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Pasco Letters to Editor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 31, 2007

Loss Of Tranquility

For the past few years our holidays have been ruined by pounding, loud music in the neighborhood. I've telephoned the police but was told by a deputy their hands are tied because they have no decibel meters. Apparently, Pasco County gave the decibel meters to Code Enforcement, which, by the way, closes at 5 every evening and is closed on the weekend.

We've lived here for many years and have enjoyed the quiet and cleanliness up until about five years ago. The regard for fellow neighbors grows weaker.

Tommytown is riddled with slums and hovels. Trash lies about in yards and right of ways. Dumpsters are filled to the brim with beer bottles and cans.

As the immigrant population grows, the wider the area of trash and disregard for neighbors becomes. Many times I walk down the street and pick up trash from the right of ways, and I'm disabled! One would think a healthy person could take the time to do it themselves; it only takes a couple of minutes.

I have no ill will toward anyone. I wish they at least would regard our cities, counties and country as one that has always encouraged respect for our fellow neighbors. OK, not 100 percent of the time, but the percentage has always been very high in that regard.

Now I find myself wondering if I have the strength to fight to keep our city clean and quiet or if I should just move to another state. (I've been in Florida all of my life.)

It's obvious that county authorities have no interest in getting involved in the matter. Vehicles go by our house with Latino music so loud that our windows shake. The music from down the street is so loud that even with our windows closed, we hear a constant pounding. Should we wander outside, we are forced to listen to their music.

We often prefer to be quiet this time of year to dwell on our beliefs. With pounding music, we find it quite difficult to accomplish this.

This influx is mindful to me of cancer. If it goes unattended, it spreads like wildfire. We will lose our pretty little city and, eventually, our beautiful state and on and on. It literally breaks my heart.

I wonder if there is anyone who feels the same way.

FRAN TOLL

Dade City

Residents Burdened

I have been following the ongoing debate between the Pasco County School Board and county government regarding who will pay for roads to and around new school sites. Let me start by saying that I live in the area of State Road 52 and Little Road, near where the school board recently purchased a 37-acre school site.

By building this new school in the existing Five-A community, the site is inconsistent with the Pasco County Comprehensive Plan, which is supposed to outline where a school can be built. Apparently, the school board doesn't have to follow the same rules as every other developer in the county.

The placement of this new school in Five-A is because of the numerous developments approved along the S.R. 52 corridor. These developments were approved by Pasco County over five years ago, and the school board's Educational Plant Survey should have clearly identified a need for a school more than five years ago as well.
Pasco County can require developers to set aside property for future schools that will serve new developments. But the county does not want to overburden million-dollar developers. Instead, the county would rather overburden the already overburdened taxpayers of the county.

These problems are further exacerbated by the school board, as it seems they are five years behind the development of this county and the building of new schools. If the school board and county would plan a little better, and together, instead of working against each other, the taxpayers of this county wouldn't be forced into paying so much money for school sites.

This would give the school board enough money to build their own roads to their new schools just like the developers build roads inside and leading to their communities. Maybe the school board could work with the developers and split the cost of roads they are already building in their developments. The school board doesn't work with anyone - they do what they want to.

It is pretty sad that our elected officials, who are elected to make decisions in the best interest of citizens, are making decisions that are not exactly in citizens' best interests. These are very costly mistakes in a time when government is cutting budgets.

Already, well-established neighborhoods are having new schools and new roads crammed down their throats, all in the name of education.

I assure you that when the lights are too bright, the traffic too heavy and the noise too loud, residents of this now quiet Five-A neighborhood will be calling the sheriff's office and making complaints to Code Enforcement, as well as sending letter after letter to our so-called elected officials and assistant school superintendent, Ray Gadd.

JEFF CANNON

Hudson

Reinstate Officer

I had to write and tell you of my strong objection to the Florida Highway Patrol's dismissal of Patrolman Greg LaMont on such flimsy "evidence" against him after 25 years of service.

Does his word mean nothing after so many years of loyal service to Florida? Does the word of a citizen hold more weight? Judging from the article ("Veteran Officer Appeals Dismissal," Dec. 22), it sounds like the only evidence against Patrolman LaMont was this person and his girlfriend - no other witnesses or evidence, except their word, etc.

Can you believe this person would stop in the middle of an interstate highway, instead of pulling off the road, when stopped by a patrolman? What did he think he was being stopped for - driving too slow? And he didn't notice a "dent" in his car at the scene? He only noticed it a couple of hundred miles up the road in Georgia?

The Pasco-Pinellas State Attorney's Office must be lacking in work to file charges against this patrolman on the word of this citizen alone. This whole thing sounds very fishy to me.

Patrolman LaMont should be reinstated immediately and given a medal for this travesty of justice. I hope he sues former FHP Director Christopher Knight, the FHP and this citizen for all they've got. I'm sure if this gets to a jury, he'll win.

CONNIE M. PERDUE

New Port Richey

Crist Cares

In reference to Tom Jackson's "Here's What Newsmakers Really Need" (Dec. 23), I wish to thank him for being accurate. He pointed out that Sen. Mike Fasano was meddling in a matter that was squarely in Sen. Victor Crist's district. Unlike your competitor, which printed half-truths about Crist, Jackson chose facts.

I live in Pasco, and I know from experience that Sen. Crist is involved in Pasco. When our civic association had a problem with some county officials, he came to our meeting, heard our concerns and fixed the problem.

Crist definitely cares about his entire district, including Pasco County, and I wanted the truth to be known.

PAUL WELLS

Land O' Lakes

Falling Values

Regarding "Home prices post record drop," www.cnnmoney.com, Dec. 26:

The article states that Tampa area home prices fell 11.8 percent, the 10 consecutive month of price depreciation and 23rd straight month of decelerating returns. I sent the article to our county property appraiser, Mike Wells, and asked him why doesn't he take that statistic into account and help reduce our property taxes.

Our homes' market values are declining, yet we're still paying too much in taxes! I'm disgusted with government.

WILLIAM A. SALTER

Land O' Lakes

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