Auto dealer Ernie Haire has requested a continuance of a public hearing to determine whether he can build a helicopter pad on his property at Keystone Lake. ...more

February 6, 2008

Evoking the spirit of kitschy Americana like giant balls of string or alligator wrestling, seven aluminum-plated travel trailers once destined for the junkyard have gotten unexpected mileage as a roadside curiosity along eastbound Interstate 4. ...more

January 9, 2008

SEBRING — So just how little water could remain in lakes Anoka and Placid without disrupting the lakes' environment? How low can Lake Verona go without making Donaldson Park any less enjoyable? The Southwest Florida Water Management District, which monitors those lakes as well as lakes Tulane, Denton and Angelo, wants to get public input Tuesday evening on that and other questions as the district determines new rules on the lakes' minimum water levels. Those levels are set by SWFWMD to determine the point where further drops in the lake level –– from natural causes or from people drawing water out –– could affect the surrounding environment as well as the lake's recreational use. As Chief Environmental Scientist Douglas Leeper wrote in a letter from SWFWMD's Resource Conservation and Development Department, the minimum levels "protect lakes from impacts associated with ground water and surface water withdrawals." ...more

November 19, 2007

A lawyer representing the 16-year-old boy authorities say punctured an ammonia pipeline in Riverview on Monday while drilling for money said he hopes people will "take a deep breath" and allow the boy to recover before pursuing a criminal case. ...more

November 17, 2007

TAMPA - A lawyer representing the 16-year-old boy authorities say punctured an ammonia pipeline in Riverview on Monday while drilling for money said he hopes people will "take a deep breath" and allow the boy to recover before pursuing a criminal case. ...more

November 16, 2007

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is seeking public input about proposed minimum and guidance levels for selected Highlands County lakes. A minimum flow or level (MFL) is the limit at which further water withdrawals will cause significant harm to the water resources and/or environment. The District Governing Board sets these limits as part of achieving a balance between meeting human water needs and those of Florida's natural systems. Minimum lake levels are used as guidelines in district permitting programs, for development of water resource projects and as information for development bordering lakes. These workshops will allow local governments, citizens and others to be part of the development of minimum levels for area lakes. ...more

November 10, 2007

As if they had marked it on their calendar, a flock of white pelicans soared over Mount Cockroach as a crowd of people gathered to celebrate 20 years of making Tampa Bay a critter's place for clean living. ...more

November 8, 2007

It has been more than a decade since state habitat restoration crews started turning back time on a piece of eastern Tampa Bay shoreline called Cockroach Bay. ...more

October 17, 2007

About 10 months behind schedule, an Aloha Utilities treatment project looks to be back on track now that a consultant has started sending information on resolving longstanding water quality problems. ...more

October 17, 2007

For years, researchers tried to figure out how much water can be pumped from the Alafia River to meet humans' needs without upsetting the delicate habitat that fish and young marine life need to survive. ...more

October 6, 2007