Florida lawmakers want to help insurance companies by limiting lawsuits | March 14

Not the answer

The last session of our Legislature was to help ailing insurance companies. The residents who pay premiums saw no reductions in premiums, just the opposite. Our community saw an 82% increase and projections are for a 143% increase next year. The insurance companies that say they can’t afford to lower rates are spending large amounts lobbying and donating to the very same politicians who make these decisions for us. Now, they want to make it even easier on these companies by making it harder to sue them when they don’t pay claims. This is not the answer.

Andrew Linko, St. Petersburg

Want to get paid to blog about DeSantis? Report earnings to the state, bill says. | March 3

No accountability

The GOP, led by our governor, wish to have little citizen or press oversight of their actions. Between their recent legislation lowering the bar for libel, forcing blogs who report on politics to register with the state and pay a fee, and the recent moves to add an increasing number of exceptions to Florida’s Sunshine Laws, the position of the governor and the GOP is clear: We will do what we want, we don’t want you to know about it or report on it, and the citizens of the state should remain ignorant.

Jerry Nepon-Sixt, Tampa

West Wing beach meeting | March 20

Hold on a minute

I understand why officials in Pinellas County feel it necessary to lobby for White House intervention in a local problem. In a recent case, the lobbying involves the refusal of the Army Corps of Engineers to start beach restoration until all impacted beachfront property owners sign off on permanent easements. According to the article, the pushback comes from property owners who have private backyards that could be included in the easement along with the beach and dunes area. Sorry, but I’m not in sympathy with this reluctant group of homeowners.

Government easements are an integral part of property ownership. Easements are common and we all learn to live with them. They may, at times, be inconvenient but generally come with more benefits than liabilities. In this case, the benefit is millions of dollars spent in refurbishing beaches so that property values remain high. If the beach deteriorates, so does the value of their expensive slices of paradise. I hope the leaders in the White House can see through this selfishness.

Jon Crawfurd, Gulfport