Letter: The genie’s out of the bottle

John Valdes
St Augustine, FL
Dear Editor:
The genie is out of the bottle and looking for a parking space.
We’ve been discovered, we can’t put the cork back in the bottle — and we shouldn’t try.


John Valdes
St Augustine, FL
Dear Editor:
We’ve been discovered, we can’t put the cork back in the bottle — and we shouldn’t try.

Letter: The 800-pound Gorilla in the room
Ron Berben
Candidate for St Augustine City Commission
St Augustine, FL
Dear Editor:
As long as I have lived downtown I have understood what it is that attracts people from all over the country and the world into our historic city. Much of what visitors to our city are interested in looking at and spending money on is in a roughly twenty block section in the heart of our most historic city’s core.

John Valdes
St Augustine, FL
Dear Editor:
Money spent by our tourist and visitors is what underwrites so much of the good life that we full-time residents enjoy in our City and County. As a fifth-generation Floridian and third-generation builder, I truly appreciate the importance of newcomers, tourists, visitors and homebuyers. I absolutely understand and appreciate the economic impact of tourism and certainly don’t advocate turning off the tap.


Nancy Shaver
St Augustine, FL
Dear Editor:
There is no question that our City is a magical place—and each one of us has their own view of what makes it special and unique. The historic buildings, the sun on the water, the carriages, each neighborhood with its own character, continue to draw visitors and delight those of us who are lucky enough to live here.

Jason Stverak, President
Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity
Washington, DC
On this day 238 years ago, just after John Hancock made the most indelible signature in all of history, our namesake, Benjamin Franklin, uttered, “We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”

Hannah Bleau
St Augustine, FL
Americans didn’t invent freedom. It was given to us by God, and we’ve embraced it unlike any other country in the history of the world.
Editorial: Are you too busy to fight for freedom?
Historic City News
St Augustine, FL
As Independence Day approaches, many of us have plans to attend parades, festivals, and of course see a grand fireworks display in St Augustine, Flagler Beach, or Palm Coast.