Vero Beach neighborhood no place for aviation acrobatics
I hope this is the last year Vero Beach hosts this air show.
As a resident of McAnsh Park, a historic neighborhood directly affected by the airport, I find it deeply disturbing the city continues to subject residents to days of punishing noise and disruption for an event that draws relatively small crowds and generates revenue at the expense of the people who actually live here.
This is not anti-military. I come from a military family and fully support our service members. My objection is to the decision to stage Blue Angels performances over densely populated neighborhoods in a small city where the airport sits too close to homes.
People who do not live under these flight paths cannot understand what this feels like. The noise is not merely loud — it is physically and emotionally overwhelming. During one flyover, I attempted to walk my dog in my own backyard and instinctively ducked as several jets roared overhead. My legs gave out and I fell. That is not entertainment. That is fear and distress inflicted on residents.
And the disruption goes on for days. Practice flights begin long before the official event, leaving residents trapped in their homes or fleeing the area entirely. I booked a stay north of Vero Beach for the weekend just to escape the noise.
Supporters dismiss complaints, saying it only happens every two years and is “the sound of freedom.” But for many residents, it sounds like a city government ignoring the well-being of people who live here year-round.
Air shows of this scale belong on military bases or in locations buffered from residential communities.
Vero Beach has long been valued for its charm and livability. Events like this undermine both. City leaders should stop prioritizing spectacle and revenue over the health, safety and quality of life of residents.
Jayne Navarre, Vero Beach
Brother's shooting death shows not to ignore danger signs
On Nov. 10, 2025, my brother, David, was murdered in Port St. Lucie by a man whose threatening and increasingly unstable behavior had been evident to many people for months.
Residents of the Tropical East community had repeatedly raised concerns about Paul “Paulie” Maraio. He made threatening gestures, issued violent statements and openly intimidated his neighbors.
In March 2025, a homeowners association board member sought a protective order after Maraio stood outside his home, peered through the window, and made a throat-slashing gesture. The request was denied.
Later, Maraio reportedly threatened to shoot an HOA board member through the clubhouse window. That threat was never reported to police.
My sister and I live in California, more than 2,000 miles away, yet we saw the danger clearly. We spoke with our brother often and warned him repeatedly that desperate people do desperate things.
On Nov. 10, our worst fears were realized. Maraio shot HOA Treasurer Mark Golden, then calmly walked to my brother’s home and killed him.
This tragedy was not unforeseeable. Warning signs were abundant, but critical threats were not reported and opportunities to intervene were missed. Had authorities been informed, they may have been able to remove Maraio’s firearms. Golden and my brother might still be alive.
Let my brother’s death serve as a warning. When someone is unraveling and making threats, silence can be deadly. Report it. Take it seriously. Act before it is too late.
Judy Gasik, Pasadena, California
Tradition neighborhood policy not at odds with Second Amendment
I am writing to address the recent discussions regarding the Tradition Community Association and its updated policy on carrying weapons in common areas.
Homeowner and property owners associations have the authority to regulate certain common areas. In this instance, the TCA board of directors, guided by legal counsel, has worked to balance liability, safety and constitutional considerations.
As a Tradition resident, community volunteer and Second Amendment advocate, I support these new guidelines.
I encourage residents to review the official notice and contact the association office with any questions.
Peter Webb, Port St. Lucie
Overhaul immigration system to stop abuses
We haven't solved the immigration problem, resulting in the government enacting, with the stroke of a pen, the inhumane policy of snatching people off the street and jailing them.
The government claims, and there are cases that prove this, that many migrants are a menace to our society. But the problem of criminals breeching our shores is the result of a government that does not have a way to control who enters.
Many people who struggle to reach America we should welcome. We still must find a way to protect our country from persons who mean to do us harm.
That is the bedrock of America and not solving this problem is disrespectful of every American whose ancestors made the same journey to prosperity on our shores.
We build a wall. What's next? There needs to be a system for a person to request entry. Then we will know who enters, and unfortunately not all will be accepted.
We have to follow the Constitution and protect us from all enemies.
Now many people who come to our shores try to stay under the radar. Then we are angered they have not assimilated. Americans who provide support for these individuals are viewed as un-American.
Some will argue the problem is resources, and I disagree. The amount of money currently spent could fund needed resources. We need adequate staffing to administer an immigration policy that can screen people seeking to become Americans.
How we decided who should be accepted is our biggest obstacle, but we can't keep kicking that can down the road. Start screening jailed people and either deport them or allow then to immigrate into the United States to grant them the American dream.
Sharon McGinnis, Stuart
Racist to disagree with Supreme Court redistricting matter
Disagreeing with the recent Supreme Court decision against redistricting based on race is racist itself. And frankly, I find the recently ubiquitous talking point, “Jim Crow,” absurdly inappropriate and nauseating.
Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution apportions Congressional districts based on population for the purpose of taxation and representation in the House of Representatives. The text regarding salves was resolved by the 14Amendment. Cited Indians (nations) were neither taxed nor represented.
Racial redistricting is also “woke,” which defies equality for the sake of “equity,” another racist idea, as we have often seen in employment, where qualified applicants are denied hiring and promotions to fulfill a vacuous, feel-good, racial quota.
Equity has created its own cottage industry. Countless strictly Black organizations and institutions exist today, which would never be allowed if restricted to White people. About 600,000 men died in the Civil War to free Black slaves, while today, slavery continues in Black African nations, but victimhood is another American cottage industry.
Regarding the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Justice Department is investigating it for the same just reasons to protect persecuted conservatives as the feds fought the Ku Klux Klan, then a militant arm of the Democrat Party, to protect persecuted slaves.
I commend the Supreme Court for its recent decision. Our courts must look at facts, laws and the Constitution, without opinion and bias. The fact that Democrats are now threatening to pack the Court and undo it in the same way they are threatening the Virginia State Supreme Court for its recent brave decision speaks volumes to me as to the inherent danger our liberty and republic face from those among us whose priority is victory at all costs and devoid of the rule of law.
Douglas Wrenn, Vero Beach
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