Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's passenger rail bill into law Wednesday in ceremonies in Tampa and three other cities while delivering the message that new rail equals thousands of new jobs. More than 150 Tampa Bay area elected officials, business people and transportation advocates turned out at a vacant lot just south of the intersection of Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, where a high-speed rail station is planned for a proposed Tampa-to-Orlando route. The bill will improve the state's chances at winning federal stimulus money for the high-speed rail line that could be built by 2014. It also will jump-start the $1.2 billion SunRail project planned for Central Florida, create a new statewide rail authority and dedicate additional state money to Tri-Rail, South Florida's faltering commuter line. The high-speed project could provide as many as 15,000 construction jobs beginning in 2011 if the Obama administration approves the state's $2.5 billion high-speed rail bid, state officials said in its federal stimulus application. "Jobs, jobs, jobs is what it's really all about," Crist said. ...more

December 17, 2009

Confederate forces have charged into federal territory and are hailing as a victory a U.S. District Court's decision in their struggle to get a specialty license plate pushed through the Florida Legislature. ...more

December 10, 2009

Confederate forces have charged into federal territory and are hailing as victory a recent U.S. District Court's decision in their struggle to get a specialty license plate pushed through the Florida Legislature. Not so fast, state officials say, rumors of a decisive judicial victory are premature. ...more

December 9, 2009

The Florida Commission on Ethics tossed out complaints against Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Attorney General Bill McCollum on Friday. ...more

December 5, 2009

State Sen. Michael Fasano is taking Pinellas County to task for failing to implement a program he shepherded through the Legislature. County officials should continue to take their time. ...more

November 14, 2009

a 38-year-old woman with underlying health conditions. ...more

November 14, 2009

State Sen. Mike Fasano is upset that Pinellas County has yet to implement a program to help first-time homebuyers with down payments. ...more

November 13, 2009

State officials have released a missing child alert for help in finding a 7-month-old girl who is missing from her Chipley, Florida, home. ...more

November 1, 2009

Criminal background checks on many caregivers for children, the elderly and disabled are being delayed because Florida isn't taking full advantage of electronic fingerprinting, state officials said Thursday. ...more

October 24, 2009

Controlled burns are scheduled for August and September on protected lands in Pasco and Hernando counties. ...more

July 30, 2009