Methodist Church and inclusion CHC’s area impact

Tom Dyer,

Orlando has a dozen or so Methodist churches. Many are prominent supporters of the LGBT community. After the Pulse massacre in 2017, St. Luke’s sponsored a blood drive that drew long lines. And downtown’s First United hosted a healing conclave of area ministers and local LGBTs. Last week the United Methodist Church, with 7 million U.S. members, passed two measures that reject that kind of openhearted inclusion. One denies local churches the ability to choose LGBT-friendly policies. The second punishes congregations that do not adhere to the church’s position that “homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Methodists, what would Jesus do?

Patience and I-4 construction

John L. Evans Jr.,

Patience is just despair, disguised as virtue, as the saying goes. Have you run out of patience with the unyielding construction on our beloved Interstate 4? I have summoned our new governor: Please make the official Florida emblem a blinking orange can. It’s only right. Frightful, this morass in which we find ourselves. The only solution, before a formal grouse to your elected official — go out and enjoy the greatest aroma on God’s green earth, the orange blossom. It’s olfactory angelic, and confers peace. Being the best time of year in Central Florida, take a deep sniff, and then go make the call.

Smiling faces at Walmart

Rogue Gallart,

Recently Walmart announced a change in job duties for “people greeters” to give way to “customer hosts,” taking on tasks that persons with disabilities may not be able to perform. Examples such as lifting 25 pounds and using a walker or someone with cerebral palsy, which restricts strength and range of motion. What does this mean for a person with certain disabilities? Potential liquidation of their jobs if there is no other job match. I understand job descriptions change, but Walmart just needs to take pause … and remember those smiling faces that greet all those customers each and every day.

DeSantis’ environmental actions

Jane Healy,

The more bold environmental actions that Gov. Ron DeSantis takes, the worse Rick Scott looks. First, DeSantis asked for the resignations of the disastrous South Florida water board, which has done everything it could to torpedo an Everglades restoration. Now DeSantis has booted nearly 170 of Scott’s other appointments. Most significant was the ousting of John Miklos, the conflictridden chair of the St. John’s water board. What’s also significant is that DeSantis is no wild-eyed liberal. He’s in the same GOP party as Scott. Making Scott, now U.S. senator, look even worse is a comment in his Sentinel opinion piece last week that he loves and cherishes the environment. Right.

Seminole County hires

David Leavitt,

In Seminole County, we keep it in the family. Former Supervisor of Elections (Michael Ertel) — hired by the Supervisor of Elections office as a consultant. Former Supervisor of Elections’ spouse (Michelle Ertel) — hired by the Tax Collectors Office as the Public Affairs Director. Former County Commissioner (Mike McLean) — hired by the Tax Collectors Office as the Chief Admin Officer. Former State House Representative (Bob Cortes) — hired by the Sheriff ’s Department as the Senior Administrator for Government Affairs. I have probably missed some. I do not pretend to know if these positions are needed or not. But, as far as I can tell, these are all new never-before-seen positions.

Casting decisions

Ted Maines,

One of the many legitimate objections to blackface was the issue of white people taking opportunities to make a living away from black people with their albeit lackluster impersonations of black dress, music, and dance. Last week, three out of four actors to win Academy Awards were heterosexuals playing LGBT characters. Let it not go unsaid that there are many talented male and female actors who are in fact openly LGBT who were passed over during the casting process. In the words of Oscar Wilde, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” Timothy McKinney,

I ended two years serving as chairperson for Community Health Centers last week. CHC is one fantastic nonprofit organization in Central Florida providing primary healthcare to about 70,000 children and adults per year throughout Orange and Lake counties, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay. Despite this amazing impact, CHC and other federally qualified health centers remain some of our healthcare system’s best-kept secrets. Having the best trained clinical and professional staff in modern and super-stylish clinics, I am a CHC patient myself. I remain so proud of CHC. For more information on CHC, go to CHCFL.org

Orlando mayoral election

Khalid Muneer,

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has led the City Beautiful since 2003, providing leadership and direction for some major initiatives such as the downtown UCF campus, and wants to continue his service. In 2015, Orlando saw only 15 percent of registered voters file ballots in any race — a total of 22,000 voters. With City Commissioner Samuel Ings, Navy veteran and nonprofit consultant Aretha Simons, Jentri Casaberry and Shantele Bennett also filing for Orlando mayor, it will be interesting to see if these candidates can energize voters and improve the turnout to a more respectable figure. Otherwise there may be could be a repeat of the voter turnout for the mayor’s race alone in 2015, when only 9 percent — or 14,000 voters — chose the next leader.

Rosen’s philanthropy

Beverly Paulk,

Harris Rosen again has shown us what the highest level of philanthropy really is. First, his issue, fighting brain cancer, is close to his heart. He supports a collaborative approach with a competent leader for a complex and serious problem. Finally, he commits important early money and involves friends. More than 100 U.S. and international brain-cancer researchers are working together for successful treatments against brain tumors under the leadership of the University of Florida. This cooperative multidisciplinary and multipronged effort is rare, even unprecedented. Rosen’s strategic education efforts, his enlightened assistance for employees, and now this project are changing and will change the world.

Environmental stewardship

Ed Schons,

One of the big stories last week had to be an important decision by Orange County Commissioners to buy a $2.5 million, pristine 30-acre tract of land that straddles the beautiful Little Econlockhatchee River in East Orange County near the Seminole County line. Now, they will ask the state for another $1.2 million to turn the land into a “passive park,” including a kayak launch, that will allow generations ahead to experience a piece of real, untouched Florida. This is a prime example of environmental stewardship. Everyone wins.

Stop human trafficking

David D. Swanson,

When Patriots owner Robert Kraft was arrested for solicitation of prostitution, not only did he set off a wave of controversy in the NFL, he did Central Florida a favor by shining a bright light on one of our region’s worst problems: human trafficking. Central Florida is No. 3 in “calls received” by the human-trafficking hotline, and our community has a whopping 10 beds to care for rescued women. It is woefully deficient, and this issue remains largely hidden. In the end, men are the problem. Men of all walks of life need to rise up, stop victimizing these women with their dollars, and protect human lives. Now.

LIFT Orlando’s mission

Daryl Tol,

Recently, AdventHealth for Children, LIFT Orlando and other partners held a groundbreaking for an early-learning center to serve the neighborhoods surrounding Camping World Stadium. We are proud to support LIFT’s mission to revitalize the community, which has suffered from a lack of investment. Research shows the first five years of a child’s life are the most important to their long-term health and success, and our goal is to set children on the path to live their best, healthiest and most successful lives. We are grateful to the community and the many partners who have united behind this project.