Near the Ringling Causeway Bridge it didn't take long to spot a homeowner soaking his lawn about 11 a.m. today. It was a violation of two watering rules. The restrictions allow watering on Tuesdays or Thursdays only, based on even or odd addresses. Restrictions also bar watering any day between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. "I think our residents have been very responsive," said Javier Vargas of the city of Sarasota Public Works Department. ...more

March 27, 2009

Pinellas officials had no good news for people who attended a Tuesday night town hall meeting on the county's budget plans for the 2010 fiscal year. ...more

March 4, 2009

The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office is doing away with paid overtime and eliminating its fugitive unit as it tries to pare costs. The "zero overtime" policy affects all sheriff's office employees, not just deputies, and is expected to save $6 million. ...more

February 3, 2009

The Tribune is nothing if not relentless in its determination to present a distorted picture of me. The most recent example is Catherine Dolinski's article, which editorialized about my comments regarding public library policies and procedures. ...more

January 3, 2009

The city of Tampa's budget theme for the 2009 fiscal year is "Commitment to Progress." Despite shrinking property tax revenue and a sluggish economy, we believe that the city should aggressively repair, maintain and improve its infrastructure. It is also important to maintain high levels of public safety and basic core services that the public depends upon. ...more

August 15, 2008

In its bid to go global, Facebook is facing off against itself. Clones of the wunderkind social-networking Web site - some of which resemble Facebook right down to color, font and layout - have popped up in local languages around the world. These competitor sites offer identical core services, letting users post pictures, make groups and choose their friends. ...more

July 29, 2008

The Tampa Bay area's transportation authority appeared Friday on Florida TaxWatch's list of "budget turkeys," raising the specter of a possible funding veto for a second straight year. ...more

May 31, 2008

SARASOTA - Organizers of the downtown New Year's Eve celebration are scrambling for a last-minute plan to collect enough money to pull off the event. ...more

November 27, 2007