A citizens panel that advises the Hillsborough County School Board recently weighed the district's proposed budget cuts – and came up with some ideas of its own. ...more

March 24, 2009

For three weeks, they've listened. Now comes the hard part. Lawmakers spent the first weeks of their spring session listening as state agencies rolled out the stark options for shrinking the $65 billion state budget. ...more

March 24, 2009

The Horrors Of FCAT At least this year my son didn't throw up before he walked through the gates of school to face the FCAT. But he lay awake nights, worrying. ...more

March 22, 2009

The Seminole Tribe has exaggerated the economic benefits of a planned $3 billion expansion of its casino and convention sites, which will take workers and business away from existing Florida companies, a top state economist said Friday. ...more

March 21, 2009

The power drain on the wallets of Progress Energy Florida customers will drop some $15 to $18 a month on typical bills by April. Even so, state lawmakers could turn the lights out on a fee the utility began charging for preconstruction costs of a nuclear power plant that could take another decade to complete. ...more

March 21, 2009

It's reassuring to see the Tampa City Council understands the urgent need to conserve water. It's dismaying to see state lawmakers don't have a clue about the need to protect Florida's water resources. ...more

March 21, 2009

For the fifth year in a row, the Florida Legislature is attacking local government control of wetlands permitting, especially aiming at Hillsborough County's Environmental Protection Commission (EPC). In the name of streamlining, legislators maintain that local wetland review duplicates that of other state agencies and is a reason for the state's economic crisis. Ha! ...more

March 19, 2009

A House committee wants to require women in Florida to get an ultrasound before they can get an abortion. ...more

March 18, 2009

Cigarettes have been a relatively inexpensive addiction for smokers in Florida, even as a pack has neared $4 for most brands. ...more

March 18, 2009

On April 1, the federal excise tax on cigarettes will rise to $1.01 per pack, up 62 cents from the current level. And the Florida Legislature is considering a $1-per-pack increase in the state tax. ...more

March 17, 2009