Letters to the editor: Causes of red tide, ballot amendments and Tropicana’s good deed
Expose causes of red tide
The stench. The death. An itchy, persistent cough. Those of us in Manatee County have been living the hell of this red tide outbreak for weeks now. Yet almost all of the media coverage focuses on the impacts to sea life, our beaches, tourism, the nasty side effects we’re all facing, but nothing about the causes.
It is appalling how few are willing to speak about what is behind this mess. Yes, red tide occurs naturally. Scientists, however, have attributed this outbreak to being supercharged by unregulated industrial discharges and ever-changing weather patterns fueled by climate change. We need to focus on how to fix the root of the problem, not just how to deal with its impacts.
Industrial waste and industry-fueled climate change have been consistently ignored by our elected officials in Florida. Our state economy and our health depend upon the quality of our environment, yet few are willing to commit to protect the people rather than industries.
Amendment 1 has been ignored. Toxic discharge into Lake Okeechobee has been unregulated. The statewide fracking ban has been stalled for the past two years.
For the next two sessions, Manatee County’s Bill Galvano will lead the Senate as its president. Hopefully, he will embrace environmental regulations and protective policies through realizing that tourists don’t visit smelly, illness-inducing beaches covered in dead fish.
Sylvie Reichmann
Bradenton
Thank you, Tropicana
On behalf of Bradenton Elks Lodge #1511, Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies (E.F.E.L.T.) and hundreds of deserving children – thank you, Tropicana for coming to our rescue.
In early 2018 we learned that the donated space we had be using for our west-side program would no longer be available. Our search for a new location did not find a site that met all the conditions we are required to follow in order to store and pack food until we were approached by Tropicana. Not only are they providing us with a lovely space within their corporate offices, they are also offering volunteers to help with packing and delivering food.
Both Tropicana and Elks share a commitment to give back to our community and, with this commitment, Elks Feeding Empty Little Tummies will continue our program of providing week-end meals to homeless and food-deprived children.
Janet Mitchell, E.F.E.L.T. director
Bradenton
Vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 2
I am a Realtor in Manatee County and I am concerned that not enough people understand why Amendment 2 is so important to the state of Florida.
Amendment 2 truly affects everybody in Florida. Amendment 2 creates certainty that non-homestead property taxes do not increase unchecked. Stable non-homestead property taxes mean predictable rents for commercial renters and for people renting a home or apartment. It also means more opportunity for businesses to grow, creating more jobs and potentially lowering prices for consumers.
If Amendment 2 fails, many local businesses will either be put out of business or pass on their increased costs to their customers. Renters could also see their rents skyrocket as landlords pass the extra taxes on to them, forcing them to leave our communities. Also, Amendment 2 is simply a permanent extension of the current tax cap we have in place now. This amendment passing will not reduce the amount of tax revenue cities and counties currently get already.
In Manatee County, 90,053 properties will be adversely impacted if Amendment 2 fails. I encourage you to learn more about Amendment 2 by visiting http://everybodyisfor2.com. I will be voting ‘Yes’ on Amendment 2 this November and I hope you will, too.
Greg Owens, 2018 president
Realtors Association of Sarasota and Manatee
Sarasota
Vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 13
By voting “yes” on Amendment 13, Florida voters will have an opportunity to promote animal welfare and nix a state mandate that private businesses race dogs in front of empty bleachers at Florida’s archaic and increasingly empty dog-racing tracks.
At the tracks’ kennels, dogs are kept in small metal cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. The confinement may be as much as 20 or more hours a day.
Getting out of the crates isn’t much of a relief. According to state data, 458 dogs have died at Florida tracks since 2013. On average, a greyhound dies at a dog track every three days.
Since 1990, the amount wagered on greyhound racing in the Sunshine State has declined by 74% and tax revenue from dog racing has dropped by 98 percent.
In 2016 Florida dog tracks lost a combined $34.8 million on racing. According to a study commissioned by the legislature, the state is losing between $1 million and $3.3 million annually because regulatory costs exceed revenues.
If you vote yes on Amendment 13, you will help dogs and save taxpayers a few million bucks in the process.
Jolene Shapiro
Palm Beach Gardens