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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2007 South Florida Businesses Need to Join Green Wave Global warming -- I know this is a heavy topic for a Super Bowl hangover. Amid all the hoopla last week, a ground-breaking report on climate change said scientists are nearly certain the burning of fossil fuels is responsible for global warming, and human activities ''very likely'' play a major role. The report also agreed with what insurance firms have been saying for a while now: Increased hurricane activity is influenced by warming, too. This is on top of a drumbeat of developments that has helped put going green on the American agenda -- finally. Locally, there's progress. More on this topic from Florida Trend: Michigan Firms See Much to Like in Florida Burton-Katzman, a third-generation Michigan developer, is among a bevy of Great Lakes state real estate firms that have shifted their attentions to Southwest Florida. The group includes Longboat Key's Positano developer Corvus International; Triton Cos. and RBS Cos., the joint venture behind the planned One Palm condo tower downtown; mall creator Taubman Cos.; Ramco-Gershenson, a retail-oriented real estate investment trust; Broadway Promenade partner Ram Development Co.; and John Simon, the chief executive of the company planning the $200 million Pineapple Square mixed-use project in Sarasota. Affordable Housing: Rental Assistance Could Shrink After failing to use millions of dollars meant to help poor families rent apartments, South Florida housing agencies are poised to have their federal funding reduced during 2007. The biggest cut would hit the already-troubled Miami-Dade Housing Agency, which could lose nearly $10 million. Smaller cuts could hit Hialeah and Fort Lauderdale, and the state overall would lose $28 million. FCAT Exams Begin With Writing Tests Louvens Merilien says he's ready to write a wonderful story when the FCAT starts on Tuesday morning. "My favorite kind of writing is narrative because you can write what you want and be creative," said the 9-year-old from Lake Park. "I'm still a little bit nervous." So are thousands of Palm Beach County students and educators as the book opens on another year of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, a standardized exam of writing, reading, math and science skills. Related articles: Across the nation, seniors are becoming the face of the indebted. Retirement used to be a time for people to enjoy life without a mortgage or high credit card bills, a time when heavy debts were mostly a thing of the past. Increasingly, that's no longer true. Some seniors are taking on debt in retirement to fund a trip they've always wanted to take. But a growing number are in debt because they have no choice, according to debt counselors and a growing body of research. Too much growth too quickly, and you'll pay more as cities and counties try to catch up with infrastructure needs. Not enough growth, or the wrong kind, and you'll pay more because taxing agencies need to charge a higher rate when homes aren't worth as much. It's a cruel twist of economics: residents in less-affluent, more rural areas such as Mulberry, Oak Hill, Titusville and Umatilla typically pay the highest tax rates. Conversely, some of the ritziest, well-developed places enjoy the lowest rates. Public Transportation: Taking a Slow Spin on Buses around Tampa Bay Trying to get around the region by bus, the sole mode of public transit, is about as convenient as a spear in the eye. Leaders on both sides of the bay know this, and have renewed calls for progress in the transportation arena. Better coordination of the area's bus systems is on the table, as are more daring proposals like a light rail system. But how bad is it? The Times decided to find out what it takes to get from, say, downtown St. Petersburg to Tampa International Airport using public transit. Health of Ocean an Issue Apart From Global Warming Debate The seas aren't just rising because of human influence on climate, as a United Nations panel reported last week. They are in terrible condition, too. Advocates for quick action on ocean problems, which include red tide, dead zones, dwindling fish stocks and dying coral reefs are hitching their agenda to a flurry of activity on Capitol Hill aimed at combating global warming. "Everyone's talking about climate change these days ... but the federal government is ignoring a critical piece of the climate puzzle, and that's the oceans." South Florida Firm Making Millions in Northeast Florida The Jacksonville office of The Tower Group, a general contractor based in South Florida, is making millions building schools in Northeast Florida. But it hopes to diversify and court more private developers, a group that is tough for newcomers to break. Tower's Jacksonville office, the company's second, opened in 1999, just four years after headquarters opened near Fort Lauderdale. Since then, the local office has built 20 projects worth more than $175 million, the majority of which were for school districts, college campuses and other public entities. This year, it is building an elementary school, middle school, ninth-grade center and high school in St. Johns County - contracts worth $107 million. Attracting More Foreign Tourists A partnership of national tourism leaders released last week a long-term plan to rejuvenate travel to the U.S. by international tourists. The strategy known as "A Blueprint to Discover America" contains three major recommendations: Overhaul the country's visa system; modernize ports of entry; change perceptions about America overseas through a public-private partnership. ? |
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