Letters to the Editor

Letter questions city authority

The recent Winter Park Parks and Recreation meeting once again proved to be an experience of good government put to bad use.

The Parks Commission in the presence of a packed audience and all of the major press outlets in Central Florida considered and passed a motion proposing a strict uniform enforcement of the city of Winter Park animal ordinance prohibiting dogs in Central Park.

This motion was passed without any public hearing from the general public.

Over the last 10 years, city residents have enjoyed many desirable pet-related events in and around Central Park sponsored by The Doggie Door merchant. In the past, the permits for these events were issued at the discretion of city department heads. These individuals have consistently demonstrated they have the professional ability to mete out permits for appropriate use.

Consequently, these events have been well-attended by residents and endorsed by the merchants association as beneficial to the viability of the Park Avenue business district.

Instead of being forward thinkers and redressing an archaic city ordinance, the current Parks Board initiative seeks to eliminate the authority of both the city staff and the City Commission to issue permits for any permitted uses of areas adjacent to Central Park for dog or pet-related events. The net result of the Park board's letter of recommendation, if adopted by the Commission, would be a complete ban of any dog-related function either in or adjacent to Central Park in downtown Winter Park without any provisions for exception.

We can and should support the concept of enforcement of laws and rules that serve to protect our rights and enhance the quality of life in Winter Park. However, the laws and rules that govern our rights and freedoms must be flexible enough to allow changes to meet the specific needs of given circumstances.

The recent action of the Parks Commission illuminates a serious flaw in the proposed revised animal ordinance governing the use of city parks in Winter Park. The proposed rules do not contain the flexibility to make permitted exceptions to the rules. A revision to the animal ordinance should be made to grant discretionary authority to the city manager or parks director to issue permits for animal events subject to filing an application and an appropriate fee.

We'd like the City Commission and mayor to know we'd like forward thinkers who have the vision to understand the importance of analyzing and altering city ordinances to meet the evolution and growth of local businesses. We also need to reemphasize the need for free and open discussion by the general public at city board meetings.

—Charles Namey

Winter Park

Speak up! Better yet — start barking loudly!

Our Parks and Recreation Commission recently passed a motion proposing a strict uniform enforcement of our city's animal ordinance that could ban dog-centered events on Park Avenue or streets near Central Park in Winter Park.

This motion will be discussed at a future Winter Park City Commission meeting.

Permits for dog-related events both in and near Central Park are presently issued by city staff. The current Park board's motion seeks to stop this process with no provision for exceptions.

Winter Park's animal ordinance was originally designed to keep dogs out of the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival. The Park Board's motion for stringent enforcement of the ordinance could now prohibit many dog-centered events in our downtown area.

The Parks board decided that city-run events such as the Farmer's Market and seasonal parades can still allow dogs. They remain "dog friendly". However, two annual events run by Park Avenue's The Doggie Door for the last 11 years are in jeopardy of being prohibited by the ordinance. How unfair is that?

The Doggie Door's Pet Costume Contest and Doggie Art Festival are charitable events that bring visitors and revenue to Park Avenue restaurants and retail stores. It would be a shame to no longer permit these family-oriented events.

Please let your city commissioners and mayor know that revisions to the ordinance need to be made allowing for flexibility and fairness. Permits for Winter Park animal-centered events should be granted at the discretion of the city manager with appropriate fees applied.

—Lucy Gordon

Winter Park

Seize economic power of rail

Our Winter Park City Commission continues to ponder the quiet evolution of the wheel. The SunRail commuter rail high drama is compelling for reasons I don't understand, but then I don't have cable. Two commissioners continue to take a "glass half-empty" approach. At the Monday, May 24 Commission meeting, one commissioner actually said, "What if in 40 years, Park Avenue has T-shirt shops like they currently have in Bar Harbor (our sister city in Maine? Who knew!). That's not acceptable!"

What is not acceptable and becoming alarmingly clear is that there is little authentic interest in moving this agreement forward at least from two commissioners. What is transparently visible to even a first-time Commission meeting attendee (myself), is the evasive steps taken to even mildly consider the benefits of tying into a regional transit network. What I find entirely myopic is the obsession with a 3 feet by 7 feet block area of Park Avenue at the exclusion of the rest of the 9-square-mile city of 28,000 residents, all of who could take advantage of moving about our regional community without the expense of taking a car in tow.

Transit, more than any other single economic driver, can add to property values and diversify our city's economic foundation. Skilled and highly paid employees want enhanced quality of life: convenience, "green" lifestyles and options to stay off the congestion that is Interstate 4. More simply, transit is an accepted benchmark for modern, forward-thinking cities (yes, even cities with historic districts).

As to comments that one Commission cannot obligate funds for a future Commission: how do you think we build roads? It takes 7-10 years to build a road — design, right of way acquisition, construction — and then out-years maintenance — milling and resurfacing.

Recessions happen. Let's diversify our tax base (rather than waving at potential new city residents and taxpayers as they pass through Winter Park without even stopping). That's the real opt-out provision where Winter Park loses! The fact is that Winter Park already has a wonderful incentive package on the table — Winter Park won't have to pay a dime toward the station operation costs until 2020, and that's only if we haven't put a dedicated funding source in place in Orange County.

Imagine this: by 2015, the Orlando-Tampa high-speed rail line should be operational. Tampa Bay-area residents can take that line, connect with SunRail, and be in Winter Park in time for lunch and shopping and not even have to park a car. That's economic power… for us!

—Charley Williams

Winter Park

Invest in clean energy

This oil spill is the proof that there is no safe oil drilling. Now is the time to use this horrible accident to reflect on how much is worth the oil we need. We depend on the ocean for food, oxygen and commercial development.

Let's make this an opportunity to invest in clean energy instead of paying millions for oil spill clean-ups! We already have the technology, we just need political will!

I want to see my child grow into a better world. I fear for her quality of life in the near future! The time is now!

—Fabiola Hansen

Winter Park

Growing a food supply

In 2008, Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi was shut down, thanks to riots after the presidential elections. For almost a month, no food could enter the area. Though conditions were prime for a food shortage, most residents didn't go without food. Why? Because many of them were already growing crops — on roves, along river banks, and even in sacks. And innovations like these are happening in cities and rural areas all over sub-Saharan Africa to nourish both people and the planet.

In 2009, global chronic hunger affected an estimated 1.02 billion people. Chronic hunger, as defined by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, is regularly eating food that provides less than 1,800 kilocalories (kcal) a day.

In comparison, Americans on average consume more than 3,400 kcal per day.

Not surprisingly, women and children account for the highest proportion of the chronically hungry. For mothers, inadequate nutrition can result in high instances of childbirth-related death. For infants and children, even short-term malnutrition can result in permanent damage to health, brain activity, and productivity.

Though there are many root causes to chronic hunger — including the low social status of women, conflicts, and low agricultural investment — poverty is almost always present. Poverty affects people's ability to buy, or grow, adequate amounts of food, which leads to chronic hunger. As a result of hunger and poor nutrition, people's productivity levels are lowered, pushing them further into poverty.

But the good news is that all over Africa, people are investing in different kinds of agricultural innovations, helping break the cycle by boosting productivity, providing farmers with some stability, and encouraging the next generation to make sustainable decisions.

Some innovations — like the International Development Enterprises' treadle pump — target technical problems encountered by farmers. These tools increase a farm's productivity, while simultaneously reducing the amount of labor and time involved in daily tasks.

Other innovations work to address cultural issues. Kristof and Stacia Nordin's permaculture garden at their home in Malawi provides an example of the benefits that accompany indigenous crops. Many efforts to combat hunger across Africa emphasize boosting yields of staple crops, such as maize and wheat, over planting indigenous vegetables. Local varieties, however, can be rich in vitamins and nutrients that many staple crops lack and are often naturally resistant to local pests and climatic fluctuations, making these plants important tools in the fight against hunger and poverty.

It's also increasingly important to provide the next generation with the tools to deal with the issues of hunger and poverty. Youth education projects — such as Uganda's Developing Innovations in School Cultivation (DISC) — give children nutritional guidance while also instilling a respect for agriculture. Teaching children about the connections between agriculture, the environment and food security helps create a generation of potentially self-sustainable farmers and consumers, who have the potential to make agricultural decisions that nourish themselves, their communities, and the planet.

—Danielle Nierenberg, co-project director of the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet www.nourishingtheplanet.org project

—Stephanie Pappas, a food and research intern from Winter Park.

Their research will culminate in the release of the Institute's flagship publication "State of the World 2011", which will focus entirely on alleviating hunger and poverty.

Don't rush into a Roth — it could cost you

Over the course of my career, I've noticed that a new financial strategy combined with a little propaganda can go a long way in shifting consumer financial planning behavior. Case and point in 2010 — the Roth IRA.

Roth IRAs have become a hot topic this year as a result of the income limitation being lifted, making Roths a retirement savings option for almost anyone. But what many don't realize is that rushing into a Roth conversion (or any financial strategy for that matter) could potentially cost you thousands if it's not the best decision for your finances or even worse, if it's executed improperly.

A Roth IRA isn't right for everyone — there are some situations where it isn't the best savings vehicle. For instance, if you are retired and are in a lower tax bracket, you may end up paying more taxes on the conversion than on the withdrawals from your other account.

If you do decide it's the right financial move for you, make sure you convert the right way in order to get the most out of your retirement savings.

Conversion mistakes can be costly, so be sure to avoid the 20 percent withholding fee for failing to do a direct transfer, also known as a trustee-to-trustee transfer. There is a 6 percent excise tax liability if you forget to take Required Minimum Distributions from existing accounts before converting, which is a common issue for retirees; and a 10 percent penalty tax for withdrawing money from your IRA or 401(k) that's being converted to cover the conversion taxes and/or if you're younger than 59.

Roth IRAs can be a valuable estate-planning tool for reducing estate taxes and eliminating tax liabilities on withdrawals for heirs, but in order for this strategy to work it must be executed correctly including:

-Completing new beneficiary designation forms (they don't rollover from one retirement savings account to another);

-Clearly defining who will receive the Roth and what percentage they should receive.

Roth IRA conversions can be complicated and costly if not done properly. Be sure to consult a qualified financial professional to get the most out of your Roth and retire without worries.

—Scott Cramer,

President of Winter Park-based Cramer & Rauchegger