Growing pains in New Smyrna Beach
Carl Hiaasen once observed that developers in Florida have a penchant for naming their new developments after the natural features destroyed while building them. There is no better example of this than New Smyrna Beach’s Coastal Woods.
Those who don’t believe me should drive out and take a look.
Janie Clark, New Smyrna Beach
What's the point?
Shame, shame, shame. At the joint meeting recently of the New Smyrna Beach City Commission and Planning and Zoning Board, I was amazed to see and hear the reactions of members of the board and commission.
(READ: Residents give New Smyrna Beach officials an earful)
Was this just a “listening” session to make those in attendance feel good and posturing for the upcoming elections? One would wonder.
It was interesting that a member of the planning and zoning board stated it was a puzzle to him, after the board spent many hours on an item and finally forwarded it to the commission, why the end result was nothing the board had recommended. The reply: The commission is under no obligation to act upon the recommendations of the planning board. So why even have a planning board?
It seems the city of New Smyrna Beach is more afraid of being sued by developers than protecting our community. It seems the city has sold its soul to Geosam.
Why does not the city consult with the League of Cities for assistance in how to stop this madness? Why don’t the small cities and towns band together to vet developers?
The perception is that the New Smyrna Beach Commission has just rolled over, admitted mistakes were made but is doing nothing to correct the situation. Instead, they are “trying” to plan for the future.
Meanwhile Geosam continues along its merry money-making way, destroying our communities and our water supply.
If this is not a wakeup call to all voters, I don’t know what it will take for people to pay attention and participate.
Remember, we vote the politicians in and we can sure vote them out!
Linda Combs, New Smyrna Beach
Credit is due
That was an interesting article about the Daytona Blues Festival.
It states that Pam Carbiener was the founder of the festival. Anyone who was involved with the early years knows that that’s not accurate. Dominic Benecasa had vision for this Daytona Blues Festival in memory of his brother Benji. While Pam and Frank Carbiener came onboard a bit later, as sponsors, Dominic Benecasa still produced the first shows.
We never would’ve had a blues festival without Dominic.
Nancy Schreiber, Daytona Beach
Why bring it up?
In reference to the article in the local section on Saturday, “Judicial races decided, almost”: Why did reporter Frank Fernandez refer to Volusia County Judge Dawn Fields as the “circuit’s only African-American judge ... being challenged by a white attorney”?
What difference does it make what race or gender a candidate is, for a judgeship, political office, or for that matter, anything?
I’m all for free speech and freedom of the press, but shame on the writer and even more shame on the editor who allowed this to go to press. As long as journalists keep making references to people’s gender and race, all of us who are created equal will not be equal.
Janie Machelle Ray, Ormond Beach
It’s about everyone
Gwen Graham, who is running as a Democrat for governor of Florida, really hasn’t learned anything from the 2016 presidential election. Identity politics doesn’t work anymore.
At an event in DeLand, she stated, “This election is about women.” No, it isn’t. It’s about the future of this state, which includes many millions of men. Can Graham really afford to dismiss half the population with a silly statement like that? It is so patronizing of women, most of whom do not live their lives as the victims Democrats portray them to be. Democrats show us once again that they have no ideas except never to cease harping on the “isms” that exist mostly in their own minds.
Diane Hawkins, Port Orange
Vilification tactics
I am sick to death at the outright hatred for our duly elected president as shown by letters you choose to print from the clueless left. Recent letters have deemed him hateful, greedy and even dangerous. They vilify his supporters as so many sheep unable to think for themselves. Add to this Leonard Pitts’ recent column wherein he applauds white, Christian American values as declining and is the “soil from which the weed of Trumpism grew.” If this isn’t racism, I don’t know what is. Donald Trump has this country going in the right direction, and we must stand behind him.
Barbara Dunn, Deltona
Bring on bombast
Leonard Pitts’ comments on understanding supporters of President Donald Trump are spot on. One may as well try to discern the nuances of an intricate violin solo while the percussion and brass sections are blasting away.
In my experience, and those of my moderate acquaintances, the mere mention of the man’s name is met by a supporter with instant defensiveness, hostility, and the familiar tactic of diversion by means of high-decibel verbal slap-down.
In a recent interview, a CNN reporter attempted to query a Trump staffer as to whether Trump’s tweets on his personal genius did him harm or good. The ensuing bombast from the staffer, on everything from Trump’s sterling (?) business record to the nefarious, hostile media — especially CNN — drowned out the interviewer’s repeated attempts to draw the staffer back to the subject. Even simple courtesy and public decorum have become casualties in this administration.
Many Trump people not only support him and enable him in his outlandish behavior, they replicate him in their aversion to rational discussion of anything but how right they are. It’s a typical defensive maneuver by those who lack confidence in their position.
Understanding means a desire to build bridges. A lot of Trump supporters favor walls, whether multi-billion-dollar constructs to keep out immigrants, or mental and verbal ones to avoid issues for which they have no reasonable answers. This ilk of supporters doesn’t want to be understood. They just want their way. And don’t even hint at trying to stand in it.
Stephen L. Doll, Ormond Beach