Christmas decorations banned at Florida toll plaza

[sabra]

http://www.wtsp.com/news/mostpop/story.aspx?storyid=160905&provider=top

Christmas decorations banned at Florida toll plaza

Leesburg, Florida - It seems like there are signs of the holiday season just about everywhere you look, but not in one Central Florida workplace. Toll workers say they've been told to keep their decorations to themselves this year.

Lana Fontanetta is originally from the Tampa Bay area. She's going to work in Leesburg dressed head-to-toe in the Christmas spirit. She says, "I had bells on my shoes earlier."

From the bells on her earrings, to green and red hair scrunchies,
it's her way of celebrating her favorite holiday. "Christmas is the biggest holiday and it means so much to me."

It's also her way of protesting her employer's latest rule. The single mother is a toll booth operator for the State of Florida and now she's been told work is no place for Christmas.

She says on Friday the annual Christmas tree and garland was up in the window, but by Saturday it was gone from public view. Fontanetta says, "You want to feel the joy and I feel like somebody's trying to keep me down. I am a Christian and I'm not afraid to say it."

A spokesperson for Florida Turnpike Enterprise says the state had to ban all decorations this year after drivers started to complain. Apparently more people were upset by what they saw in the office windows than ever before.

[PVnRT]

1. Two things:

1) I'm fucking tired of Christians whining about how there's a war on Christmas and their faith. Theologians believe that the most likely date of the birth of Jesus would be sometime in the spring. The Church co-opted Saturnalia and similar end-of-the-year celebrations in order to win converts, nothing more.

2) Florida's Transportation Department really needs to lighten the fuck up. How many people have really taken the time to call or write them to complain that toll plaza workers have Christmas decorations and outfits? The state isn't putting up the decorations, individual workers are.

[Atman]

8. Maybe toll officials fear the cost of decorating all the goddam toll booths

Have you been to Florida lately? I just got back. When I grew up there a couple of decades ago, we had one 50¢ toll between the beach and Orlando. Now Central Florida is like freakin' New Jersey...tolls every half a mile (exaggerating, of course). And they vary wildly in cost, from 50¢ to near $2. And I think the highway commission has an insidious little side deal with the rental car companies, which are HUGE business in a tourist destination like Florida: many of the tolls are unmanned. Exact change only, no way to insert a bill (how hard is a bill changer like they have at every rest stop vending machine?). As a result, if you don't have correct change and drive through the booth, the built-in Easy Pass in your rental car -- yes, virtually every rental car in FL has them now -- the pass automatically activates and charges your credit card $2.50 PER DAY in addition to the cost of the toll. Even if you only drive through on 50¢ toll on one day, you're charged $2.50 per day for the duration of your rental. The system is cash cow for the state and the rental car companies. It is absurd...and they've pretty much designed the roads so that it is damned near impossible to get from Orlando (the airport) to the coast without using a toll road. It's horrible. If you're traveling to Florida, stop at the airport bank and get a roll of quarters FIRST, and ALWAYS use the exact change cash-only lanes. Even if you don't have money, you can get an envelope with which to mail in your payment (50¢ - check or money order only. Remember, then took a picture of your license plate when you failed to deposit the cash). It's better than the $2.50 daily Easy Pass fee.

.

[2Design]

2. it's there own damn fault - the xtains complained about halloween

decorations - they only want their religion recognized so it gets taken away from everyone and everyone loses

[Dappleganger]

6. Good point.

[givemebackmycountry]

3. "I am a Christian and I'm not afraid to say it."

Gotta make sure we squeeze that one in somewhere.
Because when it's all said and done, that IS the most important thing now isn't it?
I had forgotten just how persecuted they are in this country.

[ixion]

5. Yeah, "not afraid to say it," like it takes guts or something to say that...

which it doesn't, of course.

[Dappleganger]

7. Yep, jingle bell earrings bring me closer to God.

Seriously!

/s

[cherokeeprogressive]

4. Another blow struck in the name of Freedom and Justice...

[Ilsa]

9. I work for a small city's school district and the emails are flowing now,

complaining about the war on Christmas when ther is certainly nothing of the kind in this burg. They've managed to suppress all of the fun of Halloween, especially this year since it fell on Sunday. And they have the gall to whine about a non-existent war on their celebration.

+1 for all the other like-minded posts.

[Nye Bevan]

10. What kind of miserable, pathetic individual

sees Christmas decorations on a *tollbooth* and is outraged enough to look up the number of the Turnpike authority, and call them to complain? I guess Ebenezer Scrooge is alive and well.

[madrchsod]

11. well i`m offended by the people who are offended...

i think we should just ban all religious and secular celebrations in this country so no one can be offended.