The Charlotte County Sheriff’s office recently started a new program to help troubled juveniles. Fresh Start had its first run earlier this month. It’s designed to scare youths away from committing future crimes by taking them to jail. Charlotte Sheriff’s spokesman Bob Carpenter explains what the participants do there.

“We take them through the jail, go through the whole process, I mean the whole process. Not just booking as a juvenile./ they’re putting on the old black and white striped uniforms. There’s also a feature in that when they come in it’s to embarrass them, yes, and they go into the pods where all these guys are still in their cells, they don’t have any contact with them. They can see how they live.”

Carpenter says Fresh Start is patterned after the national “Scared Straight” Program created in Rahway State Prison in New Jersey more than 20 years ago. Around that time, a study conducted by Rutgers University examining the Scared Straight program concluded it actually increased the chance of youths being arrested in certain cases. According to a Surgeon General report, many studies also found this type of shock program ineffective and, at times, even harmful to youths. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old girl who was participating in a “Scared Straight” program in Georgia tried to strangle herself. However, Carpenter says Charlotte County’s Fresh Start program is different.

“It is all supervised. Sometimes that Scared Straight Program got a little out of hand around the country many many years ago and they just felt that the kids were just a little too close to contact. This is very well supervised. They’re not mingling. They can’t be touched by any inmate. The inmates are locked in their cells.”

The program is not only for first time juvenile offenders but also for those considered to be “at risk.” The idea came from Deputy Larry Langston who brought the proposal to Sheriff John Davenport. Langston, who heads another juvenile program in Charlotte, said he observed programs similar to Fresh Start in other areas and thought they were effective. The Sheriff’s Office is currently in the process of scheduling youths for the program.

The 20 Cubans who came ashore on Marco Island Tuesday are now free. Federal authorities processed and released them all because they reached U-S soil before authorities could intercept them. Speaking today in Port Charlotte, Republican Congressman Mark Foley said this country needs to do a better job policing its borders.

“Not only are we going to have emphasize tightening our borders which we should do anyway. But we’re also going to have to provide a level of protection in the Caribbean and the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic based on what’s happening in Cuba today. Based on what can happen in Haiti on any day in order to enforce and enhance enforcement.”

Lee County officials and others cut the ribbon Tuesday on a project that combines business with pleasure. W-G-C-U’s Valerie Alker has the story.

Florida Gulf Coast University begins its tenth year when classes start next week. In what’s become an annual tradition the President delivered his State of the University address to faculty and staff Tuesday. President Bill Merwin says the state of the university is outstanding. 8100 students will attend classes this fall – including 16 hundred freshmen. That’s up from 200 freshmen in 1999. Merwin says the challenge is to provide the infrastructure needed to support FGCU’s growth.

“It’s exponential what we’re accommodating so I and my administrative staff are really working very diligently to raise the money to buy new facilities and new classrooms and get people in the community willing to come out here and help support us…”

New resident halls are planned and several classroom buildings are under construction. President Merwin says satellite learning centers in Cape Coral, and Charlotte and Hendry Counties are also in the planning stages.

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Florida Gulf Coast University President Bill Merwin gave his annual state-of-the-university address to faculty and staff Tuesday. 81-hundred students will attend classes this fall. Merwin says efforts to attract more minority students to F-G-C-U have been successful.

“I think you’ll see a very cosmopolitan group of students on the campus and as you can see in here today when all the new faculty and staff walked across the stage that’s a very diverse group as well. so diversity has become a real issue with us and I’m very proud of what we accomplished.”

Merwin says African-American enrollment in the freshman class is up 24 percent over last year. The number of Hispanic students is up 22 percent.

With three weeks until the primary election, a majority of Democrats in Florida haven’t made up their minds who to vote for in September. Recent polls show the two main candidates in a statistical dead-heat.

Tampa Congressman Jim Davis started the campaign with a comfortable lead in both the polls and fundraising. Now State Senator Rod Smith has chipped away at that lead and finds himself even with voters that express a preference. But polls show more than half of all likely Democratic voters haven’t made up their minds yet. Speaking on Gulf Coast Live, Smith said that’s a concern. But a bigger concern would be if they had already decided against him:

“I really believe that if you are the guy that started as far behind as I did. I think from the outset, I started some 20-something points behind. The fact that I’m in the race, that I’m in a good position in the race and that a huge number of people haven’t made up their mind, I think that augers well for this campaign. And so I actually kind of like that dynamic.”

Smith has spent time courting Hispanics in South Florida, touting his plans for homeowners insurance reform and funding for stem cell research. On election day, Republicans will choose between State Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.

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Florida gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith vowed today (Tuesday) to make changes to the state’s insurance market. The Democratic State Senator is locked in a tight primary race with Tampa Congressman Jim Davis. Polls show the two are neck-and-neck with most voters undecided with three weeks until the election. Smith vowed to stimulate competition in the insurance market to bring cheaper rates for Floridians. Speaking on W-G-C-U’s Gulf Coast Live, he also pledged to toughen oversight of the insurance industry.

“We’re going to have a crisis in home ownership, a crisis in the workplace and a crisis in the economy if we don’t immediately drive down and stabilize and then drive down rates in Florida for property insurance.”

With three weeks until the primary election, a majority of Democrats in Florida haven’t made up their minds who to vote for in September. Recent polls show the two main candidates in a statistical dead-heat.

Tampa Congressman Jim Davis started the campaign with a comfortable lead in both the polls and fundraising. Now State Senator Rod Smith has chipped away at that lead and finds himself even with voters that express a preference. But polls show more than half of all likely Democratic voters haven’t made up their minds yet. Speaking on Gulf Coast Live, Smith said that’s a concern. But a bigger concern would be if they had already decided against him:

“I really believe that if you are the guy that started as far behind as I did. I think from the outset, I started some 20-something points behind. The fact that I’m in the race, that I’m in a good position in the race and that a huge number of people haven’t made up their mind, I think that augers well for this campaign. And so I actually kind of like that dynamic.”

Smith has spent time courting Hispanics in South Florida, touting his plans for homeowners insurance reform and funding for stem cell research. On election day, Republicans will choose between State Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.

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Florida gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith vowed today (Tuesday) to make changes to the state’s insurance market. The Democratic State Senator is locked in a tight primary race with Tampa Congressman Jim Davis. Polls show the two are neck-and-neck with most voters undecided with three weeks until the election. Smith vowed to stimulate competition in the insurance market to bring cheaper rates for Floridians. Speaking on W-G-C-U’s Gulf Coast Live, he also pledged to toughen oversight of the insurance industry.

“We’re going to have a crisis in home ownership, a crisis in the workplace and a crisis in the economy if we don’t immediately drive down and stabilize and then drive down rates in Florida for property insurance.”

With three weeks until the primary election, a majority of Democrats in Florida haven’t made up their minds who to vote for in September. Recent polls show the two main candidates in a statistical dead-heat.

Tampa Congressman Jim Davis started the campaign with a comfortable lead in both the polls and fundraising. Now State Senator Rod Smith has chipped away at that lead and finds himself even with voters that express a preference. But polls show more than half of all likely Democratic voters haven’t made up their minds yet. Speaking on Gulf Coast Live, Smith said that’s a concern. But a bigger concern would be if they had already decided against him:

“I really believe that if you are the guy that started as far behind as I did. I think from the outset, I started some 20-something points behind. The fact that I’m in the race, that I’m in a good position in the race and that a huge number of people haven’t made up their mind, I think that augers well for this campaign. And so I actually kind of like that dynamic.”

Smith has spent time courting Hispanics in South Florida, touting his plans for homeowners insurance reform and funding for stem cell research. On election day, Republicans will choose between State Attorney General Charlie Crist and Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher.

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Florida gubernatorial candidate Rod Smith vowed today (Tuesday) to make changes to the state’s insurance market. The Democratic State Senator is locked in a tight primary race with Tampa Congressman Jim Davis. Polls show the two are neck-and-neck with most voters undecided with three weeks until the election. Smith vowed to stimulate competition in the insurance market to bring cheaper rates for Floridians. Speaking on W-G-C-U’s Gulf Coast Live, he also pledged to toughen oversight of the insurance industry.

“We’re going to have a crisis in home ownership, a crisis in the workplace and a crisis in the economy if we don’t immediately drive down and stabilize and then drive down rates in Florida for property insurance.”

A group of 20 Cuban refugees landed near Marco Island Tuesday morning. The group consisted of 16 men, 3 women – one of whom was pregnant – and a 1-year-old child. They told authorities they’d left Cuba 3 days ago, on Fidel Castro’s birthday. University of Central Florida Professor of Caribbean Studies – Luis Martinez-Fernandez – says Sunday was when the first pictures of Fidel Castro were released since his surgery two weeks ago.


“That was the day in which it became public…so that really strikes me. Perhaps they had been planning to do this for a long time and they were holding off just waiting to see what would transpire and whether Fidel Castro would return…”

A spokeswoman at the International Refugee Committee in Miami says there’s been no change in the pace of arrivals since Fidel Castro handed over power to his younger brother Raul. Authorities say the group was exhausted and dehydrated, but otherwise O.K. Half were taken to local hospitals, the others to a federal processing facility near Miami. Under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot policy, it’s likely all 20 refugees will be allowed to stay in the U-S.


Two boats carrying 20 Cuban refugees landed in Collier County near the bridge leading to Marco Island Tuesday morning. 10 of them were taken directly to a federal processing facility near Miami…the others to local hospitals to be treated for dehydration. They told investigators they’d left Cuba Sunday…which also happened to be Fidel Castro’s birthday AND when Cuban officials released pictures of the communist leader for the first time since he handed over power to his brother Raul. Luis Martinez-Fernandez is Professor of Caribbean Studies at University of Central Florida…

“Perhaps…and this is just speculation…once they found out publicly that Castro was doing very well and his pictures, the pictures that were taken of him actually showed a healthy looking Castro, perhaps that triggered their decision to leave the island?”

Investigators are looking into whether the 2 boats the group arrived in were stolen. Both are registered in Florida. According to a spokeswoman for International Rescue Committee, there’s been no fluctuation in the number of Cubans arriving on Florida’s shores in recent weeks. Cuban refugees who make it to dry land in the U-S are generally allowed to stay under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot

A group of 20 Cuban refugees landed near Marco Island Tuesday morning. The group consisted of 16 men, 3 women – one of whom was pregnant – and a 1-year-old child. They told authorities they’d left Cuba 3 days ago, on Fidel Castro’s birthday. University of Central Florida Professor of Caribbean Studies – Luis Martinez-Fernandez – says Sunday was when the first pictures of Fidel Castro were released since his surgery two weeks ago.


“That was the day in which it became public…so that really strikes me. Perhaps they had been planning to do this for a long time and they were holding off just waiting to see what would transpire and whether Fidel Castro would return…”

A spokeswoman at the International Refugee Committee in Miami says there’s been no change in the pace of arrivals since Fidel Castro handed over power to his younger brother Raul. Authorities say the group was exhausted and dehydrated, but otherwise O.K. Half were taken to local hospitals, the others to a federal processing facility near Miami. Under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot policy, it’s likely all 20 refugees will be allowed to stay in the U-S.


Two boats carrying 20 Cuban refugees landed in Collier County near the bridge leading to Marco Island Tuesday morning. 10 of them were taken directly to a federal processing facility near Miami…the others to local hospitals to be treated for dehydration. They told investigators they’d left Cuba Sunday…which also happened to be Fidel Castro’s birthday AND when Cuban officials released pictures of the communist leader for the first time since he handed over power to his brother Raul. Luis Martinez-Fernandez is Professor of Caribbean Studies at University of Central Florida…

“Perhaps…and this is just speculation…once they found out publicly that Castro was doing very well and his pictures, the pictures that were taken of him actually showed a healthy looking Castro, perhaps that triggered their decision to leave the island?”

Investigators are looking into whether the 2 boats the group arrived in were stolen. Both are registered in Florida. According to a spokeswoman for International Rescue Committee, there’s been no fluctuation in the number of Cubans arriving on Florida’s shores in recent weeks. Cuban refugees who make it to dry land in the U-S are generally allowed to stay under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot

The first Florida Style “Katrina Cottage” opened to the public this Sunday in Englewood. The showing coincided with the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Charley. “The Cottages” are meant to provide a structurally sound and aesthetically pleasing alternative to FEMA trailers. W-G-C-U’s Valerie Alker prepared this report.