A sheriff's deputy was placed on 80 hours of unpaid leave after she spent a collective 11 on-duty hours at home over a four-month period. ...more

April 10, 2009

Julie Spitzer dug into her purse Wednesday morning and pulled out exact change for a pack of her favorite cigarettes. ...more

April 2, 2009

The tax increase on tobacco products went into effect Wednesday, and the issue is one people have been talking about. These are comments from TBO.com readers on both sides of the issue: ...more

April 2, 2009

Federal excise tax on cigarettes went into effect Wednesday. ...more

April 1, 2009

A Senate committee unanimously approved a proposed tobacco tax hike Thursday - but only after stripping out a $50 million earmark for Tampa's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. ...more

April 1, 2009

A steep tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products will go into effect today. ...more

April 1, 2009

A Senate committee unanimously approved a proposed tobacco tax hike today – but only after stripping out a $50-million earmark for Tampa's H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. ...more

March 31, 2009

Cigarettes have been a relatively inexpensive addiction for smokers in Florida, even as a pack has neared $4 for most brands. ...more

March 27, 2009

Florida is long overdue to increase the tax/user fee on tobacco products. Florida is currently 46th in the country in cigarette tax at 33.9 cents per pack. Florida ranks second in cancer incidents and sells the most packs of cigarettes in the country, with 1.3 billion sold each year. ...more

March 23, 2009

More than 400,000 people in the United States will die this year from a tobacco-related disease. For Kick Butts Day this year, SWAT students from Avon Park and Sebring high schools are taking a stand to stop youth from getting hooked on deadly tobacco products. ...more

March 23, 2009