Don’t stereotype Pine Hills

I disagree with the implied stereotypes of a Sept. 29 Sentinel article that called Pine Hills “a relatively low-income, mostly Black and Hispanic community.” I feel the newspaper does not have all the information about Pine Hills.

Pine Hills has a home ownership rate of 63%, which doesn’t sound low-income to me. When the community was developed in 1952 and people could buy homes under $8,000 and keep the house for five years, they did not lose money when selling. Today, many homes in Pine Hills sell for more than $250,000.

It’s a place for hard workers, but also an affordable place for those seeking simple accommodations not typically found in nearby Dr. Phillips or Windermere.

Today, look at H Mart, the Asian supermarket that opened nearby last month: Crowds and lines of people waiting 30 minutes to get in. This shows Pine Hills as an important shopping destination and safe place for people.

I think there are some economic stereotypes in the paper’s writing.

Kenneth Dwyer Pine Hills

Kenneth Dwyer is the chair of the Pine Hills Safe Neighborhood Partnership.

Spare the bears

We are asking Gov. Ron DeSantis to spare the bears this winter.

Florida’s black bears are facing a critical moment. State officials and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) tax those bears as “recovered,” yet the available data tell a far different story — especially in key habitats such as the Osceola National Forest, where bear density has reportedly collapsed by 75% since 2015. That kind of decline isn’t a population ready for a hunt — it’s a signal of serious trouble.

We understand the FWC has scheduled a hunting season starting Dec. 6. Yet if the data are this uncertain, every “bear management unit” across the state could be relying on flawed assumptions rather than sound science.

By issuing a temporary moratorium — no hunt this winter — the governor can give our bears a fighting chance. A pause allows the science to catch up, lets biologists complete the census we’ve all been told is necessary, and sends a clear message that Florida cares more about stewardship than spectacle.

Our bear populations are part of what makes Florida wild. We can’t let this winter become the moment when we crossed the line from conservation to complacency.

Betsy McClain Longwood

Betsy McClain is a member of Sierra Club Florida.

Taxation without representation

After reading the Nov. 6 headline, “Justices skeptical of Trump tariffs,” it raises the question: Where are MAGA, Republicans and the conservatives’ rebellion against taxation without representation? Our Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to raise revenues.

There is no emergency; we’re not at war. The only emergency is the Trump economy, where business owners are having to spend payroll funds on tariff taxes, raising prices for consumers and causing layoffs. For a conservative Supreme Court, this seems like a no-brainer, especially since the last time something like this happened, it was enough to fuel a revolution.

William Higgins New Smyrna Beach

Let’s rediscover shared values

I’ve voted for Democrats, Republicans and third-party candidates.

I consume news from various sources, though most tend to gaslight or straw-man the other side. To get a more balanced perspective, I use AI to “steel-man” — that is, to search for the strongest points in each side’s argument. Sadly, this kind of honest framing is largely absent in today’s hyper-partisan environment.

I believe the best way out of this pervasive slog is for each side to hold its own accountable. I deeply respect comedian Bill Maher for doing just that — and recently, Sen. Ted Cruz, who called out antisemitism on the right.

Maher critiques “woke supremacists” and describes them as the most intolerant segment on the left. He argues that while both sides have changed, the left has become increasingly censorious and less open to debate.

At the 45th annual Night to Honor Israel in San Antonio, Tex., Republican Ted Cruz warned of a “growing cancer” of antisemitism on the right.

Good for them. We all need to seek out the good and rediscover our shared values rather than fixating on the bad, which fuels a systemic breakdown of our great nation. Otherwise, we risk losing our sense of community and common unity.

Alan Slootsky Boca Raton

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