Over many years the issue of rail transit in Tampa has been studied, argued, abandoned, resurrected, and refined, but never have voters been asked if they want to tax themselves to begin building a useful rail system. ...more

March 6, 2009

Scott Fisher of Palm Harbor wants Pinellas County to stop diverting tax money from the portion of the budget that is spent in unincorporated areas. ...more

February 28, 2009

For years there was an annual late-summer rite that occurred all around Florida. The local sheriff, in good economic times or bad, would suggest in a public fashion the bad guys were winning the upper hand and the sheriff's agency needed more money to put extra personnel and equipment on the street to take back the initiative. In Pasco County over the decades there have been spirited battles between the sheriff of the moment and the County Commission, which under state law can make cuts in Sheriff's Office spending. ...more

February 21, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist released a proposal this afternoon that relies on billions of federal stimulus dollars to boost state spending by $1 billion next fiscal year. ...more

February 20, 2009

Reference the letter by Jim Vokes on Feb. 9: I read with interest the part about Canada's health care system. I would like to chat with whomever wrote the letter Mr. Vokes refers to. ...more

February 19, 2009

A FairTax rally is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the corner of State Road 50 and Mariner Boulevard. ...more

February 19, 2009

Republicans are up in arms about Gov. Crist's support of the stimulus package. Many are also surprised that the governor is contemplating a Senate run rather than standing for re-election. A possible reason for both relates to something I have pondered for some time: Florida should raise the sales tax by one cent, at least temporarily. The stimulus package, manna for our charmed governor, will likely enable Florida to balance its budget this year. But unless the economy improves significantly, next year we will be back to where we are now, cutting into the marrow of our already bare bones state programs. Perhaps the governor sees raising taxes in the near future as the only logical way to maintain the modest quality of life the state provides to its citizens, while understanding that, as a Republican, raising taxes would likely end his political career. The smart thing is to let someone else do it. ...more

February 14, 2009

Pasco County commissioners hope to turn a corner - literally, in this case - after giving the green light to turn-lane additions at the intersection of Little Road and Hudson Avenue. ...more

February 12, 2009

Pasco County commissioners hope to turn a corner - literally in this case, after giving the green light to turn-lane additions at the intersection of Little Road and Hudson Avenue. ...more

February 4, 2009

Mayor Pam Iorio this morning made an impassioned pitch for a Tampa-centric rail plan to members of TBARTA, the region's transportation authority, saying the system's first leg could be built in five or six years if approved by voters in a 2010 referendum. ...more

January 23, 2009