Our View 6A Subway set 8A Mercury recall 10A Jail (site) break … for Laurel interchange Businesses pay attention Adopt a pet Looking VENICE • for a “furever” home stm , 1B LOCAL NEWS COVER TO COVER AWARD-WINNING WEEKLY NEWSPAPER 50 CENTS VOLUME 64 NUMBER 34 WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY EDITION, AUG. 19-21, 2009 AN EDITION OF THE SUN FAA Land Use Audit Leases under fire BY GREG GILES pensation to the airport fund. Much amiss at Venice airport NEWS EDITOR Location: Various parcels. An FAA land use audit dated BY GREG GILES Aug. 10 reviewed deeds, leases NEWS EDITOR and other documents dating back to the original Venice Municipal Airport quitclaim As if the city of Venice didn’t deed in 1947. The audit found have enough on its plate with a a number of irregularities that formal Part 16 complaint unless corrected could subject pending with the Federal the city to civil penalties over Aviation Administration, now the following leases: the FAA has released results of The Pier Group/Sharky’s Rest- a special audit of the Venice aurant — Numerous concerns airport, and the news is any- with a new lease, including thing but good. escalation/rental rates and The city made public the skimpy revenues (only one- FAA land use audit on Tuesday. third goes to the airport fund). It has far reaching implications City must revoke, modify or for the Venice Municipal amend the terms. Airport — further solidifying Location: One-acre parcel the FAA’s long-held position off Harbor Drive on the beach that Lake Venice Golf Club’s SUN PHOTO BY GREG GILES SUN PHOTOS BY GREG GILES abutting the Venice Municipal driving range is in a safety Fishing Pier. zone, and it has to go. Small jets like the one pictured above and smaller aircraft share a tie- Senior Friendship Center — A The report, written a week down area at Venice Municipal Airport. 1993 audit found that rents earlier on Aug. 10, found a below fair market value, yet series of non-aeronautic leases out preferred aeronautic-relat- of parcels transferred from the were never increased. that were not approved by the ed businesses. U.S. government via quit claim Location: Off Shamrock FAA, as required in its original The FAA also wants the city deeds or the current airport Boulevard. Two acres of a larg- quit claim deeds. The leases to demonstrate that the pro- property boundary.” er 48-acre parcel donated for will have to be approved, and ceeds from the disposal of air- temporary use as a disposal in some cases, renegotiated to port property were properly Plan required site in 1963 to build the In- ensure the airport fund re- reinvested in airport capital The city has 30 days to sub- tracoastal canal. ceives its fair share of rent in- improvements. mit a “corrective action plan” Festival grounds — No formal Lake Venice Golf Club driving come. Unlike aeronautic leas- The audit even questions that explains why it didn’t seek lease or agreement was found range —The driving range is es, non-aeronautic leases are airport boundaries, saying FAA concurrence when it en- for “municipal uses” like festi- part of the Venice Golf Asso- required to fetch fair market property maps from 1947 tered into a number of non- vals, overflow parking and ciation leasehold and “appears value. It’s a mechanism used so through 2005 “don’t appear to drop yards for construction. non-aviation uses don’t force consistently define the limits Please see AMISS, 4A None of the uses provide com- Please see FIRE, 5A State removes GED Exit Option Credit card companies BY NATALIE NEYSA ALUND ploma. The GED Exit Option BRADENTON HERALD program was just another choice for students to get it.” crunch consumers As of this month, the state “She called the bank and has done away with the GED ‘Five more’ told them she could only Exit Option, an alternative The Florida GED require- afford to pay $20 a month graduation program that al- ments include being at least instead of what they were ask- lowed Florida high school stu- 18 years old — or being grant- ing,” Lydecker said. “And she dents in jeopardy of not grad- ed a GED age waiver — and asked if she could put her pay- uating with their class to earn passing the GED tests. ment on hold for a couple of diplomas if they met other In the Sarasota County months while she was in tran- requirements, including pass- School District, 159 students sition moving to another place. ing the state FCAT exam and used the GED Exit program to They told her no. The $20 a GED tests. receive diplomas during the month wasn’t good enough for The Florida Department of 2007-08 school year. Statistics them.” Education announced that a for the 2008-09 year were not Linda Wheeler, of Port formal review of the program available, district spokesman Charlotte, said she charges revealed there is no “statutory Scott Ferguson said. He did everything every month and authority” to issue those stu- say the average number of pays off the balance at the end dents mainstream diplomas. GED Exit Option diplomas of the month. Her friend, Sue “As a result, the GED Exit distributed during the 2004- Bassett, of Plant City, said she Option will no longer be avail- 2008 school years each year does the same thing. Bassett able to students in Florida as was 154. said she heard the credit card of Aug. 1, 2009,” Frances Han- Sarasota County School companies are going to start cock, the state’s chancellor of Board Chair Caroline Zucker charging those who pay off public schools, wrote in a July said it wouldn’t matter if there their bills each month. 31 memo to school district were only five Sarasota Coun- “If they do that, I’ll get rid of superintendents. ty students using the program. my credit cards,” Bassett said. That means students must “That’s five students more 1 Nl “It’s a charge card world,” now qualify for a standard (graduating) than before. ki Wheeler said. diploma or other approved There are some students who Another woman, who chose graduation options, including will only graduate because of Pe i to remain anonymous, said a GED equivalency diploma. the GED Exit program,” she she doesn’t have credit cards The exit option program said. “I think we need to be f T but her cousin does and com- had allowed enrolled high offering more options. And I plained about increased fees. school students in jeopardy of can’t understand why the state “She is never late on a pay- not graduating with their doesn’t have statutory author- ment, but they raised her rates classmates to get a diploma if ity. If they don’t have it, they anyway, and she was pretty they pass should get it.” upset about it,” the woman FCAT and Although Sarasota County said. “They don’t care if you GED tests. students also can take advan- pay on time. They don’t want Other tage of the Performance-Bas- SUN FILE GRAPHIC people to pay on time. They requirements ed Diploma program, which want those who don’t pay on included 1 ? • includes specialized classes Credit card companies are incresing interest rates before the law goes time so they can get more they be age that allow students to work at into effect. money on those late fees,” the 17 or older their own pace, Zucker wasn’t woman added. and enrolled sure what, if anything, would BY AUDREY BLACKWELL fect until February 2010, which in a dropout take the place of the GED Exit STAFF WRITER gives the card companies Politician’s response prevention Zucker program. ample time to increase interest In an e-mail, Congressman program. “I know staff is working on A bill signed into law at the rates and minimum payments Vern Buchanan said he sup- Students who qualified things to help students gradu- end of May may prove benefi- due from card holders who ported the new credit card stayed enrolled in school and ate — although it’s not like we cial to consumers in the long carry a balance. The compa- rules “to protect consumers walked with their class at just want the students to use run because a main ingredient nies are raising interest rates from sudden increases in cred- graduation. the GED Exit option,” she will require a 45-day wait time and minimum payments now. it card rates by requiring a 45- “That is why it’s called the said. “We want every student before credit card companies On July 1, Christina Lydeck- day notice and an explanation exit option,” said Linda Agres- to graduate. But for those stu- can increase interest rates on er, of Venice, said a friend of before rates can be increased.” ta, who oversees the GED Exit dents who can’t any other way, balances owed. hers got a letter from her cred- When told that credit card Option program at Manatee I think it’s a shame.” It’s the short run that is it card company saying she companies are increasing in- Technical Institute. “We are Sun staff writer Anne proving difficult for some card would have to pay more than terest rates and minimum pay- always happy when someone Klockenkemper contributed to holders. she was paying on her balance achieves their high school di- this report. The law doesn’t go into ef- of $800. 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