“But everybody does it” is a familiar excuse by teenagers.

It’s also the argument that Sen. Jeff Brandes makes for raising the speed limit on Florida highways to 75 mph.

The GOP lawmaker has co-sponsored a bill to hike the speed by 5 mph, saying that he wants to help drivers get to their destinations faster without copping a speeding ticket.

Not so fast, says Judithanne McLauchlan, his Democratic challenger in District 22, which covers parts of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Sounding like the college professor that she is, McLauchlan is taking Brandes to task for failing to address “serious problems” with the Bay area’s transportation needs.

Raising the speed limit is just “tinkering around the edges” of significant challenges to the state’s economic future, says McLauchlan, who is making her first run for elective office.

McLauchlan attacks Brandes for his “opposition to public transportation… and now, increased speed limits,” describing it as a "failure" in leadership.

Brandes chairs the Senate's Transportation Committee, where his speed limit bill will be heard when the Legislature convenes in March.

Brandes says that the bill is common sense, because it reflects the driving habits of Floridians. Seventeen other states set maximum speed limits above 70 mph.

The bill seems to be gaining some traction among lawmakers and drivers.

If the new norm is 75, will many motorists gun their cars to 80, assuming that it's OK to speed — just a little?

Everybody does it.

Tampa Bay fundraiser for the Philippines: Filipino organizations in the Tampa Bay area are rallying to help friends and family suffering after a massive typhoon swept across their country.

With tens of thousands of victims in need of food, clean water and shelter, the Philippine Cultural Foundation of Tampa Bay is organizing a major fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 23, that will run from 5 p.m. until midnight.

People are encouraged to bring in monetary and in-kind donations, such as canned foods.

The fundraiser has the support of many well-established Filipino organizations across southwest Florida, including the Association of Filipino Students, the Fil-Am Clubs, Pilipino American Chamber of Commerce, and the Philippine Medical Society Gulf Coast.

If you or your organization want to donate, the Philippine Cultural Foundation is located at the Bayanihan Arts and Events Center, 14301 Nine Eagles Drive, Tampa.

People also can bring in donations during the day on Nov. 23. For more information, call 813-925-1232 or visit www.pcfitampa.org

New name, same VA hospital: Today is the first full day that the Bay Pines Veterans Administration Medical Center will go by a new name.

The hospital complex is now the C.W. Bill Young Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in honor of the congressman who served Florida for 42 years.

President Barack Obama signed legislation Wednesday renaming the VA medical center to memorialize Young, who served in Congress for 22 terms. Young secured millions of dollars in military contracts and military-related jobs for the Tampa Bay area.

Young died Oct. 18 and was laid to rest in the Bay Pines National Cemetery, which is next to the medical center that now bears his name.

Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and GOP Sen. Marco Rubio co-sponsored the legislation to memorialize their fellow lawmaker from Florida.

“This is a fitting way to recognize Bill Young’s extraordinary legacy of public service and his unwavering support of our veterans,” Nelson said.

This article appears in Nov 14-20, 2013.