Perhaps some of the economic stimulus local folks are looking for will come from Amendment One, which passed in January. Everyone knew it would double the homestead exemption, but it's the portability factor that might give our area an economic boost. Portability gives homeowners with the Save Our Homes property tax cap the opportunity to take that protection with them to the next home they buy. That wasn't possible before Amendment One. All of a sudden, homeowners on either Florida coast can sell their $750,000 home, move here and buy the same house for $250,000, and with portability, pay little property tax. We won't claim that hundreds of people are lining up to do this, but the numbers are growing. Residents already living here also are moving within the county due to portability. We hope all of this bodes well for the real estate market. Getting some movement – any movement – will make a big difference. ...more

February 22, 2008

The Hernando County School Board is in for a marathon day of meetings, with numerous issues up for discussion today. ...more

February 19, 2008

People in the Palm Harbor should take part in a committee's exploration of turning the area of unincorporated Pinellas County into a city. ...more

February 12, 2008

Floridians were loud and clear about wanting property tax relief. In Tuesday's election, 64 percent of the voters – 2.5 million – supported Amendment 1, which doubles the homestead exemption, allows portability of Save Our Homes and provides tax relief to businesses. Now we can brace for the fallout. The big worry with most Floridians is how it will affect fire and law enforcement service, schools and county services. The other worry is that local governments will increase taxes to fill those budget holes. ...more

January 31, 2008

SEBRING — A proposed state law, introduced for the Legislature's new 2008 session, would shut down most of Highlands County's road building projects, and severely limit the cost-effectiveness of the county's new asphalt plant. That is the assessment of House Bill 683 by Ramon Gavarette, Highlands County Engineer, and Ross Macbeth, attorney for the Highlands County commissioners. The county asphalt plant, which is scheduled to start production this spring, would be the first asphalt plant owned and operated by a local government in Florida. Commissioners have borrowed $3.3 million to build the plant, based on Ken Wheeler, director of the county solid waste department, estimating it will save $700,000 per year on road work. House Bill 683 apparently was pushed by the Asphalt Contractors Association of Florida, which tried unsuccessfully to talk the county commissioners out of building the first county-owned asphalt plant in the state. ...more

January 26, 2008

Hillsborough County pulled $167 million out of the State Board of Administration local government fund Friday amid continued concerns about the fund's investments in the subprime mortgage market. ...more

January 19, 2008

An internal audit warned last year that the state board that invests local government money should have a special committee to review overall risk in the agency's investments, and that it was relying on too few brokerages when buying securities. ...more

January 4, 2008

I don't want this to sound like a personal attack because I didn't know Robert Nolte personally, but I just now deleted his e-mail address from my address book and it made me feel ... well ... hopeful. I wish him a wonderful retirement. ...more

January 2, 2008

Not A Foreign Concept I read with interest Art Hayhoe's recent letter, "Keep Decisions Local," and would like to respond to his concerns. ...more

December 30, 2007

Rescue workers have pulled 12 bodies from the rubble of a 12-story building that collapsed in Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, the city's police chief said Tuesday. ...more

December 26, 2007