Sunday's letters: Delightful to read about Orchestra closing on land

Two stories well worth reading

Two good reads appeared recently in the Herald-Tribune.

The first one was about the Sarasota Orchestra buying property for its new music center on Fruitville Road, just west of Interstate 75. This news is a delight for many who live east and west of Interstate 75.

The orchestra’s audience will grow.

I do hope there will be an educational music section for young ones to introduce them to the sound of music and teach them, through books and videos, about great composers such as Georges Bizet and Johann Strauss (who is my favorite).

More: Sarasota Orchestra closes deal on Fruitville Road site

More: How to send a letter to the editor

The second article listed eight attorneys who have been disbarred or severely disciplined. The reasons that caught my eye were "incompetence" and "misstatements and baseless arguments" in pleadings. This kind of negligence is costly, and I recommend that each Florida state attorney make complaint forms available so that issues might be resolved without turning to the Florida Bar.

Great job, Herald-Tribune.

Elizabeth Martin Sullivan, Braden River

Massive project a bad fit on Palm

I say, "No!" to 1260 North Palm Avenue.

That is the address the Sarasota Development Committee is reviewing as the proposed site for an 18-plus-story high-rise named Obsidian.

Our beautiful, charming city is loved by residents and tourists alike. Sarasota has building restrictions to retain this beauty and charm.

Many areas need consideration to defeat this proposal. First, there is an 18-story height limit on buildings in Sarasota. The Obsidian proposal takes liberties with that rule, raising the height limit of 18 stories by increasing interstitial space between floors and increasing the height of each floor with 14-foot ceilings.

This increases the total height 100 feet above the highest present building in Sarasota.

Seidman Says: Luxury downtown condo is ‘the wrong plan in the wrong place’

Second, the footprint of the high-rise is extremely small. It would take away the charm of low-rise stores along Palm, which it would replace. The building would have no setback.

Additionally, the beautiful view of Bay Plaza walkways, a Tim Seibert architectural historic landmark, would be lost.

Third, there is no room in the plan for waste management inside the building. Recycling/garbage containers for the number of occupants would detract from the Palm Avenue charm if placed outside.

This high-rise proposal is not right for this place or space, and it should be defeated.

Jan Joseph, Sarasota

Need to control artificial intelligence

As useful as artificial intelligence can be, it can be quite dangerous in the hands of bad actors. We will need to give up certain rights if our society is going to survive.

AI publications need to be source-identified and defined for what the publication is and who the author is, just like a byline in a written newspaper or magazine article. We must know the source of an AI publication, especially if it might be a lie or phony copy of something.

And we cannot let lies go unpunished. There is just too much at stake, including elections and, therefore, the future of our society. Source-identification will need to be enforced by legislation.

Technology is outstripping our ability to control it. True authors of any writing – including songs, poetry, educational articles, editorials and books – must be protected.

With the computer age, anybody can say anything, hiding within a concealed web of anonymity with no fear of retribution for spreading false news or dangerous lies cloaked as truths. We must confront the new age, now.

Andy Voikos, Venice and Barnstable, Mass.

Unclear where new NCF students will live

I find it interesting that a governor who has had the benefit of elite liberal Northeastern education at both Harvard and Yale thinks that today’s students cannot be exposed to diverse thoughts and come through thinking for themselves.

Gov. Ron DeSantis obviously was not very well “indoctrinated.” Or maybe it’s just a form of self-loathing.

And DeSantis is hardly the only Ivy League graduate in the Republican arena.

I have a lot of problems with the governor’s plans for New College. I think it’s obvious that the changes are politically motivated and the expenditures allocated for its “conversion therapy” are outrageous.

More: Legislature pumps $50 million into college

More: New College fires librarian, second LGBTQ faculty member dismissed this year

There are far better uses for the $50 million-plus that NCF is getting, including funding other schools or addressing real problems in this state like affordable housing.

Which brings me to my question: Where is New College going to house all these new students it is supposed to attract? I’m having a difficult time finding anything that addresses this issue. Will the college become a commuter or online school?

And if DeSantis does have an answer, why hasn’t he done more for the general public in the area of affordable housing?

J. Maxwell Jackson, Venice

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Great to read about Sarasota Orchestra buying land for new home