State lawmakers arrive at the Capitol today for a two-week special session to close a $2.3 billion gap in the state budget. ...more

January 5, 2009

With the demand for electricity declining in recent months, some state lawmakers want to short-circuit part of a rate increase of nearly 25 percent for Progress Energy Florida. ...more

January 3, 2009

The year 2009 has dawned. In the nation's capital, Barack Obama and Congress will soon begin trying to pull the nation out of a severe recession. We just hope they don't do anything to delay the recovery that would happen on its own, absent major interference from the political sector. In Tallahassee, state lawmakers will soon tackle a $2.3 billion budget shortfall. Here's hoping they don't try to solve that problem with taxes that invariably fail to raise the amounts of revenue their supporters claim. ...more

January 3, 2009

State lawmakers from West Pasco are gearing up for a special session of the Florida Legislature next week to make up a budget deficit of more than $2.3 billion. ...more

January 3, 2009

The Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities, under the leadership of Director Jim DeBeaugrine, has shown clients admirable compassion by suspending a controversial cost-reduction program. The agency is considering revamping how it funds services. ...more

January 2, 2009

Florida stands to save more than $100 million a year with competitive bidding and other changes in the way it awards contracts, two state lawmakers from the area say. State Rep. Tom Anderson, R-Dunedin, and state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, recently filed legislation to establish an advisory committee to evaluate the state procurement and contracting process. ...more

December 31, 2008

State lawmakers are looking at legislation to create stricter standards for the use of young people as confidential informants. ...more

December 30, 2008

He's been a big fish in the relatively small pond that is Pasco County Republican politics. Bill Bunting is now swimming in a much bigger GOP pond. Bunting had to retire as chairman of the Pasco Republican Executive Committee when he was elected state committeeman for the Florida Republican Party in November. ...more

December 27, 2008

With thousands of developmentally disabled Floridians and their families protesting cuts to their services, the state Agency for Persons with Disabilities is talking about overhauling its programs. ...more

December 22, 2008

A circuit judge's ruling on Thursday overturned a 2007 state law saying counties had to pay for attorneys who take cases when the local public defender has a conflict. ...more

December 20, 2008