FLORIDA DIGEST - August 05, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

GAY & lESBIAN COMMUNITY CENTER (GLCC)
The Gay Lesbian Community Center of South Florida (GLCC) is excited to announce the listing for sale of our property at 1700 N Andrews Avenue, across the street from the old GLCC location. The land for sale is a block-long vacant lot which was acquired as part of our settlement with Tarragon Corporation. Selling this property will provide the GLCC with a substantial increase in capital, contributing to a strong, stable future for the GLCC. The lot is being listed for sale by Dale Russell of Century 21 Hansen Realty with no agent or broker listing commission cost to the GLCC. Savings associated with not paying a listing commission benefit the GLCC and the community, propelling the GLCC forward for generations to come. The GLCC is deeply grateful to Century 21 Hansen and Dale Russell, a GLCC board member, for also providing professional real estate services for the purchase of our new Wilton Manors "campus" on a pro-bono, no commission basis.
Thank you,
Paul Hyman
Executive Director
www.glccsf.org


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ACLU of Florida Expands LGBT Advocacy Project
Miami -- The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Florida today announced the expansion of its statewide LGBT Advocacy Project with the addition of legal and field staff in its Tampa and Miami offices. "Our LGBT Advocacy Project has worked hard for the past two years to become a leading statewide gay rights organization. We are thrilled to expand our staff so we can help more gay, lesbian, and transgender Floridians achieve full citizenship," said Robert Rosenwald, director of the ACLU of Florida's LGBT Advocacy Project.
www.aclufl.org


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JOIN US AUGUST 7TH, 6PM-9PM for an evening of
Chillin' and Grillin' at the delightful
America's Backyard - 200 W. Broward Blvd. Fort Lauderdale
For your $25 donation, you will receive your first drink free, 2-for-1 drinks the rest of the evening, and a buffet BBQ dinner! Plus, you'll be supporting the effort to defeat Amendment #2. Thanks to a generous gift from Thomas Leffler, 100% of the funds raised go directly to defeating Amendment #2! Fairness for All Families is a broad-based statewide coalition working to defeat the 2008 so-called "marriage protection amendment" which threatens to strip away benefits and protections currently offered to a wide variety of Floridians. Together with your generous support we can safeguard legal protections, health care, and employment benefits for all Floridians.
To Purchase Your Ticket:
http://ga4.org/Equalityflorida/events/BrowardFFAF/details.tcl
To Donate: https://secure.ga3.org/01/ballotinitiativec4


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IT'S TIME TO RESTORE PRIDE IN VOTING
ADRIANE REESEY - Candidate For Broward County
SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS
Fundraising Reception
Sunday, August 17, 4-6 PM
GEORGIE'S ALIBI, Dana Manchester Room
2266 Wilton Drive (N.E. 4th Ave.), Wilton Manors, FL
RSVP 954-594-3363 or
info@votereesey2008.com



~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~

Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Gov. Charlie Crist backs Amendment 5 tax swap plan, which critics call taxincrease
Property taxes would drop, but critics ask: At what cost?
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flfcrist0805nbaug05,0,5158150.story

-School voucher proposals head to the polls
Programs allot tax money for private schools
Florida's school voucher program is again under a microscope after a judgedecided Monday that two proposed constitutional amendments can appear on theNovember ballot.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbvoucher0805sbaug05,0,2802323.story

-WSVN legal contributor, Broward Public Defender Finkelstein facing firstelectoral challenge
Incumbent Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein will face his firstelectoral test this month as criminal defense attorney Alex Arreazachallenges him in the Democratic primary.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-elxdefender08xxsbaug05,0,6442506.story


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Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Dade schools superintendent hangs on by one vote
Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew barely survived a vote by the Miami-DadeSchool Board to fire him.
http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/629382.html

-OLYMPICS | SHAWN JOHNSON: Gymnast Johnson on track for gold
Shawn Johnson's daredevil attitude as a toddler was channeled intogymnastics -- and the result could be a gold medal in Beijing. ShawnJohnson's mother enrolled her in gymnastics class out of fear more thananything else. At least at the gym there were mats, foam pads and coaches tocatch the little daredevil.
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/629500.html

-Soggy July gives boost to Lake Okeechobee
Strong rains soaked Lake Okeechobee on Monday, continuing a slow but steadyrise in a critical source of water for South Florida. The lake stood at10.74 feet above sea level, thanks to 8.63 inches of rainfall in July -- twoinches above average for the 16-county region overseen by the South FloridaWater Management District. The Kissimmee River area, which feeds the lake,got about four inches more rain than average.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/florida/story/629473.html


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Fort Report
http://www.fortreport.com/
Go to the links for the following articles:

-Barack Obama tries to woo Clinton backers with call to fully seat Florida,Michigan delegations
With less than three weeks until the start of the Democratic NationalConvention, Sen. Barack Obama is trying to make peace with South Floridasupporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, a voting bloc stubbornly slow to embracethe presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flpdems0805pnaug05,0,262489.story?track=rss

-Obama behind curve on more gulf drilling
Here's what Barack Obama should have said about the idea of expanded oil andgas drilling off the coast of Florida, which has a $65 billion touristeconomy: No. As in, no, because it is not true that just the thought ofmore drilling near Florida would drop the price of gas to $3 by Election
Day. As in, no, because voters should not believe the George Bush-JohnMcCain propaganda campaign that more drilling, and more drilling alone,amounts to a national energy policy. As in, no, because drilling just 50miles off Florida's west coast could change the state's character.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/opinion/content/opinion/epaper/2008/08/05/a12a_leadedit_obamadrill_0805.html

-'Big' budget deficit ahead for Florida
Florida's sagging economy will push state government back into the red thismonth and force Gov. Charlie Crist to either further cut spending or tapdeeper into the state's reserves. Florida's sales and real-estate taxrevenues have continued to plummet this year, forcing Crist in June to orderall state agencies to hold back 4 percent of the $25.7 billion operatingbudget for the fiscal year that began July 1.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-budget0508aug05,0,1827114.story

-Crist backs tax cut on ballot
For the second time this year, Gov. Charlie Crist is urging Florida votersto approve a controversial property tax cut proposal. Crist said Monday forthe first time that he will work to help pass Amendment 5, which wouldeliminate most school property taxes, saving property owners at least 25percent.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/state/article757762.ece


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