Letters to the Editor

Preemptive attacks are no solution

Louis Roney’s Oct. 12 article “What’s our plan for Iran?” is terrible writing on several levels.

In Mr. Roney’s fact-free article, he bemoans the “piteous percent” of GDP allocated to defense. In 2010, $680 billion was spent on defense, more than six times greater than any other country’s defense budget. In 2012, we are estimated to spend $703 billion on defense, the greatest amount since World War II.

After complaining about Japan’s “cowardly attack” on Pearl Harbor, Mr. Roney suggests we conduct a similar preemptive attack on Iran. Despite Mr. Roney’s bloodlust for Iran’s annihilation, there are better methods to preventing nuclear armament. Stuxnet, a computer virus, has delayed Iran’s nuclear program by years without the massive civilian death toll that Mr. Roney celebrates in the Tokyo bombings of 1945. Mr. Roney questions the patriotism of Americans who don’t support a preemptive war against Iran, but our last preemptive war has cost more than 4,000 American lives and more than 100,000 civilian lives.

Mr. Roney’s story of schoolyard fighting is a terrible lesson for any age. Hitting first doesn’t protect you from bullies; hitting first makes you the bully.

—Austin Mercadante

Winter Park

Developer petitions for Morse Boulevard property

Eds. Note: This is an email sent to Winter Park commissioners in regards to the State Office Building that was also submitted as a letter to the editor.

As you know, I represented one of the proposals to purchase the State Office Building property. Let me reiterate that my client, Anthony Everett, and The Pollack Partners are still interested in purchasing the property to develop a high-end, quality, residential apartment lifestyle community in Winter Park. This style of living, we believe, would be acceptable to current residents of the city who do not want ownership and are downsizing and would also attract professionals who want to enjoy the Winter Park lifestyle, such as living within walking distance to Park Avenue and having access to the amenities offered in the Winter Park Village (groceries, movies, restaurants, boutiques, etc.), without the responsibility and cost associated with home ownership.

The following was and still is our proposal:

• Develop a 200-unit, three-story residential apartment project at a price of $20,000 per unit for a total purchase price of $4,000,000.

• Develop a 300-unit, four-story residential apartment project at a price of $20,000 per unit for a total purchase price of $6,000,000.

What we are proposing to develop on this property, the city already has 3-, 4- and 5-story buildings existing in the city. My client is ready to offer the city of Winter Park a contract for cash and close within 30 days after site plan approval. They are not looking for any incentives from the city and will provide sufficient financial information to insure they will perform with the terms of the purchase and sales agreement. To date, our proposal has been ignored by our city government, which has failed to contact me or my client to further discuss our offer.

I will be releasing this memorandum to various news outlets, interested groups and individuals residing in our great city. I feel that many of the citizens of Winter Park are not aware that the city is exchanging a five-acre parcel of land worth a lot of money for an inferior (3.77 acres) parcel of land with no significant financial benefits back to the city of Winter Park. In my opinion, the city should only accept an outright sale of the city property for its appraised value or nothing less than cash for the difference between the two appraised values. Should the city not be successful, I respectfully request that you reconsider the offer made by my client.

—David A. Winters

Broker,

Florida Property Group