published: Sunday, October 07, 2012

Men's bathroom needs a lot of work

Editor:

My name is Pastor Floyd Holland. I am a resident of Sebring ever since 1988. My wife and I pastored our own church in Flint, Mich., for more than 30 years. After coming to Sebring, we pastored in Lake Placid for about five years.

We are in no way novices to the pastoral ministry. I accepted the regional superintendent position of our fellowship and I stepped down from pastoral ministry, and I now go about helping young ministers get started in their ministry.

Recently, I read an article in the News-Sun about sexual crimes at Veterans Beach. I was privileged to go to a recent prayer gathering at Veterans Beach to pray over our great city and to pray that God would do away with all matter of crimes against God and once again bless not only our city, but our great nation.

I was very disturbed and appalled with the condition that I found the men's restroom in. The stalls in the bathroom have no doors to close when you go into the toilets. When you go in the toilets, you have to sit in total view of anyone that comes into the toilet. It makes me wonder how many men have been charged with exposing themselves in public unjustly. If anyone is in the bathroom, they are in perfect view of the individual sitting on the stool.

I highly believe that if the city of Sebring is going to support Veterans Beach as a public place for us to come and bring our children to, that the city has an obligation to see that we have privacy when we have to use these restrooms. I feel that this situation should be resolved and doors to these stalls be installed. I myself, being a minister, could just as easily be charged with exposing myself in public, just by the simple fact that when I would stand to raise my trousers, I would be in jeopardy of exposing myself to anyone that is in there at that time, including undercover agents.

Floyd D. Holland

Sebring