Bradenton Times News Articles

To whose benefit is it that our dwindling number of wetlands continue to be squandered? To whose benefit is it that wetlands be exchanged for retention ponds? Developer Carlos Beruff, who sits on the board of SWFWMD, says, "Retention ponds aren't wetlands, but they are very close." Yes Mr. Beruff, like ponies are close to unicorns; as if to say, in illusion only.

No matter where you stand on energy production, it's difficult to disagree that as world energy demand continues to soar with growing population and the rise of the third world, continuing to find viable sources of oil is, for better or for worse, as important to our modern society in the short term, as finding viable alternatives is in the longer one. But any notion that technologies like hydro-fracking and tar sand are an easy, painless solution to a highly complex problem are short-sighted to say the least. As folks in Arkansas recently realized, oil pipelines can be messy business and there are some challenges unique to tar sand oil that up the ante. 

Covering a breaking story in which information is at a premium and demand is rather high, never makes for an easy day in the newsroom. Add in the emotional nature of a tragic event and the likelihood that information will be rushed to copy escalates, but the series of blunders and irresponsible coverage surrounding last week's events in Boston revealed major flaws in an industry that has become increasingly less of a service and much more of a product.

Most of us are old enough to consider what kind of contribution we will leave behind when we pass. Have we shared enough, played fair, and given more than we have taken? These questions apply not only to personal lives but also to workplaces. Both our county government and our school district would be in better organizational health today if these questions had been addressed years ago.

I'm not big on cable television or much of what's in theaters, but one thing that services like Netflix have given issue nerds like me is incredible access to an endless supply of high-quality documentaries. Here are a few favorites that I highly recommend for anyone seeking to learn more about some of the most formidable challenges facing our society.

Sometimes it seems as though we don't really need to send a reporter to a Manatee County land use meeting. Take one look at the agenda and you can usually figure out what is going to happen. Lately, east county has been the subject of much debate, though debate would seem to imply that there was an exchange of ideas, rather than one party imposing its will on the other.

Good government demands that you have clear laws, which are either uniformly enforced or taken off the books. Though the law should provide enough flexibility to allow for common sense, it cannot be arbitrary. It was clear that Internet cafés were only legal because people had found a way to use an unintended loophole to get away with something clearly meant to be against the law. But now that the loophole has been closed, we should get back to the original debate about gambling and where and when it should be legal.

Each year, fans of good government cringe as bought-and-paid-for lawmakers descend on Tallahassee, hoping that the brevity of our state's single 60-day session will limit the amount of damage they can do. There's usually no shortage of real issues for them to address – many of which are the by-products of boneheaded policies enacted during previous sessions. However, prioritizing the agenda has nothing to do with what's important to Floridians and everything to do with appeasing the special interests who fund our legislature.

The current Manatee County indigent grant agreement with Manatee Memorial Hospital and Blake Hospital says that it is consistent with the “terms and spirit” of Chapter 83-463 Law of Florida so I decided to get a copy of the law. Chapter 83 provides that the proceeds of the sale and interest “may” ( not must)  be used to pay hospitals in the County for care and treatment of indigents, “for a period of years not to exceed 30 years.” The 30 year restriction on the use of the proceeds is very interesting since Chapter 83 became law on June 27, 1983 the 30 years is up on June 27th 2013.

On Tuesday, the Manatee County Commission will again vote on a date for the proposed referendum on adding a half-cent sales tax to fund indigent care programs. The convoluted plan would replace funding that is set to expire from county proceeds in the sale of Manatee Memorial with the sales tax revenues, while promising to lower property taxes. It's advertised as revenue neutral, but when one considers the savings for commercial enterprises – who don't pay sales tax – it can be seen as a massive shift of cost burden.