Florida's politicians want to punish homeless individuals

Hiding, not helping, homeless people

The Florida Legislature's bill to restrict the access homeless individuals have to public spaces reminds me of putting people in debt in debtors' prison. How would those people earn anything in order to pay their debt? (“Fla. bill would bar homeless from certain public spaces,” Jan. 26.)

Barring the homeless does nothing to solve the problem, only hide it from view. Wouldn’t the offenders wind up in jail only to have a warm bed and meals?

Instead, how about a proposal to first provide the homeless with housing in return for training and work, and then offer them jobs?

This proposal is certainly more complicated than the ban, and perhaps even more expensive. But it does attack the problem, which is that there are homeless people in the first place.

Richard Orenstein, Sarasota

Ban no answer to social media threat

Does anyone really think banning social media will keep teens from accessing social media?

It seems the solutions offered for bullying, harassing, body shaming and misinformation always involve running away and hiding. Changing schools, “safe rooms” and "trigger words" are offered instead of ways to confront these threats. Once emerged from these cocoons, the threats will still be there.

It’s like sending soldiers off to war without any weapons.

HB 1, a bill banning youngsters under 16 from social media, was recently passed in the Florida House.

Let me suggest we take a page from a Holocaust survivor, 91-year-old “Big Sonia.”

Sonia Warshawski lived through unimaginable experiences. When she speaks to children, prisoners and other groups her message is “Be strong!”

I encourage you to check out her documentary, “Big Sonia.” For information on the documentary, visit www.bigsonia.com.

Rhana Bazzini, Sarasota

Honor five local Climate Champions

I am writing to express my appreciation for this year’s Climate Champions Award nominees.

On Feb. 15, the Climate Adaptation Center will honor five amazing individuals who have contributed to putting the CAC’s best science information to use. They are on the front line of climate adaptation.

We are celebrating their contributions not only to honor them but also to inspire our community. The Second Annual Climate Champions Awards luncheon will be at Michael's on East ballroom with check-in at 11 a.m. and program 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I encourage the community to come out and honor our 2024 nominees for the prestigious Beacon Award. They are Jennifer Rominiecki, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens; Dr. David Tomasko, Sarasota Bay Estuary Program; Jessica Meszaros and Steve Newborn, WUSF Public Media; and Marshall Gobuty, Pearl Homes.

Tickets at theclimateadaptationcenter.org.

Bob Bunting, CEO, Climate Adaptation Center, Sarasota

CityPac calls for investigation

CityPAC is a nonpartisan political action committee whose mission is to:

• Promote accountability, responsibility, honesty and transparency in government.

• Support candidates who meet those civic standards and are resident-friendly.

Our goal is responsible and balanced growth that takes into consideration the voices of Sarasota residents and includes their input and concerns in fair and meaningful ways.

CityPAC does this by providing our membership with important and timely information regarding the actions of the Sarasota City Commission and candidates for city offices, thereby bringing sunshine into community affairs.

CityPAC is committed to the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency and inclusion.

It is for this reason that CityPAC is calling on the city of Sarasota – including the city commission and law enforcement – to fully investigate the source, facts and circumstances concerning the malicious materials that were delivered to Commissioner Kyle Battie and then showcased by him during the commission's Jan. 16 meeting.

For reasons unknown to CityPAC, Battie made statements at that time which maligned CityPAC and appeared to tie CityPAC to the malicious materials.

Had Battie conducted even cursory due diligence, he would have learned that CityPAC had nothing to do with those malicious materials and had no prior knowledge of them.

CityPAC abhors racism in any and all forms – and from any source. Racism is entirely contrary to our mission.

Donna Moffitt, chairperson, CityPAC, Sarasota

How can we dine eco-friendly on water?

I am responding to the letter Jan. 26 about Sunseeker Resort needing to be more eco-friendly.

It was a great letter, but why didn’t the writer make suggestions on how to solve the issue rather than just writing about what is wrong?

Glass can’t be used for waterfront dining, and you don't want them to use plastic.

So what do you suggest?

Since I agree we need to be as eco-friendly as possible, I am very interested in suggestions about what all restaurants on the water can do – and not just Sunseeker alone.

Phil Shaw, Port Charlotte

Blame media for sustaining cult of Trump

If there is one entity responsible for launching and sustaining the train wreck that is former President Donald Trump, it’s the mainstream media.

When Trump came down that escalator in 2015, he was a novelty. He already had a reputation as someone willing to stretch the truth.

Questioning President Barack Obama’s birth certificate was the first hint. But it wasn’t long before the lies became a daily occurrence.

Trump was going to build a wall on the southern border and Mexico would pay for it. Three-quarters of us knew there would be no wall and 100% of us knew Mexico wasn’t paying.

Despite the constant lying, it took news organizations months before they dared use the word “lie.” The media felt like it had to give both sides. But there are not two sides to the truth!

When he said there were “good people on both sides” in Charlottesville or took Vladimir Putin’s word over his own intelligence agencies, those should have been front page-above-the-fold headlines, not two paragraphs on Page 4.

When he said masks and vaccines had no value while thousands were dying of COVID, media organizations should have shouted about the lies. If they had, the cult might never have materialized.

Today, bigger and more dangerous lies still only appear on Page 4. Media, do your job!

Laurie Ulrop, Punta Gorda

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida wants to push homeless people away from public places