Naples overdevelopment
Last March the citizens of the City of Naples voted for preservation of the city’s small town feel and quality of life and opposed higher density, greater building heights, numerous easy variances, i.e., unfettered development. The City Council has its work cut out for it.
Sadly, the City of Naples is already being “Miamiized” by extreme overdevelopment. Want proof? Drive past the Four Seasons construction site on Gulf Shore Blvd. north of South Golf Drive. On the west side of Gulf Shore is a monstrosity of concrete; a gigantic eight story hotel and multistory condominium buildings. Construction across the road from the hotel will create a concrete canyon.
This is an area where there once were human sized buildings, open space and light. Of course, the complex will be painted and landscaped in an attempt to make it presentable but there is no way to disguise the out-of-scale enormity of the project or to avoid the harm it will have on the community, especially the immediate residential neighborhoods.
There will be a surge in vehicle traffic as hotel guests, condominium owners, event attendees and workers vie for access to parking garages and valet parking. Access to Crayton Rd., important to residents west of US 41 as an alternative north-south route, will be impeded. Add the impact of Four Seasons traffic to that of the new condominium “tenement” on Davis Blvd. at US 41 and the situation becomes critical. The Fifth Avenue and Third Street, venues, already packed with diners, shoppers, and cars with no place to park, will be hard pressed to fend off a downward slide to “boardwalk” status and spillover to the surrounding neighborhoods.
Can and will the City Council stop overdevelopment and further destruction of the city’s quality of life? We shall see.
Alan Parker, Naples
Vote for Burt Saunders
Burt Saunders is the only commissioner to oppose unrestricted building in Collier County. He tried to get a moratorium on building on Immokalee Road and was opposed by the other commissioners and real estate interests. If you want a more reasonable development process vote for Bert.
Benjamin Glick MD, Naples
Oakes tries to shift blame
So Alfie Oakes made a mistake and didn't get onto the ballot for State GOP Committeeman. He is now blaming the Supervisor of Elections, Melissa Blazier for disqualifying him because she wants to get her "mega-donor," Doug Rankin elected.
Doug Rankin is our lawyer for closings,wills, and taxes, and in the last22 years, the only thing that has changed in his office is a suit of armor, which moved from one side of the room to the other. Our community holdshim in high regard for his humanity, especially for helping people deal with government bureaucracies.
I don't see him as a potential "mega-donor."
Instead, I see Mr. Oakes as a crybaby, casting about for somebody to blamefor his mistakes instead of trying to learn from them.
Pat McCabe, Naples
Shame on Alfie Oakes
If Alfie can't fill out paperwork correctly to run for office, I better start checking his prices at the grocery store! And, what does one expect of someone who champions family values and then drops "F" bombs at his meetings and has FJB on his property as one enters the store! Try answering that question for some inquisitive child! And oh, by the way, this man has no respect for the Constitution or the democratic process, flying a flag upside down on July 4th. Shame! Shame! Shame!Amos Franklin, Naples
Where's Mosquito Control?
Is Collier County Mosquito control on strike, and you`ve failed to report it? Thirty-four-year resident here, this is the worst I can remember.
Peter Hull, Naples
Marco facilities fee structure
Marco Island Parks & Recreation Department at the approval of the city manager and City Council, refuses to check IDs of individuals using our facilities as to whether they are residents of Marco Island or residents of Collier County and charging non-residents a higher fee for use of its facilities.
When I was on City Council I tried to have that fee structure implemented but request was denied. Several times I had stated that the City of Naples was receiving $1 million from Collier County for unincorporated residents using City of Naples parking lot to access the beach and using city facilities. I apologize for not following up to get the facts from the City of Naples if that in fact was the case.
Also, Parks and Recreational manager never inquired about my statement.
Recently I put in a public records request to the City of Naples and was not shocked by the results. The City of Naples due to an Interlocal Agreement between Collier County and the City of Naples governing the use of the City of Naples beach parking and recreational programs. For Fiscal Year 2024 the City of Naples is receiving $1.5 million. There is also an application for TDC funding $800,000.
Maybe the city manager or city councilor should do some negotiating!
Amadeo Petricca, Marco Island
Washington Avenue traffic
My neighbors and I of Washington Avenue would like to thank the paper for publishing my letter for making the drag track we witness daily in front of our homes and children get attention. County sheriffs have done a wonderful job, planting their cars and pulling them over. We in our neighborhood have done everything we were asked as far as petitions. Attending law enforcement community groups. However, we are still sitting here like sitting ducks on Washington Avenue. Please tell us what else we can do before of our children die, we respect you and appreciate you, please don’t let it come down to a death before you take action. If you feel our life’s our less valuable and this is a budget issue please inform us we will be glad to pass around a hat to help you protect us. Thank you so much.
Christopher Barcia, Naples
Citizens Insurance rule
The recent announcement that Citizens Insurance would raise rates by 14% next year has another disastrous effect. In their effort to depopulate the number of Citizens policies, if a private insurance company offers a policy less than 20% higher than Citizens' policy, as a homeowner you are required to accept that policy or be dropped from Citizens Insurance. So an offer from a private insurance company increasing the rate 19% above the Citizens 14% increase would force homeowners to accept a total increase of 33% or be dropped from Citizens Insurance.
Joe Moran, North Fort Myers
Trump vs. Biden
Voters complain that both incumbent presidential candidates are too old. On election day one will be 81 and the other 78. Without naming names, here's a recap. One has declared bankruptcy six times. Involved in over 4,000 lawsuits through 2016. Multiple violations of emoluments clause during presidency. Told over 30,000 documented lies since 2016. Impeached for attempted extortion of a foreign leader to dig up dirt on his political opponent. Impeached and federally indicted for insurrection to overturn an election. Colossal failure of leadership at the beginning of the Covid Pandemic leading to economic collapse and 1.2 million deaths. Facing RICO indictments for conspiracy involvement to interfere in Georgia 2020 elections process, captured on audio recording. Found guilty in civil rape case resulting in $475 million in damages. Indicted for leading insurrection to hang the vice president in a coordinated action to overthrow election results. Indicted for stealing over 200 classified top secret documents, failed to return them, then lied that he’d returned all of them. Unanimously convicted of 34 felonies to deceive voters. His campaign promises include retribution against those that have held him accountable for his actions, called out his lies and are prosecuting his criminal behaviors. Offered to trade a billion dollars in campaign contributions for corporate favors.The other candidate is three years older and has been an above average president.You know who is who.Criminal savant old guy?Or, old guy?
Peter Karastamatis, Fort Myers
One-sided debate
Jake Tapper and Dana Bash are the two moderators at upcoming presidential debate. Both of these CNN "journalists" have a long history of anti-Trump positions. The debate is bound to be totally one sided. In addition, President Biden will be in his bunker for several days preparing for the debate. It has to make you wonder if Biden already knows what the questions will be so he can prepare. This is not unprecedented as the same thing happened when Hillary was provided the questions in a debate with Trump in 2016. You trust the Left at your own risk because they have shown that there is nothing beneath them when it comes to dealing with Trump. Just a few examples of the stunts the Left has pulled that later have proven to be lies − Russian collusion, Trump called neo-Nazis good people, Hunter laptop was Russian disinformation, just to name a few. The list is really quite long and you don't even have to mention the dozens that are based on "confidential" sources.
Ron Wobbeking, Naples
Three Column Challenge
Trump is currently courting the religious right. I would ask all Christians to take this challenge.
Take a clean sheet of paper. Divide it into three columns. Label Column 1 “Ten Commandments & Beatitudes.” Label Column 2 “Trump.” Label Column 3 “Biden.”
Fill in column 1 with the Ten Commandments followed by the Beatitudes (easy to find on the internet). Evaluate Trump from 1 to 10 on each item in column 1 (10 good; 1 very bad). Then evaluate Biden from 1 to 10 on each item in column one. Then add the Trump and Biden columns. A good Christian would certainly vote for the candidate with the highest score.
Bernie Kennedy, Naples
Reagan's path to citizenship
The Saturday, June 22 Views had a letterfrom someone who bemoaned Biden's possible offer of legality to illegal immigrant spouses of American citizens. However, I'd like to redirect his ire from Biden to thepresidentwho firstgranted amnesty to illegal immigrants: Ronald Reagan.
Reagansigned the Immigration Reform and ControlAct of 1986 at the Statue of Liberty on Nov 6, 1986. It gave a path to citizenship to all illegal aliens (that was the terminology back then) in theU.S. who arrived before Jan. 1982, which at that time was estimated to be only 3,000,000 people.
I knew this was a mistake. It gavehope to all the people watching around the world that one day, they too might be blessed with amnestyif they ignored our immigration laws and somehow managed to get onto U.S. land.
And now we have an estimated 11,000,000 illegal aliens (or whatever we're calling them these days) in the U.S. hoping for a president to give them the amnesty that Regan liberally granted 40 years ago, followed by incremental amnesties from H.W. Bush, Clinton, W. Bush, and Obama. Even Trump, with his nasty anti-immigrant rhetoric, didn't stop migrants.
I share the anger of every Americanwho sees migrants trespassing over our southern border everyday, but the ship called "Getting Tough with Migrants" has sailed. Neither Biden nor Trump can stop this flow. And I blame Ronald Reagan for this mess.
Elizabeth Rosenberg, Cape Coral
Justices undermine legal system
Our legal system is being undermined by the very people we entrust to uphold the law. Not only do Supreme Court Justices makes determinations based on their religious beliefs, blatant self-interest, and/or political preferences, but here in Florida, a justice is undermining the very system she has sworn to protect. Judge Cannon is either ignorant of the law (in which case, she isn't qualified to sit on the bench); or intentionally delaying the requirement for swift justice as a payback to the man who appointed her.
The victims of these actions are the American people. When we cannot rely on those who have sworn to uphold our laws and protect your rights, we are sentenced to a governing system that promotes corruption and rewards bias and discrimination. We deserve better.
Gay Silberg, Naples
Republican values?
While driving across central Florida recently, I encountered a billboard proclaimingVOTE FOR GOD AND TRUMP. I don't profess to be the brightest candle on the cake, but I've always thought that Christians were taught to follow the teachings of Jesus (turn the other cheek, love thy neighbor, etc,).
Disciplesof Donald Trump, many of whom claim to be God fearing Christians, seem comfortable with their idol talking about his return to the presidency involving "retribution, the purging of his political opponents, pardons for all January 6 riot participants (we all saw with our own eyes that these rioters were not just tourists who got a little frisky) and basically becoming a dictator.
Now I don't believe Trump is capable of lying. He stretches my belief when he claims never to have uttered the words "lock her up" with regard to Hillary Clinton, but my faith is restored when he stood before a crowd at a rally in Arizona and proclaimed "I don't care about you, I care about your votes." I've seen videos of both claims as well as one reflecting his choice of "guillotine" as a means of retribution. What happened to turn the other cheek?
Convicted of a felony in New York and claiming the judiciary system has been corrupted by President Biden (this from a man mainly responsible for the most corrupt Supreme Courtin history), the Republican press has ignored Hunter Biden's conviction by the same judicialsystem. How convenient.
At some point Republican voters may open their eyes and realize just how much of a jerk Donald Trump is and how much of a threat to democracy he represents. Any party represented by big picture thinkers (you all know whoI mean (Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz. Ted Cruz, Josh Harley, Lauren Boebert, and of course Lindsey Graham) are destined for the scrapheap. Trump and an alarming number of his followers seem to be enamored with Russia's president as well as several despots throughout the world. When coupled with skinheads, militiagroups, the KKK and other like-minded groups, the rational world questions what the Republican Party has become. It certainly doesn't represent the values upon which the country was built. It certainly isn'tGod like.
Robert F. Tate, Naples
Ten Commandments
In his article Hogan Gore discusses efforts in some states to require the posting of the Ten Commandments inpublic schools. According to Judeo Christian traditions and teaching approximately 3,500 years ago God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses. Apparently the Naples Daily News editor finds the entire subject so judgmental, so frightening, and so intimidating that he feels compelled to rename the Ten Commandments as “Bible Rules” in order to protect the public.
Bruce Foster, Naples
Teen shark attack report
Thank you, Naples Daily News and reporter C.A. Bridges, for your thorough report on the recent teen shark attack and the honor given to her rescuer. It is an inspiring account of the brave doctor and medical team who saved her, and the girl’s amazing progress in recovery due to her strong will to live and cope with two amputations.
Dorothy S. Kuzneski, Naples
Supreme Court
As I write, the Supreme Court has just issued an opinion to uphold a federal law that prohibits people subjected to domestic violence restraining orders from having firearms. What would strike anyone with half a brain as obvious was challenged by a man who was himself subject to a restraining order as a consequence of his violent behavior. Did the court take this case only because of its Second Amendment implications? While I find this absurd enough the fact that the highest court in the land chose to release this opinion while it still (so far) sits on one of the most consequential cases in its history is unfathomable. What's more, that Justice Thomas would stick to his literal interpretation of the Constitution further demonstrates that members of the court remain totally removed from the safety and well-being of ordinary people. Given the self-serving aggrandizing by some of the justices is it any wonder that public respect for this vital institution has hit rock bottom?
Robin Petty, Bonita Springs
