Monday, December 30

Donations from hundreds of Bay area residents may be gone.

The charity known as ‘Earth Share of Florida’ says it can’t figure out where all the money went. Auditors and law enforcement officials are now looking into the matter.

The former director, John LaBounty, is someone they are looking at very carefully. The charity organization ousted him from his post several months ago.

Earth Share takes donations from state and federal employees’ paychecks to help fund 22 environmental causes in the Sunshine State. Some of the groups that benefit from their efforts include: Friends of the Everglades, Audubon of Florida and Save the Manatee Club.

Given the current economic situation in our country, the organization is not receiving as much money.

-- Anonymous, December 30, 2002