A federal appeals court ruling won't stand in the way of new oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. ...more

July 31, 2009

A Senate committee has approved opening the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling within 10 miles to the Florida Panhandle and within 45 miles off the rest of the state's coastline. ...more

June 9, 2009

Irv Friedman of Beacon Woods says Florida should develop wind and solar energy and leave offshore oil drilling alone. ...more

May 15, 2009

Congress convenes its new two-year session in early January, and the Tampa Bay area's federal lawmakers agree that the ailing economy and Americans' dwindling access to health care are priorities. ...more

December 29, 2008

Congress convenes its new two-year session in early January, and Tampa Bay's federal lawmakers agree that the ailing economy and Americans' dwindling access to health care are priorities. ...more

December 22, 2008

The Florida tourist industry, backed by almost all state, county and municipal government leaders, has for decades opposed exploring for oil and natural gas off the state's coast. The risk of damage to the tourism industry from, for instance, a drilling rig blowout that fouls Florida beaches, was too great, industry leaders have said. ...more

November 29, 2008

A Florida tourism group has endorsed an idea that politicians and environmentalists have been trying to prevent for decades: the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the waters off Florida's Gulf Coast. ...more

November 27, 2008

A Florida tourism group has endorsed an idea that politicians and environmentalists have been trying to prevent for decades: the exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the waters off Florida's Gulf Coast. State tourism officials long have opposed drilling off Florida's shores, but the Florida Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus now says drilling will help preserve the state's No. 1 industry. ...more

November 26, 2008

Advanced drilling techniques that blast millions of gallons of water into 400-million-year-old shale formations a mile underground are opening up "unconventional" gas fields touted as a key to the nation's energy future. ...more

November 23, 2008

Shares of Walter Industries, which peaked at more than $111 in July, have plunged to around $19 because of a sharp decline in demand for steel-making coal. ...more

November 20, 2008