Yes, Floridians continue to be scammed with property insurance.

same old story

you were deceived. Home insurance costs still rising in Florida | Column, January 9

I am writing in response to Scott Maxwell’s column that says Florida homeowners are being misled into believing that the Governor and Legislature will lower homeowners insurance premiums. As Maxwell points out, Florida’s insurance industry has been the real beneficiary of years of laws that favor large corporations over consumers.

I live in a townhome far from the coast and outside of the flood zone, and my insurance premiums have increased significantly over the past three years. The financial strain has become so great and homeowner association fees have gone up, making it difficult to sell your property. This is also a further effect of this situation. For years, Republicans have sided with big business, often to the detriment of ordinary Florida residents. This is another example of how state legislatures have made it more difficult to hold the insurance industry accountable and, in some cases, allowed companies to leave the state altogether.

The same politicians who promoted this chaos have now been re-elected, and based on their track record, it seems unlikely that meaningful change will occur soon. Until lawmakers put residents’ interests ahead of the insurance industry’s, homeowners like me will continue to foot the bill.

David Berg, Tampa

reality check

you were deceived. Home insurance costs still rising in Florida | Column, January 9

Walking around Davis Islands, you can see how houses on the ground were flooded in Helen. Many of them are still empty and stripped of anything, undergoing repairs. Almost every day, bulldozers demolish other flooded homes. Instead, concrete walls loom high before reaching real living levels. Many new homes recall the phrase “Fortress America.”

We can no longer indulge in the magical thinking that led us down this unsustainable path. It will be less than 50 or 100 years before the next devastating hurricane hits. Realistically, all we can do is pray that this year is not the same, and hope for next year and the year after. Clearly, the reality that so many people are suffering means little to a Governor and Legislature who have chosen to abdicate their duty to Floridians and serve profiteers who will hasten our ruin.

Karen Putney, Tampa

california wildfires

California wildfires out of control on January 9th

The people of Los Angeles are learning a hard lesson. LA is a very poor place to build a city. That area of ​​California is basically a dry grassland. Water must be piped hundreds of miles away from the Sierra Nevada mountains for drinking, bathing, and watering lawns. Wildfires have been ravaging this area for millions of years, and they have no respect for recently built multi-million dollar mansions.

Los Angeles is competing with New Orleans for worst-located city.

pete wilford, holiday

not my problem

Wildfires continue to destroy parts of Los Angeles | January 13

Our hearts go out to all the residents of California. Wildfires are wreaking havoc on private property. Many people lost everything.

Could the disaster have been prevented or mitigated? Decisions by state leadership, such as reducing first response budgets and diverting fresh water to the Pacific Ocean, must be considered. Now the same leaders are in full panic and incompetence mode.

President Joe Biden has ensured that my tax dollars will be used to rebuild California. Progressive leadership created this problem. Let California solve the problem without using my tax dollars, I say. Don’t use my tax dollars to fix the consequences of stupid policies.

My tax dollars support people who shouldn’t be in this country. My taxes also go toward paying off student loans for college students that I didn’t calculate before taking out the loans.

I’m tired of paying for other people’s mistakes. I feel sorry for the affected Californians, but they need to understand this issue.

Dennis Keyes, Tampa

facts and opinions

Blue State Immigration in Florida: Blessing, Curse, or Both? |Column, January 12th

In the pages of Sunday Opinion, guest columnist Larry D. Clifton slips into the bargains of New York City and takes a sarcastic dig at subway crime. Unfortunately, most readers won’t bother checking it out. New York’s crime rate remains about 25 percent of what it was in the 1980s and ’90s. There are hundreds of places where the crime risk is higher than New York City.

On the same page, the letter writer implies that the border was safer under President Donald Trump than under President Joe Biden. Again, the key statistics we know about, arrests and deportations, are at an all-time high. We don’t actually know how many border crossings actually take place, but there is no objective evidence that the border is more or less secure.

The writer of this letter also appears to mistakenly believe that President Trump has somehow ended foreign wars. He didn’t do that. He promised to bring our troops home, but did virtually nothing. Also, while President Trump secured many “promises” on jobs and foreign investment, we lost jobs under his presidency while President Biden achieved four consecutive years of solid job growth. I would also like to add something.

Opinions are fine, but they are not facts.

Pat Ward, St. Petersburg

Shake, don’t stir

Please don’t take away our alcohol. You’ll need it soon | Column, January 9th

I 99% agree with Daniel Luce’s great column about defending the right to drink during these difficult times. I completely agree that Dewar’s is the best Scotch, not the fancy, expensive, harsh single malt stuff. I also agree that martinis are made with gin. But I have to disagree with his outrageous statement that martinis should be stirred, not shaken, as James Bond prefers.

If you stir your martini, you’ll lose the ice-cold gin and delicious ice cubes. I ask bartenders to keep the gin clean by adding only a drop of vermouth, no olive juice, and shake it at least 22 times. Shake more if you have the time and energy.

I’m looking forward to the day when Ruth and I can spend some time together over martinis. I remember my father offering us our favorite drinks. In my case, I loved Dewar’s and Beefeater. We can focus on what unites us as Americans (we love cocktails, drunk in moderation) rather than what separates us.

Eric E. Rudin, St. Petersburg

drinking too much

Please don’t take away our alcohol. You’ll need it soon | Column, January 9th

Can someone please ask Daniel Luce if he could reimburse me for all the Dewar’s it cost me to get through the last four years of the worst presidency of my life?

Leo Hearn, Largo

double mine

Please don’t take away our alcohol. You’ll need it soon | Column, January 9th

Thanks to Daniel Luce for explaining why he felt he needed an alcoholic beverage when he was looking for a glass of rose color these days.

Holly Haley, New Port Richey