State protects landlords. Tenants, not really

Re the July 12 letter

“Gov. DeSantis’ tenant protection angers landlords:” The honest landlord needs to understand that tenants in Florida have no protection.

The unscrupulous owner of the two-bedroom/twobathroom unit I rented in 2018 initially did not pay the condominium association fees (only finally paying when the board required rent to go directly to them). Then, late last year, I was served court documents indicating that the landlord had taken out a second mortgage in 2017 and had never made a payment. While the unit was being foreclosed on, the landlord collected my rent every month — on time.

Frantic, I had to find another place for my son and I quickly, as the laws in Florida allow an owner to file an eviction with only 15 days’ notice. I was concerned that once the bank took possession, I would be homeless.

Note that the same landlord who did not pay the bank or condo association did not return my security deposit. As a tenant, there is absolutely no recourse for me in Florida.

Clearly, tenants are the ones with no protection, as the courts have allowed this to go on for years. We need to enact state laws that limit initial registration and background fees (typically hundreds of nonreturnable dollars), ensure that security deposits (typically one month of rent) are protected and that there are recourse and penalties for not returning those funds. And if a landlord is not paying the mortgage, tenants must be notified immediately.

Although many ownerlandlords are honest and maintain their properties and good relationships with their tenants, Florida legislators should take a look at the lopsided protections for property owners over those without mortgages.

– Barbara Byrne,

Miami

WEIRD PEOPLE

The July 8 op-ed “Bill Gates created COVID-19, and other conspiracy theories Floridians believe,” can be explained through a marvelous sound bite that was repeated with some regularity on the late, great Neil Rogers’ South Florida radio program. Announcer Jennifer Wrenn would say, “Floridians … dumber than dirt!”

Unfortunately, as the op-ed shows, too many of them are.

– Seth H. Bramson,

Miami Shores

CLIMATE PLAN

As we start to rebuild our economy and address the climate crisis, we need to invest in a renewableenergy economy that creates equitable growth and jobs. Additionally, we should make significant investments to protect Florida against the harsh realities of climate change by promoting coastal-resiliency measures to defend our coasts from the devastation of hurricanes.

This is why the Climate Crisis Report, recently published by the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, is important for Florida.

If there’s anything we’ve learned from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s that we must heed warnings from scientists and public health experts, especially when they urgently call for action to address threats such as coronavirus and climate change.

I urge Floridians to call on Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz to support this important plan. Every member of Congress should consider this initiative and support science-based, equitable and effective policies.

– Natasha Paola De La Cruz,

Sunrise

HOW? DOESN’T MATTER

Re the July 13 opinion “Reopening schools safely is essential to our nation:” This op-ed by State Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. was a waste. It was all about the need for and importance of K-12 schooling for our children. No one argues that, but he had not one paragraph, not one sentence, not one word about how to open schools safely.

Maybe next time he can have another half page to give everyone ideas on how to reopen.

– Alfred Sasiadek,

Lauderhill

LEADERS DON’T LEAD

For those of us who wear a mask and practice physical distancing, it sometimes feels we are in a losing battle, exacerbated by the lack of leadership in Florida and nationally.

Gov. DeSantis, and U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have put their total disregard for the sanctity of life and health on full display.

The Republican Party seems willing to say and do anything to get people to return to the old normal and go back to work, including opening schools prematurely, refusing to mandate face masks statewide and the daily spin on the pandemic statistics in our state, and nationally.

These elected officials’ reluctance to do the small, decisive and proven things necessary to beat the coronavirus is astounding. For abdicating their responsibilities, these three should do the state and nation a favor and resign.

– Terrence M. McKenzie,

West Palm Beach

HIDING OUT

After a decade of funneling money intended for public schools to his bosses in the corporate charter school industry, education profiteer Manny Diaz Jr., thinks he can pontificate about how teachers must report to work, while simultaneously shirking his constitutional responsibilities to legislate and instead allowing Gov. DeSantis to rule by fiat.

The senator says he stands with the president. Must be nice in that bunker.

– Enrique Baloyra,

Bicayne Park

STAY HOME

Let’s close the hotels so we can get this pandemic under control. It’s not residents staying in them, it’s out-of-towners who think our mask rules don’t apply to them.

And who is cleaning, working and serving at these hotels?

Our precious locals, who have to get on crowded buses, jam in carpools, head home to loved ones — and then what?

Do they spread the virus? We need an immediate two-week shelter-in-place order to catch our collective breath and try to stem this awful tide, so we can get our kids back to school.

Our governor is wrong, wrong, wrong! Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber must take a stand to protect Beach residents.

– Alix Langer, Miami Beach

COSTLY DELAYS

Because of health issues, I often get blood tests and other lab work. My doctors get the results within hours. I have never had to wait two weeks for them.

My daughter received a call from someone in her attorney’s office who was tested for COVID-19 two weeks ago and just got a positive result on July 12. How many people did she come in contact with these past two weeks?

With all the talk of urging people to get tested, there has to be a better way to get results.

– Philip S. Goldin,

Miami Beach

DAMAGE DONE

President Trump wearing a mask at Walter Reed Hospital is akin to closing the barn door after the horse is gone. His reckless response to COVID-19 has cost too many their lives, hampered schoolchildren’s education and devastated families across the country.

He has put politics above our welfare.

– Lois Kahn, Coral Gables

POSTPONE SCHOOL

My brother and I are retired Miami-Dade teachers. Here is an idea we came up with: Keep schools closed until January. Then restart the school year, ending in it August. The hope is that by

January, we may have a vaccine or a better understanding and control of the virus.

Is it worth the lives of teachers and children to rush blindly ahead and open schools too soon?

– Dale L. Robinson,

Coconut Grove

EARNED BENEFIT

Re the July 10 letter “The unwanted:” The writer might be right when she says our leaders would like to see the elderly, the poor and minorities die of coronavirus because they care less about them. Our so-called leaders keep forgetting they have poor and elderly relatives, too.

She also says that many of the same groups are receiving government assistance. I don’t know about Medicaid, but those who have worked and paid into Social Security are not receiving a handout; we have earned our benefit.

Gertha Poitier Whitehead,

Opa-locka

LOUSY DECISIONS

In May, Gov. DeSantis bragged that, despite our harsh lockdown, we weren’t as bad as New

York or Italy in terms of cases of COVID-19. But now, we are suffering the worst outbreak of the country. Arizona and Texas not far behind. DeSantis has made bad decisions that have turned Florida into an international embarrassment. It didn’t have to be this way, and the situation can still be salvaged if we start taking the right steps.

– Benjamin Browder,

Miami