FLORIDA DIGEST December 21, 2006

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The Palm Beach Post

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/state/content/state/epaper/2006/12/21/a17a_crist_1221.html


Two ex-attorney general workers on Crist's staff
By Michael C. Bender

Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau

Thursday, December 21, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - Gov.-elect Charlie Crist on Thursday filled two staffpositions inside the governor's office with former attorney generalemployees.

Bob Sparks, the director of external affairs for Crist in his currentposition as Florida's attorney general, will take over as the assistantchief of staff for citizen services.

"Under Bob's leadership, the attorney general's office has enhancedcitizen's ability to access government," Crist said. "I am committed tomaking government services and requirements easier to understand and I lookforward to his recommendations."



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The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/florida/sfl-fpoll21dec21,0,7143662.story?coll=sfla-news-florida


Voter poll says 57% give Bush high marks as governor
The Associated Press

December 21, 2006



TALLAHASSEE · Gov. Jeb Bush leaves office next month with most Floridiansconvinced that he's done a good job as governor and that incoming Gov.Charlie Crist will be as good or better, a poll indicates.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents rated Bush as a great or good governor,in a survey of 1,066 Florida voters by Quinnipiac University PollingInstitute taken Dec. 12-18. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus3 percentage points.

Peter Brown, assistant poll director for Quinnipiac, said the result is"pretty remarkable." Bush's eight years in office, which end Jan. 2, havebeen marked by several controversies: the increased importance givenstandardized tests in public schools; the 2000 presidential re-count;skyrocketing property insurance rates and taxes; his intervention in theTerri Schiavo right-to-die case.




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Tampabay.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/12/21/news_pf/Opinion/Teacher_pay_trap.shtml


Teacher pay trap
A Times Editorial
Published December 21, 2006


If Florida really is serious about giving teachers financial incentives towork harder, it might begin by listening to a few of those miracle workersfirst. Once again, though, education commissioner John Winn has drivenperformance pay into a standardized ditch. His bumper sticker might as wellread: "FCAT or bust."

The latest meltdown, oddly enough, is with an effort called STAR (SpecialTeachers Are Rewarded). Well-intentioned lawmakers wrote the program into anappropriations bill last spring mainly as a way to block Winn from anadministrative fiat called E-Comp.



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