Today's letters: Readers comment on DeSantis, political flags and county spending

Not free

Thanks to our Gov. Ron DeSantis for a free Florida. We are free, except:

If you are Black, you have to go further to vote than I do.

If you are LGBTQ+, you better watch your back, DeSantis is coming for your rights.

If you are Black and decide to protest peacefully, you will be arrested.

If you are white and protest peacefully, as we have seen, no problem.

If you play music too loud in your car, DeSantis will send his own police force after you.

If you use your First Amendment right to freedom of speech and you’re a business and use it against DeSantis, he’s made sure you can’t sue the local government.

Our governor has made the police babysitters who are already overworked and underpaid. In addition to going after the bad guys, our police now have to keep track of women (in case they are pregnant), Black people (in case they decide to vote), LGBTQ+ (in case they decide to live peacefully among us), anybody with loud music (does that include the national anthem?) and, if you’re a business, definitely don’t ruffle his feathers (you must agree with him or be punished in some way).

Florida is not free — unless you are a white, straight male!

Laura L. Daus, Ocala

Political flags

For more than three years now, I have been required to see two five-foot Trump election flags on display at a compound of three individual residences. These flags have been up since at least 2019, if not before.

They have been flying continuously, and still are, with only the election year having been changed from 2020 to 2024. Really? Does this mean that we must endure these flags for 16 more months?

Florida Statute §106.1435 states that political campaign advertisements are to be removed within 30 days after the election or withdrawal of the candidate. Since the 2020 election was held on Nov. 3, 2020, these flags should have been removed on or before Dec. 3, 2020. Well, that clearly has not been the case.

Truly, I cannot believe that I am the only resident in Marion County who is fed up seeing these flags flapping in the breeze for so long; and no, I am not a Democrat.

Linda Pierce Whalen, Ocala

Wasting millions

Why has the County Commission not been brought to task on the waste north of town for the 49th Street-35th Avenue interchange? The county had many other viable options and were informed that their number provided by the engineer consulting on the road was estimated at $8 million below a realistic budget in their commission meeting.

Don’t you think $7 million for a hole in the ground to build a road over is a little much? How about another $4 million in aggregate that is not being used — and, to boot, how’s another $30 million for the newest low bid to build it? They were told, and they didn’t care, and they will waste our money at will.

Did I mention their lack of concern is now hampering new jobs north of the mine and will cost us millions in revenue?

Mark Sapp, Ocala

Write to us

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This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Aug. 21 letters: Readers comment on DeSantis, political flags, more