State officials thought they could fool Floridians with ‘Great Outdoors Initiative’ | Opinion

Parks for all

The mission of a state park is to be a quiet place to enjoy and learn about natural habitat and area history. Florida has so little of such places left. John and Bessie DuBois were my grandparents. They sold 17.5 acres of Kitching Creek (in Jonathan Dickinson Park) to the government to create Camp Murphy. The unique history of this facility is so important to save and teach all our children.

Please save Florida’s state parks from commercial development. Florida needs a state law against commercialization of all their state parks. The parks are for all the people.

Mary Thayer Ferrell,

Beaufort, NC

Greener Florida

Growing up in Miami in the 1960s and 1970s meant enjoying many wooded areas that are now developed spaces. The importance of the remaining green spaces to preserve Florida’s uniqueness cannot be overstated.

There are plenty of county and municipal facilities that could better accommodate the hotels, golf courses and pickleball courts the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) proposes.

Apparently, the DEP seems to have forgotten what the P in DEP stands for.

James Reibel,

Sebastopol, CA

Teaching teachers

As the 2024-25 school year gets underway, nearly 5,000 classrooms in our state are without a professionally trained teacher, according to the Florida Education Association. These vacancies are impacting more than 100,000 Florida students, including thousands in Miami-Dade County. This trend is emblematic of the chronic teacher shortage plaguing communities across the United States.

While solutions have been elusive, Achieve Miami’s Teacher Accelerator Program (TAP) has created a scalable model for recruiting, training and placing qualified teachers. Working with our partners at University of Miami, Florida International University, Miami-Dade College and Teach for America, TAP presents a direct path to becoming a teacher for those who may have never contemplated a career in education. TAP launched at the University of Miami in 2023 and 40 new teachers completed the program.

This fall, TAP has nearly quadrupled its impact by preparing more than 150 participants for teaching positions. This expansion during our first two years is challenging the conventional wisdom that enlisting new teachers is a futile exercise. Our participants view education as a fulfilling, flexible career path, offering job security and competitive benefits.

Between college seniors planning their next move and so-called “career changers” pivoting to education from another field, there is a deep pool of talent eager to teach. Many of these individuals possess skills and backgrounds tailor-made for the classroom.

Cultivating the next generation of teachers is among our nation’s most significant challenges. TAP’s success in Miami is proving that when an accessible ramp to teaching is offered, there is no shortage of demand.

Leslie Miller Saiontz

founder,

Achieve Miami and the Teacher Accelerator Program,

Miami

Tell it straight

Our political parties’ rhetorical commitment to “defending democracy” is belied by their actual campaigns, which consist not in informing voters, but in essentially manipulating them through misinformation, misrepresentations, deceit, distortions and outright lies. (A flagrant example of this is the recently reported pressure by the by the Biden administration on Facebook to censor content in 2020 ).

If the candidates truly respected democracy, they would clearly and honestly present their qualifications and policies and then let the voters decide, respectfully deferring to the majority (the very essence of democracy).

“Testifying” before the American electorate should be at least as important as testifying before a jury. A presidential election can be much more consequential than a court trial. Perhaps candidates, like witnesses, should campaign “under oath,” allowing the voters to register their preferences based on truths and not on deceptive political propaganda.

Stanley Spatz,

Hollywood

Sacred ground

My grandfather, who served in WW I, and my mother’s first husband, who was killed in action in 1945 in WW II, are honor burials at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

No politician from any political party has the right to politicize their sacrifices, or those of the men and women laid to final rest there. Common Defense, our nation’s largest grassroots veterans organization, representing 400,000 members, has stated that “Campaigning on the graves of heroes dishonors soldiers’ sacrifice.”

Ex-President Donald Trump has every right to accept an invitation from a family member to join them to mark the anniversary of their veteran family member’s passing. What he has no right to do is violate the cemetery’s clear photography guidelines nor to bully the cemetery staff. What can never be forgiven is the later posting on TikTok and creation of a separate political ad for Trump, with his knowledge and approval.

I speak for my family’s veterans who cannot and for all the other heroes laid beside them: shame on Trump and his staff.

Martha Singleton,

Miami

Better manager

In 2023, Miami Marlins Manager Skip Schumaker was voted National League Manager of the Year. For the 2024 season, his key starting pitchers (Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Jesus Luzardo, Ryan Weathers and Braxton Garret) have been unavailable for most or all of the season.

The Marlins have traded away top position players such as Luis Arraez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Bryan De La Cruz and several key relief pitchers. Their top position player (shortstop Xavier Edwards) is out injured. What remains is a plethora of position players hitting near the Mendoza Line (.200) and pitchers who should be playing at the Double and Triple A level.

Considering the above — and with the Marlins having won 49 games (as of Friday) so far in 2024 — Skip may be doing an even better job this season.

Dave Oliver,

Miami Lakes

Absolute gall

The prime example of chutzpah used to be the guy who killed his parents then pleaded to the judge for mercy because he was an orphan. Now, we now have a new standard.

Sen. Rick Scott, who pleaded the Fifth no less than 75 times at his deposition in a Medicare fraud case in 2000, is advertising in the Miami Herald and other papers that he will protect Medicare from the likes of President Biden and Vice President Harris.

If anyone believes that, please contact me for a great deal on a bridge for sale in New York City’s Brooklyn — cheap!

Richard Pachter,

Delray Beach

Judges’ rules

Hard to believe that our criminal justice system is failing us, but it is on the verge of being worse than a third world country. How often do we see crimes on the street committed by folks who have a rap sheet pages long, ankle monitors removed, bail violated.

Whatever happened to three strikes and you’re out? Hasn’t the time come that we should hold judges and prison officials who pardon or release felons way before their sentence, to some kind of accountability?

Judges who release hardened criminals back to the streets, only to commit another vicious crime, should, at a minimum, explain the reason for his or her judgment.

Roger Shatanof,

Coral Gables

Follow the green

Who do our politicians think they are kidding with the “Great Outdoors Initiative” ploy?

It’s all about money, commercial business and destroying the natural environment to reward big dollar political donors. Paving over plants and trees, nature paths and environments for birds, butterflies and other natural flora and fauna to build recreational activities is not being environmentally caring.

Too much concrete is being poured to build, build, build. Let’s please leave our state and local parks off that list.

Marie D. Valenti,

South Miami

This story was originally published September 2, 2024 at 11:44 AM.