CORY LAKE ISLES - Homeowners rebelled Thursday night against a proposed budget that would increase their community development district assessments by $540 next year. "I think the increase in fees, in this economy, is unacceptable," George Castillo said. "Every homeowner here is outraged." Earlier this month, the CDD board released its proposed 2009 budget that was nearly $600,000 more than the current budget. Security costs would go up 50 percent because of the board's new contract with Wackenhut. The extra $165,000 buys more diligent gate officers, a sophisticated computer and camera system, and nightly patrols. ...more

June 19, 2008

Homeowners in this New Tampa gated community long have said they weren't getting first-rate service from developer Gene Thomason. ...more

June 14, 2008

CORY LAKE ISLES - Homeowners in this New Tampa gated community often complained that they weren't getting first-rate service from developer Gene Thomason. As the neighborhood weans itself from Thomason and his all-everything company, Cory Lakes Limited, it's learning that first-rate service will cost a hefty chunk of change. Cory Lake Isles homeowners will face a 34 percent increase in their assessments in the next fiscal year. That's a difference of $540 per household. ...more

June 10, 2008

Residents of the Westpark Preserve town home community in Westchase recently celebrated the opening of their new amenities center by holding an ice cream social. ...more

May 21, 2008

The city's controversial sprinkler law is facing its first major challenge. ...more

May 12, 2008

David Weekley Homes is pre-selling in Kensington, a gated community in Pinellas County, giving prospective buyers a chance to enjoy the builder's signature "healthy home" standards. ...more

May 11, 2008

Re: Controlled burns and wild pigs. Mr. Quehl must be new to Florida since he doesn't know what a "controlled burn" is and how it will benefit him in the future. He certainly needs to contact the phone number the editor provided him to gain this knowledge, along with the reason why the helicopters dropped water at the end of the day. ...more

May 10, 2008

NEW TAMPA - Four years after the first homeowner moved into Live Oak Preserve, the gated community will become truly gated Sunday. The New Tampa neighborhood's main gate is accessed from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, across from Wharton High School. A second, unmanned gate is accessed from Imperial Oak Boulevard near Turner Elementary. "Residents had expressed concerns about the gate by the [elementary] school being open during the day," Engle Homes Vice President Rick Feather said, "so we're going to close all the gates during the day, and the front gate will be manned 24 hours a day." ...more

May 9, 2008

Neighbors say they do not recall ever seeing the man who killed five Illinois college students at his father's home in Lakeland. ...more

February 16, 2008

This is one of those celebrity deals that practically requires a scorecard. ...more

February 16, 2008