Jacksonville Florida Times-Union
More than two years ago, I put in a ticket with the city of Jacksonville to have sidewalks on my street repaired. Work finally began earlier this month. The job was done by contractors from Jax Utilities Management and supervised by a city employee.
They began by distributing door hangers to everyone stating work would begin and be done by contractors. They left out, however, what type of work would be done. As with any job, some workers were diligent, others had their cellphones out all day, using one hand to work or drive a machine.
Hundreds of pieces of dead sod were put down at the end of the street. That is a waste of tax money and looks terrible. Many yards were also rutted by the machine used to remove the existing sidewalks. In my yard they cut out some grass to make forms and replace the existing sidewalk areas. They later filled these areas with big rocks and dirt.
I complained and the foreman returned to remove the rocks, but I still had a 4- to 5-inch gap with no grass. As the foreman said, my yard "looks like a golf course,” but not after this sidewalk project. They eventually came back and placed some sod, but I seriously doubt this will work, even with daily watering and care.
Here is my question to the people in charge: Are we going to continue doing projects halfway in this city? This street looks worse now than before the project. Thank you, city of Jacksonville and Jax Utilities Management for the inconvenience and frustration caused over the last two weeks. I will make sure not to file any more tickets with 630-CITY.
Pat Bentley, Jacksonville
Not all religions condemn abortion
In a May 19 column, a Catholic official recently stated the official position of his faith and its opposition to Amendment 4. He has every right to do that. Catholics and other religious adherents have every right to proclaim their beliefs and try to persuade others to follow them. What they don’t have is the right to enshrine those beliefs into law.
Not every religion holds the belief that life begins at conception. In 2013 the Pew Research Center studied the official positions of more than 15 U.S. religious groups on abortion.
Some, including Jews and Muslims, do not believe the fetus is a person at conception. Others make distinctions based on the motivation for and the circ*mstances of abortion. These are considerations for the faithful, however, not for all citizens in a pluralistic country.
For example, the Episcopal Church maintains that all life is sacred, but at the same time upholds its “unequivocal opposition to any legislation on the part of the national or state governments which would abridge or deny the right of individuals to reach informed decisions about the termination of pregnancy and to act upon them.”
Additionally, the American Muslim Bar Association published a strong statement against “abortion bans and their attack on every person’s constitutional right to religious liberty free from the imposition of one religious viewpoint to the exclusion of others.”
To make laws compelling everyone to comply with the beliefs of a given religion is the definition of establishment of religion. It's contrary to the same First Amendment that gives us all the right to state our beliefs.
Patricia DeWitt, retired college administrator and co-director of public policy for AAUW Florida, Jacksonville
City Council needs a backbone on stadium
Jacksonville city leaders must not realize the leverage they have to negotiate a better stadium deal because of all they have already given to Shad Khan. His hotel and condos are worth a whole lot less if he moves the team out of town. As for his seemingly generous offer to redevelop the Eastside, all it will do is improve the value of his holdings by making it safer in that area — and he gets the city to pay half.
Then there are the new parks as part of the deal, which sounds great. But again, those projects will clean up the area adjacent to Khan's properties along the riverfront and enhance their value.
In his May 8 column, Gene Frenette implied that the future of the city is on the line.
Really? Jacksonville is a beautiful city on a magnificent riverfront, close to the beaches, with fabulous neighborhoods, major corporate employers. It also has a bustling port that supports a vibrant local economy, reasonable cost of living and a mild climate. Does the entire city shut down at the end of each NFL season?
To City Council: Develop a backbone, keep a clear head, negotiate for the people who elected you and drive a fair bargain on their behalf.
Rob Richardson, Jacksonville Beach
Strengthen global nutrition, TB programs
The administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis argues that $250 million in federal aid for food programs is unnecessary in Florida. However, it’s worth looking around the globe to see where improvements can be made in how our foreign aid money is spent regarding nutrition programs.
UNICEF estimates that worldwide, almost 150 million children “have stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of nutritious food.” While U.S. aid programs focused on HIV/AIDS and malaria contain a large portion of frontline primary care, our nutrition programs are severely lacking in activities that directly impact the lives of those we are trying to help.
I urge Sen. Marco Rubio to utilize his position on the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs subcommittee to obligate a greater share of existing funds in USAID’s nutrition and tuberculosis programs toward the direct provision of health services to people in the community.
By prioritizing frontline primary care in these programs, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of millions of children and families. This approach addresses immediate health needs and fosters long-term stability and development in vulnerable regions.
Brandon Dwight, Jacksonville
‘No’ to low-income housing
Some new low-income apartments have been announced for Cedar Hills in the southern end of Council District 9. It is a section largely ignored when it comes to improvements for the residents. The emphasis seems to be primarily on the needs of people in the northern section.
There is Section 8 rental housing on practically every block, so if you ask the homeowners what they need, it most likely wouldn’t be more low-income housing. Most of us would welcome a larger police presence to deal with the criminal activity. Young working people with small children might like some parks or other recreational spaces for their children because pools, tennis courts and playgrounds are almost nonexistent here.
The retired and elderly people would probably like less young people prowling the streets, so that they would feel safer on their trip to Walgreens or the grocery store. I would personally like to see the little section at the end of Harlow Boulevard keep its trees, raccoons and other inhabitants — build the low-income housing somewhere else.
Jean Alexander, Jacksonville
Stadium deal good for Jacksonville
So much has been said about the pros and cons regarding the new stadium, but lost in the financials is a very important factor. Jacksonville is being asked to contribute 55% of the $1.4 billion and (quite significantly) no more. To me, this is a key consideration.
First, there is no final cost guarantee. The Buffalo Bills stadium has just broken ground and their cost has already escalated by about $200 million. Since overruns haven’t really been mentioned, I can only assume they will come out of Shad Khan’s pocket — not Jacksonville’s. It’s a little surprising the Jaguars would agree to this condition.
Should the City Council approve this expenditure? Certainly; it’s a good deal for Jacksonville. Now what I can’t understand is why some council members appear to be so adamantly opposed to the community benefit portion of the agreement.
After all, how often is anyone willing to give the city $150 million?
George Dickinson, Saint Johns
DeSantis in climate change denial
Gov. Ron DeSantis just signed a bill that strikes the words “climate change” from state law. Does he think prohibiting those words from the law will stop it from happening? Magic 8-Ball says “no.”
Climate change is like old age. We can ignore it and even pretend it does not exist. However, when climate change comes it will arrive hard and fast. Like old age, climate change will hit much harder if we don't prepare now.
Instead of climate change, maybe we should use a better description. Let's call it "the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that traps heat and raises temperatures, which will cause drought and flooding." That lengthy description is a lot harder to dismiss than two simple words.
The problem with Gov. DeSantis is that he is not looking past the next election — while climate change is a long-term problem.
Scott Schleifer, Jacksonville
