FLORIDA SUNDAY EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

I had started to do this feature last Sunday, but the fact that I had to leave for work and issues with the dial-up's speed prevented it from appearing. So, here it is once again after a brief hiatus. Let's see what the newspaper editorial pages across Florida are saying today...

The Lakeland Ledger suggests that the Florence Villa Community Development Corporation should look closer before saying there are "no problems" after the State Attorney's Office issued a report that "no criminal activity has been identified" in the dealings of it's Executive Director (and Winter Haven commissioner) Nathanial Birdsong. The chairman had lent the CDC $31,200.20 to cover payroll during a lean time, but was paid back $5,000 more than he should have been. Birdsong did return the overpayment. But the editorial states other problems that need to be addressed at the organization.

Governor Bush's $565 million, 15-point plan to boost our state's hurricane prepardness deserves support and passages during the upcoming legislative session, so says the Melbourne-based Florida Today.

And speaking of the Gov, as he tries to nail down his legacy in his final term, the architect of "One Florida" is now unveiling a package of $52.4 million in assistance to help boost minority college enrollment...a proposal favoured in the Gainesville Sun's opinion.

Today's Orlando Sentinel editorial calls on more businesses to join an programme started last year in which they provide lower-income workers information on how to file for the Earned Income Tax Credit by filing with volunteer preparrers throughout the metro area. More than 250 businesses participated in the programme last year.

The issue in the Daytona Beach News-Journal editorial page is talk of reconfiguring the powers of the Volusia County Chair. It notes that Floridians have long had a healthy distrust of political power, the true limits of the county charter and the amount of power the chair has will have to be built on respect by all sides...and that will take longer than one calendar year.

Politics is on the mind of the writers of today's opinion in the St. Petersburg Times. It laments State CFO and Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Gallagher's comments this past week slamming the Florida Supreme Court following it's ruling that using public school money for private school tuition unconstitutional.

Across the bay, the Tampa Tribune deals with the issue of saving the cirtus industry as canker continues to spread. The focus now must be on containment and establishing protocols to deal with the disease, which poses new questions. The Miami Herald also weighs in on the subject.

The Fort Myers News Press has been spotlighting the issue of Lee County's dependency court and the more than 1,000 children currently in it's system. The editorial today asks readers to become involved and make a difference to an abused, neglected, or abandoned child in the Fort Myers area.

Some red flags are waiving on the issue of allowing 140 upscale homes to be built on Black Hammock Island near Jacksonville. It is near the Timucuan Ecologicial and Historical Preserve, and the National Park Service and enviromental groups are concerned of the effects on the pristine area surrounding the island. The Florida Times Union says that tough questions to be asked ahead deserve complete answers as the plan goes to the state for review.

Up in the Panhandle, the Pensacola News Journal advises that the Escambia County School District has some huge challenges ahead, and that the School Board needs to get a grasp of the complete picture of where the district is, and where it needs to go. And the opinion falls against going to a seven period day until the district has it's finances in order.

Meanwhile, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reminds us that everyone is looking for answers as to what can be done to better protect South Florida's electrical grid or to restore power quicker. Florida Power & Light didn't have answers for lawmakers last week; the utility is waiting for a report from a Dutch engineering firm before they can provide certainty or detail as to what happened in the wake of the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

Just up the road, the Palm Beach Post editorial calls on police agencies to work across boundries to end the spate of deadly shootings in Riveria Beach and West Palm Beach. This, as Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw is reviving the multi-agency Violent Crimes Task Force.

Today's Ocala Star-Banner slams Ocala and Marion County officials for turning a request for a "automatic aid" agreement between it's fire service agencies into a political turf battle. As the editorial notes, For the record, the point is to try and keep people from burning to death.

A couple of other newspapers had site issues. Make it a great Sunday!