Census: Florida is gray and getting grayer
Road signs will be bigger and curbs wider. High school students will study the aging process along with math and English. And single-story homes will be hot commodities, especially if they boast grab bars in bathrooms and hallways wide enough for walkers. Welcome to the future, as predicted by aging experts. The 2010 Census has confirmed what many have long known — America is graying — and Florida will be at the forefront of a slow and steady transformation in housing, transportation and healthcare. While the 2010 Census reports that the median age of Americans is now 37.2, up from 32 just 20 years ago, Florida, weighing in at 40.7, is one of only seven states with a median age over 40. It has eight counties with a median age of 50 or older, mostly in the state's mid-section, and it also claims five of the nation's top ten cities with the highest median age. [Source: Miami Herald]
100 state groups fight Medicaid waiver
A letter asking the Obama administration to reject Florida's Medicaid overhaul has been signed by more than 100 state organizations,? including some medical societies and a wing of the Florida Bar.
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Florida Supreme Court backs $28.3M smoking verdict
The Florida Supreme Court has upheld a $28.3 million verdict won by the family of a deceased smoker against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The justices Tuesday declined to take an appeal of the first of thousands of smoker lawsuits pending in Florida. The 1st District Court of Appeal previously affirmed the verdict a Pensacola jury awarded to the family of Benny Martin, who died of lung cancer in 1995. Reynolds had claimed the damages were excessive. About 8,000 similar lawsuits are being tried individually after the Supreme Court in 2006 threw out a $145 billion class-action award against tobacco companies. [Source: Associated Press]
EA Sports to grow, not shrink, in Florida
Executives at EA Sports did a bit of damage control this week as news broke out of Texas that the company was growing 150 permanent jobs there. They quickly tried to reassure local officials that EA Sports' Tiburon studio in Maitland, where signature video game titles like Madden NFL and Tiger Woods PGA are produced, isn't being dumped for the trendier pastures of Austin. The proof is in the numbers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]
Florida State Review Finds No Undue Donor Influence
A Florida State University review has concluded that the libertarian billionaire Charles G. Koch's foundation did not influence the institution's hiring
Publisher's Column: Educating Florida |
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Those who consider "jobs, jobs, jobs" the immediate solution for Florida might also agree that "learn, learn, learn" is key to the state's long-term health. In fact, it's hard to find anyone — student, parent, executive, elected official, even retiree — who doesn't acknowledge the importance of education for Florida's future. Continued... |
 Andy Corty, Publisher |
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› WJCT looks for new funding to support its services
At the beginning of this month, Orlando lost its public television station after WMFE agreed to sell the station to a Christian broadcasting company, citing "financial strain from decreased donations, critical uncertainties in federal and state funding and predicted increases in programming costs."
Could the same thing happen in Jacksonville?
WJCT, which operates the public television (TV-7) and radio (89.9 FM) stations in Jacksonville, is facing the same financial pressures as WMFE and other public broadcasting operations, particularly after Gov. Rick Scott decided to cut off state funding for Florida stations. But WJCT President and CEO Michael Boylan is working hard to prevent Jacksonville from losing its public stations.
› Top Rankings for Jackson Health System hospitals
U.S. News and World Report ranked the University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute tops in the country for eye treatment for the eighth year in a row in ratings released Tuesday and named four UM/Jackson Memorial programs as among the top 50 in the country.
The magazine rankings updated its local listings, first released four months ago, once again naming UM/Jackson as the top hospital in South Florida. The hospital ranked 33rd in the nation for neurology and neurosurgery; 34th for ear, nose and throat; 43rd for urology and 45th for kidney disorders.
» Related: Search U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals List
› Tampa port director gets support despite performance complaints
If Tampa Port Director Richard Wainio's job is in danger, his bosses didn't act like it Tuesday.
Members of the Tampa Port Authority governing board voiced support for Wainio a week after a group that represents 47 companies doing business at the port called on them not to renew his employment contract.
"We all know how well he's doing in the context of this economy,'' said Carl Lindell, one of five gubernatorial appointees to the board. "We're on pretty good footing with him.''
› Venice says no to ads in county parks
The city of Venice is battling back against a Sarasota County effort to raise revenue by selling advertising space at parks and beaches across the county.
Sarasota County officials removed a sign advertising dog washing services at the Venice Paw Park and dog beach over the weekend to head off a potential conflict with Venice over the ad policy.
The sign for the U-Do-It-Dog Wash service was erected a few months ago under a deal county officials struck with the nonprofit Friends of Sarasota County Parks, which sought to raise money through a countywide marketing campaign.
› Police union sues Gov. Rick Scott over private prison plan
The union that represents state correctional officers is suing Gov. Rick Scott's administration, seeking to derail a massive privatization of state prison operations in 18 South Florida counties.
The suit, filed by the Florida Police Benevolent Association against Corrections Secretary Edwin Buss, hopes to block a plan to privatize 30 prisons in Miami-Dade, Broward and 16 other counties.
The prisons house about 20 percent of Florida's 102,000 inmates.
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› Foreign-film specialty store may fade to black
The end credits are about to roll on Lion Video.
The Coral Gables establishment, known for its treasure of hard-to-find foreign films, is in danger of closing after almost two decades of serving the South Florida film community. Owner Damian Hertado cites construction on the street outside of the storefront and the store's failure to adapt to the changing video market as key factors in the store's recent troubles.
If Hertado wants Lion Video to remain open through July he must raise around $7,000 to cover unpaid rent and order new film releases. The small store houses more than 15,000 films in six small rooms. Recent construction of a median on Ponce de Leon and sidewalk renovations in front of the store severely hurt business. Hertado is looking to the public for help and donations.
› Office Depot says it will create jobs, or pay the county
In a July 18 letter to Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, Office Depot said it expects to meet its incentives requirement with the county to retain and create jobs.
"We believe we will continue to meet these requirements for the remainder of the term. If we do not, as I told you during our meeting, Office Depot will make restitution to the County in the full amount required by the Agreement," said chief executive Neil Austrian in the letter.
Office Depot has been under fire for its decision to outsource 80 finance jobs to Guatemala and India. Assistant County Administrator Shannon LaRocque and Comm. Aaronson requested the meeting out of concern that Office Depot might default on its county agreement after changing CEOs.
› Hillsborough County offers to pay to coax unnamed company to stay
Hillsborough County routinely pitches tax subsidies to companies pledging to create lots of good-paying jobs within its boundaries.
But on Tuesday, county commissioners unanimously agreed to what economic development officials say may be a first-of-its-kind offer: Cash in exchange for keeping jobs here.
The board voted 5-0 on an emergency motion to dangle up to $1.2 million in local tax dollars to an unnamed international financial services firm already located in Hillsborough County. Much of the money is aimed at getting the company and its 1,633 jobs to stay, though the firm has said it will add another 200 employees by 2014.
› Stimulus cash lets Deltona, other cities help needy buy homes
The dilapidated house on Sweet Springs Street was abandoned and vacant, one of the scores of foreclosed properties, before city officials used federal-stimulus dollars to buy and fix it.
Today, it sports a new roof, new appliances, a new kitchen and new owners who say they could have never afforded the $85,000 home, except through the federally funded program.
"There would have been no way we could have bought something we liked, something that was nice," said Earl Stapleton, who bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home with his partner, Perry Spoto, in March. They were the first to buy a Deltona house renovated through the city's neighborhood-stabilization program.
› Ocala board tweaks Internet cafe ordinance
The Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission has tweaked the proposed draft Internet cafe ordinance by eliminating the cap on the number of locations that are allowed but keeping the fees and number of devices the same. One of the modifications the commission made during its meeting Monday was to change the name of the use from "simulated gambling devices" to "electronic game promotions" — a definition that reportedly is a broader term.
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State board gives Duval another year to run intervene schools
The State Board of Education on Tuesday gave Duval County Public Schools another year to manage its most struggling schools, with several members saying they were reluctantly supporting the measure.
The members of the state body voted 6-1 to approve Duval's appeal. Board member John Padget voted against the appeal.
The board also approved appeals by Escambia and Miami-Dade counties while acknowledging that the rules governing how failing and struggling schools are dealt with in Florida need tweaking.