LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Island resident really upset about, well … us
To the Editor:
I was stunned by the article published in the Boca Beacon on April 14 regarding the Historic Board Meeting on April 12. One paragraph is full of inaccuracies and starts with “In truth …” and that should have been a warning, since anyone who starts a sentence with “in truth” is usually not speaking the truth. My initial thought was that this was an example of freedom of the press succumbing to special interests or personal agendas. The article published on April 28 confirmed my suspicions. After years of reading articles in the Beacon attacking Gulf-front property owners as selfish millionaires who don’t care about the community, the Beacon publishes an article telling us it’s “everyone’s” fault that the whispering bench was destroyed. Not the fault of a dreaded Gulf-front property owner who hired a bulldozer, and not the fault of the consultants and representatives who helped. No, it was everyone’s fault according to the Beacon.
A generous interpretation is that the writer didn’t check facts, look at the proposed plans, ask local architects, or do any due diligence like we all expect the press to do. A less generous interpretation is that “consultants” and other “powerful” special interests tell the Beacon what the “truth” is, and they publish it. It is not true that the requests for variances are for a door to open and a small air conditioner. It is also not true that the house is of comparable size to any house near it. These are simple facts that anyone could have confirmed rather than publishing someone else’s “truth.” There is only one conclusion that can be reached: the Beacon must have its own agenda or have friends in powerful places. Then again, this could be sloppy and unprofessional work by a press that thinks they have no accountability. I encourage citizens to look at the proposed plans and judge for themselves, since the press can’t be trusted to publish the truth.
As for whose fault it is that the bench was destroyed, I think it’s worthy of some “real” reporting by someone who could simply tell the “truth” without getting it from the powerful special interests who apparently control the Beacon. The whispering bench was destroyed by the person who hired the bulldozer with the help of his accomplices and consultants. I think we’ve had enough fake news, so please take a hard look in the mirror the next time you accuse “everyone.”
Carlos Rodriguez
200 Banyan Street
Boca Grande
