Save the St. Augustine Beach Pier -- My response to Dr. Clemens Byatt, DDS Letter

An uninformed dentist, misguided, doesn't want to replace the pier that he has walked on twice in 30 years. He also attacks First Amendment protected activity by falsely claiming people posting on the Record's website don't live here or own property. Here's his letter and my answer:

Posted October 16, 2017 12:02 am
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Waste is everywhere

Editor: I am in disbelief that it could possibly cost $14 million to rebuild the pier.

I wonder who came up with that figure? I imagine there are hundreds of contractors who would do it for a fraction of that, once all the storm damage is over and they are looking for work.

But I digress. I paid for that pier in 1979 when it was destroyed by a storm, so I have a lifetime pass to walk on it or fish from it. I have walked on it twice in the last 30 years or so.

I fail to see how my taxes should be increased for rebuilding it. Any time I have walked on it I can recall about three people fishing and half a dozen walking along.

This just falls into the category of the county officials wringing their hands about budget and then spending the money on the ridiculous waste I see every day driving down the road or that I read about in The Record daily. Witness rebuilding of A1A in Summer Haven at my expense only to have it washed out a few months ago.

I had to pay to pave my street 25 years ago and a couple of years ago I had to pay taxes so our geniuses on the commission could to pave all of the dirt roads in St. Augustine South for free at my expense.

On another subject, I just checked property ownership here and found it really interesting how much several regular contributors to the editorial page have to say when they don’t live here, don’t own property or pay property taxes, but think those of us who do have to listen to their opinions.

I am not talking about tourists who have had a bad experience here and are offering constructive criticism, just those whose diatribe I am paying for with my subscription.

Clemens Byatt

St. Augustine

1 Comment

Edward Adelbert Slavin · 

Bete noir at Community Activist

1. Dr. Byatt opposs saving our pier and uses the word "I" some 17 times in less than 300 words. He walked on it twice in 30 years and says few people go there. What? The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."
2. He's wrong. There is NO need to raise any local residents' taxes to build a bigger, better pier. We can pledge bed tax revenue (paid by tourists) for 30 year bonds at low interest rates. A new pier can offer so much more.
3. No legal requirement that an American citizen be a property owner to express an opinion, to vote, to be elected, or to serve our country and our community.
4. "Diatribe" you are "paying for with your subscription?" How does that work? I want a raise then.
5. What gives Dr. Byatt the right to a "Philistine's veto" based on perceived property ownership? How gauche and louche. Searching for the addresses of dissenters' residences sounds unAmerican.
6. This letter sort of reminds me of the overbearing "Anonymice"who posted on Morris Communications' former Talk of the Town" website. Emetic ad hominem, sexist, racist, anti-Gay, anti-labor, anti-artist, antebellum and antedeluvian arguments were emitted daily, some by local government officials and business owners, cloaked in electronic anonymity.
7. Thanks for St. Augustine Record Editor Craig Richardson for requiring Facebook accounts from real people to post.

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