Flood regulations just don't make sense
Although the attached is humorous, it does contain accurate information that [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] should address.
However, FEMA's primary reason for prohibiting downstairs enclosures has been the safety of the residents, which is a red herring and should be intelligently debated. I think you should be aware that during Hurricane Katrina, in New Orleans, there was only one reported death of a person living on the ground floor -- even the dogs and cats had enough sense to seek higher ground.
[Here are] the 10 most ridiculous reasons against downstairs enclosures:
10. Residents could drown if the downstairs was flooded. (When the water reached their knees, most people would head upstairs.);
9. These enclosures would make the home structurally unsound in a flood. (Most engineers disagree with this, and many of the homes are legally enclosed but the law precludes them from living there anyway. See No. 1.)
8. Flood insurance would have to pay for the repair and furnishings of the enclosure. (Exclude this from coverage -- duh.)
7. Owners would be encouraged to rent out the downstairs. (Not necessarily a bad thing, but many local ordinances prohibit this anyway -- enforce them.)
6. FEMA has to pay for the debris removal from the downstairs. (Charge an additional premium to those with enclosures -- $100? $200? $500? FEMA could make a boodle on this!)
5. through 1. FEMA says so!
Bryan H. Brownyard
Sugarloaf Key
Offensive protester is figuratively yelling 'fire'
The memorable remark by a wise Supreme Court justice stated, "Freedom of speech is inviolable, except that you may not yell 'fire' in a crowded theater."
In a like manner you may not yell "faggot" during a gay and lesbian event. By this measure, the demonstrator was as guilty of inciting a riot as was the one who yells "fire" in a theater.
Civil rights are not complicated. They are mostly a matter of common sense.
Reese Palley
Key West
Government is making our property worthless
It appears it's time to give up on trying to build on or sell hammock lots in the Florida Keys. Between the FEMA list and now the new tier challenge list it would appear the local tree-huggers have sucked all the value from all hardwood hammock lots. Two recent lawsuits have targeted the lots in the Florida Keys that contain tropical hardwood hammock.
When someone calls on your lot from your ad in the newspaper, or a Realtor wanting to list it, the first thing out of their mouth is: "Is it on the FEMA list?" And now to add insult to injury there's another list, the tier-less lot list. This is a list of over 4,000 lots in the Keys that the Keys Coalition, a local tree-hugger group, has now challenged the validity of the county's tier assignment.
It seems that this is another well-organized movement by the local tree-huggers to use the courts and the government to deflate the value of private property so it can be cheaply bought. Mark Roush of the county's Land Authority loves it; now he's sucking up lots caused by these lawsuits for nothing.
What really put a fork in it is people who own these lots continue to be taxed by the money-hungry county taxing agencies, which now include the Key Largo Wastewater board that is now going to levy a $500 wastewater tax on them -- even with the knowledge that these lots are marginally buildable.
I have talked to all five wastewater board commissioners till I was blue in the face, and it seems they just don't get it or don't want to. ...
The nine lots I own in Key Largo that are all tier 3 and tier3A, and all supposedly buildable by Monroe County's new tier system, have now become useless.
Again, the only buyer for these lots has become the government. ...
Salvador Gutierrez
Key Largo
Cruise ship tourists spend more per hour
[The Dec. 13] editorial headline caught my attention. What I assumed to be another examination of the trolley wars was instead a look at citywide cruise ship revenue.
The city limits the number of taxi permits to what, 60, 65? Do the same with the train, trolley and Duck [Tours Safari] permits and divide by three. Really, this is quite simple.
Enough of that; back to the editorial. Airline visitors spend $1,716 in 4.9 days, or $350.20 per day, or $14.59 per hour. Drive-in visitors spend $711 in 4.9 days, or $145 per day, or $6.05 per hour. Cruise ship visitors spend $84 in the six hours the ship is in port, or $14 per hour. So 740,000 cruise ship passengers times $84 is $62,160 per year.
How many drive-in and fly-in visitors do we get each year?
What about cruise ship employees? Were they included in cruise ship spending? A single cruise ship employee will spend $24 to $28 just in cab fare, round-trip to Ross or Kmart. Plus whatever they spend shopping at all the stores in the plazas.
The math and letter took me about 10 minutes Sunday morning. That is about the same amount of time for a single fare to Ross, or a group rate fare of four for $16.
Gee, at this rate I am getting close to covering a decent bar tab at the Schooner Wharf.
Raymond J. Reisen
Key West