Readers respond to local doges, Medicaid cuts and hungry manatees

Environmental bets

Hillsboro County Commission votes to establish the Doge Commission April 3

Hillsboro County Commissioners vote to create the DOGE Committee and invite people with expertise in the fields of accounting, economics, finance, accreditation audit, information technology or human resources to apply to one of five selected to be spots on this advisory committee. I would recommend that the committee members add another person to the committee. He has expertise in environmental issues.

With climate change, concerns about water and air pollution have increased over the quality of our lives in the Tampa Bay area. For environmental issues, this table should be given a seat. My hope for this advisory committee is to simply not focus on cutting costs, but instead find a way to use our funds smarter. Focusing on how to preserve our precious environment can save us a lot of money in the long run, and environmental experts will help us achieve that.

Mary T. Bright, Tampa

Multiple mistakes

How Trump’s latest tariffs increase the cost of everyday items | April 6th

Here are my four takeaways on President Donald Trump’s trade war.

1. He’s wrong about this.

2. He never admits that he is wrong about this.

3. Most of his supporters will never admit that they are wrong about him.

4. These things could ruin us all very well.

Terry R. Arnold, Treasure Island

Great job!

Die | April 6th

Thank you Tampa Bay Times for covering the effects of human-caused water pollution on mild manatees. Hopefully some will create a connection between a well-maintained, bug-free, fertilized lawn and the death of our Indigenous manatee friends. It’s nice to see the times continue in a long tradition of award-winning research reports.

Geri Lyn Doherty, Tarpon Springs

Kill Florida

Die | April 6th

The latest article on polluted water and starving manatees is an example of how slowly killing what makes Florida, Florida, including climate change and ramp-prolonged overdevelopment. As residents and voters, do we ultimately realize that giving vested benefits ultimately emphasizes our condition beyond breakpoints?

Bernard Fencesterwald, Clearwater

Do you have no coverage?

Protesters Tee off Trump and Musk around Florida and the country | April 5th

There were over 1,200 moves! National protests on Saturday. Many big cities, including New York City, Boston and Chicago, had large voter turnout. New York City was completely blocking the city due to the amount of protesters. In the Tampa Bay Area, many protesters gathered in various locations, including several intersections in downtown St. Petersburg. Where were the newspaper reports for these events? He was buried on page 19A in just half of the page. Where was the local compensation for the city and state section? It definitely isn’t. How disappointing is it for a publication that has been proud of local coverage in the past.

Debra F. Halstead, St. Petersburg

Medicaid cut

Medicaid Cut makes children in Florida sick | Column, April 6th

Dear friends with special needs were young adults and benefited from Medicaid and food stamps. He is now a thriving and capable member of the community, with paid jobs and volunteers in the kitchen of a group apartment using his culinary degree.

Medicaid for children and adults can save lives and prevent the need for more expensive programs in later years. Now, Medicaid and snaps (food stamps) cuts reflect the stupidity of an administration that exchanges short-term savings for the already wealthy individuals for long-term investments and tax cuts.

Linda Schatz, Tampa

Harmful materials

Here’s why Florida’s Book Challenge Law continues to change every year: March 30th

The removal of pornographic material from K-12 school libraries and curriculum is not a ban. Parents hoping to be exposed to deleted content by their children can find the material in public libraries, online or in bookstores.

The concern addressed in SB 1692 and HB 1539 is the confusion caused by the subjectivity of the “taking … literary value” portion of the current law governing the suitability of materials. Some challenged books have materials that are clearly deemed harmful to minors in accordance with the law, but some school boards, schools, or teachers use the “photographed as a whole” section to make them available to minor children.

“Overall…literary value” is subjective, so one teacher can think of the material as unavailable, while another teacher at the same school might think of it as being able to use it. The same applies to schools and districts. Without an exclusion that was “taken as a whole,” state law already clearly explains the kind of material that would be deemed “harmful to minors.”

The Act also provides “relief” for materials deemed “harmful to students” under the law and allows it to be approved for use by the State Board of Education.

The Florida Legislature must protect minor children from explicit material by passing SB 1692 and HB 1539 and sending a consolidated bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis for signature.

Terry Kemple, Community Affairs Council, Chairman Brandon