TOP STORIES FROM LAST WEEK

POVERTY RISE, Martha Are, CEO, Central Florida Commission on Homelessness: This year’s poverty report shows a discouraging, albeit not surprising, increase in the national poverty level. The fact that Central Florida’s rate is even higher than the national level (16% compared to 11.4%) is troubling as well and contributes to our region’s challenges with homelessness.

One key thing to note, though, is that the supplemental poverty measure, which takes into account government benefits, showed improvement, indicating that government programs play a critical role in keeping people out of poverty. This is an important reminder to all of us that social services are crucial supports, especially during times of crisis.

CALCULATING DESANTIS, Dick Batchelor, president, Dick Batchelor Management Group: With so many debates about masks and vaccine requirements, Gov. DeSantis has unmasked his raw, calculated and deadly political calculation of how many more lives he is willing to expose to a deadly pandemic, while suggesting that President Biden is having a “hissy fit” about the delta variant.

Governor, might I suggest you weigh the consequences of your cavalier actions? Instead of dismissing emotions, give pause and thought to this severe illness, the loss of loved ones and their preventable bitter losses. That isn’t a “hissy fit” but sincere sentiment of simply caring for those impacted by your callous, intentional policies.

UP WITH TOURISM, Viviana Janer, vice chairwoman, Osceola County Commission:

A large part of Osceola County’s economy depends on tourism, and we all know the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our economy. There’s no doubt that the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) strengthens our local economy by supporting the tourism industry — and that the drop caused by the coronavirus deeply impacted our community.

So it was great to see Osceola’s July TDT collection hit $6.6 million — the highest ever. With two months of collections left in the current budget year, it’s safe to say we will surpass our budget projection and the total collected in 2020. Here’s looking forward to a continued rebound in the coming year.

NO MORE FSA, A.J. Marsden, assistant professor, Beacon College: The end may be nigh for the Florida Standards Assessment annual exams, and few educators, parents and students across the state are shedding tears about the potential demise of this antiquated practice. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he will ask lawmakers to ditch standardized testing and pivot to progress monitoring — a more individualistic approach to assessing students. Although this switch will take some time, it is exactly what Florida teachers need to do their jobs. When outcomes are based on testing scores, teachers’ hands are tied and student learning suffers. It’s about time we allowed our teachers to take control in their classrooms.

ORLANDO URBAN TRAIL, Anna McPherson, past president, Junior League of Metro Orlando: Driving down North Orange Avenue, you can see a lot of tree removal has recently occurred. The Orlando Urban Trail is expanding as it works to fully connect its downtown loop. With three children who enjoy biking, I’d love to see this become a safe option to take them across town.

In the Atlanta Beltline trail, retailers and restaurateurs have storefronts facing their trail, paired with outdoor artwork, which improves the vibrancy of the thoroughfare. The Downtown Loop is not quite there yet, but the potential is there. Arborists never fear: According to the city of Orlando, removed trees will soon be replaced.

FSA’S GONE, BUT WAIT, Kathleen Oropeza, co-founder, FundEducationNow. org: When something sounds too good, it usually is. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the “elimination” of the FSA at a news conference. The celebration was immediate. People thought that getting rid of the FSA meant the end of tying test scores to punitive high stakes such as mandatory third-grade retention, high-school graduation requirements, school grades, district funding and teacher evaluations.

Sadly, the replacement for FSA, “progress monitoring,” will trade a single standardized test for yearlong embedded computer assessments, which will include those same high stakes. At the news conference, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran concurred when he said, “Everything stays the same.”

PETS NEED HOMES, Jen Vargas, producer/ host, FilmSlam: Kudos to Orange County Fire Rescue and Orange County Sheriff ’s Office for their quick action during the fire at the Metro Orlando Pet Alliance in Orlando location. Their combined efforts alongside the Pet Alliance staff and Orange County Animal Services saved so many furry lives. My heart goes out to both dedicated staff and volunteers, who are already stretched so thin.

Thankfully the Pet Alliance has a great network of foster families to house animals looking for their forever homes. Keep an eye on the Pet Alliance’s social media channels to see how you can help.

PET ALLIANCE FIRE, Michael Zais, political blogger for thedrunkenrepublican. com: Amid all the craziness in the world that we’re consumed with, it all came to a screeching halt for me with the gut punch of learning of the tragic fire at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, resulting in the deaths of roughly a couple of dozen cats.

Our family has rescued two cats and a dog over the past several years from the Pet Alliance, so I can tell you from personal experience how wonderful this organization is — surely a reflection of the many caring volunteers. Always in need of donations, I would encourage folks to donate money and/or pet supplies in their time of extraordinary need.