SUNDAY FLORIDA EDITORIAL ROUNDUP

We begin this morning in South Florida, where the Miami Herald says that we do not need an Official Secrets Act that could be used to threaten reporters from doing the job that the Founding Fathers had intended --- and the First Amendmend guarantees --- for the press to inform the public about the activities of it's government.

Just up I-95 in Fort Lauderdale, the South Florida Sun Sentinel tells us that the Florida Innocence Initiative, a non-profit agency which helps prisoners whose cases strongly suggest that an innocent man or woman may have been convicted for crimes they didn't commit obtain DNA testing, deserves financial help from the state because of the important role it plays in Florida's justice system.

This morning's editorial in the Palm Beach Post warns that what it calls the "hasty" review of Palm Beach County's $4.3 billion budget by Florida TaxWatch, hired by the Economic Council of Palm Beach County, could be more of a political statement than a true review to benefit the public and says that commissioners must recieve unbiased information to make an intelligent decision.

Skipping over to Southwest Florida, the Naples Daily News wonders if Collier County officials are losing sight of the area's affordable housing needs, especially in the area of Bayshore Boulevard where revitalization is taking place...and two large apartment complexes have recently been sold and "flipped" into condos.

At the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the editorial writers slammed the House for agreeing to pass an amendment to a larger spending bill which bars the use of federal funds to enforce a requirment that gun manafacturers install childproof trigger locks on all handguns. The author, Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave (R - CO), claims the law is "burdensome" and drives up the cost of guns.

On the Space Coast, Florida Today calls on government officials to begin facing the emergency room crisis across Florida and nationwide, and suggests that the Sunshine State's next governor should look to a law recently passed in Massachusetts making health care free or affordable to all as one solution.

The Daytona Beach News Journal notes that Volusia Countians have said time and again that they want growth controlled, and the county Charter Review Commission has given preliminary approval for a three tiered amendment to go before the voters in November toward that goal. However, the opinion is that the amendment could work if it were strengthed, and calls on the CRC to do that when it meets later this month.

The Orlando Sentinel editorial page this morning is concerned about the Lynx bus system which services Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. Since Governor Bush vetoed a rental car surcharge which would have provided $10 million to the system, it notes that Lynx must continue to rely on volatile government sources. The opinion is that the counties should pony up with the increased funding as requested to update the fleet and improve it's on-time performance.

Coming along I-4 westbound back home, the Lakeland Ledger has another edition of it's occasional "Gigs and Garlands" editorial series where the newspaper salutes or slams several people or groups. Among those getting "Gigs" this time: Governor Jeb Bush and state officials (especially the Legislature). "Garlands" go to the Publix/United Way/Microsoft partnership, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the late James Thompson Griffiths.

The skyrocketing cost of home insurance across Florida is one of the key issues folks are looking at as we head toward the fall elections. But the Tampa Tribune says that the solutions presented by all the major gubernatorial candidates seem to offer little hope that a real answer is near, and that what they are saying are more politics than substance.

The controversy over a possible cervical cancer vaccine reaches the editorial page of the St. Petersburg Times this morning. The vaccine, which would block two of the most common strains of cervical cancer, has been suggested for girls 11-12 years old, but religious conservatives claim it would encourage them to become sexually active. The Times says that there are many other reasons to promote abstinence, and that protecting women against a possible fatal disease is only prudent, safety-conscious, and responsible thing to do.

It's summer, and that means higher electric bills as we try to keep cool. Customers of the Ocala Electric Utility have faced two rate hikes in less than a year due to the fuel adjustment cost as much of the power it purchases as a member of the Florida Municipal Power Association is produced through natrual gas. The Ocala Star-Banner urges OEA and city leadership to minimize any further hikes with prudent management and creative visioning whereever possible.

Heading into North Florida, the editorial writers at The Florida Times Union in Jacksonville remind us of the dangers of secondhand smoke following the Surgeon General's latest report on the connections between smoking and cancer released last week.

This morning's opinion in the Tallahassee Democrat is that some improvements in the way things are done at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are badly needed, and calls on Florida's two U.S. Senators to support the Water Resources Development Act currently under consideration.

And the Pensacola News Journal commends the Escambia County Commission for approving the remodeling of four cells in the county jail to include padding for mentally ill inmates following the deaths of three prisoners, called by the county administrator as a "temporary fix". The editorial calls for representatives from various areas of the justice system to come together and be a catalyst for long term change to provide assistance for those who need it.

Here's hoping your Sunday is fun, and dry!