- April 15, 2024
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Humane Society: Flagler County’s animals need your help
Dear Editor:
I have been a volunteer at the Flagler Humane Society for the past four years. Prior to that time, I was only aware of shelter life for dogs and cats through what I read or heard. Now that I have seen it for myself, I feel compelled to make a plea for the animals who live in our shelter.
“Kitten season,” a time when cats are most actively pursuing reproduction, is coming. During this time, the shelter takes in many “found litters.” Last year, we had more than 100 kittens brought in under the age of 3 months, with most even younger than that.
As the shelter cannot accommodate so many very young kittens who require around-the-clock nurturing, we beg and plead for volunteers to foster these babies. Unfortunately, last year's kitten season has continued into the winter months.
It is only through the efforts of the wonderful staff and volunteers that so many kittens survived and went on to be adopted. Having said that, there are still kittens and cats who have been in the shelter for months, waiting for their forever homes. No matter how much love and attention the staff gives to these animals, shelter life is not the life these innocent animals should have to bear.
This can all be prevented by the simple act of spaying and neutering your cats.
There are financial programs at the shelter to help people attain this goal. There is also a program to help to spay and neuter feral cats, who reproduce at an alarming rate, subjecting them to disease and a life in the wild. Just feeding them does not prevent the kittens from being brought in as a litter found on the side of the road.
And then there is the problem with the indiscriminate breeding of your dog, for whatever reason. Please, before you do this, come to the shelter and see the number of oigs who are sitting there waiting to be adopted. The small and cute dogs get adopted first and the larger breeds, especially the pit bull mixes, are left to wait and wait and wait.
These are wonderful dogs, who through no fault of their own, make up about 10% of the dogs in the United States, but are in the range of 85% of the dogs brought into shelters, mostly as strays. There is now a grant available for pit bulls and pit mixes to be spayed and neutered at no cost to the owner. It can't get any easier than that!
We have volunteers who take dogs to events every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in an effort to get them adopted. They dedicate their time and energy to find good homes for the dogs that would otherwise be shelter residents for months and months. When I go into the shelter and see the sad eyes of dogs who have been passed over for whatever reason, it breaks my heart. If you love your animals, consider having them spayed and neutered so no dog is left to sit and wait.
And in closing, please remember that the Flagler Humane Society exists mostly through the generosity of the public who contribute to it, and the many dedicated volunteers and staff who spend their time doing whatever they can to give the animals a good life. Economic times are tough at the moment, but any donation, however small, is greatly appreciated. Any hours you can volunteer helps to keep the shelter running smoothly. It's all for the animals and only the animals.
Cheryl Pannone
Palm Coast
No free rides for vacant parcels; taxpayers will have to pay
Dear Editor:
(Note: This letter was written in response to the March 12 story, about the City Council’s decision to extend stormwater discounts to 127 vacant parcels in the city.)
The city is bidding to try and reduce rates for 127 vacant parcels. This is an insult to all residents that now pay for the water bills, etc. The mayor should stop putting the burden on the taxpayers and residents and reduce our rate. Give us the discount and charge the vacant lot owners more to encourage them to build.
I like how Mayor Jon Netts said the $200,000 reduction “can be scraped up out of something else." In this case, it's OK to take from something else. They would not consider that with our recent water hike.
Another big bite out of our wallets, and what does it matter to Netts or City Manager Jim Landon? The taxpayers will pick it up somehow.
Palm Coast was a nice place to live in before greed got in the way. Can't wait to vote. I'm sure the anger of the voters will have the last say.
Jock Goldberg
Palm Coast
Driving is a privilege; obey law and don’t run red lights
Dear Editor:
I've been reading about the situation on red light cameras for some time now. From what I hear and read, most folks don't want them for various reasons.
All I can say is this: Live with it. There is nothing wrong whatsoever with having red light cameras. Some of you writers complain that the city will make money on this venture. So be it; there is nothing wrong with making money. Some of you complain that it will cause more accidents; this has been proven untrue.
When we all applied for a driver's license, we had to read (and memorize) The Rule of the Road handbook. The rules say you must stop for a red light, not race through it. It also states that you must stop at stop signs, not slow down and roll through them.
All that Palm Coast's city government is trying to do is save lives. If you are a good driver and obey the rules of the road, then you have nothing to worry about. Remember, having a driver's license and driving a motor vehicle are privileges you earn by obeying/applying the rules of the road.
If I had my way, all drivers would have to have both hands on the steering wheel; no texting, no hand-held cell phones, no reading maps or a newspaper, and no eating. If a law enforcement officer sees these infractions, he/she should pull you over and give you a ticket.
This may seem harsh, but it's nothing more than common sense. Too many drivers today take their driver's license for granted. You read in the paper about the tragedy at Sandy Hook, which took so many lives. The country came to a stop to mourn those poor souls.
But, if a car runs a red light and T-bones a bus or van, killing the driver and passengers, the guilty driver may be cited for "careless driving." The driver of a car that runs a red light is just as guilty as the madman who killed the children and teachers at Sandy Hook.
Ronald F. DeCosta
Palm Coast
Palm Coast has too many red light cameras
Dear Editor:
Why are there so many traffic cameras? I am from Rochester, N.Y., a city of more than 500,000 people. It has large industries like Xerox, plus several other large institutions like the University of Rochester. These establishments cause a large volume of nonresident traffic into the city, adding to large volume of resident drivers.
Rochester has approximately four traffic cameras in total. They are placed at exceptionally busy traffic intersections. Palm Coast is a city of approximately 70,000 with hardly any industry, yet has 43 traffic cameras. Two of them, at least, aren't even at cross intersections (Belle Terre at Palm Coast Parkway and at Rymfire Drive). Is something wrong here?
In your March 20 edition, you gave us the numbers on the light flashes and results of those flashes. Of the 3,893 flashes, 82.5% were rejected. What product would anyone purchase that has demonstrated to be accurate only 17.5% of the time? I'd guess certainly not a heart monitor, blood pressure monitor, or even a remote control for your TV.
We are told that the cameras have reduced the traffic T-bone accidents; however, rear-end accidents increased. How many of those pre-camera accidents happened because the driver was driving while intoxicated, or talking on a cell phone, or texting and went through the light? I submit that those accidents would have occurred even with traffic cameras. I think the administration has jumped to a conclusion that best supports its revenue driver.
Ronald Gaudelli
Palm Coast
Put an officer on a platform, remove red light cameras
Dear Editor:
The solution to the red light camera problem is simple. During the busy hours at crucial intersections, the traffic signal is turned off, and a policeman is assigned to these intersections to direct the traffic.
There are times when policemen are stationed on lonely roads to ticket speeders. This practice does not correct anything, except the issuing of tickets!
There should be a raised platform in the middle of all of these trouble intersections. A regular traffic officer could man the platform, and the red light camera would be history. In that way, a little common sense could avert the road rage that results from the cameras.
Palm Coast has many senior citizens who drive very carefully. Give them a break. We are talking about seconds, not minutes.
Amerigo Cimino
Palm Coast
Running a red light is running a red light
Dear Editor:
Mr. Chester, in your March 20 letter, one thing that said it all: You stated that the camera “caught me rolling five miles per hour through the red light.”
And you don’t think this was wrong? You don’t think you should have been fined? It sounds like you think a person running the red light at 30 mph is different from you running it at 5 mph. Running the red light is running the red light. That is what the cameras are for. I am not a fan of the cameras, but they do make people think and slow down.
Anne Schaefer
Palm Coast
Don’t pile up newspapers on driveways
Dear Editor:
I agree with Betty McDonough's letter concerning the stacks and piles of Palm Coast Observers and Penny Savers that are thrown in driveways and yards, and it is apparent that no one lives in the houses. Week after week, they still get thrown there.
In addition, these publications are often seen in the driveways of homes where people are residing. Does this not tell you something? No one lives in the houses or the people who live in the homes just do not want them.
The Observer should stop causing our neighborhoods to become trash dumps.
These publications should be available at all grocery stores, gas stations, and shopping centers. If a person wants one, they can pick one up at one of the locations. That would solve the problem of trashing our Palm Coast communities.
Shirley Lawson
Palm Coast
Editor's Note: Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We are committed to delivering The Observer only to those who want it. There are many who want the paper but don't receive. Please email Circulation Manager David Brooks at [email protected] if you know of any addresses where the newspaper is delivered in error.
