As Audubon’s Shorebird Program Manager for the Tampa Bay region, I spend the summer on beaches, barrier islands and bays protecting beach-nesting birds. These vulnerable families nest right on the sand, and I take great pride in watching the chicks grow up and leave the nest, contributing to the colony’s overall population.

That’s why the Fourth of July holiday makes me so nervous. Ill-placed fireworks — especially those close to beach-nesting birds like plovers, black skimmers and least terns — can scare chicks literally to death. If their parents fly away in fear, predators can swoop in and steal the chicks. After all the effort the birds have made to successfully nest and raise their babies, seeing this happen is heartbreaking.

There is so much we can do as Florida residents and visitors to protect these birds.

– Avoid using personal fireworks on the beach. Attend a municipal fireworks show, instead.

– Encourage cities and counties to run cool drone shows instead of fireworks next year.

– Give nesting birds plenty of space on the beach.

Together, we can make the Fourth of July safe and fun for birds and people.

Kara Durda, Audubon Florida, Shorebird Program Manager, Gibsonton

If property taxes are cut, here’s what St. Petersburg mayoral candidates would do | June 25

Playing favorites

If voters approve the amendment to cut property taxes, what will happen when our local governments need financial help from Tallahassee, but their counties didn’t vote for the ruling party? Could be exciting times ahead.

Tom Miller, Clearwater

If property taxes are cut, here’s what St. Petersburg mayoral candidates would do | June 25

How scary — a proposed tax break. Imagine that, after scores of politicians have promised tax relief, the mere thought that rubber might actually hit the road is horrifying. Equally as frightening was how quickly our “leaders” threw the police and firefighters to the chopping block. Listening to last week’s St. Petersburg mayoral debate, only one candidate said that if their budget was impacted, they’d cut their salary first.

Rather than cutting essential services, our current city administration might consider other belt-tightening options. Say, how about eliminating a couple of those $80,000 friends and family jobs, or maybe eliminating a few of your taxpayer-funded social experiments?

Mark Campbell, St. Petersburg

Ignore ‘advice’ of Progressive’s Dr. Rick | Column, June 21

Thank you, guest columnist Roy Peter Clark, for pointing out just how obnoxious and officious the Dr. Rick commercials are. I, for one, do not mind becoming my parents. My parents were generous and treated everyone as friends. We had a farm and grew many fruits and vegetables. They would find out about people in our town who were having trouble making ends meet. Our parents would tell us to deliver fruits and vegetables to these people. It was a very rewarding life lesson. To this day I follow my parents’ lessons by giving to charities every month.

Douglas Edmonds, New Port Richey

DeSantis: Alligator Alcatraz ‘fulfilled its role’ | June 26

Alligator Alcatraz “fulfilled its role”? Only if the “role” was to squander hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, subject hard-working, law-abiding immigrants to miserable, cruel internment conditions, imperil the Everglades, break up families, deport immigrants for no reason, and make the state and federal government leaders look like fools. Alligator Alcatraz was a fiasco from start to finish.

Pete Wilford, Holiday

Good for Tarpon Springs mayor | Column, June 24

Kudos to Tarpon Springs Mayor John Koulianos for congratulating a longtime resident who happens to be gay on his marriage. Perhaps the so-called religious people who objected might consider that the gay community has done much to underscore the sanctity of marriage, not undermine it.

I recall the 1970s when it was common to dismiss a marriage license as “just a piece of paper.” Yet, witnessing same-sex partners rejoicing in finally obtaining that document, one realizes how precious matrimony is.

Gail A. Reynolds, Dade City

Does wanting to see Kanye West in Tampa make you a bad person? | June 23

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary, I was glad to see Ye’s Tampa concert move forward despite pressure from politicians, including Sen. Rick Scott, to cancel it.

I do not listen to Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. I do not follow his work. I strongly disagree with his comments about Nazis and Jews, which I find offensive and wrong.

But that is exactly the point.

Freedom of speech is one of the rights America fought for. It does not need protection when everyone agrees. It needs protection when speech is unpopular, ugly or offensive.

In the United Kingdom, Ye’s appearance was met with government exclusion and cancellation. In America, we are supposed to have a different standard. Politicians should condemn hateful statements. Citizens should protest, boycott and criticize. But government pressure to cancel speech is dangerous.

Once we allow politicians to decide what is too offensive to be heard, the only question left is: Who gets silenced next?

Today it is Ye. Tomorrow, it could be anyone.

Doug Longfellow, Tampa

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