'Empty Chair' Charlie Misses Work Often In 2006, Charlie Crist ran for governor on a populist platform, pledging to be the "People's Governor," offering glimpses off a bright future for Florida on the horizon. ...more

April 2, 2009

John Tischner of Dunedin says the federal banking system bailout has been a mistake. ...more

March 28, 2009

For years there was an annual late-summer rite that occurred all around Florida. The local sheriff, in good economic times or bad, would suggest in a public fashion the bad guys were winning the upper hand and the sheriff's agency needed more money to put extra personnel and equipment on the street to take back the initiative. These days, however, Pinellas Sheriff Jim Coats is cutting spending in response to the drop in revenue the county is experiencing as a result of the collapse of the Florida housing industry and the nationwide economic recession. ...more

February 21, 2009

A new volunteer organization aims to help a hard-hit slice of the workforce affected by the downturn in the housing industry rebound and rebuild on a personal and professional level. Real Estate Lives, spearheaded by Tampa lawyer Ron Weaver, is working to create a free online network of counseling, job training and job placement opportunities for real estate agents and industry-related professionals. ...more

February 12, 2009

A new volunteer organization spearheaded by Tampa lawyer Ron Weaver aims to help unemployed real estate agents and staff affected by the downturn in the housing industry. ...more

February 11, 2009

In its recent anniversary issue, the New Yorker magazine took a look at the state of affairs here in Florida. Apparently there is nothing amiss in the Empire State worthy of note. So it declares things here a real mess, thanks to the collapse of the real estate market. While it told of some foreclosure hardship tales from southwestern Florida, the ground zero of the devastation, according to the New Yorker, is good old Pasco County. ...more

February 11, 2009

The proposal would allow a tax credit of 10 percent of the value of new or existing residences, up to a $15,000 limit. ...more

February 5, 2009

Many of Pasco's business and government leaders turned out last week perhaps hoping one of the Southeast's top bank economists had some words of hope for the county's struggling economy. Mark Vitner, senior economist of regional banker Wachovia, was the featured speaker at a luncheon held as part of the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce's Business Development Week. What he said underlines the county's failure over three decades to create an economy not almost totally dependent on housing construction and sales. ...more

February 4, 2009

It began with high energy costs. Soon thereafter, the housing industry - particularly in Hernando County - came to a screeching halt. ...more

January 31, 2009

From water-stingy toilets and electricity sparing appliances to flooring and siding made from sustainable materials, the housing industry this week rolled out a trove of new green products it hoped would lure homebuyers back to the market. ...more

January 24, 2009