Letters to the editor for Saturday, September 30, 2023

Letters to the editor should be 250 words or less. Include your name and city or community of residence. Guest opinions should be 600 words or less and include a brief summary of the author’s credentials relevant to the topic. Guest opinions may include a head shot of the author. For the Fort Myers News-Press, email submissions to mailbag@news-press.com and for the Naples Daily News to letters@naplesnews.com

Short-sighted decision

How wonderful that for 20 years, Conservation Collier has purchased about 4,000 acres. Its goal is to acquire, preserve, restore, and maintain these lands. Approval of funds to accomplish this has been voted for by Collier County citizens in 2002, 2006 and 2022.

Currently, an exhibit extolling Conservation Collier is on display at the Collier Museum at Government Center. Ironic since recently the Collier commissioners voted to NOT fully fund this program. Also, millions of dollars were transferred out of this fund into other projects. The vote was 4-1. Burt Saunders was the lone person who stood up for this important, if not crucial, program. I applaud him.As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Conservation Collier, let us not celebrate too much. Keep a wary eye on those commissioners who underfund and grab monies earmarked for the environment important for all life: human, animal and plant.With such short sightedness what kind of anniversary will we have 20 years from now?

Sallyanne Ferrero, North Naples

Save Jaycee Park

Why is the City of Cape Coral Council so intent on drastically changing Jaycee Park?  There has been major pushback from the neighborhood residents being impacted but the Council members just aren’t listening.  The Parks Department’s own Master Plan designates Jaycee Park as a “Neighborhood Park” (approx. 10 acres in size). The amenities being proposed (bandshell, food trucks, outdoor bistro and bar) are amenities designated for “Large Community Parks” of over 100 acres.  And the demographics of the area near Jaycee Park (53% over 65, median age 66) won’t support this type of concept.

The Council claim they want to attract boaters to the park, but the water amenities are in Phase 2 and require Army Corp of Engineers approval.  This permit has not even been applied for yet and could be years away, yet they want to move ahead with making all the other land changes not even knowing if ACOE will approve. Plus, there is a similar private enterprise (bar, food trucks, boardwalk) being built less than one mile away from Jaycee Park.

Overall, just a poor plan.   The results of the online survey done by the Council are skewed as there was no selection provided to account for “none of the above” and so can’t be trusted.  A “Save Jaycee Park” petition with over 4,800 signatures has been provided to the Council but has resulted in minimal dialog. Please listen to the taxpaying people who live in the area and put this concept somewhere like Tropicana Park where the demographics are a much better fit.

Bill Pranger, Cape Coral

Oppose wetlands project

“Hurricane Ian’s Category 4 winds were strong. But Southwest Florida's resolve has proved stronger,” The News-Press reported on Monday, 9/25. A week’s worth of articles followed documenting that resolve in stories of heroics, financial generosity from community organizations, folks building back, and more.

My hope is that in the future there is less need of heroics, generosity, and building back because our county commissions and city councils had the resolve to resist pressures to develop wetlands that provide citizens with significant storm protection and flood control.

Cape Coral City Council members can soon demonstrate such resolve when an application comes before them to amend the city’s comprehensive plan to allow the potential Redfish Pointe development in the wetlands area directly south of Rotary Park.

When studies reveal that Cape Coral is one of the top nine cities in the nation most at risk from future storms, developing this property at the large scale being proposed would be unacceptable. Besides negatively impacting wildlife, Rotary Park, and the character of the surrounding community, hundreds of families will be at increased risk of personal safety, financial harm, and ensuing hardship during future storms we know are coming. That’s just plain wrong.

The property owner wants to cash in. The City Council will be eyeing tax revenues, but the hundreds of families who live near Rotary Park don’t want to be made a sacrifice zone to these ends.

In Cape Coral and the rest of Southwest Florida, let’s see the resolve to say “no” to developing wetlands.

Joseph Bonasia, Cape Coral

Redfish Pointe fiasco

As I am watching the news tonight, I am listening to the Redfish Pointe fiasco. When are our esteemed leaders going to learn to back off of ruining our wetlands and other pieces of land. The continuous building is ruining our ecosystem: hotter, wetter, hurricanes. We must take care of our environment and those that think they know better need to stop this building. Stop greasing your palms!

Cathy Trent, Fort Myers

Reuse water harms canals

Marco Island had healthy levels of oxygen in the canals until 2019. Since then, oxygen has been dropping. In three years, Marco lost 33% of the oxygen in the waterways. Why? Based on six years of data collected by the City of Marco Island, phosphorus in the sewage reclaimed (reuse) water is the primary root-cause of low oxygen in Marco’s waterways. The solution? Upgrade the Marco Island sewage treatment plant to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT), like Everglades City and the City of Naples. The City of Marco Island, for the first time, acknowledged the harm from reclaimed water.

In the 2024 Marco Island Legislative Priorities (September 1, 2023) the city states: “The nutrient rich reclaimed water runs off the medians and enters the storm sewer system which conveys the nutrient rich water directly to the waterways. The nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients contribute to algae growth in the waterways depleting oxygen needed for marine life to survive.” The Collier County Pollution Control Department has recommended “converting existing wastewater plants to advanced wastewater treatment (AWT) technologies” to reduce or eliminate the phosphorus and nitrogen nutrients from the county reuse water streams and to “address the issue at the source.” The only thing holding us back are golf courses, hotels, and condos. They save money with polluted reuse water that they use for landscape irrigation (green grass). The single-family homes get polluted canals (green water). Green grass = green water.

Eugene Wordehoff, Marco Island

Naples transformed

I moved to Naples in 2000.  If I had to make that decision again today in 2023 I would go somewhere else.  This town has become an extension of everything we wanted to escape in the North (except snow).

We recently sold our condo and moved to the relative serenity of senior living, yet we continue to see Naples largely through our street travels and the Naples Daily News.  Expansion, development, restaurant hysteria, political instability, traffic and noise all have contributed to our decision that while it is too late for us to abandon the social, medical, personal connections we have established here we would not repeat the process.

A sad testimonial to the unfettered destruction of an environment that had so much to offer. Unfortunately those offerings have brought way too much of an invasion and it is too late to turn back. The concept of Naples as a small town has been steamrollered into a grotesque caricature of the town we moved to many years ago.

Sad.

Charlie Berry, Naples

Single district voting

The time has come to have single district voting for council in Cape Coral.Districts vary widely. District 6 is dealing with the major expansion of public utilities and dramatic growth to name a few issues. District 7 has Pine Island Road running through the middle of it and is experiencing a dramatic increase in apartment building construction, new businesses and large increases in traffic and congestion.

I live in District 2, where our main concerns are the Chiquita Lock, limiting future development of high-density housing projects in our single-family neighborhoods, traffic impact studies, the future widening of Chiquita Blvd., potential development of Redfish Pointe, and median beautification.My point is, I would not expect your typical citizen in Districts 1, 5, 6 or 7 to be fluent in what is important, and impacting District 2, and vice versa.Attracting and keeping strong and qualified candidates, and only requiring them to campaign in the district they are running in is imperative. This will allow them to do less fundraising and will help minimize the special interest groups’ influence that have previously dominated our city elections, is critical to us growing as a city.

It is long past due to allow citizens to vote for their district City Council candidate only. I urge the members of City Council to get this referendum on the next ballot and put this issue in the hands of the voters, not the special interest contingent!Steve Collins, president, Southwest Cape Coral Action Committee

Don't embarrass us

Is our representative Byron Donalds aware that our Sen. Marco Rubio said there is no evidence to impeach President Biden?

The radical right like Rep. Matt Gaetz and, I believe, Rep. Donalds, have pressured House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to cave into their demands, like holding an impeachment hearing, by threatening to oust McCarthy as Speaker, due to the promises and concessions he made to the radicals during the speaker's race.

All I can say is, please, Rep. Donalds, don't embarrass us as your predecessors have.

R.T. Becker, Fort Myers

Cities and annexation

Lee County commissioners are all about consolidating power. Their latest move, which involves threatening cities that want to annex, represents exactly that.

These local Republicans, who pretend to be for limited government, are astoundingly hypocritical. In fact, in my previous published submission to The News-Press, I cited how Lee Health and Lee County commissioners could potentially work together to allow the hospital’s status quo monopoly to remain. Once again, local “free market” Republicans exude hypocrisy.

Now, some Lee commissioners state that they want the last word, the ultimate decision on whether or not cities can annex and grow their communities. They want to change the law to do so, once again, to consolidate even more power.

For the record, I am not a resident of the two communities expressing interest in annexation, Cape Coral and North Fort Myers. However, I am someone who calls out what I see. You should too. Call out these power hungry, anything-but-conservative commissioners.

Kevin Donlan, Fort Myers

Why the shutdown crisis?

Trump’s first action as president was to reduce taxes of the wealthy and corporations by eight trillion dollars which is one-fourth of our entire federal debt. Billions of those dollars have supported Trumpist candidates for office at all levels including judges. Those dollars are “dark-money” hidden from the public by Citizens United. One decent quiescent group in the House seeks to prevent the shutdown. The others take directions from Trump who is desperate for chaos related to the government shutdown this weekend.

Trump’s huge federal debt is an excuse for his extremist sycophantic supporters to demand reduction of government services for poor and middle-income people and defunding of Trump’s criminal trials. Such legislation will never be approved by the Senate nor President Biden.

The magnitude of our political crisis is explosive now because saw-toothed tiger Trump’s corner is tightening dramatically. Cassidy Hutchison’s testimony before the January 6 committee, and before each of Trump’s grand juries and now over nationwide TV audiences, has revealed details of Trump’s treason to everyone. Many Trump supporters including the extremist members of the House of Representatives must feel shame.

A bright side of the crisis could result from Cassidy’s respect and appreciation for Wyoming’s Liz Cheney, the Republican head of the January 6 Committee. The quiescent non-extremist Republican representatives could link up with Democrats to prevent the government shutdown and rally behind Liz Cheney (with Cassidy’s support) for president and restore honor to the Republican Party of Lincoln.William Pettinger M.D., Bonita Springs

Dems may share blame

I am probably missing something, but the media seems to be suggesting that some limited number (less than 10) of so called "far right" Republicans, are stopping funding for the government. However, that still leaves some 200+ Republicans who would vote for funding and some 210 Democrats who "could" vote for funding. It seems to me that what the media is suggesting is that all the Democrats are supporting these so called "far right" Republicans as to avoid passing funding for the government. The Democrats would also have to be voting against a funding bill if it cannot be passed. Some ten Republicans cannot stop a bill unless the Democrats support them.

Ron Wobbeking, Naples

Why they fear 'deep state'

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow recently conducted a mesmerizing interview with Republican Cassidy Hutchinson regarding her firsthand experiences as principal assistant to Mr. Trump’s chief of staff. Ms. Hutchinson has willingly testified under oath about what she observed, unlike those who continue to attack her since her testimony to Congress. During her interview, she described in detail the actions she observed by Mr. Trump and other coup plotters in the days leading up to the January 6 insurrection. For comic relief, she also described Florida’s own Matt Gaetz’s normal, unsavory, juvenile but not surprising, activities as part of what can only be described as the Trump circus. It was Ms. Hutchinson’s truthful testimony to the January 6 Committee that broke through the logjam of stonewalling Trump loyalists, leading to other significant, damning revelations and eventually to Mr. Trump’s federal indictments related to his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Similarly, in Georgia, Republican Secretary of State Raffensperger witnessed Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham’s untruthful denial of his attempts to coerce Raffensperger to throw out legitimate Georgia (yes, Georgia) votes and allow Mr. Trump to win the 2020 vote in Georgia. This led to Mr. Raffensperger, the loyal Republican, deciding to record Mr. Graham’s puppet master when Mr. Trump, reliably, came calling with the same request. Mr. Trump was then caught on tape asking the Georgia secretary of state to “find me 11,780 votes.” Mr. Trump has been indicted in Georgia. An information technology worker at Mar-A-Lago, surrounded by other blindly loyal Trump workers, alone, decided to tell the truth about Mr. Trump’s attempt to obstruct the FBI’s investigation of stolen government documents by asking the workers to delete the contents on a server (shades of Hillary Clinton!). Mr. Trump is under indictment for this as well. These are but a few of the honorable men and women the likes of whom Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis have deemed as part of the “deep state” and whose throat Mr. DeSantis has said he would slit from day one should he become president. “Deep State” is synonymous for faithful public servants who have an understanding of right and wrong and of when elected officials act with bad intentions and even illegality and speak out publicly about it.  Authoritarians, who must, of necessity, be omniscient, detest these honorable men and women, who speak truth, even in the face of relentless pressure and often at great personal risk. I hope this country will always have enough “deep staters” to keep our democracy intact despite the constant threats from figurative little men in search of big balconies.

Thomas Minor, Bonita Springs

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Saturday, September 30, 2023