Key West, and now all of Monroe County, is teaching the rest of Florida what it's got to do to protect coastal water: Build sewage treatment plants, make every building in every town connect.

I've written some variation of this letter many times over the last decade and each time I've set it aside, hewing to the old advice, "If you can't say something nice " But then, I am upbraided by supporters for leaving charges unanswered, saying silence is agreement.