What first Florida blood clot report shows for Jacksonville | Letters

Duval County recorded 5,009 health care visits involving a blood clot from July 2024 through June 2025. That is the sixth-most of any Florida county. The number comes from the state's first blood clot report, released this past June by the Agency for Health Care Administration. The state calls that count conservative because it leaves out doctors' offices, urgent care and clots that were never diagnosed. Even so, the number is alarming.

In October 2022, my wife, Janet, and I lost our 23-year-old daughter, Emily, to a pulmonary embolism associated with an ankle fracture and blood clot. Her name is on the 2025 law behind Florida's new blood clot tracking system. The June report was the first step. On July 1, hospitals began reporting to Florida's statewide

blood clot registry, the Florida VTE Registry, which the Florida Department of Health oversees.

October is Emily Adkins Blood Clot Awareness Month, and Oct. 13 is World Thrombosis Day. Here is what Jacksonville families can do this month:

• Look up your county on the state's blood clot dashboard at quality.healthfinder.fl.gov.
• Before a loved one leaves the hospital, ask about their blood clot risk and which signs should bring them back.
• Know the warning signs: swelling, pain or warmth in a leg, sudden shortness of breath or chest pain. If they appear, get care right away.

Doug Adkins is the founder of Emily's Promise, a Nassau County nonprofit working to prevent blood clot deaths.

Good folks retiring, great reading

I read the Sept. 20 paper online late one evening, and I was sad.

I almost always start with the Reason opinion section. First I saw that a stalwart of the community (in my mind), Susan King, is retiring. I first met King close to 20 years ago, when she was the CEO of the Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry. Her leadership and vision at Feeding Northeast Florida will be missed.

After reading the letters to the editor, I came across guest columnist Kathryn Elkins’ article, “Has America entered a democratic ‘Twilight Zone'?”

It was beyond a doubt the most lucid prose I have seen in a very long time. It should be required reading for all that hold public office, for those seeking public office and (equally important) for all of us that believe our nation can and should do better living up to its founding ideals.

Finally, I see Mark Woods has retired and that was his last column. I have read his work religiously since he gave up sports writing, and I am going to miss it terribly.

Michael Connelly, Jacksonville Beach

Data centers not only threat to aquifer

A profusion of unregulated data centers would exacerbate the continuing decline in the statewide level of the Floridan aquifer system.

Using dominant technology, 80 to 90% of large centers require as much as 1 to 5 million gallons per day of municipal or aquifer water. Previous studies show that the aquifer is being mined — meaning water extracted or discharged exceeds recharge — hence a continuing decline in water level.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (under Rick Scott) usurped many responsibilities of the state’s water management districts. Since then, no statewide reports on water levels or investigations of extractions and recharge have been conducted. Centralized control increased opportunities for political influence over already flawed district models for aquifer withdrawal permits.

Unregulated centers, opportunities for political influence, concealing the statewide water level decline and failure to address its sustainable capacity will deplete the aquifer, displacing it with saltwater. Before issuing more water withdrawal permits, Florida must conduct a long-term, apolitical and science-based evaluation.

We must measure the sustainable capacity of our aquifer to meet current and future potable water needs. Otherwise this precious resource will be destroyed.

Ted Mikalsen, Jacksonville

Contradictions in Chinese state visit

As American news agencies were banned from the White House for press briefings, announcements or covering foreign dignitary visitors, Chinese media was allowed in during President Xi Jinping’s summit with President Donald Trump.

Let’s not forget that China (a Communist country) is still considered an adversary. Their press pool at home is heavily regulated and state-owned. The World Press Freedom Index rates China 178th out of 180 — hardly a ringing endorsement.

Yet this press pool is invited in, while our own country’s is banned?

It’s safe to assume their press only writes flattering opinions, with skewered facts that are dictated to them by a dictator-led government. There’s something wrong with this picture. As our government caters to countries like China and Russia with red carpet treatment, we turn our backs to denounce friends and allies like Canada.

That’s like kicking a loyal dog to the curb and welcoming in a snake.

Gary Schuran, Middleburg

Fla. should expand 2023 insurance reforms

Nobody enjoys paying for insurance — it’s a part of living in Florida. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t demand lower rates, however.

Thankfully, the 2023 reforms gave us some much needed relief. Before the reforms, many lawsuits were about attorneys using legal loopholes to get quick settlements out of insurers. Guess who had to cover that cost? All of us, through our premiums.

The reforms passed that year changed the system and the results are showing. More companies are willing to write policies in Florida, fewer people get stuck with Citizens Property Insurance and rates are finally leveling off (instead of climbing every year).

This is why I don’t understand why some in the Legislature are being pressured to remove these reforms. It would only lead to higher premiums for all of us. The reforms worked; I think instead of removing them, the Legislature should find ways to expend them.

Abigail Ambulay, Jacksonville

Never too late for swim lessons

Jacksonville is surrounded by water, but too many families are separated from it by fear. Parents who never learned to swim often cannot practice with their children or model confidence in the water. The pattern then passes quietly from one generation to the next.

Drowning prevention cannot focus only on children. We must invite parents and other adults into the solution, without embarrassment or judgment.

I hope Mayor Donna Deegan and city leaders will make learning to swim a visible Jacksonville priority — through community pools, schools and neighborhood programs. They might even enlist members of the Jacksonville Jaguars and other local public figures to help spread the message.

As an ocean city, Jacksonville could lead a campaign that says swimming is not a luxury, a sport or something people should already know. It is a life skill, and it is never too early (or too late) to learn.

Suzi Teitelman, Jacksonville Beach

McMath post juvenile, not illegal

Hope McMath, an art instructor at Douglas Anderson, was fired for a post on her private social media page. I firmly believe that her constitutional rights, in this case, were trampled and that her firing was illegal. She should be reinstated with back pay.

At the same time, her original post was certainly juvenile, sanctimonious and lacking common sense, which isn’t illegal. I don't know much about Charlie Kirk and am uninterested in learning more.

However, if President Barack Obama was murdered with a bullet to his neck, and an employee of mine posted the exact same thing as McMath’s, I would be livid. I would question not only her common sense, but her moral fitness.

Gloating at anyone’s death is at best crass; at worst, it betrays a sad lack of decency.

Mike Disch, Neptune Beach

What is it with JTA, JEA?

Is there some type of race to the bottom between JEA and JTA, the two largest quasi-public utilities in Jacksonville?

Apparently it's impossible to leave either organization without being showered with all forms of financial recompense out the door. No one sees to understand what it really means to leave. The Sept. 24 Times-Union headline read, “JTA CEO to continue drawing salary,” and the story details all kinds of payments — including $1,000 per month on gasoline for a personal vehicle.

The story gets worse, as JTA is going through a financial crisis, forcing 194 layoffs and cuts in transit service to normal hard-working Jacksonville riders. In addition, JEA is all in on this race as the departing CEO grabbed a few extra months of salary on her way out the door.

John Ekdahl, Ponte Vedra Beach

JEA still working hard for customers

On Monday, Sept. 21, at 7 a.m., I contacted JEA about a street light in a residential neighborhood that was possibly going to fall over. Thirty minutes later a JEA repairman came and flagged the light for replacement. Around 8:15, several JEA trucks showed up, replaced the light and were done by 10:30 a.m.

With all the turmoil in the press about the utility, I just wanted to let people know about the excellent service we still get. Thanks, JEA.

Bob Henning, Jacksonville

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: What first Florida blood clot report shows for Jacksonville | Letters