Thursday's letters: Different trailer rules in different places
Consistent codes needed on trailers
I read the Herald-Tribune article April 28 regarding North Port’s refusal to allow FEMA trailers to be used for several families whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Ian and am puzzled.
I know codes vary from place to place, but Venice is in Sarasota County. I understand that in Sarasota County it’s against code. Then why doesn’t the county enforce it countywide?
Why are a random group of homeless men allowed to plop a nasty, dilapidated travel trailer on the empty lot at the end of my street?
More: North Port ignores pleas from FEMA to allow temporary mobile home
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They're basically squatting.
There's no water, sewage or electricity – yet there are guys coming and going all day and night long.
I contacted county code enforcement, and although the gentleman who responded was sympathetic and told me in no uncertain terms that the trailer is illegal, his hands are tied. The police can’t or won’t do anything about it either.
Can any of the powers that be in this county explain to me why taxpaying citizens can’t temporarily live in a fully equipped FEMA trailer on their own land – but we have to put up with “Breaking Bad 2” at the end of my street?
Jennifer M. Berkey, Sarasota
Biden in denial about dysfunction
When will all Americans stand up and say enough is enough?
The executive, administrative and judicial branches of our current government are totally corrupt and dysfunctional.
President Joe Biden is merely a figurehead for the Democrats and their fascist and socialist agenda.
Biden fails to address the everyday issues that all Americans face – and that he created. He also continues to be in total denial while playing the blame game.
Meanwhile, the media ignore Biden’s failures and focus on Donald Trump and Jan. 6.
Here is Biden’s platform: Racism, inequality, Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ and transgender rights, abortion, climate change and critical race theory.
Here is the "reality" platform: Fentanyl, economy, cost of living, gas prices, crime, the border crisis, education, energy independence, foreign policy, fair elections, a functioning judicial system and government accountability.
Richard J. Dunkle, Bradenton
New College: Transformational education
Are the governor and his allies afraid of New College?
New College graduated Derek Black, considered at one time the heir apparent to the white nationalist movement. His father, Don Black, was a former head of the Ku Klux Klan and his godfather was Grand Wizard David Duke.
Derek Black publicly renounced his beliefs to the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2013. His story is well documented in the book “Rising Out of Hatred: The Awakening of a Former White Nationalist,” by Eli Saslow.
More: "Inclusion at any Cost? When New College was Home to a White Nationalist"
His transformation was amazing and shows the power of the education and friends he had at New College. He explains this well, under the name R. Derek Black, in a November 2016 letter to The New York Times titled, “Why I Left White Nationalism."
New College’s teaching of critical thinking and the effectiveness of its classical education were well demonstrated and learned by Black.
I ask again: Are the governor and his allies afraid of New College?
Bruce Zeitlin, Siesta Key
Aid supports private school tuition
I’m writing in response to the letter writer April 26 who stated that “vouchers are really just a way to use our tax dollars to provide discounts for folks who can already afford to send their kids to private schools.”
As the director of admissions for Community Day School, as well as a school parent, I can affirm that a significant number of our students are not from wealthy families but rely on various scholarship programs and our school’s Variable Tuition Model program to attend.
Opinion: Vouchers not enough to send low-income kids to private school
“Variable tuition” means that CDS offers a range of tuitions that are in line with what families can afford to contribute.
Through the VTM program, about 39% of our students receive aid totaling more than $500,000 annually.
Additionally, 70% of our VTM recipients receive funds through several scholarship programs authorized by the Legislature and administered by the Florida Department of Education. These are designed to make high-quality, private school education available to students who might otherwise not be able to afford it and for those with learning exceptionalities.
Our school is committed to building a socioeconomically diverse student body and an inclusive school community. VTM and state scholarships provide critical support in making that a reality.
Amy Meese, director, Admissions and School Operations, Community Day School
Walk on sidewalks, not in alleys
Maybe if Sarasota didn’t build enormous condo buildings practically right up to the roadway, it wouldn’t have to beautify garbage alleys to make the city more walkable.
Silly me, I thought sidewalks were for walking.
More: Sarasota considers giving some alleys a makeover
Joan Dalto, Nokomis
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Why won't North Port allow FEMA trailers to be used?
