FLORIDA SUNDAY EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

We begin here at home, where the Lakeland Ledger believes the decision by Florida State University to sell the data compiled by it's Superensemble hurricane forecasting model to a private company is wrong. The editorial's gist is that when taxpayer money is used in developing or improving a programme for the state-owned model, that information should not suddenly be sold to the private sector, especially when the National Hurricane Centre is told the data would no longer be available for free. Actually, an agreement was reached with the NHC to provide forecasts from the Superensemble model at no charge after publicity began to build during the past week.

The Orlando Sentinel is concerned on how to save the bald eagles in Osceola County, which is experiencing explosive growth. No other place in America has such a rich nesting area, and while federal regulations limit the distance houses can be from existing nests, there are no local regulations regarding future nests or replacing nests after a hurricane. The editorial notes that most developers have committed to avoiding the nesting areas, but not all, and calls on county commissioners to "put your good instincts into action for the eagles".

Today's Tampa Tribune opinion page simply wants Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman to know that the Cigar City really, really wants the 2008 GOP convention...even if the price tag makes fiscal conservatives swallow hard.

The Daytona Beach News Journal deals with the issue of Social Security this morning, opining that the system needs repair but that President Bush's idea of privitization won't save it, but would have broken the contract with our nation's retirees. The editorial looks at the problem as well as several options which could help stabalize it's financial future, at least for a while.

If an area does not control growth, growth will control it. That is the dilemma facing Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle, according to today's editorial in the Pensacola News Journal. While many county officials there are conservative Republicans, there are a few saying it's time to ditch old politicial descriptions and think outside the box to begin toward the goal of controlling growth.

The Tallahassee Democrat opinion page comes out against a proposed State Division of Elections rule which, if approved by Secretary of State Sue Cobb, would prevent county elections supervisors from running a test of voting equipment his/her county is using or considering purchasing without first getting approval from the state. This rule would unfairly reduce county elections supervisors' independence and further diminish voter confidence in a process where credibility is already strained.

In Jacksonville, the Florida Times-Union takes the issue of what's best for kids, and says that children should have a place at the head table, being involved in decisions that directly affect them. The opinion looks at one example of a successful child-friendly city project, Imagine Chicago, and reminds readers that making children intergal parts of the Jacksonville's civic life will take a whole new mindset, but one that's needed.

Today's editorial in the Gainesville Sun calls on the university system's Board of Governors to challenge the new Travel to Terrorist States Act as an attack on academic freedom and a "horribly myopic restriction". The law, signed by Governor Bush, forbids state universities from sponsoring research or trips to Cuba and other nations on the U.S. State Department list of being sponsors of terrorism.

Just down the road, the Ocala Star-Banner notes that the local Emergency Medical Service Alliance, comprised of the City of Ocala, Marion County, and the area's two hospitals to maintain ambulance service is working well for now, but what about when the current agreement expires in two years. The hospitals have hinted they would not be long term paying partners since the beginning, and the city government is experiencing budget issues of it's own, and the newspaper agrees with the EMSA's chief for the participants to begin looking at the future of the service.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune states in it's editorial today that during the Bush administration the Pentagon has sought to operate outside of international law in dealing with war prisoners, and notes that a revised Army Field Manual that does not prohibit the "humiliating and degrading treatment of prisioners" as stated in the Geneva Convention. It calls on the Florida congressional delegation to oppose any policy changes which does not include this generally accepted prohibition, not only because it would damage out reputation as a nation that "plays by the rules", but because it could increase the danger that our war prisioners could face the same treatment or worse.

Florida Today believes that while Brevard County is dotted with many archeological sites, too far has been done to save them from the pressures of development. The Melbourne-based newspaper calls on the county government to toughen laws regarding these sites and to hire a full-time archelogist as other counties have done to inspect sites as they come up for development.

Today's Fort Myers News Press editorial says that Lee County property owners are due for a healthy tax cut as property values continue to soar and new construction continuing nonstop. The opinion calls on residents to pay close attention to local government spending and demand full accountability, taking part in the discussion whenever possible.

A drive-by shooting a few days ago in Immokalee which killed an innocent bystander --- a 30 year old mother of four watching her children play outside --- caused the mother of one of the suspects to contact investigators and lead them to two of the alleged perps. The Naples Daily News points this out in encouraging individuals and neighbourhoods touched by bloodshed to express their outrage at such senseless violence throughout Southwest Florida.

The Palm Beach Post laments the U.S. Senate rolling over yet again, this time on the issue of the National Security Agency's domestic spying programme. Instead of the aggressive investigations promised by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter (R - PA) and others, Specter has offered not to investigate what happened, give blanket amnesty to anyone in the administration who might have spied illegally, and to change the law so that the president has the option, rather than the current requirement, of seeking court approval for domestic surveillance.

Today's editorial in the Fort Lauderdale-based South Florida Sun Sentinel calls on parents to turn their kids away from the television, especially this summer when reading skills get ignored. The opinion is that children should be encouraged to read more, noting that it would enhance their creativity and help them perform when they're back in school.

And the Miami Herald calls on Miami-Dade Fire Rescue to follow the lead of other cities in allowing building owners whose smoke alarms/sprinkler systems are not working to hire private guards to stand fire watch until the systems are fixed. Currently, they are required to hire county firefighters at usually a much higher price (higher even per his/her rank), which overtaxes taxpayers and businesses.

Some of us have to work today. It promises to be a boring watch, with maybe five or six calls coming in during the 7.5 hour shift, but it's money in the bank. In the meantime, make it a great Sunday!