Step back from ICE presence
Fortunately ICE and our local law enforcement agencies haven’t shot anyone they have been randomly detaining in SWFL. Now that ICE is directed not to stop vehicles, it’s time our local police and sheriff’s departments step back from their heavy presence with ICE in the Pine Manor and Palm Beach Blvd. neighborhoods. It will no longer take 3 sheriff’s cars, 2 ICE vehicles, and a transport van to randomly stop pedestrians or people on bikes as they have been doing throughout Lee and Collier counties for months. I can’t think of a reason pedestrians and bike riders would be stopped by ICE anyway except for the color of their skin. It’s time our local governments stop facilitating ICE to meet the arbitrary goal of 3,000 detentions a day. What has the federal government paid Lee County Sheriff’s Dept. so far this year for assisting ICE?
Barb McFarlane, Fort Myers
Support single-member districts
If you are a regular reader of Mailbag, you will know that I have recently been railing about the Lee County Commission’s failure to collect full impact fees from developers. (If you are not familiar with this issue, please research it because you are paying for development whether you like it or not.) Well folks, here’s a chance to make a difference. On the ballot will be an opportunity to vote for single-member districts. That means that only the voters in your district get to vote for the person who will represent you. Now, everybody in the county can vote for your district representative. It’s absurd, but that’s the way the developers like it because they can give five well-known people lots of cash to win every district countywide. Does anyone wonder how those five well-funded commissioners will vote on development? It’s happening now and we all hate it, but voting for single-member districts will give us the chance to tap the brakes on development.
My example will be Amanda Cochran. Her campaign literature asserts that “65% of district 5 voters choose Amanda Cochrane“ but she eventually lost to the at-large candidate who was well-funded by developers. Candidates are required to disclose campaign contributions and Amanda has accepted none from developers in the current election. All the other county commissioners live off of that money. She deserves your vote for a reconsideration of development. Single-member districts also deserve your vote so we don’t have to vote for Amanda again, just let the folks of Alva handle that like they tried to before. And the rest of us will handle voting for candidates in our respective districts — candidates not bought and paid for by developers if we vet them properly.
Gary Marsh, Estero
Sanibel roundabout not practical
The News-Press article “Sanibel council considers roundabout to ease traffic” brought a smile to my face. This isn’t the first time that this idea was debated by the council with input at a council meeting from residents. I was one of the residents that testified that the idea was not practical. Traffic onto and off from the Island is so heavy that any roundabout would need to be large enough to accommodate a huge number of vehicles. Many of the vehicles are large tractor/trailers (18 wheelers) that need a wide lane width. Just imagine a “fender-bender” in the roundabout during tourist season when traffic is exceptionally dense. An hour to clear the debris would not be unreasonable. The Sanibel or Fort Myers police would likely have to write accident reports which delays clearing the accident. Since there is no other way for vehicles to drive on and off the island, I would be willing to bet that visiting tourists would create a log jam at the roundabout every evening as they leave Sanibel.
Ron Dudley, Fort Myers
Reject year-round Daylight Saving
Legislation is being fast-tracked to impose Daylight Saving time all year round, but arguments in its defense are one-sided and even dishonest. We’re told this “innovation” will eliminate the two fatigue-inducing time changes each year, but the same could be achieved by eliminating Daylight Saving altogether. We’ve also heard that pushing the clock forward permits more evening fun and frolic, but for many it means getting up in the dark. (Sunlight in our eyes triggers a hormonal response that wakes us up, but government-imposed darkness hinders that.) Also, in Southwest Florida, the artificial time change means daytime heat chases away restaurant outdoor diners until after normal dinnertime. And you have to stay up pretty late to go on an evening walk without coming home soaked with sweat.
But more than all that, the time system used to actually be based on something: shadows pointed north at noon. Granted, time zones are approximations, but at least there was a logic to the standard. Can’t we just act like grown-ups and be on real time all year round?
Tom Houg, Fort Myers
Sunny smile to be missed
It is with a heavy heart that St. James Place announces the passing of our beloved Stephen Lee on July 8th of this year. He was one of the first residents when the home was opened in the 1990’s. Stephen enjoyed playing softball and always had a smile on his face. He worked at Special Populations in Cape Coral where he had many friends, who along with his DSSL family, will dearly miss him. Stephen fought valiantly but finally succumbed to his severe medical issues. His father, Talsop Lee (deceased), was instrumental in the planning, construction and raising funds for the buildout and successful completion of the duplex in Cape Coral. It was an innovative idea that provides independent housing for residents with developmental disabilities. His sister, Lisa Souza, currently serves on the Down Syndrome Assisted Living Association’s board as vice president. We will miss his big sunny smile but the legacy he and his father began will live on. If you would like to make a donation in Stephen’s memory, please make payable to: Down Syndrome Supported Living or DSSL, Inc P.O. Box 150448 Cape Coral, FL 33990
Marilyn Alexsy, North Fort Myers
Poteet for Florida House District 82
Voters in State Representative District 82 have a choice in the upcoming election and for several reasons I feel it is an easy choice to make. When asked by candidate Bill Poteet if I would be willing to serve as his campaign treasurer, there was no hesitation on my part. I have known Bill for over 20 years, with our first meeting being seated around a conference room table at a meeting of the Board of Directors of Naples Better Government (NBG), a nonpartisan group of folks who are interested in seeing the best candidate for the position elected. Bill served on the NBG Board of Directors off and on for all those years except for the years he showed me that he was more than just a Realtor. Those were when he took a leave of absence from the Board to focus on his sons and their involvement with Boy Scouts. After about six years doing just that, Bill did what he had promised me when he resigned from Naples Better Government. He returned to a seat that was held open until he had fulfilled his obligation to steer his sons through scouting. Bill supported me when I served as the NBG President, and there was no hesitancy on my part when he indicated he was ready to return to the Board and when he asked me to be his candidate treasurer. This is a man who does what he says he will do and can be counted on to do it well. Vote Bill Poteet for Florida House District 82. As a long-time member of the Board of Directors of a non-partisan political committee, you can count on him voting with an open mind.
Sally Tiffany, Naples
Republican standards hijacked
The Republican Party used to have financial conservatism, law and order, immigration and family as it’s pillars.
Today as the national debt explodes as it matches the entire defense budget in interest and over 40 trillion in total. The DOGE fiasco proved the inability to understand and develop financial responsibility.
Law and order dissolved as a plank on Jan. 6 and the leader of the party tried to actually pay the felons.
Immigration has seen innocent Americans being killed, only white South Africa farmers being admitted and the farthest policy from Reagan’s farewell speech on immigration as we have separated over 500 babies and toddlers from their mothers.
In family we now dictate to women their choice of abortion by a far right Supreme Court, rollback in clean energy inflation at 4% and a president who says, ” I don’t care about inflation.”Life is great with free room and board and two presidential jets.
The R on ballots no longer stands for traditional Republican standards hijacked by racism, huge tax cuts for the 2%, health care cuts, and big business record CEO earnings and forgetting we are a nation of God loved immigrants.
Glenn Mueller, Naples
Lindsey Graham’s transformation
In Dec of 2015, Graham said, “you know how to make America great again, tell Donald Trump to go to hell.” After Jan. 6, Graham said, “count me out, I’ve had enough.” Sometime after that, Graham must have received a large dose of Trump Kool aid, or being Trump’s golf buddy was enough to have him go blind and deaf. Rest in peace, we will miss the old Lindsey Graham.
Roger W. Quagliano, Estero
Do they understand irony?
The MAGA/RINO/CINO/FASCISTS control the House, the Senate, the Supreme Court, and the White House, and they’re yelling “Election Fraud!” Do they even understand the word irony?
Ken Brindle, Cape Coral
Trump not much of a learner
Our president is not much of a reader, and therefore not much of a learner. Perhaps he and the American people would be better served if he knew what he was talking about, and maybe try to educate himself about things a president should know. Does he understand anything about Iranian history or their culture or the Persian mindset? Did he underestimate the significance of the Strait of Hormuz? Did he do any research into what he was dealing with?Has he ever acquainted himself with the preponderance of evidence with regard to tariffs, climate change, or vaccines? He does appear to be well-entrenched in his theories about entitlement, misogyny, and white nationalism. It takes no research to be a bigot. His goofy tweets prove he’s barely literate. Adding insult to injury, this dullard would love to rewrite our history on racism, election fraud, and the Jan. 6 insurrection.
What, if anything, is he knowledgeable about? He masterfully uses his Svengali-like hypnotic powers to charm people into liking and believing him. He convinces millions to believe his lies. He knows how to build overpriced and self-promoting ballrooms and monuments, and sell coins and other paraphernalia with his face and name emblazoned thereon. Some people approve of his narcissism.
There are no books on how to be a bully who lies routinely. That comes naturally to Trump. Next time maybe we’ll elect someone whose senior thesis wasn’t on “See Spot Run.”
Kevin McNally, Bonita Springs
Planned Parenthood does so much
Federal funding for services paid by Medicaid was suspended to Plan Parenthood July 4, 2025 for one year. The order from the federal government expired July 4, 2026. Many advertisements stated that Planned Parenthood covered abortions, this is not the truth. The Hyde Amendment passed in the 1970’s stated that Medicaid already does not cover abortions and regular people do not know that. Locally, the regional headquarters in Tampa holds an A+ rating on its Better Business Bureau Business Profile.
Health clinics are evaluated on regulatory, compliance and health care standards. Do you know what Planned Parenthood in Fort Myers can do? I called the Planned Parenthood office in Fort Myers, and I spoke to a woman who told me so much of information. She told me that the staff are accredited medical professionals that are licensed, non-judgmental, kind and that the office tries to make bookings easier for appointments. She told me that there is a list on their webpage and so many things can be treated at Planned Parenthood.
Healthcare includes: STD and HIV services, infection testing and treatment, medications for HIV, birth control, family planning including pregnancy timing, professional insertion and removal of IUDs, prescriptions, fertility education, cancer screenings, diagnostic medical maternity care. Vasectomies are done in the Jacksonville location.
Now Medicaid can reimburse for the care of its patients. I support good health for Lee County and its citizens. I support Planned Parenthood, yearly visits and on behalf of the patient on Medicaid. I implore you to become as healthy as possible to live a good life in Lee County. Support candidates in our upcoming elections who support health. We are going to see political attacks, and I want Planned Parenthood to be ready for the future.Question, question and question ads on TV and your phone, Vote, mail in your ballots and be present and participate in this election.
Kathleen Callard, RNBS, North Fort Myers
Continuation of incompetency
It’s July and the time of the year for political ads and the time politicians want to impress us with their values. Chris Collins, for example, claims to have voted 100% of the time for Donald Trump and has defended him the same percentage of the time. That’s great individual thinking. In other words, he is Trump’s lapdog and wants to continue being so at a time the country needs bipartisan efforts to solve our many issues (inflation, homelessness, government graft, etc.). The office is apparently more important than assisting Americans who hope you’ll actually do something meaningful to make their lives more worthwhile.
Then we have James Schwartzel featuring his pickup truck covered in Trump stickers proclaiming his allegiance to Trump and advocating they share the same values, apparently overlooking the reality that his idol has been guilty of numerous felonies, has pardoned 1,500 criminals and a number of individuals who have simply paid him to do so. as well as being unfaithful to his wife and cavorting with ladies of the night. His cryptocurrency scam resulted in 2.2 billion dollars in his pocket (and substantial losses for most investors). Oh ya, he also tore up an agreement with Iran which curbed their nuclear expansion and started a war (and was surprised our NATO allies didn’t join in.) Trump is a fine example upon which to hook your values.
Belinda Keiser also seems to express no solutions to our nation’s problems but is simply aligning herself with the man tearing down the city of Washington D.C. and putting his name on anything to which it will adhere, usually offering the work to friends with no-bid contracts (but at government expense). She wants to get to Washington to stand by Trump’s side and help him continue his policies.
Let’s step back and try to elect people who reflect real values and want to make a change to a government which has become totally corrupt and lawless. People tying themselves to Trump’s coattails are not a solution but a continuation of the incompetency. Put on your big boy shoes and run a campaign reflecting some individuality rather than kissing the boots of our current swindler-in-chief.
Robert F. Tate, Naples
Standards in jeopardy
The opening hymn at my church on July 5 was one of my favorites – “America the Beautiful.” As we sang, I was taken with some of the words in the second verse as follows: “America! America! God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law!” I then returned home to read the Sunday paper and was greeted with articles about the National Park Service removing slavery-related panels from a museum in Philadelphia, our president ranting incoherently about the political opposition and the Department of Justice going after perceived political enemies.I’m certain that our country is confident enough to examine both the good and bad in our history. I worry, however, that self-control and the rule of law may be in jeopardy.
George Russell, Naples
Hot mess
I penned a letter two weeks ago that never saw the ink hit this page. I mused that Iran holds all the cards in the disastrous blunder in the joint USA and Israeli attack in February. I said you kill the spiritual leader, his family, friends, military leaders and a school full of kids and you don’t think they will want revenge? If they didn’t have a nuclear weapon then they’ll sure need one now. Events are again unfolding as I write this. The gulf is closed, attacks on our allies and military bases and hostilities resume. Iran is poised to be the preeminent nation of power in the Middle East and we can only thank ourselves. But all is not lost, there’s still levity to be found on this page as one writer claimed that Democrats are the party lusting for power, I laughed and laughed until I cried. We’re in a hot mess.
Laurence Jacks, Estero
Maine vs. Texas
In Maine candidate Platner was forced out of the primaries because of unproven but alleged sexual assault; in Texas the candidate Paxton was impeached (but not convicted), cheated on his wife and has a long history of bad and possibly illegal actions. In Texas this was not enough to remove him from the election in fact Texas Republicans strongly support him. What a difference between Texans and Mainers.
The water is being drained from the reflecting pool and there is no evidence of the Trump claimed 350-foot cut in the pool liner. Another Trump lie. How can anyone believe anything he says. When he lies about relatively unimportant stuff like this how can statements about important things be evaluated.
Benjamin Glick, Naples
Current military realities
The New Art of War by Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The book “The Art of War” by China’s General Sun Tzu lay on the bedside table of American Presidents except for Donald Trump. In the new Art of War by Ukrainian’s leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy thousands of missiles and drones could rain down on American cities from New York to Los Angeles, Miami to Seattle and Minneapolis to Houston in one night.
The current situation is analogous to the furor resulting of atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan in 1945. Even the thought of nuclear war let to agreement to prevent nuclear war which has been successful. The cat is now out of the bag. Even Russia can be defeated by Ukraine, which is 1/28 the size of Russia, by using missiles and drones.
Unfortunately, Donald Trump and his advisors have no concept of current military realities. There is obviously no way for any country to win a war today. Starting a war, as Donald Trump has done with Iran, is certain to result in defeat.
Might superior intelligence from AI provide hope for the future? Deteriorating psychological relationships between nations over extended periods of time have led ultimately to major wars. Since wars of the future make no sense why couldn’t AI mechanisms prevent them? For now send Donald Trump back for reading lessons in grade school (to be able to read Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War”) or simply remove him from office for his incompetence and his crimes.
William Pettinger M.D., Bonita Springs
Election stolen by billionaires
Nature magazine, a highly respected scientific journal, has issued a peer reviewed report stating that their “findings show partisan imbalances in political information exposure on a platform dominated by algorithmic recommendations, with implications for platform governance and democratic discourse.”
In other words, the places you scroll for political information were (and still are, I believe) biased (in favor of Trump and Republicans) by algorithms controlled by billionaires who continue to benefit from Trumpian policies, using the platforms they control (X, Meta, Instagram, TikTok, Truth Social, etc.)
The partisan imbalances favored Trump and Republicans to such an extent that they likely influenced the outcome of the 2024 election and unfortunately are likely to adversely influence 2026 and future elections unless laws are enacted to prevent the built in propaganda from continuing to be spread. (See Nature “Study confirms what many suspected: the 2024 election was rigged” “…based on this new research — a rigged information environment run by a handful of billionaires … put a corrupt, predatory fellow billionaire in the White House and helped install billionaire-friendly Republican lickspittles in Congress and state houses across the country.”
We can fix this mess. But only if we stop scrolling and start demanding change. What are you going to do about this? (Please read those articles at Nature website for ideas.)
Bob Geltner, U.S. Air Force veteran/ Captain, North Fort Myers
Socialism or good government?
Donald Trump has played to American vices rather than playing to American virtues. He has played to our greed, to our racism, to our sexism and to a false sense of national pride where waving a flag equates with patriotism.
Had Trump played to our virtues, he would have preserved DEI as a vehicle for restoring racial justice, he would have been more hospitable to immigrants as he biblically welcomed strangers, he would have enhanced Medicaid and Affordable Care rather than issuing cutbacks of their benefits, he would have taken the heaviest tax burden off of the middle class and poor and shared that burden with the very wealthy who pay little or no tax like himself, he would have acknowledged the servitude of women and condemned all Epstein participants.
When Trump is confronted with policies embracing these virtues he deprecates them by crying “communists” — a lesson taught him by Roy Cohn of the McCarthy era. He equates compassion with socialism and muddies it as communism when it clearly helps our people, when is in line with good government.
Communication (Postal Service) transportation, and defense were what the Founders deemed essential at the end of the Eighteenth Century. They did not call it socialism. They called it good government. Our forefathers were pragmatists, capitalists and socialists, willing to try whatever was necessary to ensure that the American experiment did not fail. The Founders believed in private enterprise, but it was not long until their offspring discovered the benefits of extending good government beyond communication, transportation and national defense. Libraries, fire protection, police protection and education were all socialized in the nineteenth century.
Today we have health care as a collective need percolating to the surface. Its excessive costs and its inefficacies are causing much distress. For example, the Cyclospora parasite which RFK no longer monitors. Health should be a right, not a liability. A virtuous Trump would seek to extend Medicare to all Americans. But his vice of greed seeks to privatize medicine and make it a for-profit industry which makes money for the rich and penalizes middle America. He calls a nationalized health care system socialism when it is really good government.
Then he remembers Roy Cohn and Trump yells out with terror in his voice: “Communists.”
Joe Haack, Naples
True or False
Recently I have received a lot of political mail. Most of the candidates for office indicate that they wholeheartedly support President Trump’s values and actions. I would greatly appreciate it if they would respond to my true or false questions.1. You believe that the court rulings for the 2020 election were incorrect and Trump won.2. You believe the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and the police was acceptable behavior.3. You believe that it was right to pardon the individuals who brutally attacked the Capitol police.4. You believe that when appointing staff the main prerequisite should be loyalty and not competency.5. You believe that in an elected position that one of the priorities is to seek vengeance against anyone who speaks out against you.6. You believe that you should use your elected position to financially improve your personal wealth along with members of your family.7. You believe there is no problem with a person breaking their marriage vows to two of the three women that they married.8. You believe more in bullying than negotiating.9. You believe that a friend is only a friend as long as they agree with you.10. You believe that there is nothing wrong with continually making promises that you know you cannot keep.11. You believe that you must always follow the party line.12. You believe that one of the most important goals of a politician is the glorification of their name.13. You believe that you could go into a crowd and shoot someone and none of your supporters would care.Looking forward to having your answers printed so that voters can better understand exactly where you stand. Thank you.
Warren White, Estero
Media bias obvious
I can’t come close to counting the articles that have been published in papers around the country on the ICE killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Now we see widespread reporting in the mainstream media about the ICE shooting victim, Salgado Araujo, in Texas. On the other hand, can you show me one article involving any of the following people – Lisbeth Medina, Anya Vartolomeev, Nicolay Oskim, Dacara Thompson, Nate Baker, Laken Riley, Fletcher Harris, Skylar Provenza, Ivory Smith, Alex Wise, Katie Abraham, Jocelyn Nungaray, Jennifer Ann Morton? This is just a short list of people who have been killed by illegal immigrants here in the United States. It would be appropriate for the media to answer a simple question. Why is the killings by illegal immigrants not newsworthy? Of course, we see a similar pattern by the media of widely reporting any shootings by police officers but very little reporting on police officers who are killed. The bias of the media is obvious.
Ron Wobbeking, Naples
Trump and the World Cup
President Trump rightly gets blamed for a lot of things that happen or don’t occur on his watch. But the decisive 4-1 loss of the U.S .men’s soccer team to Belgium Monday night in the FIFA World Cup tournament is not one of them. A number of his critics, and even some supporters, have attributed the defeat, at least in part, to disruption caused by the president’s intervention in connection with the one-game suspension of the squad’s star striker and offensive threat Folarin Balogun due to an offense that drew a red card of disqualification in the prior game that morphed into the ensuing one game sidelining.
The president, to be sure, made an awkward overture to the FIFA governing body to get the player reinstated, which it did, but to no avail. The U.S. Team lost to the superior Belgians. Had the American team won, particularly if Balogun had scored a goal, the president would be lionized as the club advanced in the tournament. But, alas, that did not happen.
However, the president was not too far out of bounds. It was the FIFA body that made the discretionary decision, not him. Further, the disqualification call against the U.S. striker, who happens to be one of those birth-right citizens that the president has been trying in vain to kick out of the country, was so outrageous that it warranted reconsideration, as prompted by the president.
The Americans lost the game because they were outplayed by a better team, used some questionable tactics, and made some amateurish blunders on the pitch. The president, who has been silent about the outcome compared to his gloating over American victories in other international undertakings, does not deserve the onus for this disappointing defeat.
Blaming the president for sports setbacks is not only silly, but it also dilutes the validity of the criticism that is properly – and often – directed to him for the improprieties in the matters that he does control.
Marshall H. Tanick, Naples
U.S. morality has disappeared
Now our leadership of war criminals is killing civilians and bragging about it. U.S. morality has disappeared as a part of the Trump/Netanyahu love affair!
Kevin D. Ryan, Estero
First ‘shock politician’
Mr. Trump’s whole schtick is about commandeering media spotlights. He learned in early childhood that bad kids get much more attention than good kids. He saw Howard Stern getting amazing ratings and money by being the first “shock jock,” so now we have the first “shock politician” basking in the non-stop spotlight with billions of dollars raining down on him inside the Oval Office. If he amps up his jolting shocks and electrocutes democracy… ”just think of the coveted ratings bonanza!” Question: So, are we going to let his frayed-wired ego electrocute democracy OR are we going to pull the circuit-breaker’s lever on November 3rd?
J. Cant, Naples
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Local law enforcement should step back from ICE | Opinion letters
Reporting by Letter writers / Fort Myers News-Press
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