Letters To The Editor

Published: May 11, 2007

Necessities, Not Luxuries

Regarding "City Departments Face Cuts" (Metro, May 5):

Perhaps someone can explain that which I can't comprehend. I was taught that when planning your budget, you are to take care of necessities first and buy luxuries later with whatever money is left.

Why is it that with a pending shortage in our city budget, Mayor Iorio continues with the art museum and Riverwalk projects at the expense of cutting fire and police personnel? Our citizens need these services. It seems that the mayor's priorities are in the wrong place. Isn't it time we think of what is needed in this city?

Our public servants should be rewarded for their dedication and sacrifice. Fortunately, the police department was able to obtain a raise in its new contract. Now, the fire department is in negotiations for its new contract. Firefighters certainly deserve one with salaries and raises equivalent to that of the police. Let's support them and set aside some of the luxury projects that Tampa really doesn't need.

DIANA LOGAN

Tampa

Pedestrians-Only Street

Regarding "Ashley Drive's Future" (Letters, May 7):

Has anyone else thought about Ashley Drive as pedestrian-only? If we closed the west side to cars and only allowed pedestrians, we would have a whole area opened up for events and festivals and outdoor concerts. A huge area would be opened as a giant park and pedestrian mall. It would allow users access to the art museum, the library, the Performing Arts Center, the new children's museum and the Riverwalk with no fear of cars zooming by.

There could be a right turn at the library to cross the bridge and access to Kennedy Boulevard via North Boulevard, with a lane just for parking at the nearby garage, maybe through Tampa Street. All southbound traffic could be routed off the Ashley exit to Tampa, and if lights were timed and coordinated, there would be no more inconvenience than there is now.

This could be our one chance to bring a huge park to downtown with only reasonable expense.

DONALD FLOYD SR.

Tampa

Transportation Spending

The article about Hillsborough County's transportation task force ("Task Force Splits Bond On Roads, Transit" Metro, May 8) suggests that transit will receive a large share of the $500 million program. Roads and intersection improvements would get 82 percent ($410 million) of that amount with transit receiving 8 percent ($40 million).

Even if the $30 million for right-of-way acquisition mentioned in the article were used for rail transit, it would raise the transit spending to 14 percent. Of course, that $30 million could be used to acquire right-of-way for roads.

If our community is serious about transit, should we spend 10 times more for road projects than transit projects?

PIERRE MATHURIN

Tampa

Serving The Public Well

I would like to share with you and your readers my recent experience with the Hillsborough County Tax Collector's office.

I was late renewing my auto registration. I called the tax collector's office and the operator told me that the wait time at the downtown Tampa office was less than five minutes. I have since learned this information is also available online.

I drove to the downtown office, took a ticket, sat down and within a minute my ticket number was called. Not more than three minutes later I had my new registration in hand and was on my way. The staff member I dealt with was polite and friendly.

Tax Collector Doug Belden and his staff have my thanks and admiration.

ANDY GRAHAM

Tampa

Lump Sums Are Bad Idea

Regarding "And Now, The Senate's Shame" (Our Opinion, May 4):

Two things bother me about the way the Legislature has set about dealing with the case of Alan Crotzer, who spent a quarter century in Florida's prison system because of the state's mistake: It is bad law to enact an ex gratia payment program based on one case, and the idea of lump-sum payments is a bad idea as well.

Gratuitous payments should more properly be handled as a formal reparations act, codifying the requirements and the method of payout.

As for point number two, those who have been incarcerated have often never been exposed to handling large sums of money wisely. I fear that giving a million dollars to someone without those money management skills would serve to enrich them for a very short amount of time. They would wind up penniless Even lotteries often try to encourage a regular payout instead of a lump-sum award.

FRED ENNIS

Zephyrhills

PIP Shouldn't Sunset

Regarding "Inaction Could Save Drivers On Auto Insurance" (Metro, May 4):

Regarding the sunset of the no-fault system, what the insurance industry has failed to mention is that without any mandatory insurance in place and with 40 percent of Floridians without health insurance, consumers will soon find out that many drivers causing accidents are uninsured.

Those consumers who are insured will also find that the insurance companies will force each and every one of them into court to decide their fate. This means that consumers will have to hire an attorney to fight their battle which decreases the monies that is actually owed to the consumer because they have to pay their attorney.

This idea to let PIP sunset will be devastating to Florida consumers.

MATT BOWER

Sarasota