Florida probes critical postcard | Oct. 9

The postcard to state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia that read, “You lack values,” was a statement of fact, not a threat. Ingoglia purports to crack down on wasteful spending, yet he voted to approve taxpayers footing the $83.3 million for a 4-acre parcel in a beach community that already has a Gulf-front state park and a waterfront city park, and just coincidentally, the parcel was owned by a mega-donor. Certainly not an example of core moral values; more akin to values and loyalty to the regime in Tallahassee.

To directly address wasteful spending of state resources, Ingoglia need not look further than his own staff within the Department of Financial Services. Whoever decided to send law enforcement agents from the criminal division of the Department of Financial Services to investigate the “You lack values” postcard should be disciplined for incompetence. The visit was a form of harassment, intimidation and provocation. Freedom of speech is being trampled in Florida.

Timothy McClain, St. Pete Beach

What’s it like to be ‘waylaid’ by a Florida sturgeon?

Experts question $83.3M Destin Purchase | Oct. 12

The state’s recent decision to pay $83.3 million for the purchase of 4 acres in Destin from an influential donor of the DeSantis administration reminds me of the 2023 transfer of $92 million of unused COVID-19 federal relief money to a donor-backed project of Mori Hosseini, also a Gov. Ron DeSantis ally and one of the most powerful figures in the state. In my humble opinion, these are just state-money transfer schemes that reward political donors and are as corrupt as they appear.

Brian Walkowiak, St. Petersburg

Shutdown could be the longest ever, Johnson says | Oct. 14

I congratulate President Donald Trump and his diplomatic entourage for at least reaching a tentative peace agreement in the Middle East. Now, how about getting our warring factions in the United States Congress together to hash out a peace agreement? Remember — America first!

David Lubin, Tampa

There seems to be a consensus among a faction of my Democrat-leaning friends to blame everyone who voted for President Donald Trump for the predicaments they are in. There also seems to be a consensus among a faction of my Republican-leaning friends to blame everyone who thinks that Trump is a bad president. I often think: “My god, we are in this together.”

We must wake up to the bigger picture playing out before us. No matter what side you are on, it should never be like this. This country is so divided. People, and that includes me sometimes, do not know which way is up, and which side is left and right. No matter our heritage, we must rally around freedom instead of fighting against one another. It shows a fundamental breakdown in humanity, the likes of which I hoped never to see. Please reach out to someone today and offer your hand in friendship. Show them that, however you see this great American experiment, you are in this with them. Be their friend, not their adversary.

Tom Tagliente, New Port Richey

Our second president and founder, John Adams, once said: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” In other words, morality and virtue are the foundation of our republic and are necessary for a society to be free. It is when we have strayed from being a nation of people who are endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights, a nation under God, and a nation under the rule of law, that we have placed our freedoms and our constitution under threat of extinction.

Like Ronald Reagan said: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for and protected.”

Our country has been at war against people and factions in our society that would destroy our constitution and our freedoms. And their main strategy has been to attack religion and to try to remove God, morality and virtue from our culture. We must never give up this struggle to keep our republic and the rights and way of life it has provided.

Charles Michael Sitero, Ormond Beach

Gov. DeSantis and Cabinet approve deals to protect more than 20,000 acres of conservation lands | Oct. 1

As someone dedicated to protecting Florida’s waters, I want to thank Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet for their leadership in recently approving a wide range of conservation projects. These approvals covered counties across the state, including Osceola, Martin, Hendry, Putnam, Collier, Duval, Okaloosa, Hardee, Okeechobee, Pasco, Hillsborough and Leon.

Together, these projects will conserve thousands of acres of land through acquisitions, conservation easements and Rural and Family Lands Protection easements. That means cleaner water, healthier estuaries, stronger wildlife habitats and more opportunities for Floridians to enjoy the natural resources that make our state so unique.

This is conservation at work on a meaningful scale, and I am grateful to see our leaders prioritizing Florida’s environment and communities.

Nyla Pipes, executive director, One Florida Foundation

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