Regarding "Fannie, Freddie Rescue Planned" (front page, July 14): The recent actions by our lawmakers in Washington have me worried me that we are headed down a dark path of government interference. While loaning money to the Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac is one thing, to actually have the U.S. government become stockholders is clearly another. ...more

July 16, 2008

County Commissioner Diane Rowden isn't content to simply vote no on a proposal to cut impact fees by 25 percent. ...more

July 15, 2008

Supporters take issue with her assertions. ...more

July 15, 2008

In his folksy, commonsensical way, Ronald Reagan provided pretty solid guidance on how to decide for whom to cast your presidential vote. ...more

June 12, 2008

Clearwater-based computer distributor Tech Data Corp. completed a deal that adds to its operations in Europe through a new acquisition. ...more

May 20, 2008

Has Highlands County's economic woes hit bottom and started slowly creeping up? Do we even dare say such things out loud in fear that there will be some kind of jinx? It's hard to say on both counts, but a few smart people believe we might have hit bottom and that we have no where to go but up. We certainly hope that's true. A lot of houses are on the market these days and it seems like in the last month or so, some of them are being sold. That probably has to do with prices falling enough that buyers don't want to miss a good thing, but it's still a good sign. The first sign of an improving economy will be some of those "For Sale" signs being topped off with "Sold" signs. ...more

May 19, 2008

It's great that our county commissioners will be discussing ways to stimulate the local economy. As I look around my neighborhood and as I drive around Sebring, I see many "For Sale" signs in front of residential properties. Many of these signs are turning into "For Rent" signs as builders, Realtors and private sellers know very well that residential property is not selling. The idea of suspending impact fees and building permit fees seems absurd in today's market. Construction trades are experiencing a longer period of inactivity because builders of spec homes chose to continue building long after it was clear to those of us without crystal balls that sales and prices were dropping. How about discussing ways to attract industry to this area or to rebuild infrastructure where needed? About the last thing we need is building more residential property to further drive prices down when they don't sell. ...more

February 24, 2008

The Port of Tampa's proposed master and strategic plans, two years in the making and 551 pages in all, were released to the public Monday night on the port's Web site, tampaport.com. ...more

February 20, 2008

Highlands County Commissioner Guy Maxcy wants his fellow commissioners to consider an economic stimulus package for the local business community. We like that idea, and are game for anything that eases the desperate situation a growing number of businesses are in. We fear, though, that there is little that can be done on this level. Let's hope that isn't the case. ...more

February 20, 2008

Forming a committee of 11 people from varying fields is the best way to monitor and consider impact fees for Highlands County. With the right mix of people, from varying fields of expertise, they can de-politicize the debate about the fees. The 11 positions include representatives from retail business, banking, homeowners associates, environmental community, real estate, builders, education, etc. It's a great cross-section of the population and should serve the county well. ...more

February 7, 2008