Letters: It's time for Jacksonville to 'carpe diem' and get moving on Riverfront Plaza

Everyone seems to agree that Riverfront Plaza, the lovely field where The Jacksonville Landing once stood, should be the crown jewel of downtown. It should have beautiful views, areas for gathering, amenities for all ages to enjoy, lovely landscaping and a dining option. The renderings are gorgeous.

Most people also appear to agree that it should not include a 44-story tower.

The proposed American Lions tower currently planned for the northeast portion of the park has always seemed aspirational for Jacksonville. By the time the $36 million incentive package to build the tower was approved by the City Council last fall, it was already inadequate. A year later, those numbers aren't even in the ballpark, with no permits or cranes in sight.

At best, economic conditions in the foreseeable future have left the proposed project in limbo. Realistically, building the tower as proposed by 2030 will require incentives well beyond what is strategically sound for that parcel, given other competing budgetary interests.

The stadium, jail, resiliency hardening, septic tank removal, Laura Street Trio, etc. — all demand significant funds. Simply fulfilling the existing plans for our riverfront parks will also likely require additional investment. Had we moved forward with the original vision of a low-rise development in that corner of Riverfront Plaza, the space could be almost finished by now (and at a lower cost).

Where we stand now isn't fully clear. The city is in the disadvantageous position of only being able to move forward with the western half of the park. Progress on the eastern half hinges largely on construction of a tower that's now more fantasy than reality.

It's time for the city to get moving. There is great demand to see these marvelous visions for quality public spaces on our riverfront come to fruition. Let’s not fall for another unrealistic rendering but move forward with a high-quality, destination park at Riverfront Plaza.

Let’s do it now. Carpe diem.

Bill Hoff, Jacksonville

Protest Hamas, not Israel

When Israeli settlers near Gaza were violently and viciously attacked on Oct. 7 ― with the beheading of babies, torturing innocent people and burning them alive ― it was one of the most barbaric attacks in history.

But Israelis did not attack their own people, nor was it Palestinians living in Israel who attacked them. It was Hamas. This terrorist group rules the Gaza Strip ruthlessly, keeping Palestinians there in fear and poverty. Gaza has more than 2,000,000 Palestinians residing there, with only 40,000 Hamas to rule them.

It is complete nonsense for people to protest that Israelis are anti-Palestinian. Because of this horrific attack, they are anti-Hamas. Why are protests being held around the world to show support for Palestinians and against Israelis? Is it because so many people lack a fundamental knowledge of history?

Beginning with the Balfour Declaration from Britain in 1917, support for the creation of a Jewish homeland was finally approved by the United Nations in 1947 after the horrors of World War II.

Has antisemitism entered the picture once again and placed Jews as the aggressors? It’s true that many Palestinians have been killed in the attacks against Hamas by the Israelis. However, this is largely because Hamas would not allow them to flee to south Gaza for safety. Israel must protect its people against these savage terrorists, who are financed by Iran and helped by Hezbollah.

It's time for world leaders to tell the truth about what has happened. Given that Jews make up a mere 0.2% of the world's population, antisemitism has been allowed to resurge by fascist groups and ignorant people with extreme leftist ideologies.

Time to set the record straight: The protests must be against Hamas ― not Israel.

Terri Quint, Ponte Vedra

Not all procedures violate abortion law

This letter addresses the recent Nov. 12 column by Katherine Perriel. She shared a deeply personal story about a “missed miscarriage” where the fetus has died but remains within the mother, and her subsequent D & C procedure. Although her medical records define the procedure as an “abortion,” her D & C is not a procedure that would be prohibited by any pro-life laws.

As I noted in my previous column, the concern with abortion is that not only does the procedure terminate a pregnancy, but it kills a live fetus. That is what abortions do. To deny that this is true, one must present evidence that the fetus is not a living person that is clearly being terminated by the procedure.

Pro-choice advocates consistently avoid addressing this issue and generally fail to present such evidence.

In Ms. Perriel’s case, no pro-life law prohibits her procedure, because the fetus has already died. Instead of two patients needing the doctor’s care, there is only one living patient involved.

Sadly, her experience with a missed miscarriage is common, experienced in my family as well. There are many men and women who will read her column knowing what she and her husband have gone through.

Regardless of our differing views on abortion, if she is still hoping to have children, all readers can wish for her to one day hold her baby in her arms and experience the joy that she had hoped for with this pregnancy.

Peter K. True, M.D., Jacksonville

DeSantis must have better grasp of data

During the third Republican presidential debate on Nov. 8, Gov. Ron DeSantis again demonstrated his inability to incorporate data into policy. While describing his policy for preserving the Social Security Trust Fund, he rejected a plan to raise the retirement benefits age.

His reasoning? Because life expectancy in the U.S. is declining.

The major driver of the decline of life expectancy has been the COVID-19 pandemic, which killed off about a quarter-million people in the U.S. under the age of 65 in the past two years.

One might hope that any leader would try to alter that death curve. But DeSantis consistently rejected the science of epidemiology and immunology in Florida. Here, his policies helped contribute to the deaths of more than 90,000 people, including roughly 20,000 under age 65.

While I’m certain he didn’t plan it this way, the loss of about 72,000 seniors and 20,000 or so future Social Security beneficiaries probably bolsters his approach for saving the trust fund ― by fighting inflation and forcing Congress to stop borrowing from the fund.

It isn’t rocket science to figure out that if people are killed off earlier than they would have otherwise died, the life expectancy goes down. However, that’s not a sound basis for policy decisions.

Steve Entman, Jacksonville

City, state must revamp mental health care

Last year I wrote an opinion piece for this newspaper, pointing out the need for extended, managed care for those with serious mental illnesses, many of whom are unhoused in downtown Jacksonville. I implored leaders to readdress Florida’s Baker Act and to fund community-based mental health services. Yet absolutely nothing has changed.

I have spoken with Mayor Donna Deegan, members of her staff, my City Council person and numerous other community leaders regarding this issue. If the city wishes to develop downtown and have a vibrant, residential and cultural scene, city leaders must work with state legislators to entirely revamp the delivery of mental health services for the chronically ill.

The needs have expanded, and care is simply non-existent. Perhaps some of the developers of large-scale residential and retail projects downtown would encourage our Legislature to establish community-based, court-managed care for those who have no resources for treatment.

New York and California have begun programs to provide housing, medical care and social services to this population. Yes, it is expensive, but the alternative is a downtown area filled with people in need sprawled on the streets. We must address this problem in the Legislature.

Teresa J. Sopp, attorney, Jacksonville

Put abortion on the ballot

Florida has put in place a six-week abortion ban (pending approval by Florida’s Supreme Court). Last week, voters in Ohio chose to put abortion rights in their state constitution even though Ohio, like Florida, is controlled by Republicans.

Floridians also want to limit the state’s interference with abortion by trying to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. It would state, in part, “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s health care provider.”

However, the obstacles are daunting and costly. They include: a court review of the ballot measure (by the conservative-leaning Florida Supreme Court); an expensive petition-gathering process (400,000 more petition signatures are needed by Feb. 1, 2024) and the requirement that citizen-led ballot initiatives get more than 60% of the votes to pass.

A coalition of groups under the umbrella organization of Floridians Protecting Freedom has raised funds and collected more than half of the nearly 900,000 petition signatures needed. If you want the freedom to make your own medical decisions, put abortion on the ballot. Join, donate and sign the petition.

Frances Jones, Atlantic Beach

Stadium plans fall short on solar

Thank you for the Nov. 5 guest column from Chris Hildreth, which brought up the glaring absence of environmental thought in the redesign of the Jaguars’ stadium. This is an opportunity to show that Jacksonville really does care about the environment. Many stadiums in the U.S. and Europe have stadiums with roofs made of materials that capture solar energy ― not just solar panels.

I especially liked his comments about other industries being encouraged to use solar. I think we could get any industry to use significant solar in one simple way. Large users of electricity get discounts for these larger amounts. Why not specify that they will only get these discounts if some significant portion of the electricity they use is from solar?

I also have panels on my roof that have cut my electric bills in half, even though I also have an electric car that I charge from my house. So, the next time you buy gas for your car, consider if that might be paid for by using your home’s electricity, which is half of what it used to be.

Peter Bishop, Jacksonville

City Council should follow its own rules

According to a Nov. 11 article in the Times-Union, Scott Wilson, (Mayor Donna Deegan’s liaison to the City Council), was quoted, “The mayor has said repeatedly throughout this conversation that political campaigning and governing are two separate things”

The no-bid contract with Langton Consulting is very troubling. Langton supported the mayor during her mayoral campaign. He and his wife also hosted a campaign event at their home. That doesn’t sound like two separate things.

Since Nate Monroe’s Nov. 9 article on this issue, it seems that some on the City Council want the mayor to cancel the contract with Langton and research other firms that provide grant writing, federal lobbying and public policy formulation.

There have been grants awarded to companies and organizations affiliated with some council members without going through the competitive application process. It is my understanding that this has been an established practice of the City Council.

The City Council needs to follow its own policies.

Mary Middleton, Jacksonville

Pro-life vs. pro-guns

People who believe in assault-style rifles for anyone and everyone should not call themselves pro-life. Consider how many children have been killed with an assault-style rifle in the last two decades. Clearly, these youngsters did not receive a complete “right to life,” even if their birth was not aborted.

• 1999: Columbine High School, Aurora, Colo. ― 12

• 2006: Amish School, West Nickel Mines, Pa. ― 5

• 2012: Sandy Hook Elementary, Newtown, Conn. ― 20

• 2018: Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Fla. ― 14

• 2022: Robb Elementary, Uvalde, Texas ― 19

Think about this the next time you consider voting for a professed pro-life candidate, and ask yourself: Is this candidate also an avid Second Amendment proponent?

Bruce Mize, Jacksonville

One world, everywhere

A recent conversation with a MAGA supporter centered on the need for Americans to isolate themselves from the rest of the world. It wasn’t just an “America First” attitude but an “Only America” stance. We argued (to no avail) that international economies are irretrievably intertwined.

Our position was strengthened recently while on vacation in Europe. We were watching two American football teams ― the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Buffalo Bills ― play a game in London while sitting in a hotel in Amsterdam. The TV was tuned to an Austrian channel, transmitting in German, on a TV made in Southeast Asia.

We really are one world.

Fran and Pete Sheridan, Atlantic Beach

More than a day off

My morning walk took me by a couple of local public schools last week and sadly, the American flag was not flying. This terrible omission has happened more than once and is a horrible disgrace, especially as we recently honored all our veterans on Veterans Day.

Our veterans made so many sacrifices for this country. Perhaps our schools and other public buildings can find individuals willing to make small sacrifices by hoisting the flag on this and all other national holidays.

These days should mean more than a day off.

Peter A. Baci, Jacksonville Beach

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High-rise on former Jacksonville Landing site can only impede progress