Senator Mike Fasano to Testify at Citizens Rate Hearing Today
Written by Greg Giordano
State Senator Mike Fasano will testify at the Office Insurance Regulation’s rate hearing today in opposition to Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s application for a premium increase. Senator Fasano, long a vocal critic of Citizens and its repeated attempts to increase rates while reducing coverage and related services, will be in Miami for the hearing this afternoon. The application, as filed, seeks an 11.1 % statewide average increase on residential coverage and a 50% increase for sinkhole coverage in Pasco and Hernando Counties.
RNC 2012 - The Convention Without Walls Featured
Written by Angela LeMayDon’t miss history in the making in Tampa at the Republican National Convention 2012.
On August 27-30, 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories will gather together to nominate the next president of the United States at the 40th Republican National Convention.
The RNC has made it easy for everyone to stay informed and get involved through Facebook and a host of other social media platforms:
“For the first time ever, the Republican National Convention is unveiling the Convention Without Walls, a Facebook app designed to make it easy for you to participate, follow and attend the Republican National Convention from anywhere. It’s as simple as installing our Facebook app and getting immediate access to exclusive content. Take part and sign up for the “Convention Without Walls” today!”
Visit: http://www.gopconvention2012.com for a full list and links to the Republican National Convention Social Networks.
RNC 2012 - The Convention Without Walls Featured
Written by Angela LeMayDon’t miss history in the making in Tampa at the 2012.
On August 27-30, 2,286 delegates and 2,125 alternate delegates from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories will gather together to nominate the next president of the United States at the 40th Republican National Convention.
The RNC has made it easy for everyone to stay informed and get involved through Facebook and a host of other social media platforms:
Citizens Property Insurance Corporation announced it has decided to restructure its home re-inspection program that has cost policyholders over $137 million dollars in lost mitigation discounts. Senator Mike Fasano was one of the most vocal critics of the re-inspection program because it routinely denied homeowners discounts they had previously been granted. The mitigation program was originally designed to encourage homeowners to make expensive investments to harden their homes against wind damage and then receive discounts on their insurance premiums.
Republican National Convention â Tampa impact projected at $173 Million Featured
Written by Angela LeMay
Update from Tallahasse: Legislative Session 2010 Week Eight
Written by Greg GiordanoWeek eight was not without a fair amount of action in the Capitol as the second to last week of the session wound to a close. Good bills went to the governor, advances were made in the construction of the state budget, and other bills were moved into the posture of possibly being voted out and sent to the governor.Update from Tallahasse: Legislative Session 2010 Week Seven
Written by Greg Giordano
Tallahassee has been a blur of activity as the legislative committees head towards the finish line. Unless called together by the Senate president, Senate committees finish business on day 50. The Senate floor was very busy as good bills were either sent to the House for consideration or to the governor for his signature. Additionally, the veto of a high-profile education bill grabbed the headlines as the week wound to a close. To wrap things up the long-awaited budget conference will begin April 19at 12:15 PM.
Clearwater City Hall Building Spared - Instead to Receive Improvements
Written by Heidi Lux
The aging Clearwater City Hall was spared the wrecking ball by a unanimous vote at the March 31 meeting of the Clearwater city council. Instead, it will be fitted with energy-saving equipment that should save the City $75,000 a year. This remedy was taken last year with Long Center, and the City has been happy with the results.
Update from Tallahasse: Legislative Session 2010 Week Six
Written by Greg Giordano
Budget, controversy and a gubernatorial veto highlighted week six in the Capitol. As the session hit the 2/3rd point, the House spent more hours than expected debating education reform, the budget conference is poised to begin, the governor vetoed a high profile bill and good public issues made steps closer to the governor’s desk.
Update from Tallahasse: Legislative Session 2010 Week Five - the State Budget
Written by Greg Giordano
Budget, budget, budget. That was the one and only theme that permeated the Capitol as the two chambers met to debate their respective versions of the Fiscal Year 2010-11 state budget. The budget as it currently stands is a lean $68.6 billion dollar plan to run the state of Florida for the next year. It may change if Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage dollars become available to the state.
Update from Tallahasse: Legislative Session 2010 Week Four
Written by Greg Giordano
Education was a major theme of this fourth week of session. In the first week details of Senate Bill 6 by Senator John Thrasher of Jacksonville were written in this space. This week the Florida Senate passed this bill, which will change the way in which public school teachers are evaluated and compensated. The legislation is based on the premise that the evaluation of a teacher’s effectiveness should be measured by the success of their students. Additionally, another education-related bill by Senator Thrasher, Senate Bill 4, passed the Senate. This legislation will raise the standards for math and science credits for high school students (phased in over the next few years). Also, Senator Don Gaetz of Niceville’s SJR 2 passed the Senate. If adopted by the House it will put on the next general ballot the option to amend the class size amendment and give school districts more flexibility in meeting the requirements of the amendment while maintaining its spirit.
Update from Tallahassee: Legislative Session 2010 Week Three
Written by Greg Giordano
Florida's House of Representatives and the Senate concluded Week Three with an extraordinary concurrent resolution to the United States Congress, a proposal to save lives with defibrillators, and a resolution to move the 2010 session up by two months to meet a redistricting deadline.
Prescription Drug Abuse - Attacked by All Fronts
Written by Sheriff Jim Coats
We’re Attacking Prescription Drug Abuse on Several Fronts
They are in your home, sitting in your medicine cabinets, expired, unused and perhaps forgotten. Unfortunately, when they fall into the wrong hands, the consequences can be tragic. They are: prescription drugs.
Update from Tallahassee: Legislative Session 2010 Week Two
Written by Greg Giordano
The second week of the sixty-day legislative session began and concluded without the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the opening of the annual meeting of the Florida House and Senate. Instead, this week dealt with the nuts and bolts of lawmaking and the slow but organized building of the state budget. The legislature’s only duty enumerated in the Florida Constitution is to pass the budget that runs the state’s government. The process, which is hosted this year by the House of Representatives (each year the hosting alternates between the two chambers) was underway at one of the fastest passes in recent memory. Although it is far too soon to project how the budget making process will end, it is the top priority of the two bodies to deal with an estimated $2.6 billion dollar shortfall as compared to the previous fiscal year. It will be a challenge to plug this enormous budget hole because, unlike the federal government, Florida is constitutionally required to produce a balanced budget each year. No red ink is allowed when the final product is sent to the governor for his signature.
Update from Tallahassee: Legislative Session 2010 Week One
Written by Greg Giordano
The annual meeting of the Florida Legislature began on March 2. By law the legislature meets on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in March. This year’s session kicked off with a bang. The first bill out of the gate, Senate Bill 1666 by Senator Rudy Garcia of Miami, passed the House and Senate and went straight to the governor’s desk, all on the first day. Governor Charlie Crist signed the bill as soon as it was delivered to him and he mentioned that fact during his annual State of the State address that evening.
Beginning in March, Pinellas County residents will receive their 2010 Census forms in the mail. The census data are important because they are used in determining congressional and legislative districts as well as determining funding for schools, housing, roads, and more. The form is shorter this year than in 2000, and is comprised of only 10 questions. Residents are asked to fill out the form and return it by U.S. mail. If forms are not received by April 1, 2010, census workers will begin visiting those households that did not return their forms. These visits will occur from April through July, 2010. Federal law mandates that individual responses are confidential.
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Clearwater, in a relatively small turnout on March 9th, voted to keep a city council incumbent and reelect a former city council member.
Clearwater City Council Candidates Herb Quintero and Mike Riordon Endorsed by the Tampa Bay Informer
Written by Tampa Bay Informer
Clearwater's city council elections will take place on Tuesday, March 9th. While federal elections may draw more interest, the city council elections have more direct influence on our everyday lives. Since local government is more accessible, it is easier for citizens to have a say in how it is run.
The official U.S. Census, which is conducted every ten years and is described in Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution, calls for an accurate count of people living in the United States and is used as a gauge in the allotment of each state’s seats in the House of Representatives and in the allocation of funds to citizens in need. The first official Census was conducted in 1790 under Thomas Jefferson, who was the Secretary of State. That census, taken by U.S. marshals on horseback, counted 3.9 million inhabitants. Since that time, the Census has been conducted every ten years.
Graffiti Response Programs Cleans Up Graffiti and Cleans Up Youth's Records
Written by Sheriff Jim Coats
Cleaning up graffiti and cleaning up their records. This is the aim of a new community service program for youth launched by the Sheriff’s Office. The new “Graffiti Response Program” uses the volunteer hours of kids who have committed minor crimes in an effort to stop the flood of graffiti that is plaguing areas of Pinellas County.
This will be a year of many elections. We will be deciding on a new US senator and a new governor, among other offices. But perhaps the most influential in our daily lives will be the elections for city council. The Clearwater races have been drawing a lot of attention recently, with four candidates for Seat 4, where Carlen Peterson has termed out, and two for Seat 5, where incumbent Paul Gibson is seeking re-election. Having met for their first debate on February 1st, here are the candidates:
Anthony Holloway Named City of Clearwater's Chief of Police
Written by Joshua T. Gillion
The search for Clearwater’s next Chief of Police came to an end on January 11th. Beating out over 100 other applicants for the position, Anthony “Tony” Holloway has been named as Clearwater’s next Chief of Police and retiring Chief Sid Klein’s successor.
Clearwater Police Chief Candidates Narrows Down to Two - John A. Jackson and Anthony Holloway
Written by Joshua T. GillionIn February, Clearwater Police Chief Sid Klein will retire after serving 29 years as the city’s Chief of Police. The daunting task of finding a replacement lies on the shoulders of City Manager Bill Horne, aided by input from citizens and city officials. Horne has whittled down the list of applicants to two qualified candidates.
Sheriff's Office Transforms Vacancy Into Kids' Rec Center Through Lealman PAL Program Featured
Written by Sheriff Jim Coats
Over the last two months, a vacant Pinellas County Government Highway Department vehicle maintenance and fueling facility in Lealman has been transformed into a multi-sports and activity complex for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Police Athletic League, (PAL).
City of Clearwater Earns Green City Certification from Florida Green Building Coalition
Written by Heidi Lux
The City of Clearwater recently earned a Green City certification from the Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), a non-profit organization with the mission “to lead and promote sustainability with environmental, economic, and social benefits through regional education and certification programs,” according to their website.
Holiday Shopping Safety Tips and Crime Prevention from Sheriff Jim Coats
Written by Sheriff Jim CoatsFrom the Desk of Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats
‘Tis the season for family, friends and holiday gatherings. But ‘tis also the season to keep in mind various crime prevention tips that will help to keep you, your family and your belongings safe throughout the holidays and the New Year.