Dateline Florida

By TIMES WIRES
Published March 1, 2007

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SCHOOLS' REFUSAL OF BONUS MONEY PUZZLES GOVERNOR

Gov. Charlie Crist seemed baffled Wednesday that the Pinellas School Board rejected $6.1-million in state money for teacher bonuses. The board on Tuesday said "no thanks" to the program to award 5 percent bonuses to the top 25 percent of teachers. Pasco officials rejected it Wednesday. Many teachers say it relies too much on the FCAT. Crist agrees, but was surprised they would walk away from money. "I'm not about forcing people to do anything," he told reporters at a Black History Month event at the Science Center of St. Petersburg. "I think what we need to do is encourage them to use that money for its intended purpose - and that is, pay teachers more."

Punctuation police snare candidate

Forget illegal contributions, dirty tactics and sign theft. Apparently what riles the Florida Elections Commission is punctuation. Just ask state Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, who was fined $500 last week for adding an extra period to the required disclaimer "Political Advertisement. Paid for and approved by Rick Kriseman," on campaign materials this fall, making it two sentences. "The lawyer in me wanted to fight it," said Kriseman. "But the state representative in me said, 'You've been elected to serve the people, and you have more important things to deal with.' "

BayWalk accident

A boy struck by a falling speaker is off a ventilator, but still in critical condition. Doctors say his brain is damaged.

Bills would make the music official

Florida has an official state bird, flower, fruit and the like - so how about an official state orchestra? Two Republican lawmakers from Tampa, Sen. Victor Crist and Rep. Faye Culp, have filed bills designating the Florida Orchestra the official state orchestra. This idea could hit a sour note with lawmakers who represent other orchestras.