Where has government transparency in Florida gone? Ask DeSantis | Opinion

Open government

Government transparency, once a hallmark of Florida’s “Government in the Sunshine” laws, is under threat. Two stories in the Miami Herald’s Sept. 4 edition highlight this troubling trend.

In the front page story, “Worker who leaked the effort to put golf courses in state parks is fired,” the whistleblower who exposed an initiative kept hidden from the public was fired.

The other story, “Florida agency removes information about LGBTQ travel in state,” discusses how Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing organization, quietly removed informational pages without public notice. Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, captured the essence of this secrecy when she remarked, “the thing that is most interesting about this is that it was done quietly.”

Her observation applies equally to both cases. Don’t be fooled; these are not isolated incidents. Like cockroaches, where there’s one, there are many more lurking in the shadows. We must stay vigilant for signs of this political infestation.

Crooked politicians, much like pests, tend to cluster and thrive in the dark. We should all be deeply grateful to the journalists who bring these stories to light. Their work gives us a fighting chance to expose corruption and drag our government out of the shadows and into the light, where it belongs.

Mayree Morin Fernandez,

South Miami

Governor’s M.O.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is at it again.

When a Florida employee blows the whistle on his shenanigans, the employee is fired and the DeSantis administration does everything they can to discredit the former employee’s reputation. This happened when an employee exposed discrepancies in the official Florida website reporting COVID-related deaths, and now it is happening again when an employee exposed the attempt to use state parkland for private economic benefit.

Consequences to the environment were disregarded, the plan was rushed through with limited public notice. With the plan exposed to the public, DeSantis claimed he knew nothing about it, called it a half baked plan, and said he didn’t want to spend money on the project.

Typical of DeSantis to run from something that makes him look bad.

We should be thankful that he can only serve two terms due to term limits. He has caused more damage to Florida in these two terms that it seems like he’s been around much longer. Hopefully, Ron has learned his lesson with his failed 2024 presidential run and will just go off in the sunset at the end of his term as governor, not to be heard from again.

Oscar R. Friedman

Cooper City

Let’s be smarter

Military historian and author Yuval Noah Harari wrote — and recently repeated during an interview last week — a question that we must ask ourselves: “If we (humans) are so smart, why are we so stupid?”

That message was reinforced on Sept. 4 when I learned of the slaughter of four and the wounding of nine others in Georgia by a semi-automatic assault weapon. I don’t care a whit who pulled the trigger. The weapon was the means to the desired end.

Why are we so stupid about assault-style weapons? Who is to blame for the easy access to and ownership of that lethal tool?

The short answer is, Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate, who have blocked every attempt to reinstate a federal ban on ownership and sale of assault weapons. Republicans in state legislatures don’t get a pass on the issue either.

Strict laws, coupled with enforcement regulations, are what most Americans want but are not getting from lawmakers. The harm caused by assault weapons can be addressed this November only if Republicans, funded by irrational gun rights organizations, the NRA and firearms manufacturers, lose their seats and control of federal and state legislatures.

We must cast our votes for a safer state and nation, even if it requires crossing party lines.

David Kahn,

Boca Raton

Agreeable friends

I had the privilege of attending a presentation by Zoo Miami’s Goodwill Ambassador, Ron Magill. His captivating and inspiring African expedition program offered us a first-hand look at the safari, with a sense as if we were actually participants.

The Zoo Miami Foundation supports local conservation efforts around the world by supporting tourism and with direct financial assistance. I enthusiastically encourage residents to become members of Zoo Miami to support its outstanding mission, here and around the world.

Ossie Hanauer,

Kendall

Pathetic politician

I am surprised that U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez’s re-election campaign ads on English-language television show him bragging about how he has gotten so much infrastructure money for Miami-Dade County.

He voted against the bipartisan bill pushed through by all Democrats and 13 “brave” Republicans.

Gimenez is a hypocrite. So pathetic.

Susan McGrath,

Coral Gables

Insult? Favor?

Generally, the opinions I submit to the Miami Herald are lengthy in order to provide adequate information. That being said, I am fairly certain this will be the shortest.

While recently watching MSNBC, I learned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly supporting Kamala Harris for president. Obviously, no further discussion is needed.

Joyce Voschin,

Davie

Dark city

There is much more to Donald Trump’s infatuation with Caracas, Venezuela than his demonstrably false claim that the city has a low crime rate and is therefore “safer” than any urban center in the United States. Trump supports this argument with the fallacious claim that most violent criminals in Venezuela have crossed the U.S. border illegally and are now murdering, raping, robbing and assaulting American citizens.

Trump views Caracas not through its crime statistics, but through its home base of authoritarian rule under Nicolas Maduro, the dictator who was defeated by a margin of at least 2-1 in Venezuela’s recent election. Trump, a dictator in waiting, clearly admires Maduro and his supporters, who have since killed or jailed many citizens protesting Maduro’s defeat in a legitimate election.

As the Miami Herald noted in its Aug. 26 edition, a nonprofit public interest group found that Caracas has a homicide rate of 50.8 victims per 100,000 residents — more than six times the U.S. national average. Official statistics in the U.S. put 10 of our country’s largest cities well below the crime rate in Caracas.

Paul Doell,

Hollywood

Untrammeled nature

Pickleball courts may be a fad. Some golf courses are closing. Let’s leave our state parks as they are.

Let local cities and towns install the activity parks for their residents. Leave nature alone.

Marlene Haigh,

Lakeland

Votes for guns

I am sickened watching children losing their lives to these wackos with guns who seem to want to get even with the world. Meanwhile, our legislators seem unwilling or unable to arrive at some sensible gun control which might keep these kids alive.

Therefore, I have decided that if anyone running for office, or who holds elective office, accepts even one penny from the gun lobby, they will not have my vote, regardless of party affiliation. Prove to me that you are no longer beholden to the gun lobby or find another person who will vote for you. Do what you were elected to do: take care of all Americans, not those who line your pockets.

Patrick Michael Reilly,

Pembroke Pines

Not amused

Re: the Sept. 4 front page story, “Worker who leaked the effort to put golf courses in state parks is fired.” Kudos to the now former state employee, James Gaddis, for his bravery to stand up for what he thought was an unfair move to destroy our spacious and beautiful state parks and the natural serenity they provide.

Our governor tried to pull a fast one on us but he was fooling with the wrong people. This whole fiasco reminds me of an old TV advertising line, ”It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”

Bryan Nemeroff,

West Kendall