Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are those of our readers and not the Pensacola News Journal. In order for letters to be considered for publication, they must be 250 words or less and include name, a full address and phone number. Only your name and city of residence will be published. Email submissions toopinion@pnj.com.
Send both Parker and Calkins packing in August
Santa Rosa County voters fed up with unchecked development and sprawl should take a close look at the campaign donations of two incumbents — Chairman Sam Parker (District 1) and James Calkins (District 3). The identities behind those donations tell the real story.
According to their own reports to the Supervisor of Elections, Parker received 30 donations from builders or contractors, 41 from real estate or property investment firms and 11 from developers, including the massive Jubilee boondoggle in Pace.
Calkins has pocketed 17 donations from builders or contractors, 15 from real estate or property investment interests and 13 from developers, also including Jubilee.
Is it any wonder the Santa Rosa County Commission continues to rubber-stamp any and all zoning requests, despite overwhelming public opposition? How many Dollar Generals, mattress stores, car washes and tract homes does the county really need?
It’s time for Santa Rosa County Commissioners to work for those who actually hire them—the voters. Cast your ballot for change, not special interests with deep pockets. In the August primary election, tell Parker and Calkins that Santa Rosa County is not for sale and send them packing.
Dave Lear, Pace
Readers don't hold back:Letters: Moms for Liberty and their extremist attack on public education must be stopped
Donald Trump is unhinged and can’t be trusted as president
I grew up in New York City where I learned to think for myself. There were two strains of thinking – one was as a Rockefeller Republican and the other as a Blue Dog Democrat (the conservative kind).
I learned to observe people and assess their ideas and opinions for myself. I was comfortable with high-minded people. (I even acted on a TV show while Ronald Reagan hawked refrigerators). I talked frequently to Bishop Desmond TuTu as he always came to my church when he was in town. There are many others that I learned wisdom from.
Before I retired, I spent 20 years in NYC working in Real Estate in the same Queens area where the Trumps got their start. I’ve watched him now for over 30 years. I fully believe that Donald J. Trump has such anger boiling inside that he is close to being both unstable and uncontrollable.
His many statements about seeking revenge are indications of an ‘us versus them’ thinking that flies in the face of historical wisdom that presidents should be willing to work with the opposition. We need a president who can lead this country down the middle ground – not a president who may go off the rails at any time.
Folks, I ask you to think about what an unhinged president can make of our America. He might even try a nuclear option to take out his revenge on the good people of New York.
Jeffrey Elliot, Pensacola
BEACH Act is a must to ensure safe beaches
I was saddened to read the Pensacola News Journal coverage of the shark attacks in the Florida Panhandle (“Florida beaches open after shark attacks injure woman, 2 teens. What we know”).
Unfortunately, shark attacks aren’t the only dangerous thing about the beaches. Data from past years also verifies the alarming rates of bacteria at local beaches that can make our swimmers sick. In 2022, 70 percent of Florida beaches tested had potentially unsafe levels of fecal indicator bacteria on at least one day.
Fortunately, representatives Brian Mast, Frederica Wilson, and Daniel Webster are on the committee that has the power to move along the BEACH Act (HR 7203), which will enable communities to continue beach testing, allowing us to know when there is bacteria in the water.
Surfers, swimmers and other beachgoers should urge their representatives to support this act. We must fully fund the BEACH Act to ensure communities have all the resources they need. You can find more information about bacteria levels at your local beach in the ‘Safe for Swimming?’ report on Environment Florida’s website.
Carly Cohen, Environment Florida, St. Petersburg
AI wins only if we lack intelligence
AI is smoke. All AI is, is data possessing. It is not intelligent. They are counting on people - especially young people - to be stupid. A lack of education will allow AI to replace human workers. Suing your teachers should be mandatory.
Randy Myers, Pensacola
We deserve to know source of Perdido Bay contamination
The new boat ramp on Perdido Bay is very nice and scenic. However, there are a few problems. When the engineering for the boat ramp was first started in 2017, high levels of contaminates were found in the Perdido Bay sediments where dredging was supposed to start.
Rather than allow these contaminants to stop the project, these contaminants were supposedly collected and buried on site. No one was notified and my Freedom of Information Act request to Commissioner Bergosh has never been answered. Another problem is the high level of bacterial contamination, Friends of Perdido Bay is finding in the water of Upper Perdido Bay near the entrance to boat ramp channel.
The source of the contamination is not known. There are several suspects – IP, and ECUA. ECUA claims that their bacterial counts are OK. But what about the water coming off their wetlands? It would be great if the grant money which the Estuary program got to study the source of bacterial contamination in Pensacola Bay could also be used for Perdido Bay.
Jacqueline Lane, Pensacola
Hear from our readers:Letters: Pensacola’s pretendian Mayoki Tribe must end their indigenous appropriation
Kudos for the spotlight on Florida’s familial human trafficking
Thank you for addressing familial trafficking in Florida in the article “Alabama Mom Allegedly Sex Trafficked Teen Daughter to Men in Pensacola” by Benjamin Johnson.
I'm an intern with The NISSI Project, an anti-human trafficking nonprofit that works to fight trafficking in the state of Florida. Florida is ranked high in national statistics for human trafficking by state, but this is due to a large amount of familial trafficking. A lot of what The NISSI Project sees are instances of familial trafficking.
Human trafficking generally looks different from what is portrayed in the media. Sometimes people get abducted, but more often people are trafficked by their families and romantic partners. Data from the Polaris Project supports these claims. These statistics show that 33 percent of victims are recruited by a family member or a caregiver, 28 percent by an intimate partner, and 22 percent by an employer.
Once Florida residents realize what an issue familial trafficking is, the closer we will be to a state that is rid of trafficking. For more information or education on this topic, visit The NISSI Project at thenissiproject.org or email office@thenissiproject.org.
Josie Rutgos, Pensacola
Don’t cherry pick Bible verses to back up a faulty logic
In a recent letter to the editor, the writer asks: who has read the Bible? I have many issues with her letter, such as her hypocritical statements on judgment. But I must address one major flaw: she claims Jesus “forbade homosexuality.”
She did not cite a Bible verse to back up her statement. Because there isn’t one. However, Jesus does address adultery and lust in the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:27-30 (red letter verses). My point is, if we are going to cherry pick Jesus’ teachings, let’s aim for accuracy and biblical verification.
In the letter writer’s own words: who has read the Bible?
Elaine Klein, Pensacola
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