Pedestrians walk past a padlocked vacant shop along historic Washington Avenue in South Beach.
Photography by AL DIAZ
adiaz@miamiherald.com
Beach revival
Bravo to Miami Beach Commissioner David Suarez for his foresightedness in trying to bring Washington Avenue back to life by favoring development of apartment buildings along its sad and lonely streets.
I have loved Washington Avenue since I first walked its streets in 1948, when my family and I started vacationing at the Strath Haven Hotel on Fourth Street. Before long, Washington and its cousin Lincoln Road had become synonymous with Miami Beach and vacation time; not only for us, but also for many people. It was so wonderfully alive with tourists and residents as they shopped, ate and enjoyed great entertainment.
Sadly, that beautiful ambiance faded away with time. If the plan to build moderate income apartment buildings along Washington is approved, it would not only bring life to the area again, it would bring revenue from new retailers, new eateries and new places of entertainment.
Washington Avenue has been waiting a long time to give itself back to the people. We wish Suarez all the luck in making it happen.
Roberta Chaleff,
Tamarac
Keys bus fix
As a frequent commuter to the Keys, I’m quite familiar with Miami-Dade Transit’s Metrobus running circuits to Islamorada. I wouldn’t touch the back of that bus with a pole and the stench from the bathroom radiates to the cabin front. Additionally, the bus has skipped my stop on several occasions due to chronic overcrowding.
Budget cuts will only worsen the standing of those dependent on public transport to get to and from work in the Keys, a major economic outpost. Furthermore, the bus tracking system requires an overhaul due to frequent inaccuracies.
The solution is to fix the credit card scanner and have the drivers ask for money, as they are supposed to do. Perhaps then, these issues wouldn’t be as dire.
Robert John Edgerton, Jr.,
Homestead
Judging judges
The Herald Editorial Board, when endorsing candidates for judgeships, always recommends the incumbent, if there is one. The reason is always the same: that person has “experience.”
Yet, all the candidates have experience in the courtroom — as prosecutors, defense attorneys or civil litigators. All have observed judicial practices and behavior. They are hardly ignorant of what a judge must do.
Society benefits when a higher percentage of citizens take an active part in government, rather than the same people staying in positions of power forever. Rotating people through government jobs helps prevent stagnation of ideas and forestalls the subtle encroachment of a sense of entitlement in the job holders.
I will not be voting for anyone who has been a judge for 10 or more years.
Virginia Kopelman,
Miami Beach
Transit cuts hurt
Our undoubtedly wise Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has seemingly decided that the way to make up for a budget shortfall is to cut 12 bus routes and eliminate night service on many other routes. For those who do not rely on public transportation to get to work, or to the grocery store or the doctor, cutting a few thousand people from their only means of transportation seems insignificant. To those who do rely on public transportation, these cuts do great harm.
Many years ago, when we voted for an extra half-penny sales tax, we were promised that money would be used to expand public transportation. Of course, it turned out to be a bait and switch. The funds were quickly incorporated into maintenance. Now, further cuts to an existing meager service is a slap in the face to county residents.
I realize the Florida Legislature continues to do whatever it can to undermine the power and stability of local government. Nonetheless, the county must find a way to provide basic services; cutting is not the answer.
Ashby Cathey,
Miami
Haiti and TPS
I strongly detest the Trump administration’s desire to gain political advantage by expressing misleading agendas which, in many cases, are the opposite of humane consideration, or the law, perhaps both.
Two articles in the July 23 Miami Herald — “Haitians can be deported when TPS ends, but still have a long shot chance in court” and “Parts of Haiti have been turned into kill zone for gangs, top U.S. diplomat tells the U.N.” — illustrate my concern.
The U.S. Congress established Temporary Protective Status in 1990. The TPS situation and the conditions in Haiti have been separately covered in the recent past but never in such stark comparison.
A July 19 article in the Herald, “U.S. citizen traveling to Haiti? State Department has a rather grim request,” further supports my opinion at the start of this letter. I commend the Miami Herald for its coverage of this issue.
James Card,
Cutler Bay
Rigged election? Nope
President Trump’s July 16 primetime address was more of the same old and tired grievances, without factual support, that the 2020 election was rigged or stolen and without any credible basis to pretend that the upcoming midterm elections are at risk of being rigged or stolen. Trump and his team of lawyers never proved massive voter fraud in any of the more than 60 lawsuits nationwide, because the facts and evidence to support such dubious claims never materialized.
If Trump truly cared about foreign interference in U.S. elections, his administration would not have directed the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to scale back or suspend many of its election security activities, including halting operations, placing employees involved in election security and misinformation programs on administrative leave and ending about $10 million in annual grants supporting election cybersecurity organizations.
If he truly cared about our voting process, he would not have removed both Democratic commissioners from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, an independent, bipartisan agency Congress created after the 2000 election. The remaining Republican commissioner resigned, leaving the commission without a quorum. Trump effectively gutted the commission, but he still wants you to believe he deeply cares about election integrity.
Peter A. González,
Coral Gables
Election integrity
Voting is not rocket science. Show proof of ID that you are a U.S. citizen so you can vote in the United States of America.
Joy Pargman,
Miami
Arch Creek fun
The July 5 Miami Herald featured two wonderful articles about Miami’s ancient past. That our earliest inhabitants settled in what are now some of the area’s prime real estate locations along the tributaries of Biscayne Bay, including Arch Creek, is no surprise.
Neighbors who came together in 1973 to save the 2,000-year-old Arch Creek archaeological and historic site from being paved over for a car dealership continue their work today through the nonprofit Arch Creek Trust, which helps preserve this unique cultural and natural resource. The Trust has partnered with Dade Heritage Trust through its Historic Places, Green Spaces program to provide financial support for guided field trips to the park for fourth-grade students. These visits help young people learn about South Florida’s Native American heritage, archaeology, pioneer history and natural environment.
Early Miami pioneers traveled up Biscayne Bay for community picnics at the Natural Bridge. That tradition continues today. Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces Department and the Arch Creek Trust co-sponsor the annual Meet at the Bridge event, bringing the community together for a free day of food, music, guided nature walks, archery, art activities and family-friendly programs.
We hope readers will join us on Jan. 23 for the next Meet at the Bridge celebration and experience this remarkable natural area and historic site firsthand.
Maureen Harwitz,
president,
Arch Creek Trust,
North Miami