Use IBM tactic on Vero Beach Three Corners? Growth hurts Stuart, Port St. Lucie; Lake O
Use IBM strategic decision process for Vero Beach Three Corners?
As I read the thoughtful assessments of the four exciting but different proposals for the Three Corners, I am reminded of the decision process we used in our IBM strategy work.
This approach was often used in big business, infrequently in urban planning or the public sector. The key point is that a "hybrid solution," blending the best elements of each of three or four different approaches, may produce the best results.
Here's how it works. When facing a complex strategic business decision with some clear alternatives (each supported by a strong group of advocates), start off by clearly defining each of the major alternatives and then the probable measurable results of each.
For example, Alternative 1 might have three or four major elements: A) build a hotel, B) an outdoor event stage, C) a mini-marina and D) two restaurants. For each of those elements, there would be possible measurable benefits (tax revenues, citizen satisfaction, tourism attraction) and measurable minuses (traffic/parking, road construction, police/safety costs, noise, pollution). Where specific facts aren’t knowable, estimated ranges are acceptable.
After analyzing each of the four major alternatives, the team (which includes advocates of each major alternative), develops a hybrid solution that pulls the best sub-elements of each alternative into a combined solution that has broad support and optimizes the cost/benefit equation.
I applaud the good work done so far and look forward to a well thought-out plan that many in Vero Beach can support.
Doug Sweeny, Vero Beach
Rampant growth barreling north ruining our quality of life
Almost weekly, our city and county commissioners approve the construction of thousands of new homes, shopping centers and strip malls, with virtually no regard for the impact these structures will have on our infrastructure, especially our roadways.
This is occurring unabated all over the Treasure Coast and is not confined to just one city or county.
It is obvious that the winners are the developers/builders who profits are skyrocketing, and our politicians who feel that "bigger is better" despite the costs. The losers are our present and future residents who are subjected to out-of-control and destructive urbanization that is sweeping northward from Miami-Dade County.
Until our elected officials either change their philosophies and/or are replaced by more open-minded officials who care about our quality of life, this urban tragedy will continue to occur, and the quality of our lives will continue to deteriorate.
Charles Miller, Port St. Lucie
Stuart, Port St. Lucie 'the best'? Not anymore
Regarding all the hubbub about Stuart and Port St. Lucie being recognized in national publications for being among the best either in Florida or nationally, I’d recommend everyone to take it with a grain of salt.
And for those who live in nearby towns that want such recognition, my advice is to be careful what you wish for.
My wife and I started snowbirding in Stuart a decade ago and four years ago decided to move to the Treasure Coast full time. We ended up in Port St. Lucie, buying an older home on the water.
We’ve seen a huge change, for the worse, in just the years we’ve been here.
We have many friends here who are longtime residents and far more disturbed by the changes in both Stuart and Port St. Lucie. It all boils down to too many people. Too much building, which brings overcrowded roads, stores, restaurants, schools, waterways and beaches.
Oh yeah, and crime.
Stuart and PSL used to be nice, quiet places to live. Lately, they’re looking more like West Palm Beach. Urban sprawl keeps moving north along the coast and I’m sure there’s little that can be done to stop it since politicians are forever in league with wealthy developers.
And yeah, you can say a certain area is “built-out” but, is it really? Don’t we constantly see currently occupied parcels of land being cleared for high-density housing? Why? Money. Plain and simple. Developers and politicians make money and current residents see rising costs, lowered property values and a reduced quality of living.
Face it, there’s nothing in PSL to write home about. For years, people moved here for peace and quiet. Lately, there’s still nothing here of substance and now it’s neither peaceful nor quiet.
Kevin Donovan, Port St. Lucie
Time to fix Martin County's tribute to Bob Graham
I generally ride my bike varying distances along State Road A1A on Hutchinson Island. Bob Graham Beach is one of my turnaround points.
Ironically, I stopped and read the monument plaque on the day Bob Graham's passing was announced. It reads:
"BOB GRAHAM BEACH. THIS BEACH WAS DEDICATED ON MARCH 8, 1983, IN RECOGNITION OF THE EFFORTS OF GOV. BOB GRAHAM WHO ESTABLISHED THE SAVE OUR COAST PROGRAM WHICH RESULTED IN THE ACQUISITION OF ADDITIONAL MARTIN COUNTY BEACH PROPERTY."
The decaying monument stands, barely visible, about 10 yards north of the beach entrance and the bronze plaque is corroding.
Martin County should make an effort to better remember what Graham did for it by restoring the monument and plaque and placing it in a more visible area of the parking lot so beachgoers know who to thank for their beach.
Marshall Aykroyd, Hutchinson Island
Don't bash farmers south of Lake Okeechobee who feed us
There's a troubling trend of painting farmers as the scapegoats for environmental issues surrounding Lake Okeechobee. Having grown up in Clewiston, I've witnessed firsthand how certain groups vilify our farming communities, jeopardizing not just our way of life, but also the stability of our nation's food supply.
Everglades area farmers are responsible for feeding more than 180 million Americans a year. Special-interest groups have unfairly targeted them, particularly sugar cane farmers, while disregarding the realities faced by our many smaller, family-run operations.
It's important to set the record straight on these special-interest, activist groups. They've relentlessly pursued agendas that would cripple our farming communities, seeking to convert large pieces of productive farmland into restoration projects to solve various water issues throughout the region — oblivious to the economic devastation and food shortages that would follow.
Despite farmers' significant contributions to improving water quality over the years, relentless attacks and misinformation campaigns have continued while the true sources of Lake Okeechobee's water issues remain largely unaddressed.
Behind their facade of environmental concern lies a stark reality; these groups are driven not by a desire to protect our natural resources, but by a blatant anti-farming agenda. They've capitalized on crises like the blue-green algae blooms and red tide to further their fundraising, all while conveniently ignoring the fact that more than 95% of Lake O’s water/pollutants flows in from the north through a chain of lakes ― not farms south of the lake.
We need to move beyond the divisive rhetoric and false narratives that have hindered progress of the big lake’s restoration. A cleaner lake benefits all areas and all interests connected to it.
As president of the Lake Okeechobee Business Alliance, I'm committed to shedding light on the realities faced by our farmers and rural communities and advocating for their interests in the face of relentless, misinformed opposition.
Julia du Plooy, Clewiston, is president of the Lake Okeechobee Business Alliance.
Bad hurricane season doesn't bode well for water quality
I am concerned that predictions of an active hurricane season may make high-volume discharges from Lake Okeechobee inevitable.
The lake’s water level is higher now than it has been at this time in the past 16 years. Summer discharges also carry with them the threat of blue-green algae in our waterways. These blooms pose a threat to our ecosystem and endanger public health and the livelihoods of countless residents and businesses that rely on our waterways. Many remember the “Lost Summers” of 2013, 2016 and 2018, when serious algal blooms caused severe economic repercussions in the area. Tourism, fishing, and recreational activities were all shut down.
Hurricane season begins on June 1, and forecasts do not look good. Current predictions call for 23 named storms, 11 hurricanes and 5 major hurricanes. All much higher-than-average numbers. These tropical storms can cause direct, devastating damage to our coastal communities as well as major, indirect impacts like high-volume and prolonged Lake Okeechobee discharges to the coastal estuaries.
As we prepare for the 2024 hurricane season, we must keep an eye on Lake Okeechobee and how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District are managing it. These two agencies must work together to take proactive steps that address Lake Okeechobee water levels and the imminent threat of discharges and algal blooms brought on by these storms.
The health of Lake Okeechobee is intertwined with the well-being of South Florida’s coastal communities. Sending lake water south would restore the Lake’s already fragile ecology and reduce the potential for damaging discharges to the estuaries. We must safeguard our environment, protect public health, and ensure our economic resiliency.
Mark Perry is executive director of the Florida Oceanographic Society, Stuart
Florida must focus on public and worker health
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the federal agency that oversees workplace safety, has a budget of $632 million. With your taxpayer dollars, it performs 1,850 worksite inspections, covering 130 million workers at more than 8 million locations across the United States.
It advises employers of unsafe working conditions, makes recommendations to address common dangers and issues citations for violations.
By any standard, it is effective. Over the past five decades, it has overseen the reduction of deaths on the job from 38 per day in 1970 to 15 per day in 2022. It has helped make workers safer on the job by combating injury and illness in the workplace with proven measures.
Unions were instrumental in the creation of OSHA and play a vital role in its ongoing successes.
Is that why Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his rubber-stamp super majority, extremist Legislature want to withdraw from OSHA and dismantle unions in Florida? Are the powerful Tallahassee lobbyists the reason Florida banned local heat safety and wage laws?
Their recent attacks on the rights of workers to form or join unions have done nothing to help workers and many things to hurt working families. The Republican stranglehold on Florida has resulted in a reduction of child labor protections, the decline of home rule and laws that make working outside in the Florida heat more dangerous than ever.
The National Association of Letter Carriers declared April 28 “Protect Our Letter Carriers” Day and the organization planned to rally in Port St. Lucie. It wants to focus on ways to make mail delivery more safe. It was also Workers Memorial Day, when unions honor those who have been fatally injured while working.
The time is now for Floridians to say enough is enough. It is time to elect lawmakers that will actually protect workers, not corporations. It is time to put public health and worker safety at the forefront.
Felicia Bruce, Fort Pierce, is president of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans.
Congress must pass Alzheimer’s legislation
Nearly 7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, including more than 580,000 in Florida. As a former caregiver to my mother, who died from Alzheimer’s last September, I understand the impact this disease has on Treasure Coast families.
Getting an accurate diagnosis can often take years or simply go unresolved. We must ensure that our community public health infrastructure is ready to support families through this journey and ensure they receive accurate diagnoses. That means providing primary care physicians with the right tools and knowledge to recognize the disease and provide diagnoses so new treatments can be accessed in the early stages.
Two bills must get support from our Treasure Coast representatives. The BOLD Reauthorization Act of 2024 would continue strengthening the Alzheimer’s public health infrastructure, empowering our local public health department to implement dementia interventions such as increasing early detection and diagnosis, reducing risk and supporting the needs of caregivers.
The Accelerating Access to Dementia and Alzheimer’s Provider Training Act would empower primary care providers to better diagnose Alzheimer’s and other dementia. It would help them to deliver high-quality, person-centered care in our communities.
I hope Congressman Brian Mast will join the Southeast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in advancing these bills and policies that will continue making progress in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
While my mother can no longer fight back against this devastating disease, I am proud to fight on her behalf, and on behalf of everyone impacted by Alzheimer’s and all other forms of dementia.
Leigh Hebard, Vero Beach
Major issues with electric vehicles
The cost of manufacturing an electric vehicle not only exceeds the cost of a gas combustion-operated vehicle, the staying power and longevity have yet to be determined for the EV.
Social implications, including gathering raw material in China (with slave labor), has political side effects in dealing with an adversary. There is no defining calculation as to how much fossil fuel it takes to rape the Earth to get the materials into a battery that is made in a factory run by fossil fuel. The vehicle itself, components and replacement parts are manufactured in factories run by fossil fuels. The public recharging station or the portal at your home changes fossil fuel into energy used by the EV. The disposal of old EV batteries creates an environment disaster yet to be determined.
Martin Jacobson, Port St. Lucie
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Vero Beach Three Corners; dangers of Treasure Coast growth; Lake O
