Tuesday's letters: Sarasota County loses longtime mover and shaker
In every office, Detert put community first
The late great vice chair of the Sarasota County Commission, Nancy Detert, was always a believer, incredible advocate and staunch defender of what was good for Sarasota.
She always put the people of our community above those from the outside who had vested financial interests only.
No matter what state or local office she held, she was accessible to everyone. Ms. Detert was motivated by common sense and the bottom line, what was best for us.
More: Sarasota County Commissioner Nancy Detert dies at 78
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So many who sit in commission chairs have no clue what Sarasota was and what it has become. Ms. Detert was fearless and spoke her mind, even when it went against every other commissioner’s thinking.
She will be missed by so many. She was one of a kind and the kind we needed on that board.
You will never be forgotten. RIP Great Lady.
Rich Unger, Sarasota
Remember the promise of fair housing
April 2023 marks the 55th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, also known as the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the selling, renting, advertising and financing of housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status.
This revolutionary legislation remedied inequities in housing and is celebrated every April in remembrance of this country’s promise to protect every person’s freedom to choose where to live.
The Florida Commission on Human Relations is the state agency responsible for enforcing the Florida Fair Housing Act through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. If you believe you are experiencing housing discrimination or would like to request training for your staff to prevent discrimination, contact the FCHR.
To learn more, call 850-488-7082, or visit http://fchr.state.fl.us.
Cheyanne Costilla, executive director, FCHR, Tallahassee
Nowhere to hide in gun-worshipping America
The recent killing in Nashville of school staff and children, by a former student armed with weapons of war, prompted the usual responses by elected officials in the thrall of the gun lobby and gun-loving constituents: thoughts and prayers.
On the one side we have arsenals of military grade weapons, and on the other side teddy bears dispensed to school-age youngsters to comfort them. What’s wrong with this picture?
With Florida legislators making it easier to carry guns with no training or permit, there is no place safe. Recent killing sites include places of worship, supermarkets, movie theaters and schools.
During the worst of COVID, we learned to live by ordering delivery of groceries, voting by mail and visiting friends and families via Zoom and FaceTime. Is this what we need to continue doing to stay alive in today’s America?
Judith Houston, Venice
GOP must condemn fascism in Tenn. House
I have to believe that the majority of Americans are as appalled as I am by the actions of the GOP-controlled Tennessee House, which has expelled two young Black Democrats for a gun reform protest on the House floor, a relatively minor infraction. A white Democrat was not expelled.
Any member of the GOP who does not condemn this exhibit of fascist behavior is enabling the continuation of the subversion of democracy in this country. The GOP cannot stand by and say nothing.
The public must not re-elect any GOP official who will not publicly state their outrage at this clearly racist and autocratic action. Silence is complicity.
Michelle Golden, Sarasota
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Community will feel loss of Detert, anniversary of Fair Housing Act
