TAMPA State regulators are expected to decide today whether Tampa Electric Co. and Progress Energy can raise electric bills next year to cover higher costs for oil, natural gas and other fuels used to generate electricity. Under TECO's proposal, bills would increase about 12 percent beginning in January. The cost of 1,000 kilowatt-hours would rise from $114.38 to $128.44. ...more

November 12, 2008

SOLAR Sunshine is prevalent in Florida and a good source of clean energy. But the high cost of solar power has discouraged widespread use. At 20 cents to 30 cents a kilowatt hour, solar energy is more than twice as expensive as power from coal and natural gas. ...more

November 9, 2008

The Brandon High School gym was evacuated and the start of a state playoff volleyball game delayed Wednesday night after an off-duty Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy smelled gas, authorities said. ...more

November 5, 2008

Florida's Public Service Commission is torn by conflicting goals. The appointed board is trying to keep electric rates as low as possible during a year of rising fuel costs, yet it also wants the utilities it regulates to begin switching to renewable sources of energy, which at this point is more expensive than coal and natural gas. ...more

November 1, 2008

As progressive as the city of St. Petersburg is, it's mind-boggling that it is the largest municipality in Florida not offering residents and businesses curbside pickup of recyclable materials. Instead, folks have to load up bottles, jugs and other stuff and take them to collection centers, which is a deterrent to widespread recycling. ...more

October 26, 2008

I have always believed the price of fuel would come down if we would just go ahead and drill for it. One political party says, "It will take 10 years to get any results from drilling." Think about it. Another political party says, "There is enough oil and natural gas in a remote area of Alaska under pressure. All we have to do is stick a pipe in the ground and it will come spewing out. ...more

October 25, 2008

I have always believed the price of fuel would come down. One political party says if we drill now, it will take at least 10 years to receive any benefits from it. Think about it; one party says if we drill in a remote part of Alaska there is so much oil and natural gas under pressure, all we have to do is stick a pipe in the ground and it will come spewing out of the ground. It will last for many years and cost $1.50 per gallon. Think about it,. I am sure there is some exaggeration on both sides, but I once owned a gas station in the Pittsburgh area and sold gas for 19 cents a gallon; five gallons for $1; diesel for seven cents a gallon. ...more

October 20, 2008

The financial squeeze on Americans got tighter over the past decade as housing expenses - everything from mortgage payments and rent, to utilities and insurance - far outpaced the growth in incomes, a new study shows. ...more

October 12, 2008

A deadly clash this month on a jungle highway has become the newest and bloodiest symbol of Bolivia's political crisis pitting President Evo Morales against an autonomy movement in the eastern lowlands that is bitterly resisting his leftist reforms. ...more

September 28, 2008

Joan Atkins of Palm Harbor says John McCain is a leader, not just a war hero. ...more

September 27, 2008