Flowers, oaks, future: These columns piqued readers' interest most in 2022 | Opinion
Back in the day, we were lucky to survey our readers once a year to determine what content they were most interested in.
Nowadays, thanks to the dramatic growth of online journalism, we find out real time.
Page views are a small part of how we measure success. What’s most important is helping the community. What positive impact can we make? We wrote about that in another piece.
Still, as subscriptions have become a greater part of our business model, it's important to deliver value; journalism readers want. Here's what readers said, based on page views, were their favorite columns of mine the past year.
A fun aside: Among these top 10 stories, combined page views were almost twice what they were among the top 10 of 2021.
2022's Top 10:
10: “FDOT overkill on A1A waste of money? Where are Vero Beach environment watchdogs?” Oct 14
My lament: Do we really need to remove 12 palms and 6 live oaks “to facilitate construction activities” as the Florida Department of Transportation adds a sidewalk to the east side of State Road A1A between 17th Street and Beachland Boulevard?
Hardly anyone uses the sidewalk on the west side of the highway. Why add one on the east?
It’s a waste of resources.
9. “Oak survives Ian, Nicole: Vero Beach officials give tree reprieve; sign of times,” Nov 18.
When I got a call about a large tree slated for removal on a lot where a home had been torn down on Acacia Road in Vero's central beach area, I initially didn’t think much of it.
Then I began thinking about the character of cities like Winter Park, Vero Beach, Hilton Head, etc., and what makes them unique. Remove a tree like this here and there, and before you know it, the character starts to disappear.
The question is: How do we balance such community assets with each citizen’s right to use property the way he or she wants?
As of this writing, the tree remained. Neighbors said it was trimmed Dec. 8.
8. “DeSantis, GOP apparent retaliation vs. Disney unconscionable; sunset idea OK,” April 29.
After a bill was passed with relatively little analysis or discussion late in a special session, six special districts, including one with property largely owned by Walt Disney Corp., on 25,000 acres in Orange and Osceola counties, were slated to be eliminated.
The governor signed it into law, making it clear the revocation came in retribution for Disney criticizing legislators and the governor for passing House Bill 1557. Pejoratively termed the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” the law prohibits sex and gender discussions in grades K-3.
While elections certainly have consequences, I do not think it’s appropriate for governments to retaliate against political opponents rather than do what’s in the best interest of all constituents.
Eight months later, I still have no idea whether this legislation will help all Floridians. In the column, I hypothesized similar special districts statewide might be a problem and the Legislature should look into whether or how they might all be abolished.
I cited a specific threat on the Treasure Coast, given the St. Johns Improvement District’s 2020 consideration to become a massive municipality in southwest Indian River County. The district was formed to manage drainage, not become a developer’s tool like some other districts, such as Reedy Creek, the one including Disney, have become.
7. “Tired of dollar, mattress, Wawa and Goodwill stores? One more trend coming,” Feb. 3.
I wrote this weeks before developers got city approval to use one of the best empty lots in Vero Beach — the southeast corner of State Road 60 Eastbound at 10th Avenue — for a massive storage facility.
I also warned readers early about plans for the old Press Journal building nearby on U.S. 1: more storage and a car wash.
Better city zoning — including mixed uses of commercial and residential — might have encouraged developers to build projects to better serve the community and help neighborhoods redevelop.
Sadly, storage units, like mattress and dollar stores and gasoline stations, seem to be the in-thing in Everytown USA, and now here. So much for the character of our community.
6. “Former Indiantown prison guard from Vero Beach deserves answers in death of son,” June 10.
This column continued to draw a large following into December.
Why? Based upon calls and emails I've received, Kaytrina Humphrey-Williams isn’t the only mother getting the runaround from the Florida Department of Corrections in connection with the deaths of their children in prison.
“It’s going to continue to be swept under the rug,” the former corrections officer told me earlier this month about the May 23 death of her son, Dennis E. Williams Jr., 34, at Columbia Correctional Institution in Lake City.
While she has not seen an official autopsy report or complete criminal investigation, she has seen investigators’ pictures and her son’s body showing evidence of mutilation and other trauma that could not have been self-inflicted.
Yet she’s not getting the full story from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which investigates inmate deaths.
As a former corrections officer, Humphrey-Williams knows how the system works. If she can’t get closure or help to find out what really happened, imagine how little information folks whose relatives do not work in the system get.
“Deaths are still going to happen,” she said. “And it’s so unfair to mothers.”
5. “Pass over Brightline trains, U.S. 1 near Vero Beach airport? Devil in details,” Oct. 24.
About seven years after a local traffic engineer drew it up, the idea of building an overpass to get motorists swiftly from 26th Street/Aviation Boulevard to the medical area near Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital was addressed by the Florida Department of Transportation.
DOT said it would consider all options for improving the intersection of U.S. 1 and Aviation Boulevard in Vero Beach.
That was the good news.
The bad news: Design on the project might not begin until at least 2025. Then, land would be needed for right of way; construction is not funded. While the intersection is one of the county’s top priorities in its 2045 plan, its completion might not happen until 2036 to 2045.
4. “With Seaside Grill owners retiring; can these 4 serve Jaycee Park in Vero Beach?” April 8.
The Seaside Grill column continues to be popular, perhaps because readers wonder what might have happened if other bidders had been given the nod to run the concession.
Since the Culumber family retired and shuttered the city-owned restaurant April 23 after 30 years, it has been closed.
As of this writing, the new concessionaire, a West Palm Beach company, has not been able to complete renovations and open. City Manager Monte Falls said he was slated to meet with company representatives Dec. 14 to learn more.
3. “Sheriff Eric Flowers apologizes for violation of trust; should we demand more?” Feb. 7.
This column focused on Indian River County’s top lawman facing allegations of marital indiscretions after using marriage vows as an example of high standards he expected from his deputies.
Flowers continues to be dogged by media reports connected to his private life. That might be one reason this column continues to be well-read.
Flowers faces a serious challenge from Keith Touchberry, who already has filed to run for sheriff in 2024. Touchberry, who finished second to Flowers in the 2020 GOP primary, is police chief and assistant manager of Fellsmere.
2. “Sick of growth? Your chance to plead for Vero Beach, Sebastian, Fellsmere future,” May 16.
This was one of several columns that questioned Indian River County’s process to “vision” growth in the coming decades and urged residents to get involved.
The county eventually adopted a vision plan, but critical details will come this year in the form of land-use and other changes.
It’s critical residents watch what happens closely.
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1.“Local United Way, hospital leader Tom Segura didn't have to tell jokes to make impact,” Jan. 3.
While I’d known Tom Segura, a local investment manager and public servant, well before his death at 74 on Dec. 29, I had no idea how popular he was nationally.
Turns out he often set up gags for his son, Tom, a comedian, actor and podcaster. That may be why people continue to read my column on the death, perhaps more than anything else I’ve written.
I’m glad people read regularly about the local work done by the man his son’s fans call “Top Dog.”
I miss Segura, his friendship, words of wisdom and commitment to this community.
This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman. Support his work by subscribing to TCPalm. Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com, phone at 772-978-2223, Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Top Dog top column of 2022, readers told TCPalm columnist | Opinion
