Responds to letter

To the editor:

Reading last week’s article by Fallon Patterson, it’s unfortunate that Joe Durso, CBC of Central Florida, seeks to distort our record of success with and for the people of Osceola County.

We will not respond in like kind because a destructive campaign of baseless accusations only hinders the progress we have made for Osceola County children.

Our record of success is a matter of public record, reflected by our national accreditation. Since 2004, we have tripled the number of foster families serving Osceola County children and shattered records for foster care adoptions. We have decreased caseloads by a third and invested millions of dollars annually in county-based services, including new partnerships with the Children’s Advocacy Center, Help Now, and Osceola County Human Services. Our children are among the safest in the state, by objective measures, even though a quarter of county residents are in poverty.

We’re thankful for constant broad support from the people of Osceola County. During our contract bid process, we received more letters of support than any other child welfare agency in Florida – ever. This reflects our wide engagement of government, education, corporate, faith-based and Hispanic communities. Our volunteer board members from Osceola County, including our board chairman, have provided critical leadership.

The child protection system we have built together is healthy, strong, effective and efficient. However, the transition to a new lead agency threatens its sustainability. I urge Osceola County’s civic leaders to build upon the phenomenal momentum we have created together for children and families.

Gregory J. Kurth
Chief Executive Officer
Family Services of Metro Orlando

Farewell to Forever?

To the editor:

Forever Florida, a once-proud appellation, seems to be lost in the rush by the Florida Legislature to get rid of regulation.

The “pro-business” agenda of the Republicans there is moving quickly through both houses at the expense of our fragile and beautiful state and its residents. One wonders why any business, except those that will profit from having no regulation, would move to Florida. Perhaps these backward steps, the antithesis of “Forever Florida,” are more deserving of the appellation “Farewell Florida.”

The local effects of the destruction of years of carefully enacted protections are dire. Osceola County elected officials have already approved six huge developments, none of which has turned earth yet. Now, with the total weakening of the oversight by the state Department of Community Affairs, plus the local reduction or total abolishment of impact fees, abolishing restrictions on short-term rentals in residential areas, the weakening of restrictions on clean air and water and holding polluters responsible, less restrictions on water use and water sources, those huge developments will have less regulation, and new opportunities to put profit over preservation or public health and safety. Our lakes are already stressed by pollution, our native flora and fauna are disappearing and now we face more destruction from the greedy carpetbaggers at our borders.

Remember when hundreds of local residents fought those huge developments? We were told that the commission had no choice but to approve them because of their earlier approval of the “urban growth boundary.”

Then, they approved ignoring that boundary by approving another mega-development on the east side of our county, for Deseret Farms. Osceola County is no different from anywhere else — corporate money can buy the right to destroy our quality of life, and the Legislature is on the fast-track to do just that. You know how they will vote when you check their donation sources. When those giant developments begin construction, our huge inventory of existing homes on the market will cause many locals to be forced to abandon their homes, and their need to sell them. Lack of impact fees will cause us locals to pay for infrastructure needs created by development.

Because Osceola County has not valued its lands and residents in the past, we have the highest jobless rate and the lowest average income in Central Florida. Our housing values continue to fall, jobs that are available now pay less, there are more residents with no access to health care, our homeless people continue to increase.

Most of the legislators proposing to abolish our regulations are not native Floridians and some have lived here only a few years, like the current governor. Florida has a long history of being the state that had all kinds of greedy criminals committing fraud on citizens, which caused us to clean up that reputation by regulation. We were no longer the laughing stock of the country. But, welcome back, fraudsters — the legislature is inviting you to return.

In addition to the above regulations they are abolishing, they will not require regulation of the travel industry, landscape industry, auto mechanics, land surveyors, home inspectors, telemarketers and telephone companies. They intend to abolish oversight of insurance company rate-setting, nursing home abuse and oversight of mental health facilities and children's services by defunding the budgets that protect and enforce safety and care.

Who is left to care about our waters, our lands, our wildlife and our true Florida lifestyle? The Legislature has not yet had final votes on abolishing the protections we now have. Before your residential area has short-term rentals next door, before your land surveyor refuses to correct the mistakes made that cost you that new mortgage, before your grandfather dies in a nursing home because of lack of care, talk to your legislators about what they are doing. Florida tried to have fewer regulations, but the fraudsters forced us to act. Those greedy people are still out there. If we allow them to operate freely, without oversight or regulation, then “Farewell Florida.”

Nancy Smith
Kissimmee

Loss for words

To the editor:

I am at a loss for words at the back-handed politics that continues to exist in Osceola County.  

For a school board to take action on an item not on the agenda and to remove a superintendent early as was done last night (Tuesday) is not only sneaky but it is underhanded.  What bothers me just as much is that many of the board members did not even seem shocked by Ms. Horn’s motion. My question would then be: Did members of the School Board break the Florida Sunshine Laws and discuss this matter ahead of time? Other members rightly brought up the bad message we will be sending to future candidates and the negative effect on students and the district of having three superintendents in the course of one year.  

Ms. Horn and Ms. Hartig claim to have the students’ best interest at heart and the wishes of the people. To me this does not seem to be the case. What it seems is that certain board members have their own agendas. If as they suggest, this was a case of doing what is best for the people then why not have this item on the agenda and listen to the people?  

On a side note as a parent, Dr. Grego, thank you for improving our schools and being accessible to parents.  This parent appreciates you and what you have accomplished in three years.

Jennifer Palmer
Kissimmee