Florida voters have a choice: Strengthen democracy or hasten its demise | Letters
Democracy is on the ballot this November.
Florida voters can retain Gov. Ron DeSantis if they support his anti-gay, anti-immigrant and anti-abortion policies. DeSantis is also an autocrat who recently raided the office of Hillsborough County’s elected state attorney and removed him from office because he did not agree with the governor.
On the other hand, Floridians can elect former Gov. Charlie Crist, who supports a woman’s right to choose and will treat gays and immigrants humanely. He also would bring civility back to governing.
Stan Cooper,
Santa Fe, NM
Flight of fancy
Now, Miami International Airport has a problem with David Beckham’s soccer field, hotel, shopping center and office building.
Developers and politicians contend that local residents want Freedom Park, the proposed soccer stadium and commercial complex, but they certainly do not. They do not want dust, dirt, trucks and major construction near their homes. They also do not want to lose their park, the only green space for miles.
Beckham should move his soccer field to Broward, where it could be centrally located, and leave Melreese golf course to the residents who love it.
Sandra Gilbert,
Miami Beach
Abuse of power
I was appalled, but not surprised, to see how Florida Power & Light was caught red-handed by investigators on bribery, fraud and a fake candidates scheme to defraud Florida and its residents. Just another in the continuing saga of this utility gone wildly unchecked by state regulators, who are there to protect the public, but instead, protect the utility and its investors.
I also read about how the very narrow pool of insurance companies are dropping customers who have invested in solar energy for their homes. These so-called insurers claim, among other excuses, that it is unsafe for homeowners to sell their power back to the grid, as it is safely and successfully done in other states. Perhaps these insurance companies and FPL are in cahoots, because it’s just not good for FPL’s bottom line.
How on Earth do Tallahassee legislators allow this abuse? Could it be that they also are in cahoots with the insurance companies and FPL?
Whatever the reason, it is not good for Florida or consumers.
Herman Irizarry,
West Kendall
Haitian general
I read with sadness Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles’ Aug. 25 story, “Hérard Abraham, general who helped usher in Haiti’s democratic transition, is dead.”
I worked closely with Abraham, trying to bring solar energy to Haiti after the earthquake in 2010 until about 2013. In addition, he personally drove and accompanied me to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Port Au Prince, as I was trying to convince officials to re-open the Haitian Embassy in Israel.
He was always reading a book when I arrived at his office in Petionville. The nicest, kindest, sweetest man, we had many friends in common, including Ambassador Antoine Emmanuel “Toto” Fenelon, who died in 2006 of a heart attack while serving as Haiti’s ambassador to Brazil.
Fenelon was ambassador of Haiti to Israel. He left in 1985 and left a void in Israel that I hoped to fill, though here is still no Haitian embassy in Israel. Maybe he was spared the disaster that has befallen Haiti. His memory shall be blessed.
Terri Granot,
Israel
Fix the problems
The federal government and Congress are specialists in kicking the can down the road. Democrats and Republicans are experts at spending our tax dollars without regard to the impact on the people they claim to represent. No one is representing America’s citizens. Meanwhile, the national debt is escalating beyond control.
Will either party take responsibility for actually reducing the debt, rather than claiming to reduce it?
Evidently, Democrats and Republicans alike have placed their respective party’s priorities over the people’s priorities. Frankly, we the people are tired of it. We need representatives who care about America and its citizens, not politicians consumed by personal power and wealth. I hope that is still possible.
Fleta Stamen,
Miami
Best qualified
In Miami-Dade County’s recent judicial elections, 32 judges were elected unopposed and seven drew challengers. It’s not a coincidence that half of the Jewish judges up for election drew challengers and every Jewish judicial candidate lost.
I appreciate the writer of the Aug. 26 letter, “Judging judges,” who stated that she voted based on qualifications, not religion. If only everyone voted that way.
In the Miami-Dade Bar Association’s Judicial Poll, attorneys did not rank any of the candidates opposing a Jewish candidate as more qualified than their Jewish opponent. For example, 75% of lawyers voted incumbent Judge Jeffrey Kolokoff as more qualified than his opponent, Lissette de la Rosa. The Cuban American Bar Association poll yielded similar results.
The Miami Herald editorial board remarked that Kolokoff’s “experience makes him the best qualified in this race.”
If only all voters selected judicial candidates based on qualifications, Kolokoff would have won. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case.
Let’s see if the pattern continues in the next judicial election.
Dawn Grayson,
Miami
Crist saved voting
Former Gov. Charlie Crist is the sole reason we have a paper trail with Florida’s voting machines. I know — in 2004, I was a candidate for supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County and a member of the technical committee reviewing voting machines. The other candidates were ✔Arthur Anderson and the incumbent, ✔Theresa LePore.
LePore had purchased a paperless touch-screen voting system for the county that could easily be hacked. Anderson won the election and led a tech committee that failed to improve the touch-screen system.
Crist mandated optical scanners for the entire state and saved the day, and every election since.
Glenn MacLean,
Palm Beach Gardens
No bottom
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham apparently loves those free green fees at Donald Trump’s golf courses so much that he is willing to incite violence in the event his golf buddy is indicted.
The bottom keeps falling lower and lower for the MAGA crowd.
R. Lefkowitz,
Miami