Metro I-4 News

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I think a lot of us would give up email if only because of spam: E-mail backlash moves workers to text, but we also need to think about the Florida Sunshine law. How do we keep records of text messages sent. There are ways, but we need to make it mandatory for all Florida government organizations.

In housing news: Orlando-area home sales post gains and Foreclosures still rising, but some see hope

Florida Southern College is named on the “best and most interesting” schools in the country: Book Ranks FSC Among Best Schools

This should come as no surprise to those involved with CSX and the FDOT: Railroad Info Meeting Underwhelms Audience

Drilling for oil on our coast will not help you get to work: Floridians Should Not Be Panicked Into Sacrificing Their Coast

A little bonus for today: USF Polytechnic Technology Incubator Needed in Downtown Lakeland

MI4 is taking tomorrow off. We’ll be back on Sunday with a two-day report.

You’re doing your part by washing and recycling all those glass bottles. What part is the county doing? Not all glass makes the cut in Orlando-area recycling I wonder how well it works in the rest of the region?

Lakeland commissioners take a different tack in the long battle with CSX and FDOT: Lakeland to Hire Lawyer To Argue Train Issues

USF has a program for 1st generation college students: Program A Bridge To College Success

Trib editorial writers take on the gambling crisis: Gambling Governor Loses His Deal In High-Stakes Game Over Casinos

Bonus articles for today:

Freelance workers get together in Orlando’s coworking spot aiming to open in September

It seems that county mayor isn’t popular with everyone: Hillsborough County Mayor Ballot Initiative Challenged

Did the failure of the TV drama Cane lead US Sugar to make the decision to pull out of Florida? State to pay U.S. Sugar $1.7B for Everglades land

Voters are finding that simply deciding to cut property taxes made government less stable. Groups Line Up To Oppose ‘Tax Swap’ , Haven Residents Blast New User Fees and State Revenue Erodes Further As Sales Tax Brings In Less

Local colleges need to expand, but some are having an easier time than others: LRMC Board ‘Excited’ About New Campus and PCC Seeks Right Deal For Campus Property

Restaurants seem to be the canaries in the coal mine for the economy Donatos Pizzeria closes doors in Orlando, cuts about 140 jobs

We’re still roughly two weeks from Selection Sunday so let’s roll out one of my favorite college basketball gimmicks, the blind resume comparison. The following are two Florida teams on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.
Teams -+-+-+ Exhibit A - Exhibit B
Record -+-+-+ 21-8 -+-+-+-+20-8
Conf Record - 8-6 -+-+-+-+ 7-7
RPI -+-+-+-+-+ 60 -+-+-+-+-+ 25
Despite a [...]

Tuesday House Representative Seth McKeel introduced HB 1143. Simply entitled University of South Florida Lakeland, HB1143 states:

An act relating to the University of South Florida Lakeland; creating s. 1004.345, F.S.; establishing and designating the University of South Florida Lakeland campus; providing legislative intent; requiring the Board of Trustees to appoint a Campus Board; providing membership, powers, and duties of the Campus Board; providing that the university is administered by a Campus Executive Officer; requiring the President of the University of South Florida to consult with the Campus Board before hiring or terminating the Campus Executive Officer; providing duties and powers of the Campus Executive Officer; providing that students enrolled at a branch campus of the university have the same rights as other students; requiring the University of South Florida to provide for a system of student registration that meets certain conditions; providing an effective date.

That pretty much sums up the bill. You can read a PDF of the full bill here.

Miami (19-7) : beat Duke, Maryland
No team in the country (not even Tennessee) did more to help themselves than the Canes did last week. The Canes’ RPI shot up from 36th to 25th best and went from being just outside the bubble to firmly in. Barring a late season collapse the Canes should be [...]