It's always nice to get good news on a Friday, especially on Friday the 13th! According to the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), Hank Fishkind, a Florida economist, has announced that home sales have finally hit the bottom and although they are still declining slightly, they are beginning to stabilize! Look at the prices of these deals in Pinellas County, Florida; water front homes for $250,000?!?

However, (there is always a 'however'), due to Florida's reliance on tourism, the economy of the state will not improve until the rest of the country's economy shows signs of improvement! When those figures start an incline will depend on the results of the $789 billion economic stimulus package that was proposed by the Obama Administration and is expected to pass Congress this week!

According to the St. Pete Times, Gov. Charlie Crist predicts that the share of the stimulus package that would reach Florida could unofficially be between 5-6 billion dollars, almost enough to cover the projected budget deficit of next year!

The stimulus money is expected to be used to re-start road construction projects, cover the costs of new water projects, put millions into medical research, aid those that have lost their jobs in keeping health insurance, and provide funding for schools.

Will these plans jump-start the economy? Maybe, it will jump start it, but I don't think it will be enough to keep it running smoothly for the future. Helping those that have lost their jobs keep their health insurance is really nice; however, it's not going to put them back to work! Is the state going to provide health insurance for the unemployed, for the rest of their lives? What we need to do is create jobs and job training for those whose trades are becoming extinct, to make way for a new upcoming era!

Hopefully, Gov. Crist will start to broaden his box as well as Mr. Adkins, Hernando County Commissioner, and stop putting band-aids on broken arms.