Progressive Principles for Florida's Future Florida continues to be an attractive place to live, work, raise a family and enjoy retirement for more than 16 million residents. Our state remains a magnet for tens of thousands of Americans who relocate here each year. Millions of others visit annually, attracted by our climate, natural beauty, diversity, vitality and man-made attractions. Yet even as Floridians enjoy the quality of life in the nation's fourth-largest state, looming challenges require attention to conserve the best of Florida and build upon our prosperity. Continued rapid growth tests our ability to attract well-paying jobs, provide high-quality K-12 and higher education, secure access to health care, protect our safety, manage growth, and provide basic assistance for those who need it. Although these and other challenges are daunting, they need not overwhelm us. Fortunately, Florida's history has been marked by progressive civic, business and political leaders who acted with foresight to meet large challenges. They established our traditions of government in the sunshine, of enlightened growth management and conservation of lands, and of investments in public education, community colleges and universities. They helped make the well-being of children and senior citizens essential components of a shared vision of the kind of state Florida should be. None of these examples of progress happened quickly or without energetic debate and conflict. But because leaders in the past aimed high, they left Florida a better place. Our necessity and opportunity today is to follow in their path: to meet large challenges in ways that advance Floridians' quality of life. The Florida Forum for Progressive Policy is designed to help Florida's leaders meet these challenges. We believe the state's future will be determined in large part by how well we address seven fundamental principles: Promoting a vigorous, diverse economy. Although Florida's unemployment rate is slightly below the national average, the state remains too dependent on low-paying service jobs. Despite attempts to increase high-tech employment and entrepreneurship, the state must find more effective ways to foster creation of better-paying jobs. A special challenge exists in helping working families and individuals rise above poverty. Providing high-quality public schools, community colleges and universities. The link between education and economic growth is indisputable, yet Florida's investments in public schools, colleges and universities have lagged behind other states in recent years. Worse challenges lie ahead, as budget cutbacks threaten access to community colleges and universities, engines of the state's economic growth. Promoting a humane, accessible, affordable health care system, especially for the elderly and the very young. Too many Floridians remain without health insurance, and the rising cost of prescription drugs demands action on both the state and federal levels. Strengthening the values of family, community and service. Florida's people and families benefit whenever citizens give back to their neighbors and communities. Service to others and sharing responsibility for the well-being of fellow citizens is a vital public interest. Making Florida safer. Despite sharing in the nation's decrease in crime rates during the 1990s and despite high per-capita expenditures for police and prisons, Florida still has one of the highest crime rates in the nation. New strategies are called for the make our criminal justice, juvenile justice and corrections systems even more effective. Protecting private property rights and the future of Florida's environment. Our coasts, open lands, lakes, the Everglades and other natural assets must be preserved and new incentives developed to help us leave our environment better than we've found it. Florida needs a new consensus on balancing private property rights, growth and protection of our natural resources. Providing government that is open, honest, accessible and responsive to the people of Florida. Sunshine and conflict of interest laws are essential to open, honest government. State and local governments must be representative of the people they serve and structured to provide access to ordinary citizens. Individuals must be protected from prejudice or intrusion into their private lives by government. The Florida Forum for Progressive Policy is dedicated to these guiding principles. We hope this effort will help bring out the best in Floridians today to build a better place for our children and grandchildren tomorrow.