FLORIDA DIGEST January 16, 2007

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http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/OPINION/701160317/1004

Florida Today
January 16, 2007

Our view: Still getting hotter

Florida should join other states in battling dangers of global warming

It's official:

Scientists say 2006 continued the trend of the warmest years on record, withgreatly above normal temperatures reported worldwide and polar ice capsmelting at an accelerated rate.

Scientists have already said the monster hurricanes of 2004-05 that struckFlorida and the Gulf Coast were fueled in part by higher sea-surfacetemperatures triggered by global warming.

But there are other signs of global warming in the Space Coast's backyard,too.

For centuries, tropical mangroves grew no further north than Brevard andVolusia counties, because it was too cold in the winter. Now, the plants aresprouting 200 miles further north, in St. Johns County near Jacksonville.



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The Washington Post

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-cflopelect16jan16,0,7850969,print.story?coll=sfla-news-broward


Oakland Park opts against referendum on having an elected mayor

By Elizabeth Baier
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

January 16, 2007



Oakland Park · One month after agreeing to hold a special referendum in theupcoming municipal election, commissioners voted to rescind the ordinancethat would have let residents decide on having an elected mayor.

Commissioners in December voted 3-2 to adopt the ordinance, which would havesubmitted a referendum for the March 13 election. Residents would have beenasked if they wanted to change the city's charter to create an elected,rather than rotating, mayoral position.

But at a special meeting on Jan. 4, Commissioner Layne Dallet Walls, whoproposed the original ordinance, asked her fellow commissioners to considerwithdrawing the referendum.

"I honestly still think we should do it," she said. "But I think thecommission is a snapshot of the community, and I don't see any reason to doit now if the commissioners are not all in favor of it."



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The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/16468037.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Posted on Tue, Jan. 16, 2007



The new judges and their jobs

Last year, the Legislature created six new Broward judgeships. Aseventh judge, Charlie Kaplan, was elected to replace an outgoing circuitjudge.

The new judges, and their assignments:

CIRCUIT JUDGES

. Charlie Kaplan has been assigned to juvenile delinquency court atthe main courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

. Michele Towbin Singer takes on felony mental health court at themain courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

. Marina Garcia Wood will hear cases in juvenile dependency court atthe main courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

County Judges

. Jill Levy will hear civil cases at the North Satellite Courthouse inDeerfield Beach.

. Alan Marks will hear civil cases at the West Satellite Courthouse inPlantation.

. Terri Ann Miller will hear civil cases at the South SatelliteCourthouse in Hollywood.

. Arlene Joy Simon (formerly Arlene Simon Campione) will hear civilcases at the South Satellite Courthouse in Hollywood.




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The Miami Herald

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/16468030.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp


Poted on Tue, Jan. 16, 2007

BROWARD COURTS

Rookie judge takes on a crucial job

Six new Broward judges officially take the bench today. Among them: a rookiejudge who's taking over the county's felony mental health court.

BY NIKKI WALLER
nwaller@MiamiHerald.com

Six new judges officially start work in the Broward courts today. Of those,none have a tougher or more high-profile assignment than Michele TowbinSinger, a longtime Miami-Dade assistant public defender who won election tothe circuit bench in November.

Towbin Singer, 46, takes over the county's felony mental health court, apioneering division that serves the growing number of people with mentalillnesses who are accused of serious crimes.

Established in November 2003, Broward's felony mental health court wasFlorida's first. Defendants are referred to the court when their judge orattorney suspects they may be incompetent to stand trial on felony charges.Defendants must undergo treatment and evaluation until they are competent tostand trial. The court dismisses charges against defendants if they are notdeclared competent within five years.



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PalmBeachPost.com

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2007/01/16/a14a_leadedit_winn_0116.html


Winn-win for Florida: Education chief departs
Palm Beach Post Editorial

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Florida's new governor is unfailingly polite and mild-mannered, but as itturns out, he also has a pretty stiff backbone.

Last week, Gov. Crist revoked the appointments of 283 people whom Jeb Bushhad chosen to serve on state boards. Most notably, Gov. Crist pulled backthe appointments of Phil Handy and T. Willard Fair. Both had reached the endof their legal terms on the Board of Education, where their primary functionhas been to heap hosannas on each of Gov. Bush's education proposals.

To keep them on the board, Gov. Bush invented a loophole and, just beforeleaving office, shoved the two men through it. The dodge was particularlyhypocritical, since Mr. Handy became a force in state politics bychampioning the 1992 term-limit amendment. Other board members - all Bushappointees - with typical subservience elected Mr. Fair chairman and Mr.Handy vice chairman. At Mr. Bush's farewell appearance before the board, Mr.Fair told him: "In my judgment, there is no greater person on this Earththan you. I love you."



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Tampabay.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/01/16/news_pf/State/Seven_days_to_fix_ins.shtml


Seven days to fix insurance
A special session starting today may not be enough to settle on substantivereforms.

TOM ZUCCO, JENNIFER LIBERTO and JONI JAMES
Published January 16, 2007


In his inaugural address Jan. 2, Gov. Charlie Crist promised no "Band-Aid orfinger in the dike" solutions to Florida's property insurance crisis.

This wasn't a voice in the wilderness. In recent weeks, nearly every senatorand representative in the state has weighed in with some version of the"people need rate relief" message, all part of an extraordinary shift in themind-set of Florida lawmakers.

Now it's time to see whether Crist and the Legislature can deliver.

As lawmakers begin a weeklong special session on insurance today, thecentral issue is pain and who will feel it: policyholders, the insuranceindustry, or most likely, a combination of both.



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The Sun-Sentinel

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cmanatees16jan16,0,5756157,print.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines


State rejects Broward County's plan to save manatees

By David Fleshler
South Florida Sun-Sentinel

January 16, 2007



A Broward County manatee-protection plan has been rejected by the statewildlife agency because it would allow the construction of thousands of newdocks along waterways heavily used by the endangered marine mammals.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission told the county theplan was unacceptable and urged county officials to find ways to reduce thenumber of collisions between manatees and boats. Watercraft killed sevenmanatees in Broward last year, the highest number in at least 30 years.

The rejection is a blow to the area's boating industry because it means athree-year moratorium on the construction of docks, dry-stack marinas, boatramps and other boating facilities will continue. About 40 proposals for newmarine construction have been held up throughout the county because of themoratorium, said Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine IndustryAssociation of South Florida.

"We're disappointed," he said.


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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For further information contact
Terry DeCarlo - Public Relations and Marketing Manager
Care Resource - 305-576-1234 x 210

CARE RESOURCE RECEIVES $100,000 CHECK FROM M.A.C. COSMETICS
Grant will fund Youth Health Intervention Project

Miami, FL; January 12, 2007 - Care Resource announced today that they havereceived a check for $100,000 from the M.A.C. Cosmetics AIDS fund to helptheir YHIP program.

Y-HIP is an HIV prevention and behavior modification program that aims toincrease HIV/AIDS awareness through education and testing, facilitate accessto care, and promote risk reduction behaviors by providing health educationand skills building in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale areas. The programutilizes a peer-based outreach intervention model to target young men ofcolor who have sex with men (YMSM). To achieve this, the outreach siteswhere the programs offer their services are those in which youth congregate,as well as public schools, colleges, and university. The Y-HIP team engagesyouth by involvement in community activities that are youth oriented, as theprogram staff represent the age of the youth targeted. Staff distributeseducational materials, and information about and HIV and STDs, and invitesthe young men and their sex partners to be tested.

YHIP participants who test positive will be referred for comprehensiveservices. In addition, the project offers a series of fun and educationalworkshops and behavior modification groups where high-risk youth will:Increase their knowledge about HIV and other related topics and/or issues;reduce their risk behaviors, such as unprotected sex and drug use; improvenecessary preventive skills, such as assertive communication anddecision-making skills; develop a social network of resources andinformation and engage in the process of educating other youth, andtherefore becoming more aware of the importance of the topics and/or issuesdiscussed. The curriculum for the workshops is based on a program designcalled B.A.R.T (Becoming A Responsible Team). YHIP is a CDC supportedprogram.

Established in 1994 by M·A·C Cosmetics, the M·A·C AIDS Fund supports men,women and children affected by HIV/AIDS globally. Introducing its first VIVAGLAM lipstick that same year, M·A·C decided that every cent of the sellingprice of he VIVA GLAM lipsticks would go to the M·A·C AIDS Fund. With atotal of four VIVA GLAM lipsticks now sold worldwide, and through the annualKids Helping Kids Card Program, M·A·C Cosmetics has provided over $85million to date for the M·A·C AIDS Fund. The M·A·C AIDS Fund is the heartand soul of the company – with its employees giving their time, energy andtalent to help those affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide. Dita Von Teese, wife ofrock star Marilyn Manson, is the spokesperson for the M.A.C. AIDS Fund andvisited Care Resources Miami offices on December 8th.



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Boys Night Out at The Melting Pot


Join one of ArtsUnited's ardent supporters, The Melting Pot, for BoysNight Out at every third Wednesday of the month at The Melting Pot FortLauderdale. This Wednesday, January 17 enjoy a four course fondue with wine,featuring fashions from Dillards, the latest men's products from Cliniqueand Paul Mitchell and door prizes. Tickets are $50 per person, available byadvance purchase only, and includes taxes, gratuity, and gift bags for all.The Melting Pot Fort Lauderdale is located at 1135 N. Federal Highway.Tickets may be purchased by calling 954-568-1581.



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