There’s a lot of money to be made on Everglades restoration – at least for construction contractors and vendors $1.5 billion for starters. More than 500 companies – and local employment offices—gathered in West Palm Beach Thursday for the first annual Accelerate Symposium and Exhibition. Accelerate is a $1.5 billion boost from the state for Everglades Restoration projects—set to get underway in the next few months. The event – hosted by the South Florida Water Management District – aimed to inform construction contractors, subcontractors, and vendors who want contracts. District Spokesman – Randy Smith – says the main goal is to ensure the bidding process is fair.

“To make sure that we get these projects completed requires lots of construction, engineering, design and labor work…which having symposiums with more than 500 potential vendors there – you can see there’s plenty of work, and plenty of companies – we just need to make sure everyone’s got an equal chance at getting part of the work.”

There are 8 projects under Accelerate – including the planned Caloosahatchee – or C-43 - Reservoir near Labelle. It will collect and store extra water. That project will begin sometime next year. Southern Golden Gate restoration is also on the list. Smith says there’ll be more symposiums like this one down the road.

Four women’s health care centers and two physicians — along with the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood - today asked a federal court to strike down Florida’s new abortion notification law. They say it will endanger the health and lives of young women seeking abortions in Florida. In November, Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment requiring parental notification -- though NOT consent -- for teenage abortions. The Legislature passed a bill to put it into effect July 1st. Florida's law provides an exception to protect the health of the mother. It allows doctors to give a pregnant minor an abortion in a medical emergency. But the plaintiffs say it imposes elaborate restrictions on physicians that could prevent them from caring for teens facing medical emergencies. Director of Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida Wendy Grassi, says her organization has long opposed parental notification.

“We feel there just are some cases where a teen is unable to tell a parent and in those cases where there could be abuse or incest or family difficulties like that where it’s impossible for a teen to tell a parent. We must protect the teen. I’m a mother of a daughter and if my daughter were in trouble for whatever reason if she felt she couldn’t come to me I would want to know that she could go to a safe place where there was trained professionals to treat her.”


Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida is one of the women’s health centers filing suit. They’d rather see policies that prevent teen pregnancy, provide counseling and ensure teens have access to comprehensive sex education. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court will review a New Hampshire notification law this fall that could determine whether Florida's restrictions are constitutional. Florida and 43 other states have parental notification or consent laws. The Florida Catholic Conference says on its website that parental notification laws have been shown to dramatically decrease both teen abortion rates and teen birth rates in states where these laws have been enacted.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is collecting public comment on the use of “population goals,” that define manatee recovery. The agency uses the “population goals” to determine and establish manatee-protection zones say’s the commission’s Henry Cabbage.

“Manatee recovery is more of a process then a stationary target. The conditions change out there. But full recovery would be when the manatee population is equal to what the habitat is capable of supporting. Bottom-line is if we can get them recovered well enough that they would no longer be an imperiled species, then that would be a resounding success.”

The public can make comments at: my FWC.com. Commissioners, also voted to re-establish state manatee protection zones in Lee County’s southern Matlacha Pass. They also re-established zones in other areas through out the county including Estero Bay, northern Matlacha Pass, Pine Island Sound, San Carlos Bay and the Caloosahatchee River. The state zones become effective in a few months.

The Lee County Commission could make changes to a ban on roadside solicitation. Commissioners voted this morning to hold public hearings on the issue. Ryan Warner reports.

Florida Gulf Coast University will offer 6 new degrees next year. Meanwhile, tuition is on the rise.

The Board of Trustees approved the changes at the last meeting of the current fiscal year.

By August – students can pursue degrees in chemistry, athletic training and anthropology…as well as civil, biomedical, and environmental engineering. That brings to 70 the number of majors available at FGCU.

All students will pay an extra 5 percent for tuition. The increase – actually mandated by the state legislature - will mean an extra $70 year for full time students.

University president – Dr. Bill Merwin – says tuition isn’t the only thing growing — so is the student body.

“We’re projecting enrollments next year of over 7,000 students, 4,000 of which will be full-time equivalents as we call them. We’re projecting another balanced budget – 5 more buildings in the coming year – raise $30 million increase the number of students of color, as well as faculty and staff.”

The amount of student housing is also on the rise – with nearly 2,000 available beds.

Trustees also reviewed last year’s budget – which wound up with about a $1 million surplus. They also outlined next year’s budget – which will exceed $100 million for the first time.

The board also unanimously endorsed President Merwin’s performance – saying it far exceeds expectations.

On January 1st – prescription drug coverage will be available to everyone with Medicare… and President George Bush has launched a nationwide effort to raise awareness.

As part of that effort – representatives from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services held a seminar in Fort Myers today/Monday at the Heron House – an assisted living facility.

They met with local partners that will help seniors with the new coverage.

Medicare recipients will have a choice of many different plans – and they’ll have to make that choice soon. Enrollment begins November 15th.

Dr. Mark McClellan is Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“I think the main thing for people to know now is that there will be some new benefits for prescription drugs in the fall – that the benefits are designed to help them with their drug costs no matter how they’re paying now – and people are going to have questions about this, their family members and caregivers…and we want to provide personalized help – face to face help if they want it – to make sure they can make a confident decision about the coverage.”

Enrollment for low-income seniors and people with disabilities is already underway.

Basic prescription drug coverage will cost about 450-dollars a year…not including a 250-dollar deductible. After that deductible’s met – beneficiaries will be responsible for a quarter of costs up to $2,000…then ALL costs up to $5,000. After that, Medicare pays 95-percent.

Critics of the program say its many plans will be confusing to seniors…and that the so-called “doughnut hole” in coverage will mean more out-of-pocket expenses.

Advocates want to make sure people with disabilities are accounted for this hurricane season. Members of the local Americans with Disabilities Act advisory board are encouraging folks to register with them… even if they DON’T require a special needs shelter.

Board members are putting out the call to 5 counties… Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Glades, and Hendry. Chairwoman Linda Carter says this includes people with service dogs, those in electric wheelchairs or scooters, and the hearing and visually impaired.

“Follow the evacuation orders to leave. But, if you decide to leave, we want to get you the right help if you need it. If you’re in a house with no power—confined to a wheelchair or power chair—you can’t get around. You’re locked. So, you need some type of assistance to get around.”

Carter says the board is working to create stations throughout southwest Florida where people can recharge their chairs and scooters. People may register on-line at adaboardswfl.org.

The ADA advisory board is hosting a hurricane seminar in North Fort Myers tomorrow two o’clock at the VIP center on Mariana Avenue.

Although it’s felt like summer for several weeks now in southwest Florida, summer didn’t officially begin the Northern Hemisphere until early this morning – 2:46 to be exact. The sun rose today at 6:34 – sunset’s at 8:20 …making it the longest “day” of the year. Valerie Alker has more.

The Federal Aviation Administration will not appeal a recent court ruling—which upheld Naples’ ban on stage 2 jets. The Naples Municipal airport banned the older, noisier jets five years ago because as the community built up around the airport, neighbors complained about noise during take off and landing.
The FAA had fought the ban until now… Gail Cureton is with the Naples Airport Authority.

“Needless to say we’re very pleased that this battle is over. It’s been a years long battle and an expensive one but it’s one that we waged both in the interest of this airport and the community so we’re happy.”

The FAA will turn over the three million dollars in grants its been withholding because it deemed the ban discriminatory. Cureton says the money will pay for two projects right away.

“We are redoing the runway lighting here at the airport. Our lighting is several decades old and it’s in need of repair and of course we live in the lightening capitol of the world so that doesn’t make it any easier. Another project that was delayed for a period of time and we anticipate moving forward with that now is the replacement of the crash and fire rescue truck.”

Now airport officials across the country are reviewing the Naples decision upholding the stage 2 jet ban to determine if they can do it too. But Cureton says Naples is unique and believes not all airports will be meet the same criteria.

Alzheimer’s researchers from Florida Gulf Coast University are sharing what they’ve learned at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference this weekend in Washington DC.

Keeping people with Alzheimer’s physically and mentally active appears to delay progress of the disease. That’s what Dr. Linda Bittner and her colleague Sue Fitzsimmons at the Center for Positive Aging have determined through analysis of data they collected in Charlotte County. The two have designed classes for people with memory loss. Bitner says those classes – which are taught five days a week – integrate people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia into the general community.

“It’s a dignified way to provide programs and services – usually people who have memory loss problems are segregated into adult daycares – or something like that – and our folks are right here in the community taking classes on brain fitness and physical fitness – various things that will keep them socially active.”

Dr. Bitner and Fitzsimmons have found that after “taking classes” for a year, 33 percent of the “students” had maintained their conditions without deteriorating and 33 percent had actually improved. Bittner says the program is the only like it. However – that may not be the case for much longer – more than a thousand people from all over the world are attending the International Alzheimer’s Conference. I’m Valerie Alker reporting.