LETTERS: Why are we never prepared?

Also in Letters to the Editor: Bike trail closures push cyclists onto sidewalks, roads.


  • By
  • | 7:00 a.m. April 12, 2020
  • Palm Coast Observer
  • Opinion
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Updated 5:58 p.m. April 15 to show that Paul Anderson is a candidate for County Commission.

Why are we never prepared?

Dear Editor:

As always, we hear that this country is ready for anything. So says our government, and believe it or not, we are never ready.

When was the last time we got hit by a hurricane here in Florida? We were not prepared. Why does this country have to wait before it gets ready when it is too late?

We knew well in advance that the coronavirus would arrive here. So where are the masks, ventilators and testing equipment? People are dying because of us not being prepared.

People here do not listen when they are told to stay six feet apart  from others. Counties took way too long to order stay-at-home rules.

Everybody waited for the president to shut us down. That is not his job. It is the governor’s job, and he waited way too long to make the decision.

Volusia County opens their beach after one day of closing because the people were upset! If they would follow the rules for just a few weeks, we might be able to beat this. We have to work together, not just a few of us. I mean everyone — do your part.

You just have to keep your distance and obey the rules; it is not that difficult to do.

Let’s get this done and over with for good.

Stan Dunayer

Palm Coast

 

Bike trail closures push cyclists onto sidewalks, roads

Dear Editor:

Today in Nextdoor, I saw a comment from the public information officer that Flagler County readdresses the public safety concerns with the coronavirus situation and trying to determine when to open beaches and facilities.

I thank you, our officials, for taking consideration and addressing how to support and please the county residents. I can undertand the difficulties in such decisions and though many might not be happy, tough decisions are being made with the abundance of safety and caution.

I would like to address the availability of our bike trails. As per the county and city order, bike trails have been closed. With the beautiful weather, while practicing social distancing, individuals have been going out and riding on the sidewalks and roads to get exercise.

This is a danger to pedestrians and to the riders themselves as motorists do not pay the proper attention. What is the difference riding on the street, sidewalk or more safely on our trails?

I would request that our officials examine the use of our trails and, while practicing social distancing, reopen the trails and allow the public to use them in a more safe manner. The only difference with trails being open or closed is where people ride and their safety.

Brian Rosen

Palm Coast

 

Where’s the evidence that Sheriff’s Ops Center can’t be fixed?

Dear Editor:

With all due respect, Sheriff Staly, a taxpayer who pays their taxes through their taxpayer funded salary doesn’t have the same ring of concern that the rest of us have. Submit your evidence that the current Sheriff’s Operations Center can not be remediated satisfactorily, just like any other investigation.

Once your proof is presented, then the court of public opinion will close this case. Until then, many of us will continue to sit in judgment. As for the building, the Board of County Commissioners is the landlord; you are the tenant. If the county does their due diligence, provides a sanitized, tested and cleared building for occupancy, then you as the tenant must make the difficult argument why you can’t.

There are no guarantees in life. If you were here during the construction of both the Government Services Building and the Justice Building, you would know that those two new buildings had their share of water intrusion problems as well.

Jerry Cameron, I must ask, why wasn’t there a press release regarding the much-anticipated and long-awaited National Institute of Safety and Health final report? You know, the one from CDC that I told you on Feb. 2 was coming later on that same month? You know, the one you were quoted saying you didn’t know when it was forthcoming? The one that prompted the “Sell it or Destroy it” mantra?

A new building doesn’t fulfill the perfection that you seek. That many of the commissioners had predetermined the future of the building, before the proof was presented, gives many in our community pause. 

We are not angry, yet, but this continued foolishness that is defying common sense is testing our patience. Many have never seen a group of Republicans act in such a cavalier manner with taxpayer money since the mid 2000s, and we all know how that ended. We are now in a similar economic situation as when the Sheriff’s Operations Center was built. Are you seriously going to stick to your same old worn-out talking points from the past? It’s time to end this charade!

Paul Anderson

Palm Coast

Editor's Note: Paul Anderson is a candidate for County Commission.

 

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