Letters to the Editor

+ Long Bar Pointe should not be approved
Dear Manatee County Commission:

My family has owned our home in Bayshore Gardens since 1967. I am the third family member to reside in this fine home. I live here all year.

I am strongly against the development of Long Bar Pointe.

First is the damage it would do to the mangroves. The mangroves play many important roles, stopping erosion and, more importantly, absorbing storm surge during bad weather. Removing the mangroves places all of us who live near the coast in greater danger. Oh that we could learn from Mexico, where mangroves are protected and cannot be removed.

Second, a 300- or 500-boat marina is huge. It would do great damage to the water and to any fish and manatee that live in the water, in addition to the pollution and noise it would bring.

Third, the land infrastructure cannot handle a resort and development of that size. There would only be two entries. One would be Bayshore Gardens Parkway, a street lined with homes in a large residential neighborhood. These people don’t want their front lawns to become a street as busy as Cortez Road. The other would be 53rd Street, a road with similar problems.

Just because the land is there does not mean it should be developed, especially not in a design of this size. The increased development by IMG is going to cause enough of a transportation gridlock. Please do not add more.

Please, commissioners, you were elected by the people who live here, not the land developers. Please take into account what the people who elected you want, and it’s not this huge resort.

I look forward to learning of your support.

Deborah Carlsen Korell
Bradenton

+ Proposed parking changes rile Village boat owner
Dear Editor:

Well, here we go again. Someone once again thinks it’s a good idea to tell the rest of us what to do. I am talking about the current ongoing discussions about parking boat trailers on your own property. I am a Longbeach Village resident who has lived at my current home for more than 30 years and have had a boat and trailer here almost the entire time. I have never had a single complaint from a neighbor, or even a second look. 

The proposed ordinance, as I have seen so far, would require me to either cut down two red cedar trees or remove a chain-link fence and half of my oak tree hammock — neither which I would be willing to do. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We live on an island for God’s sake! I use my boat three to five times a week and love the new boat ramp in the Village, by the way. So, I certainly don’t want to bury it in my backyard, even if I could get it back there, which I cannot. 

To paraphrase the late Charlton Heston: “You can have my trailer parking space when you pry my cold dead hands from my engine tiller handle.”

Paul Moore
Longboat Key