SUNDAY FLORIDA EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

The Daytona Beach News-Journal notes that growth issues will be a major challenge when Volusia County's Home Rule Charter Review Commission begins it's required study.

The Orlando Sentinel editorial focuses on Lake County and is asking how serious officials are about improving regional transportation options while protecting the enviroment in considering five proposed changes to it's long range growth plan.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune opines that the oil industry should bear the full cost of cleaning up oil spills. According to a Coast Guard analysis, the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, designed to help pay for such mishaps runs an annual deficit of $200 million and could run broke by the end of the decade.

The St. Petersburg Times looks at the hypocrisy of Jeb! this week appearing with California collegeue Arnold Schwarzenegger to help raise money for initiatives which would reform Golden State politics...among which would call for a nonpartisan commission of retired judges to redistrict the Legislature. Jeb! has opposed similar efforts here.

In today's Tampa Tribune editorial, it is noted that government can only do so much to improve the streach of U.S. 19 in west central Florida mentioned on a Dateline NBC report as one of America's most dangerous roads...those using the road have to do their part, too.

The Winter Haven News Chief celebrates the significant improvement many Polk County schools made on the FCAT scores.

In Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union calls for the Duval County Courthouse Advisory Group to look at all options to insure that plans for a new courthouse meets the budget of $201 million.

A bit of a surprise from the usually conservative Panhandle: The Pensacola News Journal asks what President Bush's gamble on Iraq has cost the nation in terms of it's credibility overseas.

Florida Today hopes that new Brevard County Sheriff Jack Palmer will follow through on his promise to change his office's practices on monitoring public demonstrations.

The Fort Myers News-Press is urging the Lee County School Board to schedule an election to support a half-cent sales tax increase and begin making it's case for the increased revenue to accomodate the district's expected growth.

This morning's Palm Beach Post opines that smaller class sizes --- which voters mandated last year in a constitutional amendment --- do work, and notes that while Jeb! generally gets credit for rising test scores, FCAT was not his idea.

The Miami Herald editorial, noting that the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation --- the federal agency founded to insure private pensions --- is in trouble, notes that over the long run private companies should get out of the pension business in favour of improving IRAs and 401(k) accounts.

Up the road in Fort Lauderdale, the South Florida Sun Sentinel supports a bill sponsored by Rep. Mark Foley (R - FL) now in Congress aimed at tracking sex offenders.

And the Gainesville Sun says that the Legislature should consider standardizing the current system of reporting sewage spills in the interest of public health.