A Clearwater man has filed an ethics complaint against state House Speaker Ray Sansom in response to media reports that he may have traded state appropriations for a cozy academic job. ...more

December 30, 2008

A Clearwater man has filed an ethics complaint against state House Speaker Ray Sansom in response to media reports that he may have traded state appropriations for a cozy academic job. ...more

December 29, 2008

Finally, it's official. There will be a special legislative session next month. Gov. Charlie Crist, not a proponent previously, is now on board. That (2008-09) $2.3 billion state budget hole - that could deepen to $3.8 billion or more in 2009-10 - plus possible harm to Florida's credit rating and Medicaid scenarios from hell has everyone finally fixated on a resolution. Presumably, everything is on the table, especially in a state that hasn't fundamentally changed its revenue-raising ways from the LeRoy Collins administration years. ...more

December 24, 2008

Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Ray Sansom obviously are in denial. In setting a January special session to deal with the state's financial crisis on Monday, they retreated to the same old way of doing business - pledging only to target "spending reductions and trust fund transfers." ...more

December 17, 2008

House and Senate leaders have declared a special legislative session in early January to plug an expected $2.3 billion hole in the state budget. ...more

December 16, 2008

House and Senate leaders have declared a special legislative session in early January to plug an expected $2.3-billion hole in the state budget. ...more

December 15, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist reflected this week in an interview with The Tampa Tribune on current controversies, the highs and lows of 2008 and what lies ahead in 2009. ...more

December 14, 2008

In most challenging situations where a major problem is the issue, do-nothing-and-hope-for-a-miracle is not an option. ...more

December 13, 2008

Transit System 'Crucial' I agree whole-heartedly with the editorial "Smart Investing Will Boost Local Economy" (Our Opinion, Dec. 7). I moved to Florida from Portland, Oregon, where there was a comprehensive transit system that provided both bus and light-rail transportation. In the downtown core, buses and the train were free, allowing anyone to simply hop aboard to traverse from one end of downtown to the other, at will. This was especially appealing to tourists and business people from out-of-town who didn't want to grab a taxi or deal with parking. ...more

December 11, 2008

Zoo Needs Good Cleaning I have been a volunteer docent at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo for over six years, which is why I've kept my mouth shut up to now, but enough is enough. Read the exact words used by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in temporarily revoking the memberships of both zoo President Lex Salisbury and animal Collections Director Larry Killmar: "for intentionally failing to abide" by the association's policies, etc. ...more

December 10, 2008