Leading Florida economists tell us that with the weakened dollar and Florida’s increased profile as an international exporter, the climate seems ripe for more internationalism. So why not Tampa Bay? No doubt it sounds as if the approach used by authority members for opening the discussion may have missed the mark. But, disregarding that, it seems that the economic restructuring we’re experiencing might offer an appropriate time for the authority to re-open the books, have the discussion and redouble it’s efforts toward international travel.

On the local level, the whole discussion of the airport intrigues me. I have long thought that the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is Lakeland’s most under-utilized asset. But the airport is a “tweener”. See, much of Lakeland’s economic development success is a credit to our location between the economic centers of Tampa and Orlando, who each boast first rate commercial airport facilities. Company exec’s tell us all the time how important it is that employees and management alike can benefit from the convenience offered by these two transportation hubs. So, where does that leave us?

I recently attended a seminar by economist Hank Fishkind here in Lakeland. Dr. Fishkind briefly mentioned the ability of a large, commercial airport to transform a community, as is happening right now in Panama City. Jim Studiale, Lakeland’s Community Development Directly correctly pointed out that Lakeland is simply very unlikely to rely on heavy commercial air traffic because of the two major airports east and west. I’ve long believed that a more intese focus on attracting commuter air traffic is the right answer for Lakeland and is the direction the new Airport administration should pursue.

But this whole discussion brings it home for me. If Polk isn’t going to be a player in commercial air traffic, It seems to me that we need to reach out and see how we can play ball with the communities east and west who have it and see how we can help move people throughout the region (and in and out of Polk?). The bottom line is this: if commercial air traffic isn’t in Polk’s future, what’s the next best thing? I’d say it’s a wide array of safe, efficient and reliable regional transportation to and from the hubs. And I think an expanded commuter air presence, a broader toll-road network, reliable commuter rail/mass transit and efficient high-speed rail connections are the answer. We should strongly pursue them all, whenever we can. Strategic infrastructure investments are the proper role of government and hopefully our community can realize that the region deserves a more diverse transportation portfolio.

Finally, while this is a topic of a future column, it’s worth mentioning here. It’s a shame that the current high speed rail proposal, which I ardently support, wouldn’t connect to the Tampa Airport as it does to Orlando’s airport–it should. But that shouldn’t preclude our support of the project – there are unique geographical challenges in Tampa that leaders are working to overcome. More info about Florida’s High Speed Rail Proposal at www.fasrailconnectus.com ..and expect more from me to come on this topic…

photo credit: vad_levin

He profoundly changed my life, and his death upended it forever. So I look at the world a little differently than I did a year ago. Because I’m reminded in every hour of every day of the impact Randy had on so many lives. (a little about him).

And I’m mindful, you see, that God has given me this platform of public service. I’m admittedly fairly good at this political gig, but I ask myself every day, “how many lives have I touched…and have I made a difference today.” If I die today, have I made as significant an impact as Randy would have me make?

My most favorite part of my public job is the opportunity I have to think about the future, at 50,000 feet. And to do it with some of the most advanced tools available. I hear from the leading econonmists regularly, the leading demographers, the leading agriculture professionals, the leading educators…you name it, we hear from the best. And, of late, I am focusing much of my attention on regionalism – and specifically on amplifying the initiatives of the Bay Area and Orlando Area toward together becoming the world’s leading super-region. I believe the blocks are in place, and that if we assemble them correctly, we’ll be there – quickly. I meet with the leading economic developers of our region, hear collective visions of university Presidents, and learn what it will take to efficiently move people from place to place throughout this super-region. I take my positions and cast my votes, with that knowledge in hand. Even then, I miss the boat from time to time. But it has dawned on me of late that my community suffers from a mypoic view of its region that I fear results from a lack of data and a dearth of knowledge about what’s really going on in the world that surrounds them.

So, in this new year, I’ve decided to right the wrong, and to bring enlightenment to the region. Well, that was a little haughty. Better, I’ve decided to do my part with the platform given to me, to offer a new perspective. My mission is to do my best to offer a viewpoint that reminds our community that we live in a connected world and thrive in connected economies. The world isn’t flat. When we wake up and realize that our success depends on our reaction and response to what emanates from the communities that surround us, I’ll believe we have arrived. Leaders are at their best when the tools available to them are sharp, and the knowledge upon which they rely is robust. Isn’t it fair that we give our citizens the benefit of a broader perspective with greater knowledge? I think so and I intend to provide it, beginning today and beginning here.

I’m appreciative of the opportunity to associate my views with MetroI4News. Chuck Welch and I could not see the political world more differently, but the real world more alike. We both believe strongly in regionalism. And we believe that folks simply deserve better – they deserve a choice, they deserve perspective, and they deserve a diversity of thought. I’m looking forward to contributing. I know you won’t always agree with me. I only hope that you’ll find depth in my perspective, appreciate the duty I feel to provide it and accept the sincerity with which it is offered. I plan to make a difference.

photo credit: aresauburn

Gaylord Palms ICE!, in Kissimmee, till January 2, 2010. Nice and cold with a free small hot coco waiting for you after. View more pics on Flickr

In all honesty, yoga by itself is not too bad– stretching, reaching. Learning body movement to soft music after a hard day could be a very healthy way to build energy and relax one’s mind. The trouble I was initially having with yoga was the trouble most men have with athletic activities. With a roomful of flexible women, I wanted to show off! “If they can do that, I can do that!” What was supposed to be a personal journey of peace into compassion turned into a competition! I decided to reach too far, stretching too much. My mind was on the room and the level of the people around me rather than on my breath, body or spirit.

Once the first couple of classes broke me in, I realized that yoga was not a comparison of power or speed. Truthfully, my level of pain the next day made me admit that if yoga was a game, it was not a game I was going to win! Once I realized that most in the room did not even know I was there, I relaxed into the peace of the stretch, music and movement of the class.

I guess I share this funny little adventure because I see many of the same traps in the way people live out their religious life as the trap I fell into with yoga. When you look around your Synagogue, temple or church, how many people come to your mind that seem to be living their faith as a competition they are trying to win? The church ladies who know everyone’s business, the deacons who watch how much people put in the collection plate. People whose religious life seems to be more about keeping their level of Christianity on a score card. How many Sundays they attend, how many souls they have saved. People are not just keeping their own score but trying to tally your score as well!

It sounds silly when you first think about it. After all, how could people think that God would choose to love them more because of some kind of personal score? However, when I delve a little deeper into myself, I see the same sin that traps others also enters my own mind. How many flat tires have I fixed thinking to myself, “What did I do to deserve this?” I have to admit deep down there is a church voice which was ingrained in me long ago that says, “If you do what is right, God will watch over me extra close.”

I think this is the paradox that all religious people walk in; the paradox of faith is wrapped up in the first being last and the last being first. All major religions have this one truth in common; the poor, broken and innocent are always named as being closer to God. It is the paradox of the Beatitudes, it is the message Jesus shared with the disciples when he told them to enter the kingdom like a little child. The Buddha did not experience Zen until he became one with the broken community outside his father’s kingdom. Allah showed the light on his people only when they stood in the poorness of their spirit. I call this challenge of faith a paradox because study, academics, money, power are all gifts of love, objectives of man as they mature, stabilize and root themselves for the prosperity of their families.

I believe the answer to this puzzle is wrapped up in the same lesson I learned in my yoga class. The point is not to be in competition with the room around you. Peace and growth come from attempting to be one with your body, mind and spirit. Yoga, love, God and Christ observe no score card, their peace comes from opening yourself to where you are at the moment. You cannot be more of a Christian than your spirit is ready for any more than your arm can be more flexible then your body will allow. The arch in your neighbor’s “downward dog” will not cause you to lose balance any more than the amount your neighbor puts in a collection plate will cause you to sin.

I wish sometimes church would end the same way yoga class does with the word “Namaste”. This closing blessing at the end of every yoga class is accompanied with a bow that simply means “I greet the God in you”. Wouldn’t it be great if we ended our religious services by bowing to those around us with the word “Namaste” or “I greet the God I see working and living through you”?

But ultimately, I do think that building a publicly controlled rail corridor, high speed or other, linking Tampa, Orlando, and ultimately, Miami, will carry important long-term benefits for the state. And of all the rail routes discussed for Florida, the Tampa-to-Orlando stretch has greatest potential ridership. So, I’m happy to see everyone moving forward on it. (Everyone, that is, except JD Alexander and the Winter Haven folks.)

But, in the interest of intellectual honesty, and embracing the uncertainties and potential consequences of what I support, I want to make a few points:

1) Where is CSX on this? It’s important to remember that CSX gave $50,000 to Jeb’s effort to kill HSR back in the day. The inferred quid pro quo, based on what happened, was that Jeb committed to the CSX rerouting/Sunrail plan. We should be asking what quids, pros, and quos are a part of this resurgent HSR plan. CSX has been very quiet about this. So Gary or Mike, how about emailing me an official CSX position on today’s HSR plan? bitown1@gmail.com.

2) In a related question, what are the technical possibilities for the actual lines? What I mean is, could we build a new freight line in tandem with the HSR line? Would CSX use it? Would it even be helpful in diverting freight out of city cores – Orlando, Lakeland, Plant City, Tampa, included? Does the HSR corridor give us a chance to redesign freight and passenger flow in a way that works better for everybody than the CSX-designed realignment would? Could this be an actual useful public-private partnership, rather than a public-private giveaway?

3) Are elected officials and DOT technocrats prepared for the traffic mayhem that will come while building this thing? As a four-day-a-week commuter to Tampa, I support the project while knowing that it will likely make my driving life hell for some period of time. Don’t underestimate the traffic anger policymakers in the corridor are going to face when construction starts.

4) U.S. 98 v USFP? Where should the Lakeland stop go? My preliminary feeling is that Kathleen/U.S. 98 area makes more sense, with perhaps an express bus linking the station there with USFP campus. But I’m open to argument.

5) This really should have nothing to do with Sunrail. That project is a suburban commuter rail system, designed to bring people in far-flung areas of Orange, Volusia, and Osceola counties into the city of Orlando. If you’re a business person or tourist, you don’t need a commuter train from the HSR station to Debary. You need a light rail connection, or a bus, to Disney, or the airport, or I-Drive. Now, I guess it might make sense to put the HSR station between Disney and I-drive, rather than downtown. But in that case, I don’t see why any business person would use it. Anyway, we should resist efforts to link these projects. They should rise and fall on their own merits. But, as I mentioned before, I do see a chance to explore better routing of freight, using the HSR corridor.

“And the clock is ticking: The state’s deal with CSX expires in June and so could a promise of an additional $300 million in federal funds to buy rail cars and help build the 17 planned stations.” — SunRail: It may be now or never for Orlando’s grand plan to get commuters off I-4, onto daily train

“While residents of Central Florida have focused on the costs and benefits of providing an alternative to driving to work on Interstate 4, Dockery has been obsessed by a far-larger component of the project: The state is paying nearly $490 million so that CSX can relocate a logistics center to nearby Winter Haven and reroute most of its freight operations to tracks that run down the interior of the state.” – Not all aboard: Lakeland would bear brunt of freight trains rerouted for sake of SunRail

“Yarbrough said SunRail would be responsible for passengers and bystanders — even if CSX were to blame for the accident — because of what’s known as the “but for” argument: “But for” SunRail, they most likely would not have been in the rail corridor.” – Central Florida commuter rail: Who pays if somebody gets hurt?

More info can be found on the facebook event page: here.

Follow @orlandotweetup for any breaking information.

As a matter of fact, I do mention the News Chief. I promised to count the locally written stories in the same manner as I did for the Ledger. However, I found a mere four local bylines in today’s News Chief. That’s what you get for your quarter.

On to what I wrote about the paper of record for Polk County…and by example…your paper.

Today is “Buy A Newspaper Day.” The effort is an attempt to get readers offline and back to purchasing their local newspaper. The fact the campaign was conducted entirely online doesn’t escape me.

Nevertheless, I bought a newspaper today. In fact, I purchased two. The Ledger and the News Chief. The former, based in Lakeland, covers Imperial Polk county and cost $.75. The News Chief boasts that it is “SERVING EAST POLK COUNTY MORE THAN EVER.” Obviously a Winter Haven operation, it was a mere $.25. Both newspapers are “an affiliate” of the News York Times Company. The News Chief is nice enough to also call the Ledger an “affiliate,” but the Ledger doesn’t return the love.

What did I get for my $1? My true test of a newspaper is: how many articles by their own reporters versus how many articles pulled from wire services and out-of-town affiliates. The Ledger was 36 pages in three section: Main, Polk & Florida, and Sports. In the main section, which tends to cover national and international news, the Ledger had two stories by local reporters, and one of them was really a sports piece. I counted 14 Associated Press and other service stories. That doesn’t count the editorial pages. Other than Letters to the Editor, the rest of the content was written out-of-town. Well, maybe the 11 paragraph editorial on President Obama’s “sea change against secrecy” might have been locally written, but it’s too general to tell.

I turned to the Polk & Florida section with a good feeling I’d find plenty of locally written stories there. I found three written by Ledger staff or local freelance writer, four Ledger-produced columns, and eight out-of-town pieces and columns. One of the local pieces was actually about local fans attending, you guessed it, the Super Bowl. I did also find two reader poems and the obits. Strange thing about the obituary these days. If you want more than seven lines, you have to pay for it. Unless you’re famous or died in a hail of bullets.

Sports were the thing where we found the conscience of the Ledger.(1)There were seven Ledger produced articles; almost all on the Super Bowl. Make it 7.5 as there was a column of Super Bowl tidbits by “Ledger staff.” A page of Super Bowl photos included just one by a Ledger photographer. Add two AP basketball stories and we’re ready for the final tally:

The Ledger falls 16.5 to 24(2). Sorry, I fell into that Sports mode. It’s difficult to even say it was that close as more than half of the Ledger produced pieces were on the Super Bowl and related stories. There can’t been a lot of Super Bowl content special to Imperial Polk county. Most of the Ledger articles focused on the game and the star plays and players. Good sports writing, but considering the Super Bowl is the most covered and watched American sporting of the year, I doubt most readers couldn’t have found similar articles in most any newspaper in the county.

What does this all mean?

Gone are the days when you’d heft the paper onto the breakfast table and learn about your community and how it relates to the state, nation, and the world. The sad fact is that newspapers have become blogs.

Yes, blogs.

You see, blogs started as individually crafted sites that almost exclusively pointed to interesting items found on the Internet. It seems our Ledger is much the same thing as an editor, or editors, finds the best of the other newspapers and wire services and puts it in a easy-to-read format for your breakfast reading.

The daily newspaper most of us remember from our youth is dead. There is no saving it. Readers never really supported newspapers, advertisers did. We were just the eyeballs newspapers needed to convince advertisers to place ads. The economy is hurting, advertisers are pulling back like turtles into their shells, and newspapers are laying off experienced reporters. The future is bleak to black.

But, I’ve come to praise newspapers, not to bury them. (3)

The future of the local newspaper is to return to the Wild West years and focus on the local community. Forget the stories of celebrities smoking bongs, and drop filler such as articles about a Texas family looking to clear the name of a relative(4). Use a local reporter to cover the story of a local Representative deciding to run for Agriculture Commissioner. Find the local angle for every story. If you really want to send reporters to the Super Bowl (party) then find a player that attended a local college, see if there is a cheerleader who once yelled “Give Me an L!.” or a concession vendor who will feed his family for a month on what he made in tips from over-served fans.

The newspaper I purchased today I could have watched on television last night. There was precious little I couldn’t have found online this weekend.

So why buy a newspaper?

Cary McMullen, Rick Rousos, Gary White, the Browns: Lonnie and Rick, Cindy Skop, Rick Runion, Michael Wilson, Scott Wheeler, Sarah Stegall, Suzie Schottelkotte, Tom Palmer(5), Bill Rufty, Jeremy Maready, Rachel Pleasant, John Chambliss, Shoshana Walter, Robin Williams Adams, Glenn Marston, Bill Blocher, Del Milligan, Trent Rowe, Kyle Kennedy, Kevin Bouffard, Heidi DeVries, Merissa Green, Michael Freeman, and Dick Scanlon (6).

Those are (most of) the reporters and photographers you’ll find in the Ledger, with apologies to those I’ve left off the list. All live and work in the area. All have an understanding of our community, our politics, and our history. They’re supported by editors, sales reps, clerks, and other locally based(7) staff. All (8) are the reasons to buy the Ledger.

Maybe we can convince Ledger publisher Jerome Ferson the secret to reversing the readership and advertising loses is to pull back and focus on Polk County talent and stories. It’s fine if that means cutting back to once or twice a week publication. We’d understand. No one reads the paper for breaking news anymore. Take your time to craft stories with insight and community pertinence. We’d buy that newspaper and keep it on the breakfast counter for the weekend. (And wouldn’t you love to tell your advertisers the paper stays around until every page is read by every family member? Who throws away a weekly magazine before it is finished?)

Today wasn’t the last Ledger I’ll buy, but I really hope I’ll get more McMullen,Rousos,White,Brown,Skop,Runion,Wilson,Wheeler,Stegall,Schottelkotte,Palmer,Rufty, Maready,Pleasant,Chambliss,Walter,Adams,Marston,Blocher,Milligan,Rowe,Kennedy,Bouffard,DeVries,Green,Freeman and Scanlon (9) for my money.

(1) Apologies Bard.
(2) I didn’t include the comics at all. There hasn’t been a locally produced comic strip in years.
(3) Sorry Bard. Again.
(4) Both articles were in in today’s newspaper.
(5) Yes, Tom Palmer
(6) Yes, even Dick Scanlon, though he apparently doesn’t think Mark McGwire deserves a Hall of Fame vote.
(7) I do not count the staff for operations the Ledger has outsourced.
(8) See #6 and add Tim Raines
(9) See #6 and add Andre Dawson
(10) What about the News Chief? This is a Lakeland-centric site. You’ll have to read about the News Chief later this afternoon over at Metro i4 News.

photo credit: Chuck Welch for Metro i4 News

Here’s the Star-Banner story, and the FDIC press release.

Not much else to add, except that my impression is that community banks, which I guess is how one would classify Ocala National, have generally faired better than big banks in this credit/mortgage meltdown.

Read the report and you find only 34% stated they would like to live in Orlando. You have to ask why the Sentinel is so happy with a report that also states 65%(1) of those surveyed would not like to live in Orlando.

Well, Orlando did finish 4th!

Or did it? In the “national survey” Orlando actually finished tied for fourth place with Tampa and some town out West named San Francisco. The report also states that “for statistically significant comparisons between cities, a margin of at least 6 percentage points is required.” That means the difference from #3 Seattle to #7 Phoenix is not “statistically significant.” You might want to alert the Sentinel.

Such a survey must have been Census exhausting. Were millions of people surveyed over a year? Actually, the Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project surveyed 2,260 adults in the continental United States. By phone. Over 16 days in October 2008. By phone.

Now, I’ll take the word of the Pew people that their survey was a “nationally representative sample.” But, seriously, they surveyed people on the phone. That can’t be a accurate cross section of the American people. Well, those Americans who don’t live in Alaska or Hawaii.

It gets better:

“Results for this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted with a nationally representative sample of 2,260 adults living in the continental United States. A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial (RDD) samples was used to represent all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone. A total of 1,502 interviews were completed with respondents contacted by landline phone, and 758 from those contacted on their cell phone. The data are weighted to produce a final sample that is representative of the general population of adults in the continental United States.”

I’ll translate: “We called a bunch of numbers at random. We finally found 2,260 people so bored they had time to answer a boatload(2) of personal questions about their education, income, and if they’d like to live in Orlando or Tampa, etc.” (3)

Now, how does that survey sound? Wait, there’s more…

There are 30 cities on the list and, surprisingly, in the survey. Here’s the money question: “As I read through the following places, just tell me your first reaction: Would you want to live in this city or its surrounding metropolitan area or NOT want to live there.” (“Not” in all capitals was verbatim from the report.)

More surprisingly, every respondent wasn’t asked about every city. Yes, even the Pew people realized a list of 30 cities may cause some respondents to bail. So they split the cities in three groups of 10.

725 people were asked the question about New York City, Cleveland, Dallas, Minneapolis, Orlando, Portland, Sacramento, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and San Diego.

763 people got to respond to Detroit, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington.

772 people said yes or NOT to Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Riverside, and San Francisco.

Add Oakland and Milwaukee and you’d have all the USA-based Major League Baseball cities. Not surprisingly, Las Vegas and Portland have been touted as future homes for traveling MLB teams. But I digress.

Back to the survey…

The 34% who liked Orlando were from a group of 725 people who answered their phone and took a survey. That means 246.5 people would want to live in Orlando. Meanwhile, the 34% who liked Tampa were from the group of 763. That means 259.4 people favored Tampa. (4)

I guess I-4 bragging rights should therefore fall to Tampa.

Those are just some of the questions and comments I found while reading the report. Read the report and draw your own conclusions. (pdf)

(1) – The total didn’t add to 100% because 1% merely asked if they’d get free Disney tickets if they lived in Orlando. (This statement is not true.)

(2) – “boatload” – approximately 44

(3) – Not an actual translation.

(4) – In all fairness, since 772 people answered in the San Francisco group, that means the Golden Gate city finished 3rd with 262.5 people who favored SF.

photo credit: leshoward

photo credit: The Library of Virginia

The schedule is as follows:

Top Gun – Feb. 20, 21, 25
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – Feb. 27, 28, March 4
Monty Python and the Holy Grail – March 6, 7, 11
Spaceballs – March 13, 14, 18
Grease – March 20, 21, 25
Jaws – March 27, 28, April 1
Raiders of the Lost Ark – April 3, 4, 8
Ghostbusters – April 10, 11, 15

Fridays & Saturday @ Midnight
Wednesday @ 9:00 thru April 15

Why aren’t the fiscal conservatives or the fiscally responsible in Tallahassee asking why the state of Florida is paying a national corporation that made a record $2.2 billion profit last year – up 26 percent from the year before, incidentally – so much for a project that some observers say could be done for one-third or less than the current price tag? — State Budget Priorities: Florida Holds Gold Mine for CSX

The Ledger editorial writers understand what so many reporters in Central Florida have missed with their questions about train noise and city versus city squabbles. The CSX deal is corporate welfare at a time when the citizens of this state can not afford to pay for basic services.

I urge you to take the time to pass along The Ledger editorial to your friends and family. Take a moment to explain the history of the commuter project. Remind them this isn’t a deal for a commuter railroad, this is a deal to railroad the commuters.

photo credit: by Chuck Welch for Metro I4 News

This is a news media website not just a blog. We cover news and events of all types in Orlando, Tampa and between. I like to think we can provide stories from a different perspective and give you more than other local media and news outlets. But for this story, that would have had pictures and video, we cannot.

And I was looking forward to covering this event in “a frigid 9 degrees Fahrenheit.”