Identifying Local Opportunities

1.     Alachua County Commission votes to move toward civil citation for pot

·       The link to the article: http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160119/ARTICLES/160119626/1150/news01?Title=Alachua-County-Commission-votes-to-move-toward-civil-citation-for-pot

·       The article is talking about the issue with marijuana possession, which is a first-degree misdemeanor, and how law enforcement should punish those who are found with it.    

·       The problem is that many people believe that being found in possession of 20 grams of marijuana or less should not be as severely punished as it is now. Currently, the punishment is up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine followed by the account being placed on your permanent record. So the argument is whether by not having people be punished as harshly, would solve the issue of marijuana possession or not.

·       The who in this scenario are the citizens who break the law and are caught with marijuana, yet it is also law enforcement who must carry the arrest through. It’s law enforcement who has to carry the weight when it comes to the decisions on arresting the person for possession of marijuana, for how long they will be either placed in jail or fined or given no punishment at all.

2.     Naples candidates for mayor, council take sides in debate over commercial flights at Naples airport

·       http://www.naplesnews.com/news/government/naples-candidates-for-mayor-council-take-sides-in-debate-over-commercial-flights-at-naples-airport-2-366268421.html

·       The story is about the city of Naples having the Naples Municipal Airport sign a deal to allow for commercial flights to come out of the airport; something that has not been done for eight years. Of course there are issues raised with this, complaints by the citizens of Naples and by the city have caused for a disagreement amongst the idea of allowing for larger and more flights to come out of the small airport. However the point is raised that such types of flights are in demand and would allow for growth with the airport.

·       The main problem is that the airport is small and centered in the middle of the city of Naples. Due to the location, there are complaints of possible increase in flight noise. However, there is argument for the other side that the new types of planes do not make as much noise as older planes did, and that by having these types of larger commercial flights will increase local business.

·       In this case the who of the problem can be the people who live in the area surrounding the airport, as well as the Naples Council members who agree and/or disagree with the allowing of commercial flights. Essentially every party has the problem, but the residents of the area may have it more so than others based of their nearness to the airport.

3.     SWFL environmental advocates unhappy with new water bill

·       http://www.naplesnews.com/news/environment/swfl-environmental-advocates-unhappy-with-new-water-bill-29e09d37-583b-7c84-e053-0100007f9981-366131021.html

·       The story is talking about the new water bill which Florida governor Rick Scott just recently signed. Southwest Florida environmental advocates are speaking out and against the new water bill because it is viewed as inadequate for what the state really needs. Much more of the article describes the politics involved with the decision, and how industry and business played a large role in the creation of the new water bill.

·       The issue at hand is that the water bill does not protect all water ways as environmentalists had wanted. It manages to protect certain springs and head waters, but then removes protection from other water ways. Also the pollution factor of the bill does not layout an adequate plan for the cleaning up of polluted water. Furthermore, the bill is seen as allowing more water for cities and farms but not towards natural waterways.

·       This problem is effecting both the population of the state of Florida as well as the state government which has allowed for this bill to pass. The entire population of the state will be effecting by polluted water ways, and not enough drinking water. Rick Scott is trying to be seen as a governor who wants to get things done and get on the good side of the state government; however, he is also being seen as inconsiderate by the environmentalists who asked for an improved bill in the first place.

4.       39 pythons caught so far in Florida snake hunt

·       http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ap-pythons-everglades-20160122-story.html

·       The article is describing how the Burmese Python, an invasive species to the state of Florida, has overrun the Everglades with its population size. So as a solution, the Florida Everglade’s has allowed for a python hunt to occur every year in order to reduce the size of the python population. This is its second year in effect.

·       The Burmese Python is invasive species; hence it has caused serious problems to the sensitive ecosystem in which the Everglades is. The first python hunt had 68 captured pythons, yet with such numbers, the situation of too many pythons still existed, so the second hunt is supposed to help lower the population yet again. Since the python has no threat here in the Everglades it has been able to thrive and take over areas and food webs that once belonged to the native species of the area.

·       The group mostly effected by these animals are the native species of the Everglades. They have no way of protecting themselves from these massive snakes which have become highly adapted to their new home in Florida. The native species are decreasing in numbers, and people are getting in closer contact with these fourteen-foot-long snakes that end up eating pets and possibly putting small children at risk.

5.     Florida Legislature pondering move to school districts by city

·       http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article56148045.html

·       The article is a very political one in regards to the state of Florida legislature being interested in changing on how public education is locally run to instead be citywide school districts. It is described that that if citywide school districts were allowed, then the wealthier areas can afford and provide better educational opportunities compared to smaller and more impoverished areas of the city. The concern is raised that the allocation of resources would then not be equal, compared to how they are now with countywide school districts. However, the argument is that citywide school districts would be cheaper.

·       Like stated above, the main concern is to maintain equality in education for students no matter their economic and/or social status. Of course the idea of citywide school districts would allow for the higher tax income areas to provide more and better educational opportunities for its schools compared to those in poorer areas. However, there is questioning from the school board on whether or not it is really necessary to need to completely change the way public education is being allocated within the state, and if it were changed, would it positively affect student test scores and performance in school.

·       This problem at hand will be effecting the children of the state of Florida, and their educational opportunities. The students who rely on public education have no say or power to vote in the matter, and it is possible that many may be negatively affected by citywide school districts instead of countywide. Furthermore, if the Florida legislature passes this, then what will become of other states and their ideas for public education? In the end this could influence the entire country on its stance with education.