Stop road through sanctuary
Kingston developers have plans to build a road through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary (CSS) to allegedly serve as a hurricane evacuation route for the massive community they are building. They were secretive about this proposed road and it was never in public-viewed plans.
The CSS was established in 1954 and is the largest remaining old-growth cypress forest on the planet. It harbors rare species such as the ghost orchid, wood stork, and the Florida panther. The sanctuary once hosted North America’s largest wood stork nesting colony, but due to changes in water levels and habitat loss, the nesting is infrequent.
Changes in our water level are significant because the development was approved even though it is between CSS and Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, both areas that recharge our water supply. Certainly, a road will also impact our water.
Our water and CSS are not theirs to take. They belong not only to us, but for those of unborn generations. I encourage everyone to protest. We were able to stop hotels and golf courses in our state parks, so it is possible to stop this as well.
Further, I don’t think a hurricane route is even a concern with the Kingston development. It is inland, the houses will be new so should be sound, and I doubt most people would evacuate. I suspect something more is afoot.
The Kingston development is in Lee County, while the CSS is in Collier County. We should know how our commissioners are going to respond.
Carol Pratt, Naples
World Cup degraded
A headline in the July 1 News-Press sports section read “World Cup brings out the best in us.” Ideally, international sports such as the Olympics and the World Cup do that, bypassing political differences for an international gathering of athletes attesting to the nonpolitical potential of common interests. At the current World Cup an additional, if not more accurate headline and story would be “World Cup brings out the worst in us.” As the host country we have an obligation to assure a non-biased even playing field. By making politics a determinant of who can participate and how, we are denying the principle behind international athletics. The Iran soccer team was put in a singular disadvantaged position. Instead of being housed with other countries teams in the cities where they played matches, Los Angeles and Seattle, the Iran team was required to commute before and after each game to Tijuana, Mexico, for housing and a separate practice field. And each time they reentered the United States the players were subjected to hours of grueling, exhausting interrogation at the border. In another politically motivated degrading action Omar Artan of Somalia, who had been named the best soccer referee in all of Africa, was denied entry into the United States despite having a valid work visa to officiate at the World Cup. He was interrogated for 11 hours before leaving the United States. Our actions degraded the basic principles and meaning of international sports. Where was the appropriate media coverage? Where was the sports world’s outrage?
Robert Hilliard, Fort Myers
No upside to Trump’s interference
Trump’s “brilliant decision” to interfere in the World Cup soccer match between the U.S. and Belgium played a role in the U.S. team’s embarrassing loss to Belgium. I agree with Trump that the red card penalty called on Folarin Balogun in the U.S. match with the Bosnia Herzegovina team appeared excessive as the contact looked incidental. But my knowledge of soccer is probably the same as Trump’s.
But the FIFA rules required a one game ban for the U.S. player. Trump’s interfering in a sport that he does not understand, by calling his buddy Gianni Infantino and asking him to look into the penalty, led to the expected result from his interference — suspending the ban so Folarin could play against Belgium. But the red card penalty still stands.
To Trump, someone who cheats in golf, business, marriage, etc., his telephone call, designed to reverse the suspension, was to boost his ego and show what an outstanding American and president he is. It had the opposite effect.
The U.S. team, with Folarin playing, was embarrassed by Belgium in a humiliating 4-1 loss. The U.S. team knew that Trump’s interference was inappropriate and evidenced a lack of sportsmanship. There was no upside to what Trump did. Had he not interfered, the U.S. team would have had something to prove, they would have been fired up, they would have been the true underdog, they would have accepted the penalty and not have the dark cloud of shame hanging over their head due to Trump’s ego trip. Had they still lost, they could hold their heads high. Not now. I suspect that many Americans may have felt that the U.S. team deserved to lose.
No it was not a “brilliant decision.” It was a decision made by somebody who has no respect for rules, fair play, or sportsmanship. Somebody who doesn’t know that winning at any cost is a sign of weakness not greatness. Somebody who believes that taking awards earned by others does not make him a winner. It makes him a pathetic loser. In sports and in life.
Donald Switzer, Naples
Don’t change the rules
Rules help keep everyone safe in society. Air traffic controllers help airplanes fly and navigate without crashing, traffic lights help car drivers safely through intersections (yes, I know, some drivers don’t respect red lights), you can’t yell “fire” for fun in a movie house and not expect dire consequences. So what example is Trump and FIFA setting by changing the “red card” rule for Balogun, the U.S. soccer kicker. What about the other players who received red cards earlier in the championship? Don’t change or make up the rules as the championship goes on.
G. Carr, Fort Myers
Immigration enforcement
As primary and general elections draw near, the average IQ of candidates of both parties drop at least 20 points as reflected in their inability to fact check their wilder claims and their limitless ability to repeat falsehoods.
This is a biased letter; it only addresses Republican follies. Furthermore, it is restricted to one issue — immigration — on which we have candidates for Florida and national offices who suggest that there was a massive increase in illegals under President Biden, supposedly because of “open borders.” Some candidates hint that all illegals entered the country during that period.
So what does the Department of Homeland Security’s own website say on the subject? That: numbers of illegals have held steady around 11-12 million over the years; 80% of illegals have been here for at least 15 years; the Biden administration deported as many illegals as did the first Trump administration. Interestingly the more conservative Pew Research Center argues that there are 14 million illegals up from a high of 12.2 million in 2007 but shares the conclusion that 80% have been here more than 10 years, argues that 2025 actions have not reduced the 14 million figure and that 9.7 million constitute 5.6% of the workforce.
So when candidates bray that they are 100% with Trump efforts to expel the millions that Biden allowed in and/or that ICE with its 2,000 deportations a day quota is only ridding us of violent criminals instead of the backbone of the economy, we really should demand evidence.
Alan Keller, Naples
Hypocrisy in action
I’m sure we have all encountered or known a person whose behavior contradicts their stated beliefs or feelings. A single word by which to describe these people is “hypocrite.” Hypocrites can be found just about everywhere. However, there appears to be a higher concentration of them occupying elected positions of authority in government settings (politicians)!
I have found that most hypocrites claim to be of the devout religious ilk. They will claim to espouse the character and teachings of Jesus Christ publicly and, most certainly, in their chosen house of worship. However, once they are in a private setting the hypocrisy of their performance will squeeze out of them as readily as juice from a kumquat!
Recently, one such hypocrite was featured in a News-Press article − Byron Donalds! He claims to have given himself to Jesus. I’m not entirely sure, but I would assume that means he has adopted the character and philosophies of Jesus Christ. Well, this is where the hypocrisy comes shining through because years earlier he gave himself to King Con! Byron, you can’t give yourself to two opposing forces! Jesus and King Con couldn’t possibly be any more dissimilar from each other! In fact, if we held a competition to crown the person most qualified to be considered the Anti-Christ, King Con would win in a landslide as he did in the 2020 presidential election!
So, Byron, are you going to continue to mirror the lack of character, honesty, morality, and lawfulness of King Con or will you truly give yourself to Jesus and start acting like him?! Your choice is simple; Christ or Anti-Christ!
Jay Custa, Estero
Affordable Care Act is a failure
On July 2, the paper ran an article that pointed out “Millions drop ACA health coverage amid price jump.” It goes on to say that 19.2 million were enrolled in an Obama care plan as of February down from 23.1 million who signed up for coverage by January 2026. The other interesting point in the article says that “When Congress failed to extend the enhanced subsidies that expired at the end of 2025… the average cost for enrollees soared 114% in 2026.”
Does this surprise anybody? The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), passed by Democrats only, was supposed to fix our medical care issues. However, it only made the health care situation worse. Paragon Health Institute said that there 12 promises that were made and not kept. Listed below are 6 of them.
Democrats now say that health care needs to be fixed. Really? Your party got us into this mess, so what is your solution? The truth is Obamacare was to be the step to eventually get the country into a government-run, single-payer plan and create more Democrat power over the American people.
Government can’t do much very well and health care is an example of its incompetence. Do you trust the Democrat Socialist party to fix health care issues?
Nick Blauwiekel, Naples
Monuments to past presidents
When did George Washington build the Washington Monument? He was certainly busy as Commmander-in-Chief of the Continental Army that sent the Brits home. He shared his ideas in the creationg the Constitution, noting the need for a Bill of Rights, and was elected to serve as Presiding Officer. He became the first president of the United States and was elected to a second term. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence and later became our third president. While president he supported the Lewis and Clark expedition to explore the lands to the west which doubled the area of the United States and completed the Louisiana Purchase. When did he ever have time to build the Jefferson Memorial? Did President Lincoln build the Lincoln Memorial before he became president? He certainly did not have time to build it while the Civil War was raging. FDR was elected in 1932 and served for a dozen years, creating the New Deal, establishing Social Security and the challenge of the economic conditions following the Great Depression. All of that was followed by Pearl Harbor and fighting war in both Europe and Asia. One might say that his passing was a blessing for him. So, when did he ever have time to build the FDR Memorial?
I looked through a number of history books but could not find an answer to my question: How did these men have time to build their monuments?
Bob Ford, Fort Myers
Temporary Protected Status
A recent letter writer apologized to people from other countries who are having difficulties in getting ahead in this country. He is basically ashamed of this country. He particularly points to Haitians and tells them to keep trying.This gentleman suffers from the same misconception that many other Americans do. We have been open for so long that they (fellow Americans) have forgotten that American citizenship isn’t a right that is freely passed out to whomever wants it. It is a privilege. Am I glad to have been born in this country? You better believe I am.One of the things that undoubtedly made this letter writer share his sadness about Haitians is the revocation of the Temporary Protected Status that was just decided in the U.S. Supreme Court. That program was started for Haiti in 2010 after a big earthquake struck that country. Sixteen years is a lot more than temporary. Granted, I wouldn’t want to go back to Haiti. It has more problems than anyone deserves. But, is it our fault? Is it our problem? I would say “No” twice.I have one other question for the letter writer. If our country is so horrible, why do so many keep wanting to come here.
Chuck Bainbridge, Naples
Democratic Socialists
Famous quotes: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” saidPresident John Kennedy. Margaret Thatcher famously stated, “Socialism sounds great until you run out of other people’s money.” Fast forward to 2026. Hard work, dedication, goal setting, saving for the future, entrepreneurship, family responsibilities love and respect for what our country offers, appear to be challenged by a wave of Democratic Socialists. The new mantra is victimhood along with vilification of successful Americans. As we know several Democratic Socialists won recent elections. Many are on record stating their hatred for our country. Some are on record stating Death to America, America got what it deserved on 911, several have justified the deaths, torture, and rapes of 1,200 Israelis on October 7th, most want to eliminate prisons, ICE, and police. Virtually all want open borders. Some actually state we need to eliminate private property ownership. Their biggest platform is to eliminate capitalism and free enterprise. Almost all believe your wealth should be transferred to anyone they decide. “Free stuff for all.” Sadly, when the current Democratic leadership is questioned about this trending, they are in lockstep publicly stating, “We are a big tent party.” The incredible irony is most Americans just celebrated our 250th day of independence and the appreciation to live in the greatest country on earth.
John McWilliams, Fort Myers
Victory for parents, families
The passage of the KIDS Act marks an important victory for parents and families. Parents should have a say in what their children do online, and Congress has now taken an important step toward giving them practical tools to do just that.
The bipartisan KIDS Act starts from a simple premise that parents − not the government − should be empowered to guide their children’s online experience. Every family is different, and concerns about social media, gaming, messaging apps, or other online services vary from household to household. The KIDS Act recognizes that reality by putting parents at the center of those decisions.
That approach stands in sharp contrast to other proposals Congress has considered in the past, such as the App Store Accountability Act, which would have required broad approval systems for every app download regardless of content or risk. Those kinds of blanket requirements create unnecessary friction for families while doing little to address the situations where children are most vulnerable. Effective child safety policies should give parents meaningful oversight, not more bureaucracy.
The KIDS Act demonstrates that Congress can strengthen online protections for children while respecting family choice and avoiding unnecessary privacy risks. It is a thoughtful, targeted approach that deserves to serve as the model for future efforts to protect kids online.
I also want to thank Representative Mario Diaz-Balart for his support of the KIDS Act and for standing with parents and families on this important issue. His leadership helped make this commonsense legislation a reality.
Beth Colman, Ave Maria
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Protest proposed road through Corkscrew sanctuary | Opinion letters
Reporting by Letter writers / Fort Myers News-Press
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By Letter writers | USA TODAY Network
