It is obvious that the leadership of Hernando County continues to prescribe to old solutions to long-term problems. ...more

November 12, 2009

With the county's last budget cycle now in the rear view mirror, it's time for the local business community's focus group members to focus on next year, which promises to be a bumpy road. ...more

October 29, 2009

Well, there are always doctors' appointments in Clermont, Lakeland, Orlando and Tampa, to name a few. But for fun, me, as well as friends, head to Okeechobee, to the Flamingo Arcade; there we have fun and meet friends. You would really be surprised at the others we meet up with from Avon Park, Lake Placid and Sebring. ...more

July 30, 2009

Pasco County commissioners this morning get their first look at the proposed 2009-10 budget – a spending plan that promises to make major changes in the way county government responds to residents. ...more

July 14, 2009

Isn't it great that the taxpayers of Sun n' Lake of Sebring are going to sue themselves (as taxpayers of Highlands County). The Sun 'n Lake board of supervisors (majority elected by NRPI) does not think that we, the people, understand how crucial the big landowners are to the success of Sun n' Lake. I recommend impeachment or recall but that can only be done, I suppose, by a vote of the landowners. Certainly the current board won't step down. They'd rather waste our taxes and assessments fighting a decision made by the same county government that originally established Sun n' Lake. And I feel the people will ultimately win but only after a long and expensive battle that only enriches the lawyers. ...more

April 19, 2009

"April," T.S. Eliot warned us at the beginning of his epic 1922 poem, "is the cruelest month." ...more

April 1, 2009

If something we read recently is correct, then the old saw about the Chinese ideogram for the word crisis being made up of one element denoting danger and the other opportunity is wrong. Regardless, Pasco County is facing a bit of a budget crisis because of falling revenue. So while the county's taxing and spending status quo appears in danger, Pasco officials are taking the opportunity to take a look at how Pasco will change over the next few years and how county government will fit into that change. ...more

April 1, 2009

The issue: Bypassing the bid process for concession rights at Pine Island Beach. Our opinion: While Willy Kochounian has done a terrific job with Willy's Tropical Breeze Cafe, county commissioners must follow the law to ensure fairness and the best deal for taxpayers. ...more

March 26, 2009

Last Friday, Pasco Sheriff Bob White dropped a surprise on the Pasco County Public Safety Coordinating Council, which brings together officials of county government, the court system, law enforcement, probation and mental health to work out issues related to the county's two jails. White said he is disbanding the Sheriff's Office unit that oversees criminal defendants whom judges have released from jail on their own recognizance. With the Pasco public sector strapped for cash, the Sheriff's Office wants to shift the money it has been spending on supervised ROR to other areas of its operations. The sheriff, however, should approach spending this savings with caution. ...more

March 25, 2009

Can local growers cash in on the developing market for biofuels? Would going into farm-to-fuel crops be a sure bet or risky business? ...more

March 24, 2009