Road funding shortfall
Lee County Commissioners are currently discussing the implementation of a 1 cent sales tax to address their road infrastructure funding shortfall. They have postponed last Tuesday’s meeting because of the outcry but it’s still on the table. This problem has arisen because, instead of raising impact fees for developers, the county opted to keep those fees low. As a result, they now need to find different revenue sources to make up for the deficit.
Commissioner Pendergrass, during his election campaign, promised not to raise taxes. His approach to generating more revenue was to increase the county’s population by encouraging development. To do this, impact fees for developers were lowered. While this led to increased construction and more residents, it also meant that the costs associated with maintaining infrastructure were not adequately covered. Previously, when developers paid higher impact fees, the upkeep and funding for infrastructure were managed effectively. There is also discussion about eliminating property taxes. If this happens, it raises the question of where the necessary funds will come from to compensate for the revenue loss. The likely scenario is an increase in sales taxes, as the county will need to generate funds from somewhere — and ultimately, it is the residents who will bear this cost and they will also lose their federal tax write-off.
Some local politicians believe that raising sales taxes will allow the county to collect enough revenue from seasonal residents, often referred to as “snowbirds.” However, this overlooks the fact that local residents live in the area year-round, whereas snowbirds are present for only three or four months each year. Therefore, the majority of the sales tax burden falls on the local. The proposed sales tax is unfortunate because it also disproportionately affects lower income individuals more than those who are well-off. Sales tax is considered a regressive tax, meaning it takes a larger percentage of income from those with less. At least, the county has not yet suggested applying the sales tax to groceries, as is the case in several other states.
Lou Walker, Cape Coral
Let the children play
As a grandmother of 3 grandkids nothing brings me more joy than to hear them giggling and enjoying a swim in the pool. The speaker in the last City Council meeting condemned children for having fun in their pools. Asking kids to stop having fun is not an acceptable state for island living.
We are not a retirement village or national park. So any comparisons to those make zero sense.
Marco Island is a city. A city for all ages. It may be a shock to some, but we have children of all ages that live here. Go to school here and want to enjoy their lives on Marco Island. The intolerance towards children is really unacceptable and downright offensive.
Do any of you remember riding your bikes until the streetlights went on when you were kids? Do you remember the fun you had with your friends and family in your pool playing games and enjoying the great outdoors?
Put yourselves in the shoes of the children who are the future of this island. Let them enjoy their childhoods. Allow them the ability to live a carefree childhood that includes time in the pool. Consider that the Florida climate is not conducive to children playing outdoors in the heat of the day. Evening is the time that they can safely enjoy a game of catch or Marco Polo in their pool to cool off from the heat of the day.
It may be Marco Midnight for the older generation at 9 p.m. but most kids are completing homework, getting home from lessons or sports games. 10 p.m. in the evening is a reasonable time for nighttime quiet hours. That is what makes sense in most Florida communities. We don’t need government overreach telling us that 8 p.m. is bedtime by those that have no children and don’t understand family life today.
Kids should have the ability to enjoy their backyard pools without fear of retribution by nasty neighbors calling the police.
Fiona Winter, Marco Island
City of Palms Park
The City of Fort Myers is finally cutting their losses at City of Palms Park.
Has anyone actually done the math on this boondoggle? We spent millions building it, then hundreds of thousands a year maintaining it for 33 years and now it will cost $30 million to tear it down. Did the part-time jobs of the hotdog vendors and ticket takers really make this a good deal? People come to Florida for the sun, the beaches and to get out of the cold weather up North. They don’t make the decision based on watching a couple of baseball games a year. Even if they did, why are we drawing people here when we are already running at capacity. Trying to get a restaurant reservation during training season is ridiculous. Traffic is as bad as it gets.
Even if you think the extra tourism is justified, why are folks on Social Security building stadiums for millionaire baseball players and billionaire owners? They take all that money back to Boston or Minnesota and leave us to clean up their mess.
Greg Fretwell, Estero
Do better, Marco Islanders
I am truly appalled at the recent online cyberbullying against Marco Island City Councilor Schwan. It is not OK for the trolls of Marco to personally attack Councilor Schwan – but to do it under fake aliases to hide their identities is disgusting.
If you have something to say proper discourse is to write a letter to City Council or the papers discussing the specific points that you disagree with or come to City Council and speak up. It is never appropriate or American to take cheap shots and discuss the councilor’s deceased child as a way to retaliate against her actions on City Council. Instead of focusing on the issue and debating the points these bullies resort to personal attacks to intimidate those who have a different opinion.
It’s disgraceful, shameful and shocking. Online bullying and intimidation is a full-time hobby on Marco Island. People with too much time and nothing productive to do become online trolls. There are so many charities and volunteer opportunities where you can use your time in a positive way. I’ve never seen such low life comments from people who are former CEO’s, business owners and supposedly salt of the earth god-fearing people. Their online behavior is closer to that of thugs. God will judge your actions harshly.
City Council Chair Palumbo needs to speak up at this disgusting behavior and focus on proper decorum and civility. Do better Marco Islanders. Your behavior is nothing short of shameful.
M. Freeman, Marco Island
Segregating the gay community
Florida Senate Bill 1438 enforces state sponsored segregation; it separates Drag Queens from Pride as I witnessed this past weekend at Naples Pride. Gone are the days of free-flowing Pride celebrations; now Pride is “celebrated” in cordoned off, policed-controlled environments where the outlandish, over-the-top performers who helped each and every one of us have the courage to embrace who we truly were and to overcome our own internalized homophobia MUST perform in a separate area. Separate but equal. Sound familiar? While Reagan killed my friends through denial of research funding and guaranteed that 1994 would be the last year I’d have a good haircut, Governor DeSantis, Senators Yarborough and Perry overreach and dictate who can do what and where. And let me tell you, these guys are obsessed with the word turgid. Look it up. I did. In vague and unconstitutional language, they saw fit for Naples Pride to be “celebrated” with Drag performances off-site and performers only introduced momentarily to the crowd, sans performance. Jim Crow laws still exist in the South and once again governmental overreach is pointed right at the gay community.
Tessa Quinones, Cape Coral
Remove the mayor
Please remove the mayor from office. I feel injustice with her fighting because if this were any other person, the outcome would be completely different and that’s not justice for all to me. It shows favoritism and partiality! “Justice for all means” protecting Americans from drunk drivers and providing probation and consequences “for all” who violate it. Even if you hold a high position. The mayor violated her agreement and needs to be removed from her office asap. The respect is no longer there for her. She is not a leader we are comfortable following because she doesn’t make good decisions for her own life so why would I trust her with mine? Her behavior appears to be a desperate cry for help. I wish she would accept her consequences and get herself healthy and whole again. Somewhere she lost her vision, self-worth and dignity. She should have followed the rules so she wouldn’t be facing this problem but she chose this. When we make bad choices, they come with consequences. My recommendation is she take accountability and resign from the position and if not; REMOVE HER! Give her the option how she’d like to exit by resigning or getting fired. Resigning shows more self-respect and respect for Collier County. I’m praying for God’s perfect resolution for the mayor and Collier County.
Natalie Hemmit, Naples
Watched with pride, concern
Proud of Secret Service
As the proud wife of a retired United States Secret Service agent, I watched the events of Saturday night with both concern and immense pride. In a moment demanding courage, discipline, and split-second judgment, the men and women charged with protecting the president did what they have always been trained to do: they moved without hesitation toward duty, even at personal risk.
Much has been said in recent years about organizational challenges and public missteps. Yet amid the noise, one enduring truth remains: the core ethic of the United States Secret Service — to lay down one’s life, if necessary, in defense of the president and the nation — was on full display. That calling is not abstract. It is lived every day by agents and officers who miss holidays, work exhausting hours, and accept enormous personal sacrifice in service to something larger than themselves. Saturday night reminded Americans that behind the badge are professionals whose commitment does not waver when tested.
What makes this display of professionalism even more remarkable is that many federal personnel have continued serving amid uncertainty, including 71 days without funding. And still, they show up. They protect. They perform. They honor their oath. That should stir not only our gratitude, but our conscience. This moment ought to be a call to action. Thank these agents, certainly — but do more than thank them. Pass a budget. Pay the men and women who safeguard our institutions and keep the machinery of government functioning. It is unacceptable to ask such selfless public servants to carry extraordinary responsibilities while Washington delays meeting its own responsibilities to them.
We often speak of patriotism in grand terms. Sometimes patriotism looks like quiet competence under pressure. Sometimes it looks like an agent stepping between danger and the president. Sometimes it looks like showing up to serve even when a paycheck is uncertain. Saturday night was a reminder that honor still stands watch.
The American people saw professionalism, courage, and devotion on display. Let us respond not only with applause, but with action worthy of their sacrifice.
Pamela Collins, Naples
Why is this happening?
Like many Americans I agree violence should not be the answer to our disagreements, political or otherwise. You’ll notice, I didn’t say physical violence. I mean violence in all forms; physical and rhetorical. What recently occurred at the Washington Hilton was abhorrent and should alert all of us to a clear and present danger in America. Since our country’s founding, violence has been our cornerstone, that rock upon which we’ve built our nation. It’s just fundamental to who we are! Whatever or whomever we haven’t liked we’ve waged war against. That’s how we’ve developed as a nation and many of us are damn proud of that “fight, fight, fight mentality.” Sometimes however, that attitude can come back to bite us.
There’s no need to revisit all the past human atrocities that have occurred in America since its inception, to realize we still have a “big” problem with how we value human beings. Many of us talk incessantly about “the Right to Life” but apparently that entitlement is reserved solely for the unborn, because it appears in practice, that as soon as we are born, the rules change. As a citizen of a so-called “Christian” nation, I can barely recall the last time I felt the love that Jesus espoused from another American. What I do notice are a lot of unfriendly faces and unkind behaviors. Why? That’s the culture we’ve created. We speak harshly to one another, abuse each other, watch violent films, play violent video games, engage in violent activities and we love it! Now, we even have sports like Slap boxing, where opponents stand and open-hand slap each other until someone’s knocked out or cries for mercy; Car Jitsu, where opponents fight in mid-size sedans until someone’s rendered unconscious; Chess boxing, considered a hybrid sport, where opponents play chess and box each other intermittently until someone either gets knocked out or reaches checkmate; Phone Booth boxing where opponents stand up, punch, kick and knee each other until someone collapses from the punishment, and we can’t forget the more traditional fighting like the “Octagon” where fighters battle until they pound each other’s ears to cauliflower and choke each other until somebody passes out.
Those sporting events represent the “tip of the iceberg” as to the multitude of violent activities Americans find entertaining. It all brings to mind the old saying, “I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” Matter of fact, according to Hockeyfights.com there were 306 fights in this last NFL hockey regular season. In contrast, they claim there were only two fights in the 1938-1939 October to April regular season, which is a far cry from professional hockey’s best fight season in 1987-1988. That year they really displayed their anger and had 939 fights! And you know what, they were all recorded and votes were even tallied, rating the best fighter in each fight. So, the next time we hear people in the media or in the local grocery stores asking, “What is going on in this country” and “How did we get here?” We’ll just smile, because we’ll know the answer.
Lance C. McCormack, Marco Island
MAGA quick to blame others
President Trump’s call for a truce in the rhetoric of hatred in the wake of incident at the White House Correspondents Dinner last Saturday night, which fortunately did not result in any injuries to him or anyone else (except one Secret Service agent), did not last very long.
Within barely 24 hours, his spokesperson at the White House and other acolytes were out there blaming two of their political bete noirs, Democrats and the media, for political violence without any introspection on the accountability of the president and MAGA forces for demonizing their foes.
That’s pretty much the same thing that happened after one of the previous assassination attempts on the president that also, fortunately, failed.
It doesn’t take a mentalist, like the one who was to perform at the dinner, to know what’s on the MAGA mindset when it comes to spreading the blame to others for the mischief they help create.
Marshall H. Tanick, Naples
This conservative is appalled
We are longtime conservatives who continue to be appalled by this administration. The latest atrocity is the recent arrest of dozens of veterans and their family members, including elderly and disabled activists, participating in a peaceful protest to Trump’s illegal war with Iran at the Capitol in Washington! The irony of this is the January 6th attack on the Capitol encouraged by Donald Trump where several Capitol police were beaten, deaths occurred, and the Capitol was entered and desecrated by many protesters. Arrests were made of many of these right-wing criminals, who were later all pardoned by Donald Trump when he again came into office! We just hope we live long enough to see our country governed by moderates who obey laws, respect the Constitution and to see our country again respected and not hated by our allies.
Gwen Baker, Marco Island
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Road funding: Sales tax considered a regressive tax | Opinion letters
Reporting by Letter writers / Fort Myers News-Press
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