TALLAHASSEE Scheduling problems have slowed down talks between state officials and the Seminole Tribe about its gambling compact, a lawyer for the Seminoles says. Attorney Barry Richard of Tallahassee, who represents the tribe, told the Orlando Sentinel last month that he expected formal discussions between his client, Gov. Charlie Crist and lawmakers to take place after Thanksgiving. On Thursday, Richard said that absences and scheduling conflicts for key players have made it impossible so far to arrange those meetings right away. ...more

December 5, 2008

State prosecutors dropped charges today against a Valrico man accused of taking sexually explicit pictures of a teenage girl. The action clears the way for federal officials to pursue the case. ...more

November 24, 2008

With millions of U.S. households still unprepared for the switch to digital broadcast television, federal officials are crisscrossing the nation trying to drum up awareness of the change before the Feb. 17 deadline. ...more

November 13, 2008

After spending $4,000 to advertise a job opening, the region's transportation authority decided to pull the plug on the hiring after applicants and authority members expressed confusion about what the job involves. ...more

November 8, 2008

After hundreds of veterans' claims documents were found recently in paper bins, waiting to be shredded, the federal Department of Veterans Affairs is considering widespread changes to its policies to better protect VA records. ...more

November 4, 2008

With thousands of foreclosed houses littering its landscape, Pasco County is eligible for nearly $20 million in federal aid - the fifth-highest grant in Florida. ...more

October 18, 2008

Federal officials are warning immigrants to avoid being ripped off by people offering to help them with immigration paperwork. Carlos Iturregui, chief of policy and strategy for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, is in Tampa today to unveil an anti-fraud campaign offering people tips, phone numbers and Web site addresses so they will know how to identify legitimate service providers, said Ana Santiago, spokeswoman for the agency. ...more

October 17, 2008

Federal officials are pushing ahead with an experiment to reduce rampant flight delays across the nation by auctioning off takeoff and landing times at New York City area airports, where most delays begin. ...more

October 10, 2008

Federal officials are pushing ahead with an experiment to reduce rampant flight delays around the nation by auctioning off takeoff and landing times at New York City-area airports, where most delays begin. ...more

October 9, 2008

The largest alternative medicine study the government has ever launched has stopped enrolling people while officials investigate whether participants were fully informed of the risks and are being adequately protected, The Associated Press has learned. ...more

September 26, 2008