Hillsborough animal shelter is without AC. Why is it not rare | Aug. 20

Swelter all over

Your recent front-page article about the miserable heat in our local pet resource centers was disturbing, though sadly not surprising. The community response — fostering, taking dogs out for the day, and stepping in where government falls short — was the one bright spot. Hopefully, that compassion continues.

But let’s be honest: This is Florida. Most of our prisons have no air conditioning and our “anti-woke” governor made sure local governments were blocked from enacting heat protections for outdoor workers. If we can shrug off sweltering prisoners and overheated workers, it’s little wonder that shelter animals are left to suffer too. So while dogs and cats pant in overcrowded kennels, at least we can say one thing: Our state’s priorities are nothing if not consistent. In the Sunshine State, suffering in the heat isn’t a problem — it’s a policy.

David Burg, Tampa

Why anger and threats over Florida’s schools? | Aug. 20

DeSantis’ demons

Columnist John Hill’s excellent discussion of education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas’ belligerent nastiness got me thinking of Greek history class at the St. Pete campus of the University of South Florida 40 years ago. Think of the American government, federal and state, as a kiln that needs to be heated to create a useful product. But all elements of the potting process have to be carefully calibrated to succeed. Like millions of Americans still do, the Greeks invented gods to explain everything. So when kiln product quality went awry in those days, they blamed it on demons — “Daimones Keramikoi.”

Homer named the “destroyers of kilns:” “Suntribos” (shatter), “Smaragon” (smash), “Asbetos” (char), “Sabaktes” (crash) and “Omodamos” (crudebake). I’m pretty sure every one of these has formerly been or is presently employed by our governor and his ever-broiling, sulfurous and gassy basement kiln. And now another, “Kamoutsas” (belligerent philistinism — the crackpot pot-cracker) has revealed himself.

If we had a constitutional amendment in this state allowing us to impeach an incompetent and ill-intentioned governor, we could close the book on this epic of unseemliness.

Steve Douglas, St. Petersburg

Mississippi to send National Guard to Washington | Aug. 19

What emergency?

When will Congress stop ceding the emergency power to this president and do their jobs they were elected to? People should be wary of having military patrolling streets in American cities. Does anyone remember past history when one person had the power to make changes to laws? There is no current emergency for the president to still make decisions on whatever pops into his head. Congress needs to act.

Linda Lorenz, Spring Hill

Democrats shed registered voters in many parts of the country | Aug. 19

Republican dominance

The Democratic Party has lost at least 5 million voters in the United States over the last few years, according to recent reports. Wonder why? Because these people love freedom more than they do authoritarianism, which is all the Democratic party is about. It doesn’t take much to observe that what they accuse the Republicans of doing, they themselves are doing — and not very well. We are now in the golden age! Real Americans are full of hard work, integrity and common sense.

Dan Raulerson, Plant City

Washington, D.C. could use the help | Aug. 17

Looking ahead

I have to believe that the presence of the FBI and National Guard in Washington, D.C., at the behest of the president has nothing to do with making the city “beautiful” and safer. It is more likely a dress rehearsal in preparation for the 2026 midterm elections.

President Donald Trump has already demonstrated that he will do whatever is necessary to stay in power regardless of the election results. The FBI and the National Guard will now be well prepared to keep the peace and keep the president in power. Welcome to the newest Third World country.

Larry Weiner, St. Petersburg

A hat tip to lineworkers

In 2012, Aug. 26 was established as Florida Lineworker Appreciation Day to honor the thousands of workers who deliver reliable electric service throughout the state.

Lineworkers shoulder great responsibility. During the strongest storms and most challenging conditions, they answer the call 24/7, 365 days a year. Every employee at Duke Energy Florida plays a storm role to support our 2 million customers.

As we approach the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, the power of Duke Energy’s emergency response lies in our people, our partnerships and our planning. Lineworkers contribute decades of storm restoration experience and foster relationships within our communities. Years of thoughtful infrastructure investments make us battle ready for the storm season ahead.

On blue sky days, lineworkers build a smarter energy future — stronger, more efficient and more resilient. Over the last five years, we have replaced approximately 60% of our wooden transmission structures with more durable concrete or steel poles and aim to reach 100% completion by 2028. Today, about half of our distribution system runs underground, protecting it from extreme weather conditions. We continue to move more lines underground in outage-prone areas. Our teams have completed distribution hardening projects at 38 substations, and work continues at over 30 more. During last year’s hurricanes, self-healing technology prevented more than 300,000 customer outages and saved customers over 325 million minutes of outage time.

We thank the lineworkers who support our Florida communities. Their courage and dedication, with safety as the top priority, inspire us all.

Our communities rely on us, and we remain committed to delivering the reliable power they deserve. No matter what challenges we face this season, we stand with you, ready to respond.

Melissa Seixas, state president for Duke Energy Florida

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