and leaving money on the table - by balking at the new deal Gov. Charlie Crist reached with the Seminole Tribe of Florida to legalize increased gambling at seven casinos, including Tampa's Hard Rock. ...more

November 1, 2009

Budget woes are forcing state wildlife officials to cut a program that tracks endangered Florida panthers with GPS-equipped collars. ...more

April 6, 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

Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin said she feels like Charlie Brown's schoolteacher when she travels to Tallahassee to talk to lawmakers about increasing education funding. ...more

April 1, 2009

Starting Tuesday, Florida lawmakers will have 60 days to stave off a deficit that could exceed $700 million this fiscal year - and that's just the beginning. ...more

March 1, 2009

Just when it looked like the sky was falling, President Barack Obama and the federal government came to Florida's rescue with a $12.2 billion stimulus gift. No state needed it more. ...more

March 1, 2009

The economy is crumbling. War in Afghanistan may last another five years. Layoffs are happening at an alarming pace at companies all over the country. Some states are discussing letting criminals out on the streets to lessen budget woes. If all that wasn't bad enough, global climate change is going to either burn the planet up or plunge it into another Ice Age - depending on which expert you listen to. ...more

February 25, 2009

State spending would grow and property taxes drop under a new budget proposal from Gov. Charlie Crist that relies heavily on a handout from the federal government. ...more

February 21, 2009

It's a quick ride in a car - or a bus. But the 1.6 miles between the entrance of the Spring Ridge subdivision on Sunshine Grove Road and the front door of Pine Grove Elementary school is quite a hike. ...more

February 19, 2009

In this economy, applicants tend to swarm an open position. Not so with the chief financial officer for the Hernando County School Board. ...more

February 13, 2009