Florida Education Commissioner Eric Smith will share a stage today with the person who must decide whether Florida will qualify for as much as $2.2 billion in education-related stimulus funds. ...more

March 10, 2009

The Highlands County commissioners brought Michael Wright here 78 days ago as their new chief executive officer with one main mission: to make the hard decisions on a tough-times budget caused by the recession. ...more

August 17, 2008

On Thursday evening, the Highlands County commissioners will hold the first of two required evening public hearings on the proposed county budget for fiscal year 2008-09, which starts Oct. 1. ...more

August 13, 2008

DUNEDIN – The city could cut 18 full-time positions from its fiscal 2009 budget to make up for an expected $2.6 million revenue shortfall. In an interview today, City Manager Robert DiSpirito said the city has everything it could to prevent having to lay off any employees. The amount of property tax revenue the city will lose next fiscal year to state-mandated property tax rate cuts is so large, however, he will be forced to recommend staff reductions, DiSpirito said. ...more

June 26, 2008

SEBRING — The first chop of Highlands County's budget-cutting ax fell Thursday. It fell on the proverbial neck of Highlands County Sports Complex manager Rocky Ellingsworth. He will not have a job with the county effective Oct. 1. That's the day that the county's new fiscal year and new budget begin. Ellingsworth's job is proposed to be eliminated in preliminary planning for the 2008-09 fiscal year. Ellingsworth said he does not want to comment publicly yet about this move, which was announced late Thursday afternoon during the second of three successive daylong county commission budget workshops. ...more

May 30, 2008