SEBRING — Although he feared otherwise, Heartland Idol host Don Elwell will remain in Highlands County. The former hotel manager at Kenilworth Lodge will now work at Alan Jay Nissan as business/finance manager. Elwell said he wrote his job "out of the Kenilworth budget" and although he actively considered a move to several other Florida counties, he is glad to live in Highlands County and still work in the "people business." ...more

May 23, 2008

An initiative looking at why black babies are dying in Hillsborough County may run out of funding but not steam, organizers say. ...more

May 21, 2008

Residents were relieved to learn this week that Progress Energy will bypass Pasco County in its plans for 200 miles of high-power transmission lines to carry energy from a proposed nuclear power plant in Levy County to their customers through the region. The company announced Tuesday it will expand its power grid along existing corridors in nine other counties including Pinellas, Polk, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. Energy will be channeled through lines already standing in Pasco, but the company will not require additional equipment or property, Progress officials said. ...more

May 20, 2008

The county commission on Wednesday is slated to sign off on an agreement to ensure Pasco has enough schools to serve its growing population. ...more

February 25, 2008

SEBRING – The persistence of one man looks like it will pay off in an additional tax break for Highlands County's 1,500 low-income, senior-citizen homeowners. Frank Parker got the proverbial cold shoulder from the Highlands County Commission in November when he asked commissioners to raise the "Save Our Seniors" homesteaded tax exemption from $5,000 to $50,000 for seniors meeting federal household low-income thresholds. ...more

February 13, 2008

TALLAHASSEE - A former Republican state lawmaker from Pensacola will be the new secretary of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration, Gov. Charlie Crist said Tuesday. ...more

February 12, 2008

Florida counties that receive state funding for affordable housing must take a closer look at their standards and ensure they are helping builders meet the needs. ...more

February 10, 2008

A West Pasco Special Olympics Pasco County athlete, Rosetta LoBianco, recently returned home from the Special Olympics Florida Athlete Congress, in Tallahassee. ...more

February 9, 2008

Commissioners Pat Mulieri and Michael Cox have some big ideas for Pasco County that they hope to push forward this year. ...more

February 3, 2008

Voters sent a clear message Tuesday when they resoundingly approved a constitutional amendment that gives homeowners bigger tax breaks: They want lower tax bills, even at the expense of services. ...more

January 31, 2008