SUNDAY FLORIDA EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

Intergovernmental rivalries and tensions are the concern of the Tampa Tribune editorial this morning, as it encourages Hillsborough Countians to consider a strong county mayor system of government similar to that practiced in Orange County. It is a change of heart from the early 1990s, when Mother Trib argued against such a move.

The Sarasota Herald Tribune opinion this morning calls on the Legislature to restore full funding to the trust funds established for affordable-housing programmes, stating that the modest restraints placed on raiding such funds simply are not good enough.

On the St. Petersburg Times editorial page, Hillsborough County Circuit Judge Wayne S. Timmerman is criticized for placing a gag order on attorneys in the case of Debra Lafave, the 25-year-old former teacher charged with having sex with a 14-year-old student. It says the move basically uses the judiciary to help prosecuters gain ground on the defence by denying Lafave's attorney the chance to publicily frame his client's case.

The new Medicare prescription plan for seniors needs work, and the Daytona Beach News Journal notes that "Had Congress put priority on people over politics and drug-company profits, there would be more to celebrate". The editorial encourages readers to let their representatives know their disappointment that they did not strike a better deal.

Another lesson from Hurricane Wilma, according to the Orlando Sentinel: When it comes to true first response, the answer lies close to home. That's the answer to those complaining about a lack of supplies as officials in South Florida took too long to decide where relief supplies should be distributed.

The Florida Times Union opines that placing a property on a list of historical landmarks without informing their owners is unfair and heavy handed. This was done in Jacksonville/Duval County in 2002 with about 230 properties. The editorial supports a proposal by City Council member Art Shad to correct the problem.

Today's Tallahassee Democrat editorial looks at using educational data, such as dropout and graduation rates, for advancing political agendas. It notes that while the Bush Administration in the state capitol has made some notable strides in education in the past six years, it's achievements have been undercut by it's apparant aversion to criticism.

While President Bush's approval numbers continue to head into the toilet, it's no surprise that many Americans have even less regard for Congress. The Gainesville Sun editorial today gives one example of why Congressional leaders --- of both parties, mind you --- are held in such low standing, as the appearance of favours done for special interests and contributions from those interests makes our representatives look terrible.

In the wake of Hurricane Stan last month which killed over 1,000 Guatemalans and buried villiages in mudslides, the Palm Beach Post calls on the federal government to grant temporary protected status to those Guatemalan nationals who are already here, and allow it to serve as a test of the guest worker plan that has been suggested previously.

As the last of Florida Light & Power's 3.2 million customers left without power by Hurricane Wilma got their electricity back on this past week, the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale says that it's fair to ask if the power grid is more vunerable than it should be.

The Pensacola News Journal has a bad tasting pill for readers to it's editorial this morning: Prepare to pay higher insurance premiums --- one way or the other --- as developers continue to build on the state's most storm-vunerable areas.

Here at home, the Lakeland Ledger slams Congressman Adam Putnam (R - Bartow) and other members of the Florida congressional delegation for "getting too chummy with the camel" when it comes to oil and gas companies seeking to get drilling approved as close as 20 miles off the state's coastline. The others were Representatives Ander Crenshaw (R - Jacksonville), Mario Diaz-Balart (R - Miami) and Ileana Ros-Lehtenen (R - Miami).

Florida Today, based on the Space Coast in Melbourne, salutes NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, who it says is "bringing the intellect, vision and honesty necessary for NASA to have any chance of realizing..." the dream of returning astronauts to the moon by 2018 and eventually sending them to Mars.

The war on terror and America's values are the subject of the editorial today in the Miami Herald. It notes that the U.S. Senate voted to ban the use of torture and states that we can win the war without giving up our traditional values.

Ocala, a tourist stop? The Ocala Star Banner mentions the Florida Baptist Convention's annual conference which was recently held there, and takes note that the tourist tax exposes just how healthy Marion County's tourist trade is. The local tourist tax has actually generated nearly $950,000 this year...nearly double what was predicted, and says that the Ocala/Marion County Tourist Development Council is well on it's way to fufilling it's mission.

And today's editorial in the Naples Daily News salutes Collier County Commissioner Fred Coyle for his relentless pursuit of insuring that infastructure improvements keep up with the rate of growth.

Make it a great Sunday! I've gotta work.