From health to education, why does Gov. DeSantis look to out-of-state expertise?

Homegrown experts

Conservative Hillsdale College is helping DeSantis reshape Florida education | July 4

Florida’s governor picked a Californian to decide what my state’s health policies should be. Now a private college in Michigan is providing the experts he believes can best tell us Floridians what our state’s educational policies should be. Are there no people in our populous and diverse state worthy to guide their own state’s future?

Michael Patterson, Tampa

California, here I come? Nope

Newsom’s ad in Florida: ‘Join us in California’ | July 4

Well, if you like woke government, gasoline prices the highest in the country (with the possible exception of Hawaii), a state income tax and one-party (Democratic) rule, thenby all means take up California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plea to leave Florida, and move to California.

Kenneth Gilder, St. Petersburg

Cut the millage rate

No tax break despite revenue windfall | July 3

For the record, I advocated for a millage rate reduction twice this year in public meetings. The first time was on Jan. 27, at a meeting on City Council budget priorities for the fiscal year 2023 budget. The second time was on May 3 at a budget workshop for the operating budget. I made the case that if we could not cut taxes now, with the robust growth in property tax revenues that we are currently experiencing, we will never be able to do so. I also pushed for more funding for our reserves, public safety, infrastructure, business development and our neighborhoods.

Ed Montanari, St. Petersburg

The writer represents District 3 on the St. Petersburg City Council.

Reduce trash

City will kick off anti-litter effort | July 5

While I applaud Tampa Mayor Jane Castor’s litter cleanup campaign, we really need to think critically about litter. We can pick it up on the side of the road, but a lot of it is from overflowing trash cans at commercial businesses that don’t keep up with emptying the trash. Also as trash is picked up by our municipal trash haulers, they inevitably spill some during pickup or transport which adds to the roadside litter. The real solution is to reduce litter at its source. A lot of litter is generated from single-use plastic foodware. We could easily use our own, or the restaurants could provide reusable containers. If your bathtub is overflowing, do you focus on cleaning up the water or do you turn off the tap? Let’s focus on the source of the problem so there is less litter to clean up.

Janet Stanko, Tampa