The Florida Gas Transmission Co. is expanding its underground natural gas pipeline network and is holidng an open house in Land O' Lakes tonight to discuss its plans. About 22 miles of the proposed natural gas pipeline expansion could someday stretch through Pasco County. A representative from the Florida Gas Transmission on June 10 briefed Pasco County commissioners on the company's plans. The 36-inch pipeline would stretch from Tallahassee to South Florida, cutting through 25 counties. Pasco County residents are invited to the open house 6-7:30 p.m. tnoight at the Land O' Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O' Lakes Blvd. The Pasco portion primarily would run adjacent to an existing corridor along State Road 52, south through Land O' Lakes to the Hillsborough County line, said Stephen Veatch, the company's senior director for certificates and tariffs. The $2 billion expansion project would serve utility providers such as Florida Power & Light, Seminole Electric Cooperative, the city of Tallahassee and possibly Progress Energy in the future. The expansion is needed to serve growing energy needs and higher demands for natural gas, an environmentally preferable alternative to coal, Veatch said in June. For information about the project, call 1-877-663-9161 or go to www.panhandleenergy .com/fgt/phaseviii ...more

July 8, 2008

About 22 miles of a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion could someday stretch through Pasco County. ...more

June 11, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - Florida Power & Light is asking to be allowed to charge more for electricity because of skyrocketing fuel costs. ...more

June 4, 2008

When University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft flew to Tallahassee in March to lobby for the USF Lakeland campus, she took a private plane owned by the law firm that represents the company donating the land for the campus, a company that stands to make millions on neighboring lands it still owns. ...more

May 2, 2008

The month-long Grapefruit League season gets underway this week, and with it comes long, lazy afternoon getaways to a ballpark near you. ...more

February 25, 2008

If Pasco County's tireless fans of garbage-burning noticed the news coming out of Hillsborough County several days back, they haven't had much to say about it. Perhaps that's because what Hillsborough commissioners learned, and spent several days reeling from, previews a similar cornflake-spewing moment for Pasco's elected leaders. ...more

February 19, 2008

Acknowledging that renewable energy is in its infancy in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist and a top energy executive celebrated a baby step forward Monday: the state's first solar power plant. ...more

February 12, 2008

All day Friday, to investigators and relatives, the situation made no sense. On their minds was Denise Amber Lee, 21, of North Port, daughter of a law enforcement veteran and a married stay-at-home mom. She liked posting pictures and video on My-Space of her 2005 wedding and her two sons, showing off her infant's hiccups and his 2-year-old brother dancing around in a diaper. ...more

January 19, 2008

Relatives and friends of a missing North Port mother of two sons are waiting to hear what happened to her after she was abducted from her home Thursday afternoon. ...more

January 18, 2008

Progress Energy Florida is going to have to spend more than originally planned to build two nuclear reactors in Levy County, the utility's top executive said. ...more

January 15, 2008