Opinion: State effort at child protection is much improved

The safety of the child is the paramount concern of the Department of Children and Families and the five sheriff's departments (including Pasco and Pinellas) that conduct child abuse investigations.

Florida's once-beleaguered child protection system has greatly improved under the leadership of Gov. Jeb Bush and the Legislature. Their commitment to our most vulnerable children has resulted in a 94 percent increase in resources to fight child abuse and neglect. It is making a difference.

The editorial suggests that Florida has thousands of children whose safety "hangs in the balance" because of shoddy and rushed investigations and that the backlog prevents workers from fully investigating child abuse cases. That is not true.

Here are the facts:

Cases are in backlog -- open for more than 60 days -- for a variety of reasons, including (a) there are pending criminal investigations pertaining to that case; (b) judges have not yet ruled on pending dependency cases or (c) investigators are awaiting additional evidence. In some cases, investigators have been unable to locate the family, often because the family does not want to be located.

There is no time frame for criminal investigations. In fact, law enforcement agencies, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, have strongly recommended that no time frame be established for child welfare investigations.

Mike Watkins, a former protective investigator and supervisor, was appointed director of family safety in January 2001. His first task was to develop a means of evaluating backlog cases in order to prioritize those cases that would be of highest risk. This has allowed DCF and sheriff's investigators to reduce the backlog in one year by more than 23,000 cases statewide.

The department did cancel its contracts with a Pinellas Park-based company that was hired to assist in reviewing low-risk cases that were in backlog. A department contract monitoring revealed concerns with the handling of these cases by the provider. The inspector general is reviewing the entire matter at my request to determine if there is fault on the part of the department, as well as the provider. In the interim, we will review every case to determine whether to reopen the investigation to ensure the safety of the children involved.

The editorial suggests that the panacea is to screen out more cases at the statewide abuse hotline to reduce the number of investigations. The hotline accepts calls based on the definitions of "abuse, neglect and abandonment" as set forth in Florida law. If the caller sets forth facts that fit these statutory definitions, the call must be accepted for investigation.

No child protection system will ever be perfect. We are endeavoring to make Florida's a more competent and compassionate program, and take great pride in the steps that we have made toward this goal.
-- Kathleen A. Kearney, secretary, Department of Children and Families, Tallahassee

Stop the transportation bill

Re: In need of vetoes, April 3.

Thank you for the editorial urging a veto of the Transportation Bill (HB 261). As a Floridian and as a taxpayer, I am outraged that this sort of legislation was even passed and am urging my fellow Floridians to call on the governor to veto this bill.

This bill is bad for Florida's economy and environment. It is a bad bill for the people of Florida. It will unfairly divert toll revenue needed for road improvements in urban areas to construct costly sprawl-inducing roads to nowhere throughout rural Florida. We need to protect the rural and natural lands of Florida. We need to improve our transportation infrastructure where people live, not build roads with questionable need.

The bill is fiscally irresponsible, promotes risky bonding and encourages big government by letting the state get involved in building hotels, restaurants and other pursuits that would compete with private business.

Gov. Jeb Bush should veto HB 261 for the people of Florida. Anything less would be a betrayal of the public trust and make bad transportation and the sprawl situation in Florida worse.
-- Patricia Kiesylis, St. Petersburg

Phone bill will hurt many Floridians

Re: Strengthening telecommunications, letter, March 28.

In this letter to the editor, John P. Blanchard, president of Verizon's Southeast region, presented erroneous ideas about the bill soon to be sent to Gov. Jeb Bush that, if signed into law, will raise basic telephone rates in Florida. Blanchard's arguments for the bill sidestep the realities of this legislation and its impact on residential customers. As the AARP Florida state president, I want to make sure that nobody is misled.

Blanchard's primary argument is that any rate increase is subject to the authority of the Public Service Commission. Unfortunately, he severely overstates the commission's authority. Since the commission is bound by the bill to approve any petition for a rate increase that satisfies six cleverly worded criteria set forth by the Legislature, the PSC is limited to executing the Legislature's intent -- to authorize rate increases. The criteria are stated vaguely enough that phone companies will be able to meet them without guaranteeing any benefit to the average residential customer.

Blanchard also defends the bill on the premise that it expands the Lifeline program. While AARP agrees that expanding the Lifeline would be a good thing, sadly, only about 18 percent of Floridians already eligible for the program have managed to get through the eligibility process to qualify for Lifeline services, and those Lifeline recipients aren't protected from the rate increases allowed by this bill. Therefore, expanding the list of eligible recipients may not be nearly as important as developing better ways of reaching current potential recipients. This bill requires very little in that regard.

Blanchard's final argument is that the rate increase will bring competition to the marketplace. Consumers got that same promise in 1995 from the industry and the Legislature, and it did not happen. Unfortunately, nothing in this bill guarantees that competition will happen now; it only guarantees that your basic phone rate will go up, perhaps by record amounts.

AARP believes that this legislation will be detrimental to many Florida residents, but particularly to those who live on fixed incomes. Please contact Gov. Bush and urge him to veto House Bill 1683. The governor's office can be reached via AARP's Utility Hotline at (800) 651-5481.
-- Lois Herron, state president, AARP Florida, St. Petersburg

Typical of the Times

Re: Phone bills

If it weren't so St. Petersburg Times I would be amazed. First a front-page article telling us phone bills "might" go up as much as $5 in the next five years. There was no doubt where the "news" writer stood. The writer was angry the Legislature might allow this. Then, at least one lap dog columnist told us how bad the Legislature was to allow this. Finally, your feature editorial attacked the Legislature's decision. It didn't matter that the object of the possible rate was to increase competition.

The part that is so St. Petersburg Times is that if this were a tax increase, the Times would tell us it wasn't enough. The paper would excoriate the Legislature for being so parsimonious. It wouldn't matter that the tax increase promised no improvement in government services. It would be enough that taxes were to go up.

Oh well, another day at the surrealistic Times. I'm not amazed.
-- Lawrence P. Marlin, Palm Harbor

Mailing costs still a bargain

Re: Costly communications, letter, March 28.

This letter intrigued me. The letter writer states she stopped writing letters shortly before the stamp price increased to 34 cents, and that it was a "struggle" to afford to mail her Christmas cards last year, yet she states, "Thank God for e-mail." Most Internet service providers cost $19.99 per month. That would buy 54 stamps (at the new 37-cent rate!) per month. That's 648 stamps per year.

In other countries around the world, it costs much more to mail a first-class letter. And remember, we have service to our mailboxes. In most countries people have to go to the post office to pick up their mail. The U.S. Postal Service really is a bargain, even at 37 cents per stamp.
-- Jennifer Fredericks, Pinellas Park

About that parent accountability

Re: Parents assure accountability of private schools, letter, March 30.

According to Gov. Jeb Bush, private school students do not need testing to determine student achievement; they have parents -- tougher critics than the state or the St. Petersburg Times.

Why, then, do public schools have to spend so much of the teachers' and students' time taking tests to determine student achievement? Why not leave that to the tougher critics, the parents, as well?

Gov. Bush did not respond to the criticism that private schools do not all require teacher certification and/or the same educational requirements as the public schools.

His sarcastic response shows his disdain for public education, public school teachers, their students and the parents of the public school children.
-- Jeanne S. Knowles, St. Petersburg

Is Bush getting desperate?

Re: Bush side scores McBride e-mail list, March 28.

Is this governor desperate for votes or what? Is he suddenly afraid to get pummeled in the debates after Bill McBride wins the Democratic primary and then brings Jeb back down to earth?

I was one of the unfortunate ones who managed to get this e-mail from the Bush/Brogan campaign. Believe me, the last thing I'll ever do is support someone from the Bush family regime.

As much as I even hate looking at that e-mail again, part of it says, "Education has been the highest priority of the Bush-Brogan administration. The governor has worked tirelessly to ensure that our students are learning more and that Florida's public schools are improving through higher standards, increased funding, and greater accountability."

Um, yeah, that's why Florida is just about last in every category in education. They say they would be "honored for your support and invite you to join our campaign." Sorry, Jeb, but I know that McBride is much more worthy of my support.
-- Dave Cutler, Tampa

The gas-price equation

Re: The blame for high gas prices, editorial, April 2.

This editorial blames the high price of gasoline on the drivers of automobiles and the gas guzzlers, SUVs, minivans and trucks. Well, who are the people who make these vehicles? The auto manufacturers. Now let's talk about the real reason.

How much money is paid out by these auto manufacturers and the oil and gas industry to re-elect those 62 senators who voted against the fuel economy bill? How many of those senators were Democrats? Our elected officials voted us down the river again.

Let's not blame Sept. 11 for all that happens. Let's also think about the ending of the summer travel season especially when all the snowbirds go back North. Then watch the price go down.
-- Walden St. Germain, Hudson

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