Florida leaders welcome Osama Bin Laden's death
A sampling of reaction from around the state:
» Gov. Rick Scott: "The death of Osama Bin Laden marks a great victory for Americans and for freedom-loving people worldwide. Finally, some degree of justice has been achieved after nearly a decade of death, war and untold sacrifices because of that man.
 Gov. Rick Scott? [Photo: Colin Hackley] |
» Sen. Bill Nelson: "The noose has been tightening for months because of our intelligence operations. And we've finally cut off the head of the snake. This is a historic day, and we thank the men and women who carried out this operation."
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» Sen. Marco Rubio: "This moment will forever be remembered by each one of us as the day justice for that tragedy was finally served. I congratulate our intelligence and military communities on this monumental operation."
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» Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "This terrible chapter in American history will never be forgotten, but tonight we can go to sleep knowing that no other innocent life will be taken by this terrorist,"
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» Rep. Kathy Castor: "Finally after ten long years, the maniacal founder of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network who had the blood of thousands of Americans on his hands has met his end."
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» Rep. Allen West: "Congratulations to President Obama and his National Security Team for the capture and killing of the world's most dangerous and evil criminal mastermind, Osama bin Laden."
[Source: Miami Herald, Facebook, cfnews13.com]
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» Related: Travel Advisory --
U.S. Anticipates Al Qaeda 'Threats Of Retaliation'
The United States put American diplomatic facilities around the world on high alert and issued a global travel warning for Americans shortly after President Barack Obama announced that the terrorist leader had been killed in Pakistan by U.S. special forces.
"Given the uncertainty and volatility of the current situation, U.S. citizens in areas where recent events could cause anti-American violence are strongly urged to limit their travel outside of their homes and hotels and avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations," the State Department said in a worldwide travel warning issued early Monday. "U.S. citizens should stay current with media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times."
Final week of Florida legislative session gets underway
In this, the final week of the legislative session, things are moving fast and furioius. One of the session's most highly anticipated — and controversial — bills is scheduled for discussion in the Senate Monday, with the chamber taking up SB 2040, which addresses illegal immigration. The Senate also is slated to take up an elections bill that critics say will make it harder to vote. SB 2086 would prohibit voters from changing their addresses at polling places and cast provisional ballots instead. The House has already passed its version of the bill. Florida's U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson will join fellow Democrats in Tallahassee on Monday to voice objections to the legislation. The House is scheduled to vote on a proposed Constitutional amendment that would prohibit any law from compelling people to buy health insurance. The likely approval means Florida voters will consider the measure in the November 2012 general election. [Source: Miami Herald]
? More - LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP ?
» Haridopolos: Scott's corporate tax cut dead in Senate [St. Petersburg Times]
» Legislators reach pension deal, agree to a three percent wage cut[Miami Herald]
» Big-money fight ties up budget talks [St. Petersburg Times]
Analysis: Florida charter school advocate warns of problems amid growth
There are two competing visions of charter schools in Florida — one rosy, and one far darker. One bill approved in the Senate last week would clear the path for a dramatic expansion in the number of such schools. "High-performing" companies could open charters in new counties, even if districts object, on licenses that run 15 years. Then there's SB 1596. It would ban charter companies from swapping students between schools without telling their parents, or pulling down more state and federal money than they're entitled to. And it would outlaw the practice of operating schools via out-of-town governing boards — something Tampa Bay area districts have fought to prevent. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Tampa Bay prepares for its biggest event ever: The 2012 GOP convention
Think of hosting an event as big as the Super Bowl. Now multiply that by four or five. That's pretty much what we're looking at with the 2012 Republican National Convention. It will be the biggest event ever held in Tampa Bay. Fifty thousand guests, delegates and dignitaries packing every major hotel within 35 minutes of downtown Tampa over four days. Fifteen thousand journalists from around the world and potentially more2012protest.jpg than 10,000 protesters. More than 1,000 breakfasts, lunches, receptions and blowout bashes at venues from Ybor City to downtown St. Petersburg. A security zone like the area has never seen. "We're talking about a Super Bowl on steroids," said Santiago Corrada, who is coordinating convention planing for the city of Tampa. "We're talking about five Super Bowls on four to five consecutive days." [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
Commentary: Catch limits will protect Florida fisheries
This is to my fellow anglers who are constantly complaining about the science behind new fishing regulations.
I'm an avid angler, coastal habitat restoration expert and member of the boating industry, and I say it's high time to stop the griping and "grab an oar." Let's roll up our sleeves and set the course as we work toward improved fisheries management. We need to get serious and protect our valuable species such as red snapper, gag grouper and amberjack, and prevent overfishing.
Federal fishery managers will be hosting public hearings in St. Petersburg and elsewhere around the Gulf of Mexico during the next few weeks. If we don't act now, we will continue down the path of overfishing to cultural, economic and environmental collapse.
R.P. Hite is the chief operating officer of Savage Yachts. He lives in Apollo Beach. [Source: St. Petersburg Times]
ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:
› Shuttle update: Endeavour Launch No Earlier than May 8
Technicians and engineers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida have identified the likely source of what caused heaters on a fuel line for space shuttle Endeavour's auxiliary power unit-1 to fail on Friday, scrubbing the first launch attempt for the STS-134 mission. The failure appears to be a power problem within the aft load control assembly-2, a box of switches controlling power feeds.
"That basically means the power is not getting out to the heaters that weren't working on launch day," said Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager Mike Moses.
Once the new box is installed, the team must verify it's working properly -- at least a two-day process -- and perform forensics on the failed box.
"We can tell you, pretty much, that it's not going to be any earlier than (May 8)," Moses said.
› Rubio says he won't be on GOP ticket in 2012
First-term GOP Sen. Marco Rubio says he won't be on the Republican presidential ticket in 2012.
The tea party favorite dismisses talk that he could be persuaded to be a running mate for the Republican nominee or even the GOP's nominee at the top of the ticket.
Rubio tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that he thinks as a senator, he can have an impact on government spending and other issues important to Floridians.
Go to page 2 for more stories ...
› Editorial: Floridians deserve open government, not secrecy
Florida's public records laws are among the strongest in the nation and help ensure residents know how government officials are acting on their behalf. They are prized by the public and generally supported by elected officials from both political parties. Yet Gov. Rick Scott fails to grasp the importance of openness, and his administration's hostility to public records threatens to further erode public confidence in his leadership.
The latest example of efforts by Scott's aides to circumvent public records laws are revealed in an e-mail by the governor's top adviser, Mary Anne Carter. "I rarely check and almost never respond to work e-mail because of the open records law," she warned U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office in a message sent from her private e-mail account. Carter's aversion to open government should not be surprising, because Scott says he never uses e-mail in order to avoid creating public records.
› Lee County property taxpayers catch up - Delinquency rate falls to 5 percent
More property owners are paying their taxes on time this year, while business owners are falling behind.
The numbers point to Lee's mixed recovery.
"There's always delinquent taxes. I think the bigger picture is we're doing better," said Lee County Commissioner Tammy Hall. "There's some shifting that's occurring."
Property taxes were due April 1. County data shows owners haven't paid taxes on 47,492 properties in Lee. That adds up to $60 million out of the $1.1 billion owed to local taxing authorities - including the county, cities, special districts and the schools.
The 5 percent delinquency rate is down from 7 percent last year. Rates typically hover between 2 and 4 percent, said Lee County Clerk of Court Charlie Green.