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Letters to the Editor
Readers - May 2006
JEB'S LEGACY
I share in your article's assessment that the governor's passion and commitment to changing Florida for the better have made him an extraordinarily effective governor ["Jeb's Legacy," March, FloridaTrend.com]. I am, however, puzzled by the conclusion that his growth management reforms have been a failure.
I had the great pleasure of working on growth management reform for the administration during the governor's first term and have been very active legislatively since then on the subject, and I have to heartily disagree.
In 2001, creative changes were made to give tools for managing growth in rural areas, and in 2002, changes were adopted requiring effective planning in the areas of water supply and schools. The 2005 session yielded the most dramatic changes, changes which will forever change Florida if future governors and legislatures don't blink. The 2005 legislation that passed overwhelmingly was largely the governor's initiative, and in a nutshell, it focuses the state on making sure that we plan and build the infrastructure we need to handle our growth in a timely fashion. It contains mandatory school concurrency to make sure we don't keep overcrowding our schools. It also requires that local government comprehensive plans be financially feasible instead of a compiled wish list. The bill tightens transportation concurrency so the road deficit doesn't get deeper. The reforms haven't been felt yet because local governments were wisely given time to comply, but these reforms are most assuredly a lasting part of Jeb's legacy.
Cari Roth
Tallahassee
CLASS ACTS
We were delighted to see your coverage of outstanding Florida college students ["Class Acts," March, FloridaTrend.com].
The examples of student leadership you feature align with the mission of Florida Campus Compact to promote student achievement both inside and outside of the classroom through service learning, civic engagement and student volunteerism.
You have served your readers well by highlighting the value of student engagement!
Dee Dee Rasmussen
Executive director, Florida Campus Compact
Tallahassee
EYE OPENER
We appreciate the "Eye Opener" feature ["Executive Lifestyles: Health," March, FloridaTrend.com]. As president of the Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind (FAASB), I know that the growing incidence of severe vision impairment is real and has significant implications for Florida. FAASB is made up of 15 non-profit community-based organizations. Our members, in partnership with Florida's Division of Blind Services, provide an array of free rehabilitation services.
Several indicators, however, have cast doubt on the adequacy of our resources to address this escalating public health issue. Perhaps most startling are the results of a nine-year study of the elderly published by Duke University a few years ago. The study of more than 10,000 Medicare beneficiaries, 65 or older, found that nearly half had developed one of three chronic eye diseases: Diabetic retinopathy (prevalence rose from 7% in 1991 to 17% in 1999); glaucoma (from 5% to 14%); and age-related macular degeneration (from 5% to 27%). These numbers are particularly telling for Florida, where 18%, or almost 3 million residents, are over age 65.
The loss of vision has a profound impact on the individual, family, workplace and community. Rehabilitation makes a huge difference.
Everyone needs to help assure adequate access to the services our organizations offer. To do so:
- Spread the word that rehabilitation services are available.
- Contact your local service provider (faasb.org) to learn about these services, or contact the Division of Blind Services (DBS.MyFlorida.com or 800/342-1828).
- Invite a certified vision professional to speak at a staff or civic organization meeting.
- Offer personal and corporate support of this effort.
It is estimated that within five years everyone will know at least one person with vision loss.
Lee Nasehi
Executive director, Lighthouse Central Florida
President, Florida Association of Agencies Serving the Blind, Orlando
SAFE FARMS
I am a tomato grower in Florida with farms in the Quincy, Tampa Bay and Immokalee growing areas. I was pleased to see the announcement of the new SAFE program for social responsibility in your March issue ["Around the State/Statewide," FloridaTrend.com]. What you may not know is that McDonald's has adopted SAFE and a set of grower standards above and beyond that as a requirement of all its suppliers.
This is a watershed event in agriculture not only in Florida but eventually across this country and its trading partners. Florida is leading the way in solving one of the toughest problems faced by agriculture. The plight of the migrant farmworker has been fodder in the mill since Edward R. Murrow's "Harvest of Shame."
The McDonald's growers standards and the SAFE program are meeting with tremendous acceptance within the grower community and will end up actually changing the way we interact with our farm employees. It may be tomatoes in Florida today, but it will soon be lettuce in California, apples in Oregon or potatoes in Idaho. This is a whole new way of doing business, and it is being driven by the marketplace.
Jay Taylor
Palmetto
