War over private/public beach access
I have some comments about “War at the Shore,” an article published March 31 (“Florida lawmakers join fight over beach access”).
It seems to have been the original intent of lawmakers, before our coastline was overdeveloped, to allow free beach access to the public. Since then, it has become about access only up to the “mean high water line.”
Because the beach is dynamic, erosion, storms and tides will work constantly to change this “line in the sand.”
The mean high-water line is determined by a complicated process of measurements taken over a 19-year period. Its actual location is very difficult to determine and even then is only temporary.Residents and visitors love the beach. Developers make lots of money building near the beach. As the beach becomes more popular, rich people buy properties on the beach and then lobby to keep everyone else off “their” beach.
Now people are visually accosted by territorial flags and no-trespassing signs, which mar our enjoyment of the pristine environment. One property even has a “Tow Away Zone” warning.
What are they going to tow away? My beach chair?
Patch Davis, Sarasota
Long-range goals of 2025 protests
As a veteran of countless protests and teach-ins on Vietnam and civil rights in the ’60s and ’70s, I thought we could change the world and bring peace and justice.
After many years, I think we did change public opinion.
We deal with different issues now. People are out in the streets because of frustration and fear for our republic. Yes, we definitely need to protest now. But in the short run, these protests are not accomplishing any policy change.
People are being ignored by President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and his team.
For me there are two main reasons to continue protesting and both will take massive effort and time:
Lou Grossman, Sarasota
Congress: Defend democracy or get out
Why? Why aren’t Republicans in the House and Senate doing something to defend our democracy from the authoritative destruction by Donald Trump?
Do they fear they will not be reelected to their seats?
Are their seats in the government more important to them than defending our government? Do they not believe in our democracy?
If not, they shouldn’t be in the government!
So far, the judiciary branch of the government is defending our government from Trump’s attacks. Will the Supreme Court stand up, too?
Hopefully, in the midterm elections in 2026, many of these representatives and senators will not be reelected, but it may already be too late then to save our democracy.
Dennis Shimp, Venice
Create industry first, then use tariffs
Tariffs can protect existing industries.
They cannot be used to create new ones.
Bringing prior industries back when they haven’t been here for decades is like creating a new industry.
Tariffs are the whim of administrations that can and do change every four years. Building factories and opening them takes decades or more. The administration is temporary; the debt is permanent.
One must create the industry first. Then, if one wishes to protect it from foreign competition, tariffs may be initiated to protect it.
The list of industries that once were here, but are here no more, is long. The cost of building and running industries here in the U.S. is not just a function of labor costs, but of environmental compliance costs.
In a real sense, we have exported inflation to other shores by virtue of consuming goods made with cheap labor.
We have also exported our environmental concerns by forcing compliance domestically but then consuming products made without such compliance offshore.
Both topics need to be addressed.
Lee Hoffman, Lakewood Ranch
Trump’s keystone cops stupid, dangerous
“Alice in Wonderland” was a satire on absurdity and reality.
The Keystone Cops were funny and pretty stupid.
The “keystone cops” of the Trump administration are not very funny, more than pretty stupid and extremely dangerous.
This latest breach of national security shows how inept and overmatched the president’s Cabinet members are.
They obviously don’t care about you and me and our place in the world.
George Ulrich, Sarasota
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This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Our beaches must open to residents, visitors | Letters
Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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