They laughed - a lot - but cried plenty as well as they passed more than 270 new laws affecting everything from your property taxes to license plates for your car. ...more

May 4, 2008

Backers of a controversial commuter rail deal in Orlando worked hard to gain allies in the last weeks of the legislative session, offering the enticement that its passage would help Tampa get its own rail system. ...more

May 3, 2008

Dressed in sand-colored fatigues and flashing a weary grin, state Rep. Michael Scionti marched through Gate E75 of Tampa International Airport, the last leg of a journey that took him away from the mountains of Afghanistan and back into the embraces of his loved ones. ...more

February 20, 2008

SEBRING — Highlands County government leaders expect Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature to come through on their promise to this and the five other "fiscally constrained" counties. ...more

February 20, 2008

For the members of a statewide task force on fireworks, the overriding message from the public was clear: Please ban the bangs. ...more

February 18, 2008

A federal requirement for a new study of the effect of running more freight trains through Polk County could delay a commuter rail project at the center of the state's multimillion deal with CSX Transportation. ...more

February 15, 2008

The University of South Florida wants a teaching hospital on its Tampa campus, and a local lawmaker is trying to help get it. ...more

February 15, 2008

An unprecedented peek behind the curtain at how homeowners insurance rates are set in Florida has given state lawmakers plenty of ideas to take to bill-drafters in advance of this spring's annual legislative session. ...more

February 6, 2008

TAMPA - Educational and work programs could divert youngsters from joining gangs, as could a greater focus on neighborhood and community involvement, according to recommendations released today from an anti-gang summit. ...more

January 30, 2008

A Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control agent conducting a routine inspection in 2006 cited La Tasca Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria for violating an obscure 75-year-old state law: ...more

January 26, 2008