Identifying Local Opportunities

1. Robert Knight: Law preserves status quo for polluters
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A9388BE6DE2E18?p=AWNB

Over the years, many of Florida's most esteemed waters been suffering from pollution. Because of a lack of enforcement and a lack of quality environmental laws, restoring these waters would cost Florida taxpayers billions in order to revert the effects of decades worth of pollution. This month, the Florida Legislature passed the 2016 Florida Springs and Aquifer Protection Act and was signed off by Gov. Rick Scott. So far, this bill gives the appearance of increased protection of Florida's water resources, but it still retains the failed and ineffective regulations that have persisted over the years. When voting, nearly all Democrats and Republicans supported this bill, proving that the situation is dire, and should be a wake-up call to Florida's voters who care about the environment and the future of our water supplies. Even if it as the cost of some corporations making a fast profit, if voters value drinking clean water and enjoying the recreational uses of clean springs, beaches, and rivers, Florida voters should continue to vote the way they have been.

The problem in this story is that over the years Florida's water supplies have constantly been polluted. If the waters were to be restored it would cost Florida tax-payers billions of dollars. New legislation needs to be enacted and enforced to prevent worsening conditions.

Because it is the water supply that is being polluted, this problem affects any person resident or non-resident of Florida who drinks Florida's water or uses its waters for recreational activities.

2. Caught on camera: Women who drugged dates, stole their Rolexes
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A885EAB30D2B08?p=AWNB

In Sunny Isles Beach at the Porterhouse bar, a group of women scarcely dressed approached two men in their 50s. After being enamored by the ladies, the men invited the women back to a Hollywood home in an upper scale community. At the house, the women then proceeded to drug the men and steal their Rolex watches. When the men awoke, they immediately realized their watches had been stolen and five more had been stolen from a safe.

The problem in this story is that two men were drugged and then stolen from.

The two male victims have the problem in this article. They were both drugged and raped by these women. The community also has the problem, because these criminals are still out there, so all of society is till at risk.

3. Miami Dolphins search for cheerleaders in Latin America
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A885EAC9675170?p=AWNB

The Miami Dolphins are searching for new cheerleaders; however, for the first time in the team's history, they are searching in Latin America. The Dolphins are looking to bring in at least one cheerleader from each country back to the United States, but the Dolphins are unsure of how many would be selected from Latin American countries. If selected, new cheerleaders will have one-year contracts, and the Miami Dolphins will work with the cheerleaders to get the right authorization and documentation to work here in the US.

The problem in this story is that the Miami Dolphins is in the need of new cheerleaders. 

Here, the Miami Dolphins specifically have them problem.

4. Decline in projected revenue leaves doubt about the fate of Scott's tax cut proposal
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A885EB1637F148?p=AWNB

Gov. Rick Scott's plan of $1 billion in tax cuts is running into further trouble as the financial markets continue to tumble. Florida State budget forcasters estimate a loss of nearly $400 million less for the budget than orginally planned. This most recent forcast could has a bigger impact than a set back for Scott's tax cuts. It could potentially mean a smaller amount of money for lawmakers to be able to use on other priorities such as the supporting the state's prision systems, mental health services, and growing Medicaid costs. The next fear is that if the markets do not start going back up, consumer confidence may begin to decline which in turn will begin to hurt sales tax collections - the dominant revenue sorce for the state.

The problem in this article is that the financial markets are down. With this, Gov. Scott's plans for $1 billion tax cuts may not be possible, and the state may face future problems, such as a smaller pool of money for lawmakers to spread on needed state services.

Here Gov. Scott has a problem in which his plans won't come to fruition. In addition, Florida's legislatures also have a problem in which they may not be able to afford to pay for their state services.

5. Traffic alert: Lanes back open after fatal crash on Julia Tuttle Causeway
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/15A8360DDBC350A8?p=AWNB

On the Julia Tuttle Causeway, a woman was killed in a car accident that shut down the westbound lanes for five hours. The incident was reported to have occured around 5 a.m. when the driver hit a guardrail, spun out of control, and collided with a Porsche Panamera. After the accident, Sanchez and the passenger in the Porshe, Jose Gomez, stepped out of their vehicles into the traffic and were hit by a Hyundai SUV in which Sanchez died and Gomez  was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, as was the Porche's driver. The incident acts as a warning to all that after an accident be sure to get out of the way.

The problem in this article, is that one accident ended up causing another accident. What led to the first accident was not mentioned; however, it can be assumed that the second accident possibly occurred from there not being enough lights since the accident occurred during 5a.m.

The drivers of all the vehicles and the people injured have to problem here specifically. However, this problem remains everwhere where there isn't lights along the roads.