Philip Morris has been ordered to pay $300 million in damages to a former smoker in Florida, the largest award to date among thousands of lawsuits filed in the state against tobacco companies. ...more

November 19, 2009

The Florida Senate appears to have come to consensus on a $1 a pack cigarette tax increase, plus comparable taxes on other tobacco products including cigars - news that raised an alarm for Tampa's cigar industry Monday. ...more

March 31, 2009

The state Senate appears to have consensus on increasing taxes on tobacco products. ...more

March 30, 2009

A column on Florida's out-of-court settlement with Big Tobacco companies contained confusing statements about our company and cries out for clarification ("All Cigarette Makers Should Pay Up," Other Views, March 23). The son of the late Gov. Lawton Chiles needs money for his prenatal care group and has somehow been persuaded to get it through a new tax on only a few cigarette companies while exempting the four giants. ...more

March 30, 2009

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

March 27, 2009

More than 400,000 people in the United States will die this year from a tobacco-related disease. For Kick Butts Day this year, SWAT students from Avon Park and Sebring high schools are taking a stand to stop youth from getting hooked on deadly tobacco products. ...more

March 23, 2009

Nearly 12 years after Florida's historic victory that sent the Marlboro Man riding into the sunset on Joe Camel, it's time to update Florida's tobacco policy to ensure Florida's newest members of the Big Tobacco club pay their fair share. ...more

March 23, 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

Philip Morris was ordered by a jury to pay $8 million in damages to the widow of a smoker who died of lung cancer in a case that could set a standard for some 8,000 similar Florida lawsuits. ...more

February 18, 2009