Letters to the Editor February 2018

Thank you for giving two organizations close to my heart such wonderful exposure over the past few months. The Christmas Toy Shop and Suncoast Quilting Circle both have benefitted from your welcome exposure. 

Your magazine is a great resource for residents as well as promoting local businesses and organizations that help make St Petersburg such a great place to live. 

Kay Blikken 


Please join me in supporting Jimmy Patronis, for re-election as Florida’s CFO.  Jimmy and his family are three generations in the restaurant & hospitality business and he truly understands the economic drivers for business within Florida.  Jimmy is one of us, not a politician.  He is not only a great person, but he is humble, an excellent listener, a true friend to business, and the voice of common sense.  We need Jimmy Patronis to remain a vital part of our State Cabinet. 

Keith Overton, CHA – President 

TradeWinds Resorts


Thanks for including the notice for our Keyboard Extravaganza in your latest issue. It is appreciated.

Gus, PaG Comm Church


We just wanted to say thank you so much for printing the letter sent to you by Chris Sierra our attorney. It was like a breathe of fresh air reading it after seeing so many negative things written about us. The Legion has hired Pat Anderson as their attorney to defend them in our lawsuit filed against the Legion (11 counts).

On another note. St. Alban’s has asked Support Our Troops to move out of our location there. We had a Boy Scout troop come in before Christmas and help us pack boxes so we would not have to move all the product we had to possibly another location. We sent 525 boxes out for Christmas! In any case, we have until Wednesday to be fully moved out and I am leaving for Tallahassee for 3 days to lobby with our legislators. We have put the word out for the last two – three weeks that we are looking for another location, however, nothing has come up yet. I was hoping you could keep your ears open since we will be closing the program if we do not find something soon. After 12 years I cannot go into the room without crying. It has been such a labor of love for us all these years. Our needs are minimal: a room 24×24 feet, a bathroom, heat and ac and full access since we all come and go at different times of the day and different days of the week.

We are a 501(c)(3)and therefore we are a total tax write off. Also, we would like it to remain in SPB if at all possible. If there is anything you can help us find we would really appreciate it. Thanks again for the great letter published in the Paradise News!

Terri & Mike Finnerty – SPB


Thanks for running the informative article about the benefits of medical Canabis in your January issue.

A large majority of Floridians voted for it and too little has been said about the benefits it offers.

Michael Welch


Paradise News was reckless in publishing this pseudo-scientific article on marijuana, touting its benefits, minimizing risks and even recommending that others obtain this drug. No mention is made of the increase in hypertensive deaths & cardiovascular mortality with marijuana use, (European J Preventive Cardiology, 2017), or increase occurrence of Metabolic Syndrome (hypertension, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia) with each year of marijuana use (Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome, 2016) or the functional alterations in the brains of marijuana users, weakening task-related brain activity and attention (J Psychopharmacology, 2018), or the dangers accompanying the current dramatic increase in marijuana use by pregnant women, marijuana interferes with cell replication in cancer patients and in babies) (JAMA, 2017).

Just search pubmed.gov, and see for yourself what damage marijuana does to your body. We request Paradise News print an apology for irresponsible publication of an ill-informed op-ed.

Kathleen  Swan, PhD (mammalian physiology) & Robert Coleman, PsyD

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