New Miami-Dade sheriff’s swearing-in showed respect and professionalism | Opinion
New sheriff
I was assigned to assist with the swearing in of new Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stutz on Jan. 7. I dealt with more than 400 officers, now deputy sheriffs. What a fantastic group of men and women. Each was respectful, kind and very professional. It was truly a great experience.
With the hatred and rudeness of some in the public toward law enforcement, our citizens must know how wonderful these individuals really are. It was truly a pleasure and a day I will never forget.
Robert Lynch,
Davie
Carter’s legacy
Early in my doctoral studies of American history at Florida International University, I visited the Carter Center in Atlanta. This sparked my interest in the history of nursing. I discovered that President Jimmy Carter’s mother, Lillian, was a nurse who provided care for the white and Black communities of Jimmy’s hometown of Plains, Georgia.
Upon further research, I discovered more about this interesting woman and requested a phone conversation with President Carter. To my surprise, he invited me to his home. I heard about Lillian’s career and life at home and in India, when she became a Peace Corps worker at the grand age of 68.
As I reflect upon President Carter’s death on Dec. 29, it is clear that so much of Lillian, who in his words “championed the underdog, always,” informed his life’s work. Surely, she inspired his post-presidential mission to improve health around the world.
“In India,” Lillian wrote, “what I did was help people who didn’t have anything.” For Jimmy Carter, too, the poorest people of Africa grasped his attention as he directed the Carter Center to battle the debilitating Guinea worm disease and other parasitic infections.
In thinking about President Carter’s legacy, I especially consider the Carter Center’s initiatives for health in so many parts of the world, which seem to echo his mother’s philosophy: “When you do something for somebody in need, you get back a hundredfold.” In India, she claimed, “I got it back a thousandfold.”
Christine Ardalan,
Coconut Grove
Rundle’s rebuttal
The Jan. 5 op-ed by Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle, “Focus on the daily victories by your prosecutors,” is well-written. Too often, as fallible human beings, we take clear sailing for granted and easily focus on the plaintive cry of inclement weather.
In light of the recent criticism of the state attorney’s office, Rundle’s enlightening and fair description of the many successful prosecutorial victories her office’s attorneys have quietly accomplished on behalf of county citizens serves notice and is evidence of her competence, which has earned her re-elections since 1993.
Before my retirement from the court reporting profession, I and my office witnessed, in the criminal courthouse, many trials firsthand. The accomplishments of her attorneys and staff today and every day should be commended.
As head of one of the largest criminal court calendars in the nation, Rundle has demonstrated we are in very good hands.
H. Allen Benowitz,
Miami
Boating safety
Should be interesting to see how the proposed Florida Senate Bill 58 (boating bill) will do when it comes up for a vote. The bill is long overdue, but as a recent Miami Herald editorial so aptly put it, “Boating is a cherished part of Florida’s lifestyle.”
Visit any convenience store gas station on a weekend and you will see people filling their trailered boats with gas and cases of beer. It’s a no-brainer that drinking is a big part of boating and fishing.
How will the Marine Patrol monitor that?
This is like drinking at sports bars. Tons of beer consumed, then patrons go out to their cars and drive off. Lots of luck with drunk boaters.
If an accident that resulted in tragedy and the discovery of numerous empty alcohol bottles on a boat filled with teens wasn’t enough to immediately arrest the owner, then what is the criteria?
Good luck with this proposed legislation and the alcohol lobby’s big bucks.
Marie D. Valenti,
South Miami
Haitians in crisis
Re: the Jan. 8 story, “US sends 11 Guantanamo prisoners to Sultanate of Oman to start new lives.” We cannot send these Yemeni prisoners back to Yemen because a brutal civil war is happening there.
If this is so, why can we send people back to Haiti?
The situation in Haiti is much worse than a brutal civil war. We must help the Haitians, not send them back to their country.
Susan Manley,
West Kendall
Deliver facts
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the social media platform will no longer fact-check posts. Almost simultaneously, the inexplicably elected president-elect mentioned that the Panama Canal was built for the United States military.
If the man allegedly described by a college professor as the dumbest student he’d ever had would have actually studied, he might have read that many countries considered building a canal at the isthmus of Panama as early as the 16th century. The French finally began building it in 1881, but abandoned the effort after spending too much money and losing more than 20,000 lives. They were not building it for the U.S. military.
The U.S. took over the project in 1904 and the canal was completed in 1914. “Only” 5,000 people died during this phase of construction. The first ships through were cargo ships; they remain the majority of canal traffic today.
In these precarious times, we must be more insistent on having our government deliver facts, not propaganda, if we are to remain a democratic force for good in the near and distant future.
Edgar Garin,
Miami Beach
Carter’s humanity
As many of us Miamians remember, the 1980 Mariel boatlift started out as a group seeking asylum in the Peruvian embassy in Cuba, then developed into many Miami Cubans boarding their boats and sailing to Cuba to bring their families and friends, amid rumors that Fidel Castro was emptying out prisons and insane asylums.
In spite of the criticism he endured, President Jimmy Carter took the “human” approach and welcomed them. He reminded us how every immigrant group has come to this country seeking a better life.
May his passing remind us of what it is like to be compassionate and human, even in politics. As Carter was being laid to rest on Jan. 9, I thought we need this reminder, more than ever, every day.
Josie Oteiza,
Miami
Blurry photo
If one looks at a picture of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed cabinet, one would see what the opposite of DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) is. It is TEI (Tokenism, Exclusion, Inequality).
Let’s hope America is not regressing to the “Jim Crow” era. Or does it matter?
Floyd Jordan,
Miami Gardens
Spirits of ‘76
Just like those group paintings of the Founding Fathers that hung in our elementary school classrooms way back in the middle of that other century, I’m imagining those same great minds and spirits gathering again to fill the Oval Office as a new American leader sits at the Resolute Desk to continue the work of guiding America to further success.
Nothing, after all, succeeds like success. May God favor our undertakings.
Miriam Rosen,
Miami
Ethical norm
President-elect Donald Trump must yet acknowledge his 2020 presidential defeat before the inauguration of his 2024 victory. That’s the golden standard in our civilized society.
Oscar Alvarado,
Miami
Beach danger
I recently visited Miami Beach and was curious about how it is embracing its role on the front line of climate change. While I love the city for its multiculturalism, walkable streets and celebration of diverse people, I couldn’t help but notice a lack of visible climate activism. For instance, there still isn’t even a public transportation option available without getting stuck in a traffic jam across the causeway.
One incident that stood out was at an Italian restaurant on Lincoln Road. Patrons were not allowed to drink tap water, only imported Italian water. The manager agreed the policy was indefensible environmentally and is illegal in several countries. However, he was unwilling to engage in a serious discussion to change it.
I am saddened Miami Beach is not more visibly promoting actions and symbolism to help protect itself against the rising sea.
Adam Erlich,
Arlington, MA
This story was originally published January 11, 2025 at 5:00 AM.