- April 26, 2024
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+ Catch-and-release tarpon story brought tears to my eyes
Dear Editor:
I was pleasantly surprised when I read Saturday’s article by Scott Adie. The story of 15-year-old Nick Kennerly and his battle with the 80-pound tarpon at the Flagler Beach Pier was a great read. I felt like I had been there and seen the tarpon’s acrobatic leaps.
I have seen them jump out in the ocean when swimming, and there is nothing more beautiful. The excitement of the battle and the compassion with which Nick released the fish back into the ocean was heartwarming and brought tears to my eyes. This story restored my faith in the local youth.
Sandy Trautwein
Palm Coast
+ Poor maintenance of swales leads to bad mosquito problems
Dear Editor:
Once again, the mosquito problem in Palm Coast is increasing, thanks to the city’s poor swale maintenance program.
While I’m sure the city will blame the problem on Tropical Storm Debby, the real problem is that ponding lasts too long in the swales because they are not properly maintained.
If the swales operated properly, stormwater should drain through the system within 48 hours after the rain stops. The swales should then dry up within two to three days.
When ponding remains after about three days, it provides an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed. A person can tell when ponding has existed too long by smelling the remaining water. It will have a distinct odor because of the pollutants that remain.
So now that a mosquito problem exists, the city will have to spend more time and money for mosquito control. If the swale system was properly maintained there is a good chance the mosquito problem would not exist.
Unfortunately the city thinks the safety and health of its citizens is better served by sidewalks and flowers.
Gary DeKay
Palm Coast
+ If you want to vote in a primary, register for a political party
Dear Editor:
Some Flagler Republicans are peeling back the Democratic Party influences and exposing some disturbing Republican political relationships.
Party-rebuilding strategies are taking hold, as qualified Republican candidates are encouraged to stand up and run for elected offices that in the past have been brokered by a select few. Many of those deals relied on the Florida open primary, which provides full elected status for those Republicans able to sneak quietly through a primary if no Democrat or alternative candidate is filed on the other side. When Democrats have no candidate, they get to vote in what would otherwise be a Republican primary.
Primary elections are designed to determine who will receive the endorsement of their party and run against the other party’s candidate in the general election. Some suggest that independent or no-party-affiliation voters are disenfranchised during a primary. But these voters are free to register for either party and vote in the primary. Registering for a political party does not negate a voter’s independence when they cast their votes in the privacy of the voting booth.
There has been an uproar over write-in candidates who have closed a primary and broken up an apparent deal designed to have Republican Frank Meeker slide into the County Commission seat made open by Democrat Milissa Holland’s resignation to run for state office. The Meeker-Holland arrangement was elegant in the coordinated timing of the filing announcements. However, Republican Dennis McDonald and a write-in candidate did file in time. Although the Meeker-Holland timing was legal, it does raise questions as to why currently elected representatives would not announce their intentions earlier, assuring the opportunity for interested and qualified candidates to enter the race.
One could suggest that the Meeker-Holland “arrangement” could disenfranchise voters. Some are shouting unfair when the very electoral system they have for so long subverted to their own exclusionary ends is finally opened and is functioning as was sensibly intended by Florida lawmakers.
Robert Updegrave
Palm Coast
TENNIS, ANYONE?
+ Stop subsidizing ‘a losing situation’ at the Tennis Center
Dear Editor:
Regarding the Tennis Center, perhaps we should disregard the rhetoric and look at the facts:
We are told by Tennis Magazine and Active Marketing Group that 4% of the population plays tennis on a regular basis and that the average household income for tennis-playing families is $81,000.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average household income in Palm Coast is $44,000, and 12% of households have income under the poverty level.
When City Council members say that there are lots of people who don’t play tennis and are “tired of subsidizing a losing situation,” it seems to me they’ve summed up the situation accurately. This should be apparent whether you’re a tennis player or whether you’re in the unfortunate 12%.
Jim Bennett
Palm Coast
