The drought drags on, raise the area's wildfire risk and stress the region's drinking water supply. Pasco County residents need to take both situations seriously. ...more

March 28, 2009

Near the Ringling Causeway Bridge it didn't take long to spot a homeowner soaking his lawn about 11 a.m. today. It was a violation of two watering rules. The restrictions allow watering on Tuesdays or Thursdays only, based on even or odd addresses. Restrictions also bar watering any day between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. "I think our residents have been very responsive," said Javier Vargas of the city of Sarasota Public Works Department. ...more

March 27, 2009

A gaggle of young volunteers who'd never heard of black rush grass spent this morning plugging it into the shoreline of a freshwater pond near the Tampa Electric Co.'s Big Bend Station. They learned that restoration is a fix for environmental damage perpetrated by human activity, like fish farming, ditching and agriculture. They planted grasses to stabilize the shoreline and held horseshoe crabs and other creatures that live in and around Newman Branch Creek. ...more

March 27, 2009

Soaking up the Florida sun at a Sarasota restaurant may work up a thirst. ...more

March 25, 2009

Their work makes a difference - along the shoreline of Tampa Bay and further inland. ...more

March 25, 2009

The days of handholding are over. Pasco County will no longer give violators of its watering restrictions second chances. ...more

March 25, 2009

No matter how small its numbers or its relative strength, the Temple Terrace River Watch Task Force isn't willing to concede to the wishes of the Southwest Florida Water Management District's governing board. ...more

March 25, 2009

As an attorney who worked for a number of years at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in Tallahassee, I strongly disagree with attorney Keith W. Bricklemyer's assertions ("Other Views," March 21) that Hillsborough County's wetlands division is a "duplication" and that we can get environmental protection from the FDEP, the Southwest Florida Water Management District or the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. ...more

March 25, 2009

With the number of citations at 1,223 and counting, the County Commission voted Tuesday to raise the fine from $30 to $130 for the first violation of the county's watering regulations. ...more

March 24, 2009

Smoke shut down 10 miles of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County for six hours Saturday night into Sunday morning as a brush fire tore across more than 700 acres. ...more

March 23, 2009