In response to recent Letters to the Editor, a few Marion County residents wrote in and shared their thoughts and concerns on the amount of litter found along the county’s roads:
“Since the roadside garbage issue is totally out of hand, I say we try and find the source of it. Every bag of garbage should be picked up and gone through looking for clues such as something with an address on it, like mail. If that doesn’t work, search for fingerprints. Anything is better than nothing,” says Ocala resident Mike Jacobson.
“I would not think of dropping a chewing gum wrapper on the ground, but unfortunately there are too many people who think it is okay to throw their trash anywhere on our streets, etc. in our beautiful county. There is a full-size mattress that was thrown on the right-of-away on my street and residents have had to look at it for weeks now. I pick up trash all the time from the entrance of my property. This is disgusting and low-class behavior that is all too common. It needs to stop. I have resided in Marion County for 42 years but I was born and raised in Florida, and this is not the behavior Floridians were taught,” says Kathy Feger, Belleview resident.
“I have noticed more trash on Baseline Road than I have in the past and it seems to be getting worse. Why doesn’t the Marion County Sheriff’s Office issue citations for littering on the highway? Motorcycle patrol officers could possibly do a good job of issuing citations for littering. Also, Highway 484 in the Marion Oaks vicinity has a lot of trash along the roadsides,” says Ocala resident Richard Anthony.
Would you like to share your thoughts with us? Share them in a comment or by writing a Letter to the Editor.