Letters to the Editor

How can we appease eateries and residents?

“Lock the doors!” my 1960s mom squawks in our Oldsmobile station wagon with no electric door locks. My crew cut and I sure liked the fresh air, but when traversing Hannibal Square, it was all about windows up and doors locked. “This is where the stabbings occurred,” were among the ominous statements coming from the front seat.

Years went by and Hannibal Square continued as a late-night bar district. Sit across the corner from Dexter’s now and it’s hard to imagine. Sparkling lights and well-dressed patrons. The activity surrounding this fine restaurant belies the challenges gnawing at its viability.

Back up a little. Years ago but still long after the Oldsmobile station wagon, a “colorful” individual spearheaded the transformation of Hannibal Square. To this day, I’m amazed at how well it was done. The feel and architecture is wonderful. For me, a stroll down New England Avenue brings a sigh of relief. This area could so easily have been redeveloped in the non-descript stucco boxes that have sprouted up like so many weeds.

So, what does one do now? Vacancy rates in Hannibal Square exceed those of its more refined and mature cousin, Park Avenue. If I were a landowner with all of those vacancies, I’d be pulling my hair out.

Allow the restaurants to stay open later and sell alcohol and you might fill these empty spaces. Sign them leases; young bucks with creative restaurant concepts are just itching for a venue with a 1 a.m. closing time worthy of their dream.

Now here’s the roadblock, bouncer if you will: cover charge! The city made a promise to the neighbors, not affluent neighbors mind you, but people in homes living their lives: We’ll redevelop your mostly residential neighborhood but limit the hours to maintain a “restaurant” district, not a “bar” district. So there you have it — do you throw a lifejacket to the tenants and landowners while sticking your noses up to the commoners, the homeowners without the wherewithal to put up much of a fight? Or do you keep your commitment to the late-night and early-morning tranquility while simultaneously searching for creative ways to hear and satisfy the needs of the restaurateurs, their presence of which is highly desirable and necessary to the area’s viability? E-mail me at [email protected]

—John T. Skolfield III

Winter Park

Oppose Bellows’ giant project

Ravaudage. The 33-plus acre development at the corner of Highway 17-92 and Lee Road. A blighted area in the past to be sure. Benjamin Partners, a.k.a. Dan Bellows, has big plans on the horizon for us. On April 21, this development was before the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission asking for rezoning and no less than 28 waivers to Orange County Code mostly dealing with setbacks — or lack thereof — and reduction of green space, reducing the big box open space requirement from 25 percent to 2.5 percent. P&Z passed it. Now the Orange County Commission will hear the request on May 24. Do the people who live and work in Winter Park and Maitland know how intense this development is? Are they ready for the impact a development of more than 1.8 million square feet of mixed-use office/retail/commercial/residential is going to have on our communities? A development with three times more density than Winter Park Village? This project lies in an Alternative Mobility Area, which is just a nice way of saying it doesn’t matter how much traffic is created, people will walk and ride their bikes to shop at Walmart, Target or Whole Foods if they can’t get their car onto Lee Road. Traffic impact estimates add nearly 5,000 trips a day.

Time to wake up Winter Park, before it’s too late.

—Jacqueline Becker

Winter Park

Amplified telephones available to Florida residents at no cost

Florida has one of the highest percentages of citizens who are hard of hearing in the country. However, for a variety of reasons, many never realize that telephone solutions are available to them.

Florida Telecommunications Relay Inc. (FTRI) is reminding the 3 million Florida residents with hearing loss that assistance with communicating on the telephone is available, at no cost to them.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Telecommunications Access System Act (TASA) by the Florida State Legislature, making it possible for those who are hard of hearing, speech challenged, deaf or deaf/blind to access basic telephone services. TASA led to the creation of FTRI, a non-profit organization that provides amplified telephones to Floridians for free. Since 1991, FTRI has served more than 431,000 residents and distributed nearly 835,000 pieces of equipment, yet with the number of people with hearing loss on the rise, FTRI continues to spread the word.

To qualify for FTRI’s services, an individual needs to meet only three basic requirements: 1) be a permanent Florida resident; 2) be at least 3 years of age; and 3) be certified as having a hearing loss or being speech challenged by a physician, an audiologist, a state-certified teacher for the hearing or visually impaired, speech pathologist, hearing aid health care provider, vocational rehabilitation counselor, or a director of a deaf service center.

Qualifying Floridians can receive a wide range of aids for a variety of needs. One of FTRI’s more popular products is an amplified telephone, which is available in corded and cordless models. Many of FTRI’s clients experience varying degrees of hearing loss, so amplified telephones present a wide range of features including volume and tone control.

FTRI offers telephones that amplify incoming sound up to 60 decibels to accommodate those with severe hearing loss. For those with moderate or mild hearing loss, FTRI offers different models to accommodate them. Since hearing loss often impacts seniors, FTRI also offers amplified telephones with large buttons and other features for individuals with low vision and limited mobility.

FTRI offers other types of telephones to meet the needs of those that may be speech challenged or deaf-blind and encourages you to visit the FTRI website at www.ftri.org to learn more.

FTRI is also committed to making it easy for Florida residents to obtain this free telephone. FTRI contracts with 23 regional distribution centers that are located strategically across the state where residents can receive telephones and other equipment. In addition to distributing products and training, these centers also conduct community outreach to ensure all Floridians are aware of FTRI’s services.

For more information, contact FTRI at 1-800-222-3448 (Voice) 1-888-447-5620 (TTY), or visit the website at www.FTRI.org

—James Forstall, executive director

Florida Telecommunications Relay