About 250 sign-waving fans greeted Democratic congressman Jim Davis to Sarasota’s Payne Park Sunday evening. Davis is running for governor against Republican Charlie Crist. And “running” is the operative word as the two men crisscrossed Florida looking votes in tomorrow’s election. With no necktie and sleeves rolled-up, Davis told the Sarasota crowd that high insurance premiums and property taxes are threatening to send Floridians out-of-state for relief.

“You know we just left couples down in Cape Coral from Ohio that are thinking about moving back to Ohio. We just met a couple from New York that’s thinking about moving back to NY because it’s more affordable. This is about the American dream.”

Davis promised, as governor, he would lower insurance premiums and property taxes while boosting teacher-pay by four-thousand-dollars a year. The democrat’s biggest applause came when he said he would restore faith in the state’s election system. Sarasota County voters decide tomorrow whether to replace their touch-screen voting machines with paper ballots.
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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis appeared with former Senator Bob Graham and Rhea Chiles before 250 enthusiastic Sarasota supporters Sunday night. The Tampa congressman said as governor he would work to lower property taxes and insurance premiums, while giving teachers a four-thousand-dollar raise. The crowd gathered outside at Payne Park gave Davis his biggest applause when he promised statewide voting reform.

“We’re going to have automatic restoration of voting rights for convicted felons. If you’ve solved the crime you’ve done the time and I am going to appoint a secretary of state who’s going to do what Katherine Harris was never willing to do – free and fair elections in Florida in 2008 including for President of the United States.”

Sarasota County voters decide tomorrow whether to replace their touch-screen voting machines with paper ballots. Supervisor of Elections Kathy Dent is warning people to make sure to review their choices before punching the red vote button. Some people complained in early voting that they didn’t see the Christine Jennings – Vern Buchanan congressional race until they reviewed their ballot choices carefully at the end.

Each school day in the United States 46 children, or two classrooms full of kids, are diagnosed with cancer. More than half that number of local children were honored this weekend in Fort Myers for reaching milestones in their treatment. Candellighters of Southwest Florida, which provides services to families of children with cancer, held the ceremony. It’s founder and director, Klair Snellbaker says five years is the magic mark.


“When a child survives after five years of treatment that’s usually considered that they’re cured. And then we have a couple kids that are celebrating ten years and again that’s hope they’ve grown, some of them have graduated, gone on and gotten married. I mean there’s all kinds of good stories about our kids depending on what age they’d been diagnosed.”


Twenty six kids who have successfully beat the odds of having cancer were treated to lunch, games and an awards ceremony Saturday at Florida Gulf Coast University. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children and adolescents.


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Twenty six Southwest Florida children who have successfully completed milestones of being off chemotherapy for cancer have been recognized for beating the disease. The children finished either one year, five year or ten year anniversaries of being finished with their cancer treatments. They were honored by the Candellighters of Southwest Florida – an independent nonprofit charity which provides support for families with children with cancer or blood disorders. Klair Snellbaker is the founder and director. She says though five years is the magic mark that says a child is cured, the often have residual issues to deal with as they age.


“As they age certainly secondary cancers are a possibility. But they have educational needs, trying to find insurance always difficult because they have the stigma of cancer being tagged on to their life. And sometimes they do have learning disabilities that make a difference as far as what kind of job opportunities they can take advantage of.”


Candlelighters provides free services to more than 350 families in the five county area. Each year, more than 12,000 children and teens are diagnosed with cancer. Nearly three thousand of them will die.

It’s that time of year again – when grocery store customers in Southwest Florida are invited to make a little donation while they shop.


For ten or 15 dollars shoppers at Publix and Sweetbay Supermarkets can buy a brown bag full of non-perishable food that’s destined for the Harry Chapin Food Bank. The Bank supplies 160 agencies – from church pantries to rescue missions – in the five county area. Associate Director Joyce Jacobs says so far this season shoppers have extremely generous.


“it’s going amazingly well, we’re so pleased we just started about a week ago and I think we’ve already brought in about 40 thousand lobs of food so far. People are being very generous this year.”


Jacobs says the need is great. Rising food, gasoline, electricity and insurance costs have left many lower incomes families struggling. Last year the Harry Chapin food bank provided the resources for about 3 million meals.


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The annual food drive for the harry Chapin Food Bank is underway at Publix and Sweetbay Supermarkets in Southwest Florida. Grocery shopper are invited to purchase a bag of non-perishable food itmes which will then be distributed by the food-bank. Joyce Jacobs is the Associate Director.


“we supply 160 agencies, from church pantries, rescue mission, group homes – and our distribution this year will be about 4-1/2 million pounds of food which pretty much equates 3 million meals. so a lot of food is going into the community – there’s a lot of need."


Jacobs so far this year shoppers have been very generous – about 40 thousand pounds of food have been donated. The Harry Chapin food bank serves the five county area. It’s been in operation for 24 years.

This is the last day that I will be your regular host of Morning Edition – after nearly 14 years as your alarm clock. Starting Monday Mike Kiniry takes over. I will then be able to immerse myself in my new duties as FM station manager as well as News Director. You’ll still hear stories from me on occasion and of course there will be days that Mike takes off and I’ll fill in. Kiniry is our talk show host producer, fill in host and a reporter. And he's also a native Fort Myers resident?

Voters in Sarasota are being asked to consider replacing the county’s touch screen voting machines and mandating paper ballots instead.
After the election debacle of 2000 many Florida counties switched from paper ballots to virtual ones. But if paper ballots are subject to “Hanging chads” electronic voting brings concerns about lack of a paper trail – and the potential for hackers to manipulate election results. Kindra Muntz is the chair of Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections – or SAFE – the group that got the “paper ballot” referendum in front of voters.

“Mandatory voter verified paper ballots, independent random audits of election results and audits required before certification, which is basically what many people around the country are asking for and what computer scientists and national studies have shown is really necessary to verify the accuracy of electronic machine results.”

SAFE endorses the use a paper ballot that is then scanned into a computer. Backers say if the referendum passes it could set a precedent for the rest of the state – and nationally as well.

Voters in Charlotte County are being asked to consider taxing themselves to purchase environmentally sensitive land. Twenty-six Florida counties already have land acquisition programs in place, including Lee, Collier and Sarasota. The referendum on the Charlotte Ballot calls for a .20 millage increase in property taxes that would raise 77 million dollars over 20 years. For a 200 thousand dollar property with a homestead exemption – that works to about 3 dollars a month. Julie Morris is an environmental specialist with Charlotte County.

“we’re very blessed in Charlotte County. There’s still a lot of green space left. It’s very unique. We run the gamut of all the eco-systems that are in this part of the state – and there are some opportunities to really buy some nice properties.”

All the areas would be open to the public for nature-based recreational activities. A citizen’s oversight committee would recommend properties for purchase. The land would be acquired from willing sellers at fair market value.

About 100 veterans from Manatee, Sarasota and Charlotte counties gathered in Bradenton yesterday to hear the two District-13 congressional candidiates debate. Republican Vern Buchanan and Democrat Christine Jennings are looking to fill the seat being vacated by Katherine Harris. Buchanan said he found comments earlier in the week by Senator John Kerry to be repulsive and issued a challenge to Jennings, but she didn't bite.

“You’ve taken a thousand dollars or you’ve taken money on behalf of John Kerry for your campaign and I’d ask you to give it back tonight.”

“John Kerry does not speak for me. No one. No one speaks for me. I speak for myself.”

The controversy surrounding Senator Kerry happened when he says he blew a joke about President Bush. It sounded like the Massachusetts senator said only stupid people join the military. Senator Kerry has since apologized. Concerning the War, Republican Buchanan says talk of pulling out of Iraq is insulting to the generals. Jennings says she's talked to veterans, and their top concern is the safety and well-being of the troops.
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The two congressional candidiates looking to fill the seat being vacated by Katherine Harris debated in front of room full of veterans in Bradenton yesterday. Democrat Christine Jennings and Republican Vern Buchanan agreed on one thing -- that Florida's 1.8 million veterans deserve better health care. The agreement came to an end when the topic of Iraq came up. Jennings took issue Buchanan's television ads.

“My opponent has said that I want to surrender and retreat and I want you to know that I resent this. This is a totally false and inaccurate statement.”

Buchanan criticized Jennings for saying the President has no strategy for winning the war in Iraq. However, the veterans chortled when Buchanan said after three-and-a half years, it might be time for a change in that strategy.

“There is a strategy and I think we need to be flexible. And I think we’re at that point in time where there’s gonna be some flexibility there. (laughter) Ladies and gentlemen please.”

Buchanan has seen top Republican leaders travel to Sarasota to campaign for him. Last week it was the President and the First Lady. Tomorrow night former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to attend a Buchanan rally at Selby Five-Points-Park at 6:30.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month wrapped up this week. But unfortunately more people are victimized every day. W-G-C-U’s Christine Buckley discovered that local focus is on the need for more transitional housing, a key stop on a woman’s precarious road away from her abuser.

Florida Gulf Coast University’s board of trustees has agreed to accept a developer’s 70-million-dollar proposal to build a satellite center in Charlotte County. The vote was nearly unanimous, despite apparent resistance from Charlotte County’s Board of commissioners.
FGCU’s campus in South Lee County is filling up fast, so it wants to branch out. Last week a selection committee unanimously chose a 24-hundred-acre cattle ranch in Northeast Charlotte County, near the Desoto County line, for a satellite campus. But Charlotte County Commissioners also unanimously voted last week…to quote-“strongly discourage” any proposed sites that aren’t in the county’s Urban Service Area…sites like the Hudson Sun-River ranch. FGCU President - Dr. Bill Merwin – says this is just a first step…and if commissioners don’t want this site, all they have to do is vote no. He says any deal this big is bound to encounter some resistance…

“There will be push back, yes. I definitely expect that there’ll be opposition. These are major deals…I mean, if somebody’s willing to donate 70-million dollars worth of land and services and cash to the university you’ve got to recognize that these are huge financial deals, and there are people who are not quite satisfied yet.”

One of those people is FGCU Trustee Lindsay Harrington. The former Charlotte County State Representative tried unsuccessfully to get the board to postpone its decision. He told his fellow trustees he’d received some negative feedback – and thought more time would benefit everyone. President Merwin says Harrington’s move took him by surprise…but he wished dissenting voices had spoken up earlier in the process.

“I guess my point being is that we’ve gone through this fairly elaborate and detailed process…and my question was, where were those people then?”

Harrington was the only board member to vote against accepting the Hudson Sun-River proposal. Worth nearly 70-million-dollars, the offer includes 150-acres of land, 5-million-dollars in cash, and a water and wastewater facility to serve the campus and any nearby development.
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Florida Gulf Coast University’s board of trustees voted yesterday to accept a 70-million-dollar package for a satellite center in Charlotte County. Hudson Sun-River’s proposal includes 150-acres in northeast Charlotte County, and a water and wastewater facility to serve the campus and any surrounding development. The approval came in spite of a recent vote by Charlotte County Commissioners to quote-“strongly discourage” any sites outside of the county’s Urban Service Area. FGCU President – Dr. Bill Merwin – says there are still many hurdles…

“We’ve got to go to the Charlotte County Commission and get them to extend their Urban Service Area a little further to the east than what it currently is. I’ve got to get approval from the Board of Governors to get their approval to build a branch campus. And all of those are hurdles, but this is the first step.”

In addition to Charlotte County the project also needs approval from the Florida Department of Community Affairs. The board of trustees decision was nearly unanimous, with only former Charlotte County State Representative Lindsay Harrington dissenting.

Do you pay full price for your prescription drugs? If so, you’d be wise to shop around. In Florida, there’s an online database that makes it easy. Lyn Millner reports on whether MyFloridaRX.com works and whether it’s even accurate.