Assignment 5A

Identifying Local Opportunities

• "University of Florida grads will walk a smaller stage, upsetting some "by Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
• https://www.gainesville.com/sports/20180910/university-of-florida-grads-will-walk-smaller-stage-upsetting-some
• Published September 10th, 2018
• Description: The University of Florida has enacted a new plan for commencement ceremonies that will begin in December. Graduates will no longer walk across the stage in the O'Connell Center. Instead, graduates will meet in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and then have their individual graduations in ceremonies with their individual colleges. However, the four largest colleges within the University will be holding their individual ceremonies in the O'Connell Center. This change is an effort to make graduation ceremonies shorter but it has been met with resistance from students, specifically those in smaller colleges.
• The Problem: Students in smaller colleges will no longer be able to walk across the stage in the O'Connell Center. Instead they will be downgraded to ceremonies in the Reitz Union, the Florida Gym, and the University Auditorium. These students feel that this change is unfair and that they should be able to graduate in the traditional way.
• The People: Students who are students of numerous colleges that have less students that have to graduate in a place other than the O'Connell Center.

• "Duval County Schools again outspend revenue" by Denise Amos of the Florida Times Union.
• http://www.jacksonville.com/news/20180910/duval-county-schools-again-outspend-revenue
• Published September 10th, 2018
• Description: Duval Schools have spent more money than they have taken in as general revenue. Florida sets funding for school districts based on enrollment. Meaning that the more students enrolled in Duval schools, the more state and federal funding. However, Duval has been losing a drastic amount of students to charter schools and therefore are losing millions of dollars in funding. This is one of the biggest reasons for their overspending. Duval is also utilizing older buildings, which are more costly to operate. Instruction costs and student support services also rose in the past year.
• The Problem: Duval schools have outspend their revenue resulting in a deficit. This financial struggle could eventually result in the closing of many schools in the Duval district and the influx of students to charter schools in the area.  
• The People: Staff of Duval county schools, parents, and students attending these schools, tax payers in the Duval area.

• "Beach erosion causes concern at Porpoise Point" by Stuart Korfhage of the St. Augustine Record. 
• http://www.staugustine.com/news/20180904/beach-erosion-causes-concern-at-porpoise-point
• Published September 4th, 2018
• Description: Rough seas have resulted in extensive erosion in the Porpoise Point area of Vilano Beach. This could potentially lead to a temporary bans on vehicles driving on the beach. Temporary beach access should be able to be retained, with full closure only happening for a few hours a day. 
• The Problem: Vilano Beach is experiencing severe erosion to the point where the beach may have to be temporarily closed to vehicles.
• The People: Tourists visiting Vilano beach and the residents of Vilano Beach.

• "Thanks to e-cigarettes, students are smoking in class. Miami Beach wants it to stop" by Kyra Gurney and Colleen Wright of the Miami Herald.
• https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/miami-beach/article217951685.html
• Published September 11th, 2018
• Description: At Miami Beach Senior High, students are now smoking e-cigarettes in the bathroom, during lunch, and are even sneaking puffs while a teacher's back is turned. E-cigarettes have a sleek design and unique flavors, they have become a fad among teenagers in the U.S. The use of e-cigarettes has grown by 900 percent. Federal law prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under the age of eighteen. However, Miami Beach students report that students often order the e-cigarettes online and use a fake ID to buy them and then go to a smoke shop that won't check their ID. Aleksandr Boskner has proposed cracking down on the sale of e-cigarettes to minors, this would include online retailers. 
• The Problem: The increase in e-cigarette use in minors could erase the previous years of effort to curb smoking among young people. E-cigarette use is not only illegal for minors, but it is harming their health and increasing their chance of smoking conventional cigarettes. 
• The People: Students, staff, and faculty of Miami Beach Senior High School.

• "Flagler Beach marsh restoration plan stirs controversy" by Dinah Voyles Pulver of the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
• http://www.news-journalonline.com/news/20180909/flagler-beach-marsh-restoration-plan-stirs-controversy
• Description: Along forty acres of coastal marsh along the Intracoastal Highway, coastal restoration scientists believe that the habitat needs to be changed. The proposal is to level old spoil piles and scraping the dirt into over one hundred miles of ditching to make the area more shallow and marsh-like. This proposal is not sitting well with local fishermen who would be impacted by the transformation of this habitat.
• The Problem: The habitat of many animals could be potentially disrupted with this restoration project which is why many advocates are upset about this proposal.
• The People: Individuals that live and work in the area along the Intracoastal highway and the restoration scientists carrying out this project.