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7/31/02
 | Bush
reveals income for 9 years - TALLAHASSEE -- Strictly in business
terms, these are not Gov. Jeb Bush's best years. His pay as governor,
$120,514 last year, pales in contrast to what he made in real estate.
.... Bush insists he made no money from a U.S. government-backed sale
of water pumps to Nigeria in the early 1990s, when he was a partner in
Bush-El Trading with businessman David Eller. Bush says his earnings
came from work in other countries, but declines to say how he made
$648,000 on Bush-El from 1989-94 |
 | Bush
may be called in suit - A man suing a
one-time business partner of Gov. Jeb Bush's in a Nigeria water-pump
sale that went awry amid allegations of bribery wants to call Bush as
a witness in the case whenever it goes to trial, an attorney confirmed
Monday.-- In a related development, the governor said Monday he does
not want a federal judge to seal records in the case, as his former
business partner, J. David Eller, is seeking. |
 | No
real federal-state dialogue about priorities and revenues - ....
While Washington continues to dangle tax cuts and boost both defense
and domestic spending, dissipating the promised surpluses and running
up a deficit for next year conservatively estimated at $165 billion,
state and local governments are raising taxes and slashing vital
services in order to balance their budgets.--
The paradoxes do not seem to bother Republicans, who have used their
control of the White House and their leverage in Congress in ways that
cause headaches -- and bring political vulnerability -- for their
embattled governors. While President Bush was urging Congress to stay
the course on the upper-bracket tax cuts scheduled for coming years
and to make them permanent, his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, signed
a budget that cut 37,000 low-income Floridians out of
Medicaid-financed basic dental care. |
 | S.
Florida food banks running out of supplies to feed hungry
So many people around South Florida need help
feeding themselves and their families these days that local soup
kitchens and food pantries are having a hard time meeting the need. |
 | Positively
wrong
Governor's first ad highlights a problem. -- To start his reelection
campaign, Gov. Bush plunged from his corner with elbows and knees
flying in the first attack ad of the dismal election season. The man
who always promises a high-level campaign, then never delivers, starts
this one flailing wildly.-- His Democratic opponents, the ad claims,
are squishy on the death penalty and evasive about the grades he gives
to schools. Oh, really? |
 | Payday
loan firm to sign up voters
In the quest to sign up more voters for this year's election,
voting-rights organizations are taking all the help they can get. The
People for the American Way Foundation and Arrive With Five announced
Tuesday that they are teaming up with Advance America, a payday loan
company that is currently under investigation by the state Attorney
General's Office. |
 | Sheldon
trying to pick up where Butterworth left off
George Sheldon hopes Attorney General Bob Butterworth's coattails are
extra long. They need to stretch from Tallahassee, where just about
everyone's heard of Sheldon, all the way to Miami, where he's far from
a household word. |
 | Reversing
the trend of rising juvenile crime in Florida
Juvenile crime is a double tragedy in our society. As with all crime,
our hearts first go out to its victims, and our efforts must be
focused first on protecting the safety of our law-abiding citizens. |
 | Yet
another DCF fiasco - The Department of Children & Families'
latest incident illustrates its problems.--
How many fiascoes will it take at the state Department of Children
& Families before Gov. Jeb Bush concedes that problems at that
agency run a lot deeper than a few bad employees? The source of many
of the agency's problems rests with its leaders. |
 | DCF
visited Panhandle child three days before her death
PENSACOLA A Department of Children & Families counselor
visited a Crestview toddler three days before the child was found dead
from blunt force trauma, an agency official said Tuesday. It was a
routine visit that gave no indication that 19-month-old Kayla Regine
Mays or her four siblings, including a twin brother, had been harmed
or were in danger, said Betty Hooper, spokeswoman for the department's
district headquarters in Pensacola. |
 | Pre-K
amendment has necessary signatures; headed for ballot
TALLAHASSEE A proposal to provide free pre-kindergarten for
Florida's 4-year-olds became the eighth constitutional amendment to
qualify for the November ballot, state elections officials said
Tuesday. The secretary of state's office said amendment supporters had
collected 512,184 signatures, exceeding the 488,722 they needed. |
 | Feud
Over Class Size Outgrows Florida
TALLAHASSEE - More than half the nearly $1.1
million raised so far by the group seeking smaller class sizes in
Florida public schools has come from out-of-state contributors,
campaign finance records show. ...The proposed constitutional
amendment, which is expected to be approved as early as today for the
November ballot, has heavy backing from two national teacher unions,
the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and
People for the American Way. All oppose Gov. Jeb Bush's school voucher
program. |
 | Our
state government is home to fiascos, intrigue - All of those folks
hoping that the fiasco of 2000 won't be repeated in this fall's
elections have to be swallowing hard right about now.- Qualifying
candidates to run for office should be a cut-and-dried affair: Fill
out the paperwork and pay the filing fee before the deadline.- Even
that simple task was bungled last week.-- |
 | GOP
and voter trust
Florida's Republican Party shouldn't squelch all
criticism in the primary. |
 | Former
Graham consultant files new ethics complaint
He challenges a deal in which tax-deductible donations to a nonprofit
result in cost cuts for Sen. Graham's drive to restore statewide
university governance. |
 | Elect
commission with character
The big issue in Hillsborough County Commission elections this year
will not be parks or taxes or fire stations or how often residents may
water their lawns. The issue is electing people with character --
candidates who have the know-how and integrity to lead and work
together. Nothing more unites people from Carrollwood to Sun City
Center than the shared embarrassment of being represented by a board
that collectively is defined by meanness, pettiness and paranoia. |
 | PENSIONS
RECALCULATED
Miami commissioners made a prudent decision to correct the way pension
benefits are calculated for elected officials. In the bargain, they've
added fairness to a skewed process. Commissioners' preliminary
approval helps to ensure that officials don't retire with pensions
that exceed their maximum full-time earnings. |
 | Broward
County uses touchscreen voting for first time
SOUTHWEST RANCHES In her first experience with Broward County's
new touchscreen voting machines, Joanne Mitchell wasn't sure Tuesday
which button to push to complete her ballot, which replaced the
controversial punchcard system she'd used before. "It was a
little bit confusing," said Mitchell, who eventually figured out
that she needed to press the flashing "vote" button. "I
thought when you press the candidate it goes to vote. I didn't know
you had to push another button on the machine." |
 | Campus
newspaper asks Supreme Court to take Earnhardt case
TALLAHASSEE The publishers of the Independent Florida Alligator
newspaper in Gainesville are asking the state Supreme Court to
consider whether the law restricting access to autopsy photos is
constitutional. In papers filed earlier this month, Campus
Communications asked the high court to review a lower court's decision
that the law barring public access to autopsy materials was
constitutional. |
 | FCCJ
begins contract talks with educators, new union
After months of finger-pointing, Florida Community College at
Jacksonville administrators and union officials met for the first time
yesterday to begin collective bargaining. |
 | Panhandle
doctor arrested in patient abandonment case
PORT ST. JOE A doctor has been charged with neglect of a disabled
person for allegedly abandoning an apparent stroke victim at a rescue
mission in the Florida Panhandle, Gulf County Sheriff Frank McKeithen
said Tuesday. Dr. Vincent Ivers, an emergency room physician, was
arrested Monday and released on his own recognizance. He could face up
to five years in prison if convicted of the third-degree felony. |
 | Pharmacy
owner, employee charged with fraud
The state attorney general's office says they bilked Medicaid out of
$1.7 million. |
 | Insurer
builds big profit on denial of needed care
I read the July 21 Business article "In health insurance, size
builds clout, profits," about Blue Cross Blue Shield Florida, and
I felt sick to my stomach. My family is on the other side of this
equation. |
 | Money
crisis stuns Daytona
It would take a couple of hands to point fingers at
all the reasons why this famous beachside city is facing a budget
crisis that may take dozens of police off the street and produce the
biggest tax increase in recent memory. |
 | 90
students now have no school - SANFORD -- A Seminole County charter
school abruptly announced Tuesday it won't open this school year,
leaving district officials scrambling to find alternative placements
for its emotionally disturbed students before classes begin next week. |
 | Rival
accuses Catalfumo of illegal lobbying
A rival to builder Catalfumo Construction says the firm engaged in
questionable lobbying practices. |
 | Audit
critical of city code division
About half of Jacksonville code inspections aren't done on time,
$6.2 million in fines remain uncollected and reporting deficiencies
make it difficult to track if problems are corrected, a city audit
found. |
 | Environmental
group sues over discharges into Lake Okeechobee
FORT MYERS A nonprofit environmental law firm sued the South
Florida Water Management District on Tuesday, alleging it has done
little to prevent Lake Okeechobee from being regularly polluted with
pesticides, oil, grease and other contaminants. Earthjustice said the
South Florida Water Management District was given more than 60 days
notice about violations to the Clean Water Act but made no changes. |
 | Wildlife
Federation sues agency for pumping polluted water into Lake Okeechobee
- The Florida Wildlife Federation accused the district of violating
the federal Clean Water Act in the operation of its drainage canals
along the lake's southern rim. |
 | Advocates
for manatees force showdown today - Environmentalists fighting
federal officials over manatee protections are willing to delay
creating new manatee refuges and sanctuaries until December, as long
as federal permits for new boat slips and marinas are halted until
then.--
That is one way environmentalists, who filed this announcement Monday
in federal court in Washington D.C., hope to keep a landmark court
settlement intact. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants to abolish
it. |
 | County
aims to buy lake bed
Leon County applied Tuesday for a $6.6 million state grant to help buy
the dry upper Lake Lafayette lake bed to prevent development. |
 | The
nature of plantations
The plantation culture of the South has a harsh human history that may
never be completely forgotten or forgiven. But these extraordinary
tracts of land, which contribute so greatly to the beauty of our
countryside, also represent a largely untainted environmental and
agriculture history that's well worth sustaining. |
 | Keep
homes away from state park
Good for animals, and good for development. |
 | As
homeowners battle toxic mold, state holds hearing on insurance
coverage -- In the meantime, insurers, builders and homeowners are
battling in the media and in the courtroom.--
The Florida Department of Insurance held the first of a trio of
meetings Tuesday to hear comments from consumers and the industry
about who should pay for mold. Dozens of South Florida residents told
harrowing tales of the effects of mold on their lives.-
In Florida, insurers are only required to pay for mold cleanup if it
resulted from an event that the insurance company covers, such as a
pipe or water heater bursting.--
Other states require insurers to cover mold no matter what. |
 | Turnpike
neighbors plead for noise help - WEST BOYNTON · Unwilling to
surrender to blaring noise, suburban residents beseeched state
Department of Transportation officials Tuesday night to reconsider
sound walls for their communities, even though studies already
disqualified 10 of 15 communities along Florida's Turnpike. |
 | Future
grim for historic home
A year ago, Orange County commissioners agreed
to spend up to $500,000 to save historic gardens at a
turn-of-the-century home once owned by pioneering horticulturist Henry
Nehrling. |
 | 200
Haitians in Miami rally for equal treatment - MIAMI · A passing
cabby pumped his fist and another motorist honked rhythmically as a
sudden burst of music roused 200 protesters denouncing the
government's treatment of Haitian asylum seekers Tuesday evening. |
 | Haiti's
poor caught in aid crisis - PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti · Sonia
Jean-Pierre's life is one of apocalyptic misery. With hardly any food
or work, her only refuge is a concrete cell. The searing sun is
blotted out by cardboard pasted over the windows. On the wall by her
bed, she has scrawled, "Jesus Christ is coming soon," like a
promise of salvation to greet her every morning.--
Jean-Pierre and hundreds of neighbors live as squatters inside the old
Fort Dimanche Prison, once the brutally efficient killing chamber of
the Duvalier dictatorships. A prison no longer, it has been renamed,
hopefully, Village Democratie. ... ... Nearly eight years after the
United States led an invasion of Haiti to oust a military junta and
restore President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power, Village Democratie
is just one measure of this country's despairing slide. ...
Increasingly exasperated with Aristide's government, which has yet to
resolve a 2-year-old deadlock with its opposition, the United States
and European countries have blocked about $500 million in aid, hoping
to encourage greater democracy. Critics say the decision has merely
eroded the hopes and deepened the poverty of this country's 7 million
or so people. |
 | Paul
Krugman: Today the states, tomorrow ...
New Jersey has always been a good state for scandals, and last week
provided two. One, the case of Web-snooping by a Princeton admissions
officer, which involved a total of 11 applicants to Yale, was the
subject of front-page stories across the nation. (Disclosure: I'm a
Princeton professor.) |
 | Extortion
by another name
Extortion is happening, even as we speak, right here in the middle of
our newly vigilant, corruption-probing capital city. But don't bother
calling the corruption-fighters. Because they will just tell you it's
all legal. And they should know. Because they are the law-makers and
reg-makers. And also they are the ones who are doing the legalized
extorting. ...
But here is what is really happening: Members of Congress get lists of
the corporations or other special interests (such as trial lawyers and
labor unions) that their specific committees regulate and
telephone the corporations or special interests they regulate and ask
for money for their upcoming reelection campaigns. (Some have their
political operatives make the call.) |
 | What's
behind our high tolerance for the sin of greed?
I had to laugh when reading the results of a poll posted Friday on the
Internet site Beliefnet.com, asking readers which of the seven deadly
sins they were most guilty of committing. |
 | Economy
slows; recession worse than believed
The U.S. economy lost momentum in the second quarter of this year,
growing at an annual rate of just 1.1 percent. New figures today also
showed that last year's recession was worse than thought, with the
economy shrinking in three quarters of 2001. |
 | Reviews
are in Let military be military
The Bush administration said the threat of catastrophic terrorism
requires a review of the Posse Comitatus Act, and the reviews have
been pouring in. Coming from left, right and in between, they have a
message that can be summed up in two words: Forget it. |
7/30/02
 | Lack
of candidates blow to voter choice
Nearly half the state Senate was elected Saturday. Nearly one-third of
Florida's congressional delegation earned office that day, too,
including one candidate who had never before run for Congress.
Additionally, Tom Gallagher will become Florida's chief financial
officer -- a brand new Cabinet post -- without having to make a single
campaign stop. |
 | Roberts'
finale anything but dull
So much for a quiet, dignified end to Clay Roberts' tenure as
Florida's elections chief. Only days after discovering that the
Division of Elections was charging legislative candidates too little
for qualifying for election, Roberts had to deal with chaos Friday
when a cargo plane crashed just hours before the qualifying deadline,
destroying some candidates' paperwork. |
 | Harris
muffs another
Ending her inept career on an appropriate note.-- ... When the
controversy broke, Ms. Harris not only was out of town, she was
conveniently out of touch, in her own undisclosed location. Her staff
stressed that she was back in the office Friday -- "the critical
day for her to be here." What a relief. She thus was in place to
ask Gov. Bush to extend the qualifying deadline for a day because of
the "emergency" caused by the plane crash. This would be the
same Katherine Harris who saw no "emergency" when a virtual
tie in the Florida presidential race demanded that counties get time
to count as many legal ballots as possible. |
 | State
senate stint would pad pension
If he wins a Senate seat, Bob Butterworth would take a pay cut. But
his pension would still grow. |
 | Attorney
general candidate fires back at Republican leader
TALLAHASSEE -- Republican attorney general candidate Tom Warner took
exception Monday to party boss Al Cardenas, who criticized Warner for
saying another GOP candidate is unqualified. "Since when is it
not a legitimate campaign issue to question another candidate's
qualifications?" Warner asked. "I thought the purpose of the
primaries was to test the candidates and to make sure we had the best
and strongest candidate to represent the party." |
 | One
destination, two distinct paths
Walter Dartland is a latecomer to the race for attorney general, but
he's no stranger to the office. Dartland, 67, was a deputy to Attorney
General Bob Butterworth for two years after losing to him for the top
spot in 1986. He served another four years as a special counsel
starting in 1996. |
 | Recognition,
endorsements, funds fuel Dyer powerhouse
Sen. Buddy Dyer's got the biggest endorsements, the fattest campaign
chest and the highest statewide name recognition of any of the four
Democrats running for attorney general. |
 | Bush
creates commission to attract retirees to Florida
TALLAHASSEE Gov. Jeb Bush announced Monday the formation of a
commission to help attract retirees to Florida. Long known for being a
haven for retirees, Bush said more seniors are considering settling in
other states. "I think the conventional wisdom is that seniors
somehow are a burden when in fact they are providing a net benefit to
our economy," Bush said. "Seniors are wealthier and in many
cases they are healthier." |
 | University
of Florida stymied in its efforts to attract blacks
Recruiters of black students to the University of Florida continually
battle its reputation as a predominantly white institution with
admissions standards so high that it is nearly impossible to get into. |
 | Bush
says class size amendment is too costly
ORLANDO Gov. Jeb Bush repeated Monday his opposition to a proposed
constitutional amendment that would limit the number of students per
class in Florida's schools. He said it would cost too much. "It
benefits lower class size, no question about it, but to mandate either
higher taxes or cuts in services to achieve it is something I will not
support," Bush said. |
 | Up
to 500 FCATs missing, some students may have to retake exams -
TAMPA, Fla. - Between 100 and 500 of the state's student assessment
tests are missing, according to the Florida Department of Education.
-- The missing Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests, among the 3.5
million graded this year, could be misplaced, said department
spokeswoman JoAnn Carrin. -- "They could be packed away in a
closet or in a wrong box," Carrin said. "We're finding tests
every day, and I'm confident we'll find these tests." |
 | Gay
GOP candidate makes waves
Patrick Howell is seeking conservative Rep. Allen
Trovillion's state House seat. |
 | Yet
another DCF fiasco
The Department of Children & Families' latest
incident illustrates its problems. |
 | State
wants U.S. to take part of dam
The Legislature has not provided money to tear down a dam on the
Ocklawaha River. |
 | A
thirsty region still gulps down development
To reach the Kings Point clubhouse from the parking lot, you have to
cross a small footbridge over what appears to be a drainage ditch
posing as a creek. The ditch is dry and full of grass. |
 | State
Environmental Agency Wise To Reject This Idea
T he state Department of Environmental Protection nearly handed Gov.
Jeb Bush's Democratic opponents some powerful campaign ammunition. -
The DEP lawyers recommended the agency seek attorney fees from an
environmental group that fought a state plan that would have allowed a
Georgia-Pacific paper mill to dump wastewater into the St. Johns
River. -- The move would have served to intimidate citizen groups from
challenging destructive projects. -- Fortunately, DEP Secretary David
Struhs decided not to pursue the legal fees.
The controversy also raises questions about the state's pollution
rules. - As the Tribune's Mike Salinero found, the state has never
adopted dioxin standards, even though the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency considers it one of the most deadly chemicals on its
list of toxic substances. |
 | State
is losing battle with beach erosion
PENSACOLA Florida's beaches are eroding at an alarming rate
despite elaborate regulations and millions spent on restoration, say
scientists, engineers and environmentalists. Of the 825 miles of sandy
shores surrounding the state, almost half 328 miles are being
eaten away to the point of threatening buildings and recreation
although taxpayers have spent more than $886 million on beach
nourishment since 1923. |
 | Emus
loose in Florida since market for their meat vanished
CRESTVIEW Emus, although native to Australia, have been running
wild in Florida since the bottom fell out of the market for their meat
in the mid-1990s. An Okaloosa County sheriff's deputy last week shot
one of the flightless birds of unknown ownership after it had harassed
some dogs in nearby Baker, a rural community in the Florida Panhandle.
Emus and their relatives, rheas from South America and ostriches from
Africa, had been touted as a lowfat alternative to red meat in the
1980s. |
 | The
NRA poster boy
Attorney General John Ashcroft wants information that would keep guns
out of the hands of convicted felons, fugitives and illegal aliens
purged after a day. |
 | Molly
Ivins: Hard to tell which story is the parody
AUSTIN, Texas The New Yorker magazine published an amusing parody
on recent business scandals last week, including this gem: "Mr.
Cheney called for an end to innuendo about his activities in a now
bankrupt Pitcairn Island firm that sold itself the air rights to a
million acres of West Texas flatlands, deducted the transaction from
its taxes as an entertainment expense, then borrowed $14 million
interest-free from the Liechtenstein bank it owned, using its assets
of company-acquired Callaway golf clubs as collateral, to finance the
purchase of gifts for some Bessarabian oil prospectors who were then
passing through Dallas." |
 | Scandals
yield defiant arrogance instead of shame
Responding to the bombshell revelation that senior bankers at
Citigroup actively helped Enron hide billions in debt, Enron Lawyer of
Last Resort Robert Bennett deftly summed up the real reason for the
current economic crisis: "Most of the problems - not all of them
- are things that have been legal and acceptable." |
 | Don't
extend credit
Congress revives bad bankruptcy bill. |
 | GOP
extremists overrun Powell
Any hope that Secretary of State Colin Powell could moderate the
right-wing impulses of George Bush must now be abandoned. And perhaps
Secretary Powell should abandon the Bush administration, as well,
before it ruins his reputation. |
7/29/02
 | New
plan: Raise funds from the newly laid off
Nothing personal, but Noel Crick probably won't be filling out his
"Critical 2002 Personal Endorsement" form or sending a
campaign contribution to Gov. Jeb Bush. |
 | Roll
Back Increase
Leave it to the Florida Legislature to turn their
salaries into a political issue during an election year. |
 | The
Florida pipeline: Bush brothers using pork to plunder votes
With George W. Bush in the White House, little brother Jeb in
Tallahassee, and Florida as the once and future swing state in W.'s
electoral fortunes, no one expected propriety to replace pork as the
defining bond between the two Bushes. Both have plenty to gain from
each other. W. needs Florida to win again in 2004. And to get
reelected this November, Jeb needs every federal dollar, legate and
favor he can get to paint himself as a friend to all those things he's
been plundering in his first term education, the environment, workers'
rights. |
 | Reno
joins anti-plant group
Virginia Seacrist still has the souvenir baseball cap Gov. Jeb Bush
gave her on a canoe trip down the Ichetucknee River in 1999 - back
when state officials were first deciding whether to allow the Suwannee
American Co. to build a cement plant a few miles from the stream. |
 | Unbiased
analysis: Chief economist served state well as straight shooter
Truth and politics can be nervous bedfellows. Maybe that's why Ed
Montanaro, the Legislature's chief economist, sometimes looked and
sounded uneasy. In his 16-year tenure with the state, he often had to
deliver bad news. Despite what must have been powerful temptation to
whitewash or distort the truth, Montanaro's reputation as a straight
shooter remains untarnished. |
 | Courts
may clarify 'sunshine' law after Escambia convictions
Convictions of two suspended Escambia County commissioners could lead
to appeals that clarify what officials can or cannot discuss in
private under the state's open-government "sunshine" law.
Lawyers spent hours before and during both trials arguing what is
permitted under the open-government law, but Okaloosa County Judge T.
Patterson Maney had little case law to help him resolve the issues. |
 | No
place for wordiness
It was a mistake for legislators to allow themselves
overly long ballot questions. |
 | Candidates
face identity crisis
Top cop or consumer advocate? These two visions of the state attorney
general are taking shape as a crowded field of candidates vie for
their party's nomination. The three Republican candidates tend toward
the tough-on-crime side, while the four Democrats are saying the
state's No.1 lawyer must be foremost an advocate for the people. |
 | Butterworth's
surprising step down doesn't mean that he's out
Bob Butterworth, our state attorney general, certainly could have
become a justice of the Florida Supreme Court, if only he had asked
the last Democratic governor to appoint him. |
 | Butterworth's
Senate bid triggers scrutiny by GOP
Attorney General Bob Butterworth's decision to run for a state Senate
seat in South Florida is still under review by Republicans. |
 | GOP
plan for state Senate seat could backfire
Republican leaders in the Florida Senate congratulated themselves two
weeks ago when shifting district boundaries prompted one of their own,
state Sen. Debby Sanderson, to announce her retirement rather than
seek reelection. |
 | Democratic
primary could be a bore
Three candidates for Florida governor are light on
specifics -- and funds. |
 | District
90 voters set terms
By Jim Ash and John Murawski, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
A politically savvy Democratic bloc gets the representation it wants
or cleans House. |
 | For
$1,500, you can be local doctor's VIP
During the last 10 years, Dr. Jason Mercer found himself in a dilemma
that was becoming worse. As his practice grew, he felt pressured by
health insurance companies to spend less time with patients. |
 | Better
health in 'Glades
With hospital sound, there's extra money. |
 | Proposed
rules adding up to a lot of 'buts' for the state
In its proposed blueprint for how the Everglades should be
restored, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers speaks broadly about
setting goals, monitoring progress, planning projects, and the role of
each agency. But, there are a lot of buts. The Corps of Engineers last
week released its proposed regulations for the $7.8 billion replumbing
of the Florida Everglades. The proposed rules will be subject to two
months of public comment before the Corps of Engineers makes a final
decision. |
 | Protect
treasure - The governor should name a group to protect the Wekiva
and build a road.-- Gov. Jeb Bush has before him a prime opportunity
to protect one of the state's premier environmental jewels, promote
responsible growth and solve one of Central Florida's most intractable
transportation woes. |
 | Residents
Hemmed In By Government
LITHIA - More than ever, Florida families buy
slices of the American dream in subdivisions with sidewalks, deed
restrictions and homes with common architectural themes. But some
still pursue that dream where homesteads are measured in acres and
people wake to a rooster's crow instead of rush-hour traffic. ... |
 | Waste
Water Flows To Bay Today
PORT MANATEE - Millions of gallons of treated
phosphate waste water are ready to be dumped into environmentally
sensitive Bishop's Harbor, just south of the Hillsborough-Manatee
county line. ... |
 | County
links flooding to CSX - Vaughn Williams' parking lot is producing
bubbles as floodwater seeps into cracks in the asphalt.--
The parking lot, which surrounds a 60,000-square-foot building
Williams owns on Central Florida Parkway, is submerged in more than
one foot of water for the fifth time since he purchased the building
in 1995. |
 | An
abuse of law enforcement
Troopers have no business pulling aside motorists for
a high-speed-rail survey. |
 | Survey
shows state is No. 1 nationwide in murder-suicides
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida has the highest number of murder-suicides in
the country, but only a fraction are committed by women over 55, state
records show. |
 | Bowden
and Zook hit it off
Will an amicable meeting lead to a kinder, gentler Florida-FSU
rivalry? |
 | Healing
with touch
Patients and doctors in mainstream hospitals are coming to rely on
therapeutic touch. |
 | Program
provides coverage for uninsured
Some uninsured Jacksonville residents went home from Memorial
Hospital Jacksonville Saturday with something they could not afford
before -- health coverage. |
 | Bad
meat business
The meat industry, faced with its second largest recall for
contamination, should clean up its act and embrace reforms that will
make meat less hazardous to your health. |
 | Unheralded
hard drives a catalyst for better gadgets
Next to semiconductors that keep screaming more and more gigahertz,
there's a quieter catalyst for ever more powerful and shrinking
high-tech gadgets: hard drives. |
 | Guest
editorial: The secret history of judges
When a judge is nominated to a Court of Appeals, one of the powerful
courts a level below the Supreme Court, the confirmation process
should include a careful review of his or her past rulings. The
trouble is that judges are not required to have their opinions printed
in official court publications, and Senate procedures make it easy to
miss troubling unpublished cases from a nominee's past. The nomination
of Judge Dennis Shedd to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based
in Richmond, Va., demonstrates the flaws in the current system. The
nomination is now pending in the Senate Judiciary Committee. |
 | Election
ruling stirs debate - A recent court decision has opened up debate
over what judicial candidates can and can't say during elections.--
And that, some say, could translate into more dynamic judicial
elections where voters will get more information out of candidates.--
Others argue the issue politicizes the judiciary and opens judges to
attacks, based on what they have said, that could force their recusal
on certain cases. |
 | Make
travel to Cuba no longer an illegal trip
Palm Beach Post Editorial
Senate should follow the House's lead. |
 | BACK-DOOR
CUBA POLICY
WHY ENCOURAGE LAWBREAKING? Misguided congressional attempts to ease
restrictions on U.S. travel and sales to Cuba are bad public policy. |
 | U.S.
Policy Needs Reform
The U.S. House has voted to open Cuba to American
tourism and trade, while the Senate is expected to take similar action
soon. |
 | BREAK
THE IMPASSE
More than two years have passed since Haiti's ill-fated election of
May 2000. Yet fallout from the election has been like a noose around
Haiti's neck that has strangled its economy and politics -- and could
precipitate its descent into total anarchy. |
 | Bush
should help drug debate
WASHINGTON -- President Bush is too clever for me.-- When I heard he
was going to North Carolina last Thursday to talk to doctors about
medical malpractice, I was baffled why he would do such a thing.- Many
health care issues were being debated in Congress, but medical
malpractice was not one of them. |
 | Guest
editorial: A bankrupt bill
It was probably expecting too much to think that Congress' stand-up
attitude to big business would last until the weekend. A little more
than a day after passing tough corporate-governance legislation,
lawmakers rushed to approve an ill-advised overhaul of the nation's
bankruptcy laws long sought by credit card companies and other
creditors. The House seemed on the verge of approving the bill early
Saturday morning, and the Senate is expected to vote on it next week. |
 | Thomas
L. Friedman: In oversight we trust
Several years ago an Indian journalist friend of mine, who was working
in Indonesia, remarked to me that corruption in the Indonesian
bureaucracy was so endemic that when he paid a bribe to renew his
residency permit, the Indonesian official he paid off actually gave
him a receipt for his bribe so my friend could be reimbursed by his
newspaper. For anyone who has worked abroad, such stories are not
unusual. But they are also a useful prism for examining the epidemic
of corporate cheating now wracking America. |
 | No
security in secrecy
Keep public disclosure in homeland agency. |
 | MORE
INSPECTIONS NEEDED
The national debate about transportation security embodies an
inexplicable illogic. There is a sharp contrast between how much
lawmakers and the media have focused on aviation security and how
little on other transportation modes, namely water freight. |
7/28/02
 | A
'real town' revolt
As it grows, Celebration is feeling the same pressures older towns do.
Now some residents, the "Celebration Patriots," are fighting
Disney's plan to add more hotel rooms. |
 | Frozen
in time
Disney now wants to build several hotels and a luxury resort, and
double the number of hotel rooms in the middle of the Celebration
development. Residents, including one who develops real estate for a
living, are mad. |
 | State
is on wrong side in protecting the St. Johns
Environmental groups fighting to protect the health of the St. Johns
River spent much of last week locked in battle with a state agency
that's supposed to represent the people but has a record of being
chummier with industry and big business instead -- the state
Department of Environmental Regulation. |
 | Jeff
Lytle: 'Growth pay for growth' has been politicians' mantra for years
Collier County can stop growing now. We are killing the beauty,
environment and quality of life that wooed us here in the first place.
We've reached and even surpassed the magic population figure of
250,000. If we need anything new we can just redevelop the old. Right.
Like that's going to happen. But that was the plan nearly three
decades ago in a little-known countywide referendum on growth. For
some reason the results of the straw ballot never come up in
historical perspectives. |
 | State
pension plan hit by market woes -
TALLAHASSEE - When Gov. Jeb Bush first proposed changing the state's
pension plan two years ago, he promoted it as a way for the state to
help out its workers and give the state an ability to attract eager
employees who otherwise may avoid public service. -- But the steep
declines on Wall Street have scared away many state workers from
switching to this new Florida Retirement System ''Investment Plan.''
Four and a half months into the largest ever public pension plan
change in the United States, only about 3,000 state workers and other
public employees have chosen to give up their traditional pension plan
that guarantees them benefits when they retire. |
 | Controversy
over state's 2000 ballots hangs on
They were hauled across the state; counted and
recounted. With leadership of the nation at stake, they were perhaps
the most scrutinized pieces of paper in American history. Now Florida
must decide whether to preserve them or throw them in the garbage |
 | Political
pitches reflect those of donors
A handful of donors to House Speaker Tom Feeney's early congressional
campaign later benefited in the state budget or had their interests
promoted by the Oviedo Republican during the last legislative session,
an examination of campaign finance reports and budget documents shows. |
 | Let
the races begin
Qualifying has closed for Florida elections, and, in far too many
races, so have the voters' options. Improved election machinery
doesn't mean much when a candidate, unopposed, is elected without a
vote. - TALLAHASSEE -- Florida's presidential debacle produced eternal
truth in a hot-selling T-shirt that said, "It's not your vote
that counts, it's how your vote is counted."-- For 2002, here is
a sequel: "There's no vote that counts if you have no vote to be
counted." --- When it comes to electing our Legislature this
fall, nearly half of us will have no vote to be counted. ---Anybody
who claims Florida is a democracy is, to put it kindly, being
disingenuous. |
 | Bush
ad tap-dances around accuracy - ... The ad uses humor to deliver a
harsh message. It also is clearly misleading. |
 | Democrats
Begin To Diverge
TAMPA - For many Florida Democrats, the biggest
question about the governor's race is not which Democratic candidate
they like best, but which one has the best chance of beating Gov. Jeb
Bush. ... |
 | Party
tries to rebuild image
TALLAHASSEE -- As Democrat Daryl Jones entered the state elections
office last week to qualify for the governor's race, he shouted to
reporters. |
 | Candidates
make most of extension
Twenty more qualify to run after Gov. Bush extends the deadline. A
plane crash Friday had destroyed several candidates' paperwork. |
 | Election
2002: Libertarians say state lost 12 candidates' petitions
FORT LAUDERDALE A dozen Libertarian candidates seeking state
offices say their names might miss the November ballot because the
state has lost their qualifying forms, a party official said. The
third-party candidates have had trouble getting proof that they've
sent the required 445 signatures supporting their candidacy, said
campaign coordinator Mark Eckert. "We've already lost 12
candidates because the Division of Elections lost the forms,"
Eckert said. "And the candidate swears up and down they sent
it." |
 | Election
2002: Four petition drives waiting on signature verification
TALLAHASSEE Elections supervisors are still verifying thousands of
signatures but the writing is pretty much on the wall: Voters are
likely to face 11 proposed constitutional changes this fall. The
issues range from the death penalty to tax exemptions to the
protection of pregnant pigs. And four years after declaring education
to be a paramount duty of the state, voters will have a chance to give
state lawmakers specific directions on education from pre-kindergarten
to post-secondary. Six of the 11 constitutional amendments were put on
the ballot by state lawmakers and are assured of a spot. |
 | Guest
commentary: Florida taxpayers deserve real reform
Florida TaxWatch has been among the strongest and most vocal champions
of meaningful tax reform for the past decade and a half. The Florida
tax code is in need of serious and thoughtful reform and modernization
to ensure that our citizens and businesses are competitive and that
our economy is sound and healthy. However, there are good and bad ways
to go about it and the proposed constitutional amendment to create
a tax reform commission sets the stage for disaster. |
 | Close
gate on taxation demagoguery
Rarely has a city official in this area placed ambition so high above
responsibility.West Palm Beach began defending itself last week in a
complicated lawsuit over whether the city illegally blocked private
development of a city-owned marina. If the city loses, taxpayers could
be on the hook for millions. The city might have to sell bonds to pay
damages. |
 | Living
wage isn't commie thinking -- it's justice - We cannot continue to
pay working people so little without extracting a huge cost on our
society. In Central Florida, where one in four kids grows up poor,
often with parents working two jobs to survive, we see the
consequences of our cheapskate service and tourism economy. It costs
our public schools more to help those children, it costs the court and
prison system more to deal with the wayward ones, and it even costs
businesses more in lower productivity and higher turnover among those
low-paid workers... ... Here's what the 1990s corporate machinations
wrought: Executive pay jumped 571 percent while the average worker's
pay rose only 37 percent over the same decade -- 34 percent in Central
Florida. During that same time, the S&P rose 297 percent and
inflation crept up by 27.5 percent, according to the Institute for
Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy. |
 | Glover
helps voice plight of working poor, immigrants
It's a little after 10 a.m. and actor-turned-activist Danny Glover,
who flew into town on a red-eye, is tired. Though lack of sleep is
haunting him, there's no time -- not when you have 400 voices chanting
in Spanish, English and Creole, ``Yes we can.'' |
 | Front
Porch program changes little noticed, but important to some
TALLAHASSEE Lizzie Simmons' apartment is just a few blocks from
the governor's mansion. But in the Frenchtown section of the capital,
it might as well be a world away. Once the proud center of
Tallahassee's black community, this is now one of the poorest parts of
the city. On a stifling summer morning, Simmons sits in front of a fan
in her neatly kept apartment at the Ebony Gardens public housing
complex. Forgotten greens and pork are going bad on the kitchen
counter. Frail and 88 years old, Simmons has outlived three of her
children and though she doesn't like to admit it, needs help just to
get through the day. |
 | Fired
DCF worker had past run-ins
More than a year before former Department of Children & Families
caseworker Mirla Pronga was fired ''for behavior that endangered a
child,'' agency officials were told by a Miami lawyer that Pronga had
been abusive to a teenage foster child, according to a children's
advocate. |
 | `This
Is A Hard Job To Do,' According To DCF Worker
TAMPA - It's a long drive to the day's first
case in Gibsonton, giving child abuse investigator Michael Mahoney a
chance to talk about the tough times in his 2 1/2 years with the
Department of Children and Families. ... |
 | Breaking
point
Officials say the temporary transfer of state Department of Children
& Families workers to the Orlando and Miami areas means more cases
for already overworked DCF investigators in North Central Florida -
where five children under agency care have died in the past seven
years. |
 | Workers
say most cases not clear-cut
The atmosphere in the small Department of Children & Families'
office became tense as protective investigator Laura McCormick, who
was ready to go home after having put in hours of overtime, checked
her voice mail and found a message from a school counselor reporting a
student afraid to go home. |
 | Illegal
telephone tape entangles prosecutors
Authorities use an illegal recording as leverage in a case. The
defense says that pushed them over the line into breaking the law
themselves. |
 | Al-Arian
Firing Likely At USF
TAMPA - University of South Florida President
Judy Genshaft widely is expected to fire Professor Sami Al-Arian next
month, possibly by unveiling a broader case for dismissal to draw in
the Palestinian's alleged ties to terrorism. ... |
 | Greyhound
groups mark Alabama shooting deaths in Pensacola
PENSACOLA Two greyhound protection groups held memorial gatherings
across the nation Saturday to draw attention to the shooting deaths of
up to 3,000 of the racing dogs whose remains were found in nearby
Lillian, Ala. Robert Rhodes, 68, a former security guard at Pensacola
Greyhound Park, was charged with animal cruelty in Alabama after the
remains were uncovered on his property in May. "It's tragic that
these beautiful animals were killed simply because they were no longer
profitable at the racetrack," said Susan Netboy, founder of the
Greyhound Protection League, based in San Francisco. |
 | Everglades
restoration: Don't switch priorities
Proposed rules are too vague on commitment.-- Even before work has
begun on the first project of the $8.4 billion state-federal effort to
restore what remains of the Everglades, the restoration is under
assault. -- Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which will
build the structures to retain, redirect and store water, released the
final draft of its blueprint for repairing the Everglades. The rules
are supposed to specify details of the most ambitious environmental
restoration in the country's history, but they still are too vague.
They don't require that 80 percent of "new" water supplied
through restoration be sent to the Everglades, with 20 percent
reserved for public utilities and farms. That percentage has been the
objective since work on the plan began. The rules don't list interim
goals, to make sure the plan is working, and they fail to give the
Interior Department a strong enough role. The rules lack standards
that would make them enforceable. |
 | On
the bubble: Volusia must get serious about water woes
Volusia County sits on an aquifer -- an ancient bubble of fresh water
trapped in the limestone layers that lie under much of the county.
That bubble provides the water that comes out of taps and showers. It
provides the water to irrigate ferns in northeast Volusia and lawns in
New Smyrna Beach. It provides the water that sustains wetlands and
flows through springs. |
 | The
body toxic -
The newest water-pollution threat starts with a simple cup of coffee,
a smoke break, a spray of cologne, a few headache pills or some
cholesterol-lowering medicine.-
Thousands of man-made chemicals and drugs are designed to soothe,
clean and heal the human body. But when we wash off the remnants in
the shower or flush them out of our bodies into the toilet, the
byproducts of our individual habits can accumulate to corrupt our
common water sources, new research suggests. |
 | The
grapefruit of wrath
The rest of the country now gawks at Florida the way it used to gawk
at California: with dread, fascination and
there-but-for-the-grace-of-God gratitude for living at a safe remove
from all the accumulating strangeness, sleaze and hazards to our
health. |
 | Judges,
lawyers grapple with humor
"If this were a sci-fi melodrama, it might be called Speech-zilla
meets trademark Kong."-- That's what the judge wrote. Judge Alex
Kozinski of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. I did not make up the
quote. If I were making it up, it would be called satire. |
 | Florida
estate becomes airstrip for the rich and famous
OCALA Movie star John Travolta's new $2.5-million getaway in
Central Florida will look like a small airport, hangars and all. To
get there, he won't fuss with the gated entrance enclosing pastures
once home to African elephants, 3,500 crocodiles and a gorilla. He can
swoop down in one of his jets and land on a private runway as big as
those at some public airports. He can taxi to his back door. Pretty
cool. Travolta is the latest fascination in a classic Florida story
that's a dash Miami Vice, a hint Disney plus a bit Hollywood. |
 | Corporate
contributions tarnish the best of them
It's hard to be virtuous when you can't stay away from the bordello.
That's the problem Democrats have in trying to seize the political
high ground on the influence of corporate money on American politics.
They have been almost as compromised by corporate dollars as the
Republicans. The main difference is that Republicans enter the
corporate money bordellos through the front door, while the Democrats
sneak in and out of the back door. |
 | Arrest
CEO, buy stocks, watch Dow Jones go up
Last Wednesday, after the Dow Jones Industrial Average shot up 488
points, the TV news was crawling with Wall Street analysts eager to
explain the phenomenal rebound. |
 | Bill
puts political spin on religion
A bill before Congress seeks to undo a large part of a President
Lyndon Johnson amendment by freeing churches -- but not other
charities or nonprofit groups -- to participate in campaigns. |
 | The
threat of mothers disrobing prompts action
After the recent victory of village women in Nigeria over oil-giant
Chevron Texaco, one can't help but wonder what things would be like if
more "mamas" of the world took matters into their own hands
more often. |
7/27/02
 | Former
Bush partner wants records sealed in business deal
MIAMI A Broward County company headed by Gov. Jeb Bush's former
business partner wants to seal records in a lawsuit accusing the firm
of bribing Nigerian officials as part of a water pump sale. The
records could include any pretrial deposition given by Bush about his
role in Bush-El Trading Corp., a company he once owned with J. David
Eller. |
 | No
excuse: Manatees and Floridians deserve better
It's not common to see the federal government foul up this badly, this
publicly. |
 | Reno,
Harris point to an intriguing election
Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno answered questions for more
than an hour during a town meeting this week at Tallahassee City Hall. |
 | GOP
has landslide without a vote cast - TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican
Party has anchored its hold on Florida state government, offering
Democrats few chances for significant gains in November. |
 | FedEx
plane crash snags political races
Chaos and confusion coursed through what was to
be Friday's close of an already bizarre week of filing for Florida
political candidates. |
 | FedEx
crash puts candidates in a tailspin
By S.V. Dαte, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Gov. Bush extends the qualifying deadline as candidates scramble when
their paperwork burns up in Tallahassee. |
 | Bush
backs Harris' extension request
By Jim Ash, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Governor Bush's election qualifying deadline extension has some
Democrats crying foul. |
 | Election
2002: Cabinet races set barring jet crash-affected candidacies
TALLAHASSEE Unless a surprise 11th-hour opponent emerges before
Saturday's 5 p.m. extended deadline, Republican Insurance Commissioner
Tom Gallagher will become the state's first chief financial officer.
Gallagher, one of the GOP's best vote-getters, had no opposition
through Friday's original qualifying deadline. Gov. Jeb Bush gave
candidates affected by a cargo plane crash at the Tallahassee airport
Friday an extra day to submit qualifying papers. |
 | Reno
searches for Democrats
By Brian E. Crowley, Palm Beach Post Political Editor
Janet Reno serves meals at a cafe for the homeless during a campaign
swing. |
 | McBride
rallies support in area - When McBride showed up at the
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers' hall for his local
"campaign kickoff," he drew a standing room-only-crowd -
which event organizers estimated at between 200 and 300 people.-- But
just who showed up, and why, may be more important than the numbers.
Polls have consistently shown former U.S. attorney general Janet Reno
ahead of both McBride and state Sen. Daryl Jones in the race for the
Democratic nomination. But in Gainesville, McBride's campaign has
drawn support from both prominent Democrats and others outside the
party. |
 | Election
2002: Supreme Court to hear arguments over amendment price tags
TALLAHASSEE The state Supreme Court will hear arguments over
whether voters must be told the cost of some of the constitutional
amendments they might see on November's ballot, it was announced
Friday. Lawmakers in May passed a law requiring state analysts to
prepare statements spelling out the likely cost of citizen
initiatives. |
 | Public
help also sought in Miami's 2004 bid
That city's pursuit of the Democratic convention envisions more
taxpayer support than does Tampa's courtship of the GOP. |
 | DCF
inaction blamed in neglected man's death
WEST PALM BEACH -- An internal investigation into the death of an
elderly man found unconscious with rats eating at him has led to the
resignation of a supervisor and a shakeup in the embattled state
Department of Children and Families. |
 | Hearing
officer upholds firing of Panhandle prison guards
WEWAHITCHKA A hearing officer has recommended upholding the
firings of three guards accused of abusing an inmate caught with a
contraband radio at the state's Gulf Correctional Institution. Hearing
officer Jack Ruby accepted testimony accusing Lt. Carmen McLemore, who
is also a Gulf County commissioner, and Sgt. Chris Wood of handcuffing
the inmate to a tree and then taunting and teasing him in violation of
Department of Corrections Policy. |
 | DCF
aide is found drunk, cops say
A Department of Children & Families caseworker was charged with
drunk driving and felony child neglect Thursday after Coral Gables
police found her slumped over in her parked car -- with a 7-month-old
foster child crying in the back seat. |
 | Bush
names retired Marine McPherson acting director of veterans affairs
TALLAHASSEE Col. Warren "Rocky" McPherson was named
Friday by Gov. Jeb Bush to serve as acting executive director of the
Fl | |