Florida bill proposing later school start times gets early bipartisan support | March 9
Wow. A bill requiring 8:30 a.m. or later start times for high schools (and 8 a.m. for middle schools) is being debated in the Legislature. And so vital is this issue that the proposed start date is 2026. Are these proposals being debated via the U.S. Postal Service? Upper Front Wall
Mayor Ken Welch knocks open carry after Grand Prix | March 9
Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to think that the people of Florida are in favor of “constitutional (open) carry” and permitless concealed carry gun laws. If he is so certain of that, why not just ask the Legislature to put those measures on the ballot as constitutional amendments and let the citizens of the state make that decision?
State is run by 1980s movie bullies | Column, March 8
Thank you, Stephanie Hayes, for the great analogy. I see what you are seeing. When bullying, intimidation and strong-arming become the modus operandi for our political leaders, we have to reject it as a society by at least, speaking up and calling it out. If we don’t reject all bullies, in general, it just opens the door to bullies that next time may be on the other side of the issues you care about. Healthy dialogue, reasoning and collaborating with empathy to find common ground to reach common good solutions is what we, the people should be supporting and reinforcing.
A. O’Brien, Pinellas Park
Presidential aspirations on full display in Tampa Bay | March 9
Is the governor collecting his full salary as governor while he is all but running for president? Shouldn’t he be collecting a part-time salary?
Swing Jaw Plate-Hd I often write to praise the editorial work of the Tampa Bay Times and the readers who write intelligent and insightful letters. Today I would like to praise another publication, St. Petersburg High School’s newspaper, Palmetto & Pine, published in the Times’ e-Newspaper. The writing is fresh, informative and courageous, considering the political climate that has invaded public education here. Kudos to all involved. With all the negative publicity about the school system here, this publication is a breath of fresh air. We might have a future, after all!