FLORIDA DIGEST - September 25, 2008

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~~FLORIDA GLBT NEWS~~

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

-Royal Palms: Fort Lauderdale gay resort sold
Hotelier Richard Gray, who brought gay tourism into the mainstream of Broward County's promotion efforts, has sold his award-winning guest house in Fort Lauderdale and plans to start a consulting business to help the travel industry reach the gay market. Gray said Wednesday he sold the 12-room Royal Palms resort on Terramar Street for $2.65 million to two former guests: Nicolas Boutinet and Christophe Robin of France. He will remain as director of sales and marketing for the inn he started in 1991 and will work with new owners on possible franchises elsewhere. Born in London, Gray serves as vice-chair of the Broward County Tourist Development Council and chair of its marketing advisory committee. He co-founded the Rainbow Alliance, a coalition of gay businesses and has worked with many gay travel industry groups. The hotel won the 2008 PlanetOut Travel Award for Best Gay Resort in North America.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/sfl-flzgray0925sbsep25,0,6496265.story

-Rival political groups put focus on Broward County crimes vs. gays
The message was clear: Hate knows no political party. The Log Cabin Republicans and Dolphin Democrats - gay political groups - teamed up Wednesday to organize a town hall-style forum where partisan talk was discouraged and discussion on local hate crimes took center stage.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/crime/sfl-flbforum0925sbsep25,0,5820387.story


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GLCC eVoice
www.glccsf.org
You are cordially invited to attend a Program On STDs:
What you need to know.
Presented By: John Marangio, RN
Monday, October 6 - 6:00 PM
GLCC
1717 N. Andrews Avenue
Ft Lauderdale, FL 33311
954-463-9005
Food and beverages will be provided
PLEASE RSVP TO: Seth Leverence - 954-205-8396


~~FLORIDA GENERAL NEWS~~Sun-Sentinel

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

-Race, ethnicity and religion play too large a role in Broward County judicial elections
Ian Richards ran a stealth campaign for judge. He campaigned door-to-door in predominantly black enclaves of central Broward County. In other communities, though, he kept a lower profile - circulating brochures without photos of himself and skipping more public political gatherings.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-editdljudgessbsep25,0,7326688.story

-Fort Lauderdale water declared safe after contamination scare
City water tested, safe to drink again
Those who ignored the city's warning found their gamble paid off: Test results showed the water was safe all along, state health officials said.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/local/sfl-flbwater0925sbsep25,0,426774.story

-Ruling puts judge candidate back in race, but ballots lack her name
A Broward judicial candidate won a legal victory Wednesday to compete in the November election, but it doesn't mean her name will be on the ballot.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/local/sfl-flbjudges0925sbsep25,0,3281507.story


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

-Foreigners brighten poor showing by local hotels
The economy continues to hurt South Florida's tourism industry as more travelers opt to stay home. New figures showed hotel revenues were down in August. Occupancy levels dropped 5 percent in Broward County last month even as hotels cut rates, new numbers from Smith Travel Research show. The Florida Keys saw a similar decline. Only Miami-Dade, a popular summer vacation spot for Europeans, saw gains, with occupancy and room rates better than a year ago.
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/700277.html

-Teen gets 15 years in Fort Lauderdale homeless beating
A 15-year prison sentence for one of the Broward teens involved in a 2006 fatal attack on a homeless man could spell grim news for two teens found guilty of murder last week.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/broward/story/700497.html


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

-Higher sea levels predicted to drown Fla. shores by 2030More than 7,900 acres of Southeast Florida could be underwater by the year 2030 as sea levels rise, inundating coastal areas and causing billions of dollars in property loss. But as bad as that sounds, it's a less dire prediction than international estimates made previously.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/09/24/0924faustudy.html

-Climate-change studies: Florida must act to avoid catastrophic damage
Two new studies suggest global warming poses expensive and daunting challenges to Florida's economy and coastline.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/story/700486.html

-Hastings trashes Palin, hunters
At a gathering of Jewish Democrats, CNN reports, Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar, offered this critique of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin: "Anybody toting guns and stripping moose don't care too much about what they do with Jews and blacks. So, you just think this through."
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/floridapolitics/entries/2008/09/25/hastings_trashes_palin_hunters.html?cxntfid=blogs_q_florida_politics


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