Fla. takes steps on vaccines | Dec. 13

At a recent Florida Health Department workshop, officials and the public discussed Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s dangerous desire to eliminate vaccine mandates for school children. The article reports that Republican candidate for Florida House Preston Judd said, in an apparent attempt to question the motivations of “Big Pharma,” that if vaccines were so important, then pharmaceutical companies should offer them for free. To repeat, a Republican candidate for office said that. I guess socialist ideas are only socialist if they come from the mouths of Democrats.

Sherman Zent, Gulfport

Fla. takes steps on vaccines | Dec. 13

The meeting to discuss vaccine mandates was critical for the health and welfare of Florida citizens. People from all over gave opinions. It’s extremely vital to share facts.

Preston Judd, a Republican candidate for the Florida House, was there and said that, since vaccines were so important, pharmaceutical companies should offer them for free. I agree, and just as important, grocery stores should not charge for food, hospitals and cancer centers should offer free treatment, and my gasoline should be free, too.

Incredible.

David Lubin, Tampa

DeSantis admin diverted child welfare and medical funds for consultants, ads | Dec. 12

The Tampa Bay Times first reported that public funds were used in ways that appear to have crossed a line during Florida’s recent ballot amendment fights. That matters. Not because it proves anyone is a villain, but because taxpayers deserve clarity and, when mistakes happen, restitution.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is not a terrible guy. He is not cartoonishly corrupt. He is a governor who built a powerful political operation and, somewhere along the way, that operation appears to have blurred the line between governing and campaigning. That distinction exists for a reason. Public money is not political money.

This does not require a scandal or a resignation. It requires accountability.

The governor no longer has an active campaign account with money sitting in it, and the super PAC that once supported his presidential run has largely spent its funds. But his leadership PAC remains active and well funded. Leadership PACs exist to advance a politician’s broader agenda. When that agenda benefits from an oversight involving public dollars, the ethical response should be straightforward.

Make the state whole.

Floridians are practical people. If you make a mistake, you fix it. You do not litigate it through outrage or pretend it never happened. You write the check.

Directing his leadership PAC to reimburse the State of Florida would not be an admission of corruption. It would be an affirmation of responsibility. It would restore a line that should never have been crossed and remind taxpayers that accountability still matters.

Hunter Gambrell, Plant City

DeSantis admin diverted child welfare and medical funds for consultants, ads | Dec. 12

When moving to Florida several years ago, my to-do list began with (1) Register my car and (2) Register to vote. I am now adding (3) Contribute to the Tampa Bay Times Investigative Journalism Fund. Without you (and the Miami Herald) reporting, I would just give up on rampant Florida corruption. The outstanding report on diverting funds from child welfare and medical programs gives me hope for a new day.

Niki Amarantides, Palm Harbor

Rob Reiner and his wife found dead in home | Dec. 15

With every passing day, there’s a new low. Now, a man and his wife are stabbed to death by their own son, and the president of the United States takes the opportunity to insult them further. As this obscene behavior becomes normalized, our country becomes meaner, more cruel and less and less the nation I used to know. It’s an insult to us all.

Douglas Wilkin, St. Petersburg

As a long-term Tampa resident and student of Florida real estate, it is time to modernize the outdated capital gains tax rules that burden homeowners and distort our housing market. The current exclusion limits of $250,000 for individuals and $500,000 for couples have not been adjusted since 1997, even though home values have more than doubled in that time.

For retirees who have lived in their homes for decades, this tax creates a lock-in effect. Many hesitate to sell, fearing a heavy tax bill, even when downsizing or relocating would better suit their health and lifestyle. This keeps thousands of homes off the market in neighborhoods across Tampa, limiting supply and driving prices higher for younger families.

Raising the exclusion thresholds or eliminating capital gains taxes on primary residences would empower retirees to make choices based on need rather than tax penalties. It would free up inventory, ease affordability pressures, and honor the dignity of those who invested in their homes as their life’s work.

I built my Tampa home near downtown as my final living resting place and have no intention of leaving. Notwithstanding, I know many of my peers face difficult decisions. They should not be punished for selling the homes they nurtured for decades. Reforming capital gains is not just about economics. It is about compassion, fairness, and ensuring that retirees can age with dignity while opening doors for the next generation of homeowners.

Tom Feaster, Tampa

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