LAKE ALFRED - Firefighters are battling a 500-acre brush fire near Interstate 4 and State Road 557. ...more

January 8, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - The city is asking for the public's ideas and comments on what to do with the site of Tropicana Field, and today is the last day to let officials know whether you wish to comment. ...more

January 7, 2008

PEBBLE CREEK - Bill Place's long drive to bring miniature golf to New Tampa ended up in 2007 as a slice into the rough. His plan, unveiled in fall 2005, for the 18-hole, forest-themed course at the entrance to the Pebble Creek community immediately drew opposition. ...more

January 2, 2008

Editor's Note: We are republishing this letter to the editor due to an error. We apologize for the error. It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. ...more

December 27, 2007

Opponents of a proposed apartment complex east of the Albertson's shopping plaza at Bloomingdale Avenue and Lithia-Pinecrest Road are trusting there is strength in numbers. ...more

December 26, 2007

Imagine being an 8- or 9-year-old foster child without the stability of loving parents or a permanent place to call home. ...more

December 22, 2007

It is good that our county leaders are seeking sound suggestions for the future growth of our county. It would have been more significant if they had actually accepted and followed through on suggestions in the last five years. For instance, a number of citizens had pleaded for alternate arterial roads parallel to U.S. 27. There are still no through arterial roads unless you count the Sebring Parkway, which has a number of traffic lights, and is a number of years from completion north of Avon Park. Even the 2025-year bypass from south Sebring will stretch west into Hardee County and come back to U.S. 27 in Polk County. Great concern had been expressed about development in wetlands and flood-plains, to no avail. The recent decision to rebuild State Road 8 at twice the cost, because of the low-lying topography, apparently ignored that concern. Even after the county government bought a number of houses in that area due to flooding, the county commission approved another permit to build in Venus. The fact that some areas in this county are un-developable apparently is not a logical deterrent to development. The issue of conserving water run-off has been in the news recently, and the related agencies have expressed concern about employing a number of measures to achieve that goal. This includes preventing pollution of our lakes. Rain run-off must have a place (wetlands and flood plains) where it can be filtered into the aquifer. ...more

December 21, 2007

The Apollo Beach Manatee Festival of the Arts is accepting artist applications for its 16th annual fine arts festival through Jan. 15. ...more

December 19, 2007

Imagine being an 8- or 9-year-old foster child without the stability of loving parents or a permanent place to call home. ...more

December 13, 2007

Is development attorney Joel Tew running Pasco County? I sat in the Pasco County Development Review Committee meeting Nov. 29 and watched as Tew misrepresented one important fact about the Citrus Ridge project, proposed on 112 acres just west of the Dade City city limits off St. Joe Road, for well over an hour. ...more

December 9, 2007