Opinion: Beach Rangers Needed To Stop Littering
Dear Editor:
The thirst for cutting spending without a thought
to consequences is shocking. Is our city so cash-strapped that we must
begin to mortgage itself to the people who would say: we can get away
with anything there (Petition to Remove Beach Rangers from Cocoa Beach)?
The beaches in areas like Cocoa Nuts are a mess
with trash that blows down the beach, irresponsible owners leave dog
waste in the surf and others park their beach chairs on top of sea
turtle nests. It’s my understanding that beach rangers are meant to help
enforce these types of important laws to protect the beaches and keep
them clean.
Cocoa Beach depends on tourism. We head down a
dangerous path when we’re willing to sacrifice the cleanliness of our
attractions or thin out our police force to pick up the slack that would
be left behind from the elimination of the beach rangers.
I would rather see us fix the problem rather than
take a knee-jerk reaction to cut. Let’s provide direction to get them
focused on tackling the bigger issues like littering.
Jamie Bearse
