Readers comment on the Florida surgeon general, redistricting and speeding penalties

Do no harm

The University of Florida’s board and president, to protect political connections, refuted academic freedom and imposed restrictions on well-qualified professors testifying truthfully. Those same folks, UF Health President David Nelson and Florida medical regulators, all again driven by politics, took only a couple of days to hire a guy from California that apparently has no education, experience or training in epidemiology, virology or public health administration, giving him a tenured professorship and a license to practice medicine in our state.

They supported his appointment as our state surgeon general even though he repeatedly and publicly disputed masks and other prevention methods — without evidence. Now, Joseph Ladapo, contrary to the best medical and scientific advice and expert opinions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Academy of Pediatrics and his own UF Heath boss, is publicly recommending against vaccinating children ages 5 and older against COVID.

This recommendation will likely result unnecessary and preventable illness, hospitalizations and permanent injury to Florida children. It seems to violate the oath of physicians to do no harm. At the very least, UF should fire him, the Florida authorities regulating doctors should revoke his medical license, and DeSantis should put the health of the children of Florida above his own political aspirations and run Ladapo out of office.

John H. Jones, Gainesville

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Delay new maps

The City Commission is poised to finalize a new map of the four city districts on March 17, based on the 2020 census.

Although they are required to do this, they don’t have to do it now. They have until the end of 2022.

The commission voted a preliminary final approval to a map with major changes, but redrawing the map now, and finalizing that decision shortly before City Commission elections, would be an unnecessary action and a mistake.

Story continues

Many candidates have already filed to run and are now in limbo as to what district they will be in. Campaign organizations and voters are in the same bind.

The coming city election will be challenging enough, what with it being combined for the first time with all the other elections (state, county, School Board) and the redistricting of state districts; and with new state election laws concerning early voting and mail-in voting. The potential for confusion is apparent.

The wise course is for the City Commission is to change city districts after November; it will ease confusion and still be accomplished by the required deadline.

Peggy Carr, Gainesville

Consequences needed

I find the plan to help calm traffic from the city commissioners interesting. Lower the speed limit to 30 mph citywide? That made me raise an eyebrow. There seems to be little, if any, enforcement of the speed limit. And it’s not just the speed limit but traffic laws in general.

It seems like people feel like they can drive however they want with impunity. It used to be that I’d count the number of people who ran a red per year on one hand. Nowadays I’ve run out of fingers on my drive home.

Without tickets, without consequences, too many people will continue to drive recklessly and continue to endanger themselves. But more importantly, they will continue to endanger others.

Innocent people are being put at risk because tickets aren’t getting written and points accrued. A few suspended licenses might actually start sending a message.

Marcus Young, Gainesville

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This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Letters to the editor for March 15, 2022