28277: Maflobell: (comment) Haiti Advisory Group Letter (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Maflobell@aol.com

April 6, 2006


Dear Editor:

Your editorial of April 2nd and a previous Sun-Sentinel article seem to
misrepresent facts related to Governor Jeb Bushâ??s â??Florida-Haiti
Initiativeâ??.
While it is unfortunately true that in the 2005 legislative session, the
Florida
Legislature reduced the Governorâ??s recommended international affairs budget
by
$2.83 million, including funding for implementation of Haiti assistance
recommendations and for the Governorâ??s FTAA Secretariat campaign, Florida
efforts
to assist Haiti have continued to move forward with zeal.

Despite the lack of State funding and significant political unrest in Haiti,
the Governorâ??s Office has been able to accomplish a great deal in the few
short months since the release of the Haiti Advisory Group Report.  Working
with a
number of entities, some of the State of Floridaâ??s accomplishments include
the following:  criminal forensics training of Haitian National Police (PNH)
officers in Florida as well as the securing of criminal forensic equipment for
the PNH, the recruitment and dispatch of election observers from the offices
of
Florida supervisors-of-elections for the February 2006 Haitian presidential
elections, the briefing/training of Haitian civil protection officials in
Florida and Haiti in preparation for the upcoming hurricane season, and the
securing
of federal funding for Haitian student scholarships for study at Florida
community colleges.

These are just a few examples; many, many more can be found in the
comprehensive Florida-Haiti Initiative status report, which can be found on
the Governorâ??
s Office website at http://internationalaffairs.flgov.com/

For fiscal year 2006-2007 and the second legislative session in a row,
Governor Bush has recommended State funding for the implementation of Haiti
Advisory
Group recommendations.  If the Florida Legislature sees fit to fund this
noble initiative, much more work can be done in Haiti.  And it could not come
at a
better time. With a newly-elected and long-awaited Haitian President soon to
be sworn into office, the country is at a crucial turning point in its
history.  President Prevalâ??s recent editorial highlighted the same areas as
the Haiti
Advisory Group: security, disaster preparedness/environment and economic
development. Governor Bush and the State of Florida should be commended for
continuing to extend the hand of supportive friendship to Floridaâ??s
Caribbean
neighbors in Haiti.

Sincerely,



Marie F. S. Bell
Former Chair
Governorâ??s Haiti Advisory Group


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