‘They utterly hate them’: Florida candidates, counties face data center debate | Oct. 22

Positive on AI

I spent the summer with my granddaughter, and we used AI to write a romance novel. You can find “Amnesia”, self-published, on Amazon now. The preface describes our summer together in detail.

On the negative side, the AI proved terrible at telling the story we outlined. It kept trying to take the story in weird directions. We spent most of our time wrangling the story back to where it was supposed to go.

On the positive side, the AI was amazing at improving our word efficiency. We started in mid-May when school let out, and had a manuscript ready for review by late August. We published in early October.

The reader will have to decide if this partnership produced something worth their time. For us, it was very positive. We were able to overcome our 60-year age difference and produce a romance novel, amazing. I feel our writing project maintained my granddaughter’s reading skills over the summer break much better than a simple reading list could have.

The most important result was spending my summer with my granddaughter. So, I guess until it kills me, I am positive on AI.

Evan Nyer, Tampa

Amendment 3 could change your property tax bill | October 24

Money for stadiums

If local leaders are so concerned about losing property tax revenue, perhaps they shouldn’t have handed over $1.2 billion for a new Rays stadium that only a select few can enjoy.

Carol Matic, Sun City Center

Permanent daylight saving time in Florida sounds good, but it’s bad for our body | Column, Oct. 22

Poorly understood

Thank you, Jennifer Martin, for writing this column, and thanks to the Tampa Bay Times for printing it. I thought that I was the only sane person who clearly understood why we change the clocks twice a year. I agree it’s an annoyance, but only a small one compared to the permanent annoyance of having the sun rise at or after 8:30 am in some parts of the country during some times of the year. And, similarly, the sun would set at or after 9:30 pm in certain parts of the country.

Permanent daylight saving time would not give us any extra sunlight each day; it would only shift it later into the evening. The Earth rotates on its axis which causes the continuing change in time of sunrise and sunset over the course of a year. We switch the clocks to keep sunrise at a reasonable morning time and sunset at a reasonable evening time.

If legislators insist, once again, on one permanent time, no matter the consequences, then our permanent time should be standard time so we’re in sync with most of the rest of the world. Permanent daylight saving time only makes silly false promises and has far too many negative side effects.

Mark Mirabella, Tampa

Permanent daylight saving time in Florida sounds good, but it’s bad for our body | Column, Oct. 22

30-minute compromise

I’m an early riser. I like to walk at dawn for about 45 minutes, so I’m home before the sun gets too bright. I also enjoy an evening walk with enough light to unwind from the day. I can do this in the dark, but I prefer a bit of light so I don’t trip on the sidewalk. With all the back-and-forth about which is better for the body, there are plenty of arguments for both daylight saving time and non-daylight saving time. Our dogs and cats don’t understand the change. All they know is that they are getting their meals earlier or later, and that can confuse them until they, like us, adjust to the new time.

My suggestion is to satisfy both sides of the argument. Change the clocks forward or backward by only 30 minutes. What’s wrong with that? It allows enough change to reflect both sides of the argument with little body adjustment. Wouldn’t most agree that adjusting by 30 minutes is easier on our bodies than an hour? It’s a winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Harriet Browder, Sun City Center

Look to Lincoln

I keep returning to Abraham Lincoln’s second Inaugural Address, delivered in March 1865, as our nation was approaching the end of a devastating Civil War. His words offer a sobering lesson for America in 2026.

Lincoln understood that a nation deeply divided cannot heal simply by declaring one side victorious and the other defeated. His address called for humility, compassion and a willingness to examine our own responsibilities rather than placing all the blame on our opponents.

Today, our political divisions threaten to overshadow the common ground that once helped unite us. Too often, we judge our political opponents harshly while excusing the shortcomings of those who share our own party affiliation.

Neither red nor blue has 20/20 vision.

Perhaps Lincoln’s words deserve another hearing — not as a partisan argument, but as a challenge to every American. Before we condemn the other side, we should be willing to examine our own. Before we deepen our divisions, we should consider what we owe one another as fellow citizens.

Our nation does not need more certainty that we alone are right. It needs the humility to recognize that none of us sees the whole picture.

Lincoln offered a path toward reconciliation at one of the darkest moments in American history. In 2026, we should take his admonition to heart.

Michele Raphael, Tampa

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