The number of new housing projects that builders broke ground on in February rose sharply, defying economists' forecasts for yet another drop in activity. ...more

March 17, 2009

The issue: Moratorium on county impact fees. Our opinion: It won't help the housing market. ...more

March 15, 2009

Despite all the grim housing news these days, there are flashes of silver among all the dark clouds hanging over Pasco County. ...more

February 6, 2009

Many of Pasco's business and government leaders turned out last week perhaps hoping one of the Southeast's top bank economists had some words of hope for the county's struggling economy. Mark Vitner, senior economist of regional banker Wachovia, was the featured speaker at a luncheon held as part of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce's Business Development Week. What he said underlines the county's failure over three decades to create an economy not almost totally dependent on housing construction and sales. ...more

February 4, 2009

The major banks are a mess. Housing construction has nearly stopped. A flood of foreclosed homes has driven prices to rock-bottom levels. ...more

January 30, 2009

Is the glass half empty? Is the glass half full? Is the glass about to fall on our big toe? We ask these questions in the wake of a report from the Florida Association of Realtors that housing sales along the Suncoast rose 16 percent in December, compared to a 3 percent decrease in November. Times being what they are, some people are choosing to see a gloomy lining to this silver cloud of housing news. ...more

January 28, 2009

Bankruptcies Soar U.S. consumer bankruptcy filings jumped nearly 33 percent in 2008 amid a recession that's expected to keep filings rising into the new year. Overall, consumer filings reached 1,064,927 last year, up from 801,840 in 2007, according to data collected by the National Bankruptcy Research Center and published by the American Bankruptcy Institute, an Alexandria, Va.-based research group. ...more

January 6, 2009

Construction of new homes and apartments fell to the lowest level in 17 years last month, showing the country is still gripped by a severe housing downturn that has triggered billions of dollars of losses and is reshaping the structure of U.S. finance. ...more

September 18, 2008

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said Friday the economy continues to be in a recession, by his definition, and will continue to be for at least several months. ...more

August 23, 2008

Construction of homes and apartments fell in July to the lowest level in more than 17 years, but some economists said the drop could aid the slumping housing sector by helping reduce a glut of unsold properties. ...more

August 20, 2008