Florida A&M University in Tallahassee just passed a tuition increase of 15%, joining several universities, including the University of Florida, that have already passed the tuition hike. The Tallahassee Democrat explains the 15% comes from “an 8-percent tuition increase and an extra fee known as the tuition differential of 7 percent.”

The tuition increases will have to come out of pocket for a lot of students; Bright Futures won’t cover the increases.

Florida tuition, however, is still grossly under the national average. According to the College Board, the average students pay to attend a Florida university is $3,792, compared to $6,585 nationally. But, that’s going to change. Florida universities are expected to increase tuition by 7% annually, until will bring ourselves up to the national average.

But, this all begs the question: Should students have to foot the bill? A 15% increase this year alone is a pretty tall order for a lot of students. Should the increases be done more gradually? The key is that students applying now will still need to take into consideration how much a 7% a year increase will affect their bottom line by Senior year- the price may be totally different.

Budget troubles have plagued Florida’s universities for a while now causing universities to cut staff, cut back on classes, and cap their employment. It’s obvious that Florida universities need more money to be competitive. But, are we pricing students out of the game? For the answer, Florida should look towards expanding it’s need based aid, for the students which the tuition hikes will affect the most.

How is the economy affecting our children? That’s the question the Sun Sentinel sought to answer this weekend.

An economic downturn doesn’t just mean stress and problems for parents. It isn’t limited to school funding cuts because of revenue shortfalls. Tough economic times also means a tougher time for our kids.

More kids are living in poverty now- which means more parents struggling to provide the basic needs for their children. In Broward county, for example, 20% of the school district’s children are on the federal subsidy that provides free breakfast and lunch; that’s up from 15% last school year.

But, what’s worse is that more children are having to change schools. It happens for a variety of reasons- maybe the rent is too expensive in the neighborhood or the family is moving for another opportunity. But, the impact is unfortunately the same. Students changing schools lose "a source of stability, friends and support for many students."

So what can we do for those students? It’s clear that this has an impact on their education. Are we doing enough- in our communities and as a state- to help these students and their families?

Starting on September 1 of this year, it’ll cost $300 more to become a Florida teacher. That’s right: in an effort to raise revenue, the state Board of Education more than tripled the cost of taking the three part certification test. Check out the story here.

The exam used to cost prospective teachers $150 to take but will now be $480.

The Florida Education Association, a partner of Worst To First, spokesman Mark Pudlow told the St. Petersburg Times, "Teacher salaries in the state of Florida are about $6,000 below the national average, and the cost of living is high. This just increases the burden on them."

Is this just another hurdle prospective teachers have to overcome in Florida? How can we do more to make it easier to become a teacher?

Florida newspapers are reporting today that a $1 a pack surcharge on cigarettes in Florida will be signed by Gov. Charlie Crist, who had previously been lukewarm on the idea of hiking cigarette taxes.

Worst To First commends Florida legislators, and lead sponsor Sen. Ted Deutch, for sending the measure to the governor. The price increase will have a measurable effect on cutting teen smoking. However, the Florida Legislature continued to protect Florida cigarette makers who don’t pay into the state’s legal settlement with tobacco companies. As a result, companies like Dosal Tobacco Corporation will still be able to increase their sales by selling cheap cigarettes to youth.

"Kids in Florida buy and smoke more than 28 million packs of cigarettes every year, and we still aren’t doing enough to protect them. Raising the price of a pack will save a lot of our kids, but we’ve left a big loophole for Dosal to keep selling cheap tobacco," said Bud Chiles, director of Worst To First. "Florida needs to tax Dosal, a cigarette company that was left out of the historic legal settlement. Dosal has increased their market share of teens by huge margins because they are able to sell cheap cigarettes to our teenagers."

What does it mean to be a Floridian these days? Is it just about how small we can shrink our government, how low we can make our taxes, how we can continue to postpone addressing critical community problems such as health care, education and community safety?

What has happened to the basic conviction that we must invest in order to reap. Where have the statesment gone-- the ones who were willing to sacrifice their popularity in order to do the best for our state? Since when does "popular" correlate with "best"?

Leave your comments below and let us know what you think it means to be a Floridian these days.

Florida has more uninsured children than almost any other state in the nation, and every month that number grows by an estimated 1,500.

Last week, Florida lawmakers took a small but significant step in reducing those numbers. As chair of the Florida Healthy Kids Corp. and as a former legislator, I was impressed with the true "hands across the table" approach many Florida lawmakers took in solving the very real problem of uninsured kids. In a true spirit of bipartisan work, leaders such as Sen. Nan Rich, D-Weston, and House members Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton; Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City; and Marcelo Llorente, R-Miami, worked together, set aside partisan differences and put the good of these kids first.

Read Loranne's entire article and comment below--Do you think a good first step was taken?

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