Your Nov. 11 editorial on two local bills submitted to the Hillsborough legislative delegation was strangely contradictory in examining the composition of countywide boards. The Tampa Tribune defends the inclusion of the cities of Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City on the planning commission and sports authority boards yet denies the logic and fairness of city representation on the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission board. ...more

November 13, 2007

A proposed game of musical chairs with three local boards should be stopped before the elbowing and pushing for seats begins. ...more

November 11, 2007

Two bills filed by local legislators have the potential to reignite tensions between Tampa and Hillsborough County. ...more

November 3, 2007

SEBRING — In 2005, when Gilbert Santavenere moved to Sebring from Connecticut, the taxes on his house were $2,200 a year. Since the previous owner had a homestead exemption, Santavenere expected the taxes to go up to $2,800. "It ended up being $3,500 a year," Santavenere said. In a nutshell, that's the problem with Florida's property tax system, something the Florida Legislature tried to correct Monday when it passed a constitutional amendment that will lower ad valorem taxes an average of $240 per homeowner. Voters can grant final approval of the bill on Jan. 29, at the same time they cast ballots in the presidential primary. The measure includes variations of two planks in Gov. Charlie Crist's campaign platform last year: doubling the $25,000 exemption for homeowners and letting them take the 3 percent Save Our Homes cap when they move. ...more

October 31, 2007