Tuesday’s letters: State’s ‘unwelcome’ mat, mean-spirited decisions, voting system unbroken – Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The state’s mean-spirited decisions
The Florida Department of Transportation’s rejection of requests to illuminate the John Ringling Causeway Bridge and the Sunshine Skyway Bridge with rainbow lights to mark Pride Month constitutes yet another mean-spirited decision by the DeSantis administration (“No rainbow lights for bridge,” June 5).
An FDOT spokesman attributed the decision to workload, but the department’s policy, as the Herald-Tribune reported, allows for rejection of requests it “deems offensive or not in the public’s best interest.”
Here’s what I find offensive and not in the public’s best interest:
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• That the department would put out the unwelcome mat to nearly 1 million Floridians.
• That the governor, Ron DeSantis, would choose to sign the callous ban on transgender athletes on June 1, the beginning of Pride Month.
• That DeSantis would order state flags lowered to half-staff to honor the extremist blowhard Rush Limbaugh.
• That – in an unrelated but typical incident – Pam Bondi, Florida’s former attorney general, in praise of DeSantis on Fox News, would say that, because of his handling of the pandemic, “You wouldn’t even know COVID had happened here.” She should share that observation with the families of the 37,000 Floridians killed by COVID.
Richard J. Strafford, Bradenton
Gay people welcomed by city, not state
Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to marginalize the gay community by refusing our request to light the Ringling Causeway Bridge in rainbow colors in honor of Pride Month (“No rainbow lights for bridge,” June 5).
My husband and I moved to Sarasota in 2007 and hoped we would be welcomed by our 55-plus community and the city in general. Our hopes were realized! Our community could not have been more accepting, and the city proved to be a safe haven as well.
We are responsible adults who have served on the board of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, volunteered at The Pines and currently serve on the boards of Project Pride and Also Youth.
We are blessed to live in this beautiful city. Now if only the state of Florida would get on the bandwagon, we’d be complete!
Louis DeCongelio, Sarasota
Florida GOP ‘fixes’ unbroken voting system
Re “Writer underestimates will of voters,” a May 31 letter: Gov. Ron DeSantis in February was praising how smooth and trouble-free Florida’s election was in 2020. The system wasn’t broken and didn’t need fixing.
Voters aren’t lazy. We just don’t need voting to get more complicated. This new GOP law makes voting more difficult for all voters.
As far as Russia and the Mueller Report go, Attorney General Bill Barr lied to the public. The investigation found there were more than 100 contacts between Donald Trump or 18 of his associates with Russian nationals and WikiLeaks, or their intermediaries.
Robert Mueller did not exonerate Trump of obstruction of justice. He left a roadmap of at least 10 charges that Congress could follow up on.
Both impeachments were because Trump tried to rig the system. First by trying to get Ukraine to falsify accusations against Joe Biden, and second by causing a deadly riot Jan. 6 in an attempt to stop the Electoral College vote.
It’s true, most Republicans will not work with Biden to move us forward. But with no Republicans voting for the COVID-19 Relief Package, look how many GOP senators are taking credit for it as if they had.
Bob Rustigian, Bradenton
Praise for aiding in conservation
The June 4 article “Bird, tortoise habitat funding secured,” about a conservation lot purchased by the Environmental Conservancy of North Port to protect gopher tortoises and the Florida scrub jay, made my day.
Congratulations to all those who contributed to the purchase of the lot. This positive, exciting article should inspire all of us to work in whatever way we can to protect our environment and the flora and fauna in these undeveloped areas. Perhaps some of us will be inspired to plant our home landscapes with native trees, shrubs and wildflowers.
Developers and legislators please note: We care about our beautiful Florida, our wildlife, our native trees and wildflowers, our ponds, springs and rivers. We do not want the state to become one vast developed area; this would be a disaster for residents and visitors alike.
Naomi Voit, Venice
Save Bobby Jones before it’s too late
The Bobby Jones golf course has been a jewel in Sarasota. For years it has provided entertainment for all ages, residents and visitors. The facility needs to reopen soon or it will be too late to save it.
Golf is a wonderful way for people to exercise and enjoy the outdoors.
I suggest that the City Commission hire an outside business to manage, market and maintain the course and facilities.
Mike Bommer, Sarasota