Endangered Florida panther kittens, born just months ago, hit and killed | August 12
Just a month and a half ago, two Florida panther cubs were killed in a vehicle-animal collision. Those kittens represented hope for the dwindling species, and now that is gone due to the fracturing of habitats and human infrastructure. With an estimated 120-230 Florida panthers left in the wild, the cat’s existence is in jeopardy. If this species were to become extinct, we would risk permanently altering the Florida ecosystem.
The leading cause of death for this species is vehicle collisions. Roughly 12 are killed every year (that’s nearly 10% of the population). Luckily, the solution is simple — bridging their habitats so they are not exposed to manmade obstacles like roads and freeways. We can achieve this by constructing wildlife crossings, which are bridges or underpasses explicitly designed for animals to cross from one side of the road to the other. These crossings are proven to save lives of both animals and drivers.
That is why I am calling on the Florida Legislature to fund the building of more of these crossings and save this keystone species. How many more lost kittens is it going to take? How close does this species have to get to extinction before we act?
Natalie Smith, St. Petersburg
DeSantis, top Florida officials vote to buy 4 acres for $83M, despite concerns | Sept. 30
Like rotting meat attracts flies, a rotting government attracts grifters. Can Florida’s chief financial officer vote yes to approve the purchase of four acres of beachfront property for $83 million from a Republican campaign donor and still have his homegrown DOGE second-guess the financial decisions of democratically elected county officials under the guise of “waste and fraud?”
James E. Shirk, Tampa
New Supreme Court term confronts justices with Trump’s aggressive assertion of presidential power | Oct. 5
There were two obvious choices for the headline of the Associated Press article on page 2A last Sunday. What it should have said is: “New Supreme Court term confronts justices with numerous questions regarding overreach by district courts.”
Whether written by AP or by the Times, Trump Derangement Syndrome is what led to the use of the headline that appeared in the paper. The syndrome also seems to have framed the way the writers treated the issues. The authors say the SCOTUS decisions will be political, using the terms “liberal” and “conservative” to portray the basis for SCOTUS’ rulings.
The justices’ opinions should be based strictly upon the intent of the Founders when writing the Constitution, not the justices’ personal ideologies. They should simply conclude whether the Constitution grants questioned authority to the executive branch. If the answer is yes, then the lower court ruling should be overturned.
But the crux of the matter is whether a district court justice has the authority to initiate a national injunction. Thus far, the Supreme Court has avoided examining that factor. If it does, and rightfully limits the purview of district justices to the parties involved in the case before them and within the district where they serve, the type of cases mentioned in the article won’t wind up at the Supreme Court without going through the normal appellate process.
That will keep a single district court justice from interfering with the agenda that the people elected the president to enact.
Terry Kemple, Brandon
Grand jury convened in charity probe | Oct. 5
The Hope Florida scandal has generated questions that have been hard to answer. It’s messy, and from day one has carried more than a hint of impropriety. I’m glad it’s going to a grand jury with a formal review. There’s a good chance an indictment will result.
This also opens the door to other questions. Gov. Ron DeSantis created his mini form of DOGE, his Florida version of the infamous Elon Musk chainsaw-wielding budget investigators. Both the Musk federal version and the DeSantis state version of DOGE are charged with ferreting out waste, fraud and abuse. It is baffling why the Hope Florida scandal, with its clear earmarks of wasted money, funds potentially fraudulently allocated for overt political causes, and open abuse of public resources, was not immediately handed over to Florida DOGE for examination.
If the governor and First Lady truly wish to highlight their diligence as custodians of public funds, subjecting this scandal to the very investigatory body they established would be the logical and necessary course of action. Failing to do so only adds to the perception of a cover-up and undermines confidence in the administration’s commitment to transparent governance.
Jon Crawfurd, Gulfport
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