony Turiano, Fort Pierce

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Slovenly senator; Brightline debate; Martin growth; tax woes | Letters