COLUMBA BUSH VISITS KEY WEST PROGRAMS

Florida First Lady Columba Bush and state Drug Control Director Jim
McDonough toured Campus South and Safeport Friday to see Key West
drug-abuse prevention programs.

Campus South Director Mark Bell said the two had many questions for program
administrators and families in the programs.

"It gave us our chance to be able to show how unique Key West is, which
sometimes gets lost in Tallahassee," Bell said.

Bush, an advocate for substance-abuse programs, especially those that
target children, regularly travels the state with McDonough to discover
successful drug prevention and treatment programs.

"It is always enlightening to visit programs that inform the whole family
about the dangers of drugs and allow them to take positive steps toward
making a better future for themselves," Bush stated in a news release about
her Key West visit. "I'm glad that the Key West Housing Authority has
become so involved with helping our families live drug-free lives."

The Campus South and Safeport programs include the Governor's Drug-Free
Communities program called Drug-Free Kids. Safeport faced a funding crisis
last year, but intervention by the Guidance Clinic of the Middle Keys saved
the program, which currently operates with a federal grant.

Bell said McDonough hinted that more money may be available for Safeport in
the future through funding routed through the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Having the First Lady and a top drug official at the programs was a
positive sign for the programs, Bell said. "She listens and asks very
pertinent questions."