Some cars in suburban Delray Beach used to display a bumper sticker that said "Pray for me, I drive by Kings Point."
The barb addressed the perception that many of the senior-citizen drivers who went in and out of that condo complex were dangerous drivers.
The bumper sticker may have to be changed.
Please pray for me. I walk my dog at Kings Point.
Frank Cerabino explains what "free speech" actually means.
Thebanning of school library books in Florida is a symptom of life in DeSantistan.
Who is policing who? Frank Cerabino is handling applications for the elections police force.
The proliferation of guns in Florida, where 2.5 million people are licensed to carry concealed handguns, put lethal firepower in the hands of an apparent dog-poop vigilante at Kings Point.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff says that Robert Levine, a Kings Pointer, fired five shots at Herbert Merritt, a fellow condo resident, while he was walking his dog near the 15th hole of the golf course at Kings Point.
Levine pulled up to Merritt and confronted him about walking his dog too close to the golf course.
The verbal confrontation took a potentially life-and-death turn when Levine pointed a handgun at Merritt, who then ran, as Levine pursued him around a tree in the cart while shooting at the fleeing dog owner, the arrest report said.
One of the shots hit Merritt in the left ankle and he fell to the ground. According to the report, Levine wasn't done. The golfer kicked the dog in the head, then went to a golf cart, pulled out a club and began hitting the fallen dog owner with a club while still holding his gun.
A risk-protection order was issued this week prohibiting Levine from owning firearms for a year.
Levine has hired a lawyer who believes that the official version of events is incorrect. Levine, who has no criminal record, acted in a lawful manner.
There is a stand-your-grass dog-poop case on the horizon.
If nothing else, the shooting of the dog walker should serve as a reminder of how dangerous Florida has become through the proliferation of guns and the encouragement of Floridians to arm themselves against theoretical troublemakers, who in many cases turn out to be the gun owners.
Kings Point should be a safe place. There is a private police force and a sheriff's office on Atlantic Avenue.
If you read a story about shots at Kings Point, it's likely to be about vaccinations.
Traveling around Kings Point with a loaded gun is like going out of your way to look for trouble. In retirement communities, where the level of crankiness is high, and contentious arguments abound, carrying a loaded gun is especially dangerous.
If a dog-walking gripe rates a handgun, does that mean feeding the ducks warrants a response?
It wasn't like this in the past.
I covered a potentially violent altercation at a Royal Palm Beach condo club about 20 years ago. There was a fight over the use of a coffee maker.
A board member was confronted by another board member for not making the coffee in his own unit when he made himself a cup of coffee in the club.
The rules enforcer told me that they don't want anyone making coffee and leaving the electricity on.
The coffee drinker slammed his cane on the table when he heard the verbal dustup over the coffee.
He was drinking decaf.
The rules enforcer said she felt threatened by the man's aggressive cane. Ah, the good old days. When condo disputes were escalate by canes.
Things are going to get worse in the near future.
Florida will become an open-carry state, meaning that legal gun owners will be able to openly display their firearms, without training, registration or government licensing, if Gov. Ron DeSantis succeeds in pushing it.
I don't know about you, but I don't like the idea of retirees going around as if they're in a remake of High Noon.
Body armor should be considered for dining out if you think about the all-you-can- eat buffet line.
The Golden Corral could be turned into the O.K. Corral.
I know what you're thinking. Did you take any of the pieces? In all the excitement, I lost track of who ate what.
Being that this is the most powerful handgun at the luncheon, you have to ask yourself if you are really hungry. Are you a punk?
fcerabino@gannett.com
It's Florida.
The article was originally published on the Palm Beach Post.
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