An area long targeted by litterbugs as an easy mark will soon have its own band of "Trash Troopers" ready to report anyone they see tossing debris from vehicles. ...more

July 12, 2008

SEBRING — Four hundred and seventeen traffic stops were made locally by the Highlands County Sheriff's Office during last week's statewide Move Over Enforcement Wave. ...more

July 5, 2008

AVON PARK — A 15-foot tall illegally built building, which was illegally used for citrus-related business in a residential neighborhood just north of this city, will probably have to be torn down or moved as the result of a ruling by the Highlands County Planning and Zoning Commission. Complaints from homeowners in the neighborhood just north of the city limits, off County Road 17-A, led to Highlands County Code Enforcement citing the owner for numerous violations. The most serious citations were building the building without a building permit, putting an industrial building in a residential neighborhood, and running a business operation in a residentially zoned tract of homes. ...more

June 13, 2008

A bill to protect seagrasses by levying fines on boaters who carelessly run over the flats, House Bill 7059 is drawing fire from some environmental groups because Rep. Will Kendrick tacked on a provision that says developers may cut channels through some grass beds if they agree to "mitigate" the damage by restoring an equivalent amount of seagrass elsewhere. ...more

June 8, 2008

Circuit Clerk Pat Frank opens a satellite office in new regional service center on Pauls Drive, the first for the $4.2-million facility. ...more

May 22, 2008

TAMPA - In an age-old conflict between the pursuit of happiness and the right to remain undisturbed, the Sarasota City Commission last night sided with the undisturbed. The commission stiffened penalties for drivers of vehicles with loud sound systems that can cause alarms to go off in nearby parked cars, dogs to bark and older drivers to cringe. ...more

May 20, 2008

It Would Never Happen The recent passing of a new sign ordinance and the latest rash of "public control" citations issued by our code enforcement storm troopers have me thinking of times gone by. ...more

February 23, 2008

A few Sickles High School students received an expensive lesson last week, courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. ...more

February 9, 2008

Although blame for the Interstate 4 pileup has widely been placed on smoke and fog, the Florida Highway Patrol says at least part of the fault lies with drivers. ...more

February 2, 2008

TAMPA - The Florida Highway Patrol has ticketed nine drivers in the pileup on Interstate 4 in January, but troopers say many more citations likely will be issued as they reconstruct the chaos that unfolded in the smoke and fog. ...more

February 1, 2008