Pasco County commissioners Tuesday gave County Administrator John Gallagher greater authority to act alone on behalf of the county in the wake of natural disasters and other sudden emergencies. ...more

December 16, 2009

In a surprise phone call this week, Uncle Sam remembered and made good on a grant pledge made three years ago to Highlands County. ...more

March 25, 2009

One of the lowest moments of President Bush's second term was his congratulatory slap-on-the-back of former FEMA head Michael Brown - "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job" - amid the government's chaotic response to Hurricane Katrina. Many people at the time thought it too bad that Craig Fugate was not in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. ...more

March 6, 2009

But one politician believes he has a unique solution: Declare St. Lucie County a disaster area as if it had been hit by, well, a hurricane. ...more

March 2, 2009

How big should government be? The answer is: As big as it has to be - and for small-government types, no bigger than it has to be. ...more

February 27, 2009

With President Barack Obama urged by some to reinstate the Federal Emergency Management Agency to separate Cabinet-level status, a new federal report argues that such a move would hurt the nation's homeland security "apparatus." ...more

February 19, 2009

The economic situation in one Florida county is so bad that an official wants to declare a state of emergency. ...more

February 10, 2009

In the days of old, if a woman told a dispatcher she had been raped in Clearwater, and the dispatcher realized the crime occurred outside the city's boundaries, the woman would be given a telephone number to call. ...more

February 2, 2009

The city's fire department plans to hire three dozen new firefighters after being approved for a $4 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ...more

January 29, 2009

The city's fire department will be able to boost its ranks, thanks to a $4 million federal grant. The money will come from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's SAFER grants, or Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response. ...more

January 28, 2009