By now, Highlands County commissioners thought they would have collected $17 million in impact fees. ...more

February 13, 2009

I had a chuckle at the blog quoted in the Sunday article in the Highlands Today. I will tell "Abrand" that he should say "good riddance" to expensive Auto Owners as I did last year. I too had Auto Owners for over 20 years with coverage on my house, boat and two autos. I had a small $400 claim after Charley, and they paid promptly. Last year I received notice that Auto Owners would not renew my homeowner's policy on the anniversary date. After talking with my local agent, I found out that Auto Owners was "reducing their exposure" in their homeowner policies in Florida. I was assured that it was a random selection process, as they just couldn't drop the high risk storm surge policies on the coasts because it would be "discriminatory" and have repercussions. The local agent said that there were many such non-renewals in Highlands County and that they had appealed to no avail! ...more

February 7, 2009

Joining the wave of toys that were painted with lead-based paint and infant formula that was tainted, drywall from China is now raising a concern. ...more

January 12, 2009

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Insulated from the harshest effects of the housing bust - and buoyed by an abundance of energy and agriculture - five contiguous rural states have the lowest unemployment rates in the land. ...more

January 11, 2009

With its imposing size, prehistoric appearance and unique barbed snout, the sawfish once was a common sight in Florida waters, often hauled to docks as a trophy catch or dispatched by fishermen when nets ensnared the toothy bill. ...more

December 31, 2008

An administrative law judge has rejected a 47.1 percent rate increase request by State Farm Insurance, the state's largest private property insurer. ...more

December 12, 2008

Excuse me while I say a few words on behalf of us Fake Americans. ...more

October 24, 2008

Modern conservatism began as a movement of dissident intellectuals. Richard Weaver wrote a book called, "Ideas Have Consequences." Russell Kirk placed Edmund Burke in an American context. William F. Buckley famously said he'd rather be governed by the first 2,000 names in the Boston phonebook than by the faculty of Harvard. But he didn't believe those were the only two options. His entire life was a celebration of urbane values, sophistication and the rigorous and constant application of intellect. ...more

October 11, 2008

Hurricane Ike is currently no threat to Hernando County. That was the latest word Monday from Emergency Operations Center officials as the storm battered Cuba. Ike, a Category Two storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is expected to merge back into the Gulf of Mexico by tonight where it could gather strength as it churns west-northwest through the Gulf of Mexico towards the Louisiana and Texas coasts. ...more

September 9, 2008

Of the three Pasco County Commission races in this year's primary election, one bears special scrutiny - the slugfest between eight-year incumbent Ted Schrader and John Nicolette. ...more

August 11, 2008