• REJECT UDB MOVE
Will the majority of Miami-Dade County commissioners ever get it? Will they realize that they are elected stewards of the county's natural resources, meaning they should conserve those resources? On Tuesday, commissioners overrode County Mayor Carlos Alvarez's veto of two projects slated to be built outside the Urban Development Boundary. This was the last chance for commissioners to get in sync with residents for whom new development means more traffic, crowded schools and police and fire rescue stretched to the limit.
The projects now go back to state planners who will determine if they comply with state and county laws. If there is a chance for the state to save Miami-Dade from these commissioners' error, that would be a welcome development.
• SUE FOR PEACE
The citrus canker fight is beginning to look like a blood feud. South Florida residents have been battling the state Agriculture Department about the canker-eradication program for years -- and now the fight is in the courts.
On Tuesday, a Fort Lauderdale jury awarded 58,000 Broward homeowners $11.5 million for their lost trees, much less than they expected but still painful to the state.
In September, a Palm Beach County court will consider similar issues, and more trials will come in Miami-Dade, Lee and Orange counties. With endless trials and appeals, hostilities could last for many years. It's time for a truce. Each side should seek a settlement -- and move on.
• PAY FOR EXPOSURE
There was a time when Florida didn't have to do anything to lure television and movie producers here other than simply to exist. In South Florida, in particular, the sunlight, wide beaches and subtropical atmosphere were like a siren call to Central Casting. No more. Other states with attractions that can sub for Florida's now offer cash incentives in exchange for filming there.
After the number of movies made in Florida dropped, the state decided five years ago to offer incentives, too. Movie and TV production companies get rebates in return for the money they spend locally. The boon to local economies can be hefty. Marley and Me, a film just finishing in Miami, generated $11 million for local coffers.
The state's $5 billion budget shortfall will put a halt to the incentives. The program's fund has dropped to $5 million from $25 million. When that $5 million is gone, the incentives are, too. This unkind cut is insignificant when compared to reduced spending for children's healthcare, the elderly and education. Still, to make money you have to spend some. Let's hope that Florida can once again use her natural charms to keep TV and film producers as suitors.
