Author: Owen E. Richason IV
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Tampa City Council met Wednesday to discuss a comprehensive flood mitigation project for South Tampa’s South Howard Avenue district, with estimated costs reaching $98 million. The South Howard Flood Relief Project addresses chronic flooding in the area through a complete overhaul of aging stormwater drainage infrastructure. The plan includes underground pipe replacement, widened sidewalks, enhanced…
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Meteorologists are tracking the possibility of gulf-effect snow in parts of Florida late Saturday into Sunday morning, though conditions must align precisely for the rare weather phenomenon to occur. The setup requires cold air from a weekend cold front to rush over the warmer Gulf of Mexico waters, creating atmospheric instability similar to lake-effect snow…
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The City of St. Petersburg has unveiled the second phase of its $160 million disaster recovery initiative, which includes voluntary property buyouts, homebuyer assistance, and affordable housing development for areas affected by recent hurricanes. The Sunrise St. Pete program will allocate $5 million to purchase up to 14 high-risk, flood-prone properties damaged by hurricanes Idalia…
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The Polk County School Board unanimously approved a rezoning plan for all 16 of its high schools Tuesday, marking the final vote on a proposal aimed at addressing enrollment imbalances across the district. The rezoning follows years of data analysis, demographic studies, and research on population trends, according to Superintendent Frederick Heid. The new boundaries…
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Duke Energy is alerting customers about a scam falsely claiming they will experience scheduled power outages. The utility company confirmed these messages did not come from Duke Energy and urged customers to avoid clicking links or downloading attachments from unknown sources. Duke Energy advises customers who receive such communications to contact the company directly to…
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Southwest Florida Water Management District Expected to Tighten Watering Restrictions Due to Drought
The Southwest Florida Water Management District board is expected to approve stricter outdoor watering restrictions on Tuesday in response to an ongoing drought affecting the region’s underground aquifer. The new Phase 2 restrictions would reduce lawn watering to once per week for properties under one acre, down from the current twice-weekly limit. Several areas including…
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The Tampa Bay Partnership has released a comprehensive regional housing affordability report examining the severe housing challenges facing Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco counties. The 137-page report, titled “The Housing Equation, Supply, Demand & Affordability in the Tampa Bay Region,” reveals that median rent increased nearly 50% over five years while wages grew only about 30%…
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A Florida state senator is seeking to revise a hurricane recovery law he sponsored last year after local governments and planning advocates said it went too far. State Sen. Nick DiCeglie, a Republican from Pinellas County, has introduced Senate Bill 840 to address what he calls unintended consequences of Senate Bill 180, which was passed…
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Pasco County has received $585 million in federal disaster recovery funding to help residents rebuild after Hurricanes Helene, Milton, and Idalia, county officials announced Tuesday. The Community Development Block Grant will support long-term recovery efforts, with $200 million designated for the Better Future Individual Homeowner Program. The program assists residents whose homes were damaged by…
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The City of St. Petersburg is preparing to implement the second phase of its $160 million disaster recovery plan to assist residents affected by storms over 15 months ago. The program offers reconstruction assistance, down payment help, affordable housing funding, and voluntary property buyouts. City officials report receiving 466 applications for reconstruction assistance, more than…
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Two bills introduced in the Florida Legislature this session would prohibit drivers from continuously holding phones or other devices while operating a vehicle. Senate Bill 1152 and House Bill 1241 would make it illegal to hold a phone while driving, except to activate or deactivate features, including hands-free accessories. Any sustained use would require hands-free…
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A long-planned flood relief project in the city of Tarpon Springs moved forward after the commission approved an agreement with the Florida Department of Emergency Management in December. The agreement allows the city to accept $31,000 for the design phase of the Sponge Docks Flood Abatement Project, which aims to reduce flooding in the area.…
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The Florida Legislature is weighing legislation that would prohibit large corporations, hedge funds, and venture capital firms from purchasing residential properties in the state, joining a growing national conversation about institutional investors in the housing market. The move began last year when State Representative Berny Jacques filed HB 401 to stop corporations from buying up…
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The Florida Legislature convenes next Tuesday to begin work on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed $117 billion budget, property tax reduction measures, and potential congressional redistricting. DeSantis will deliver his State of the State address at 11 a.m. Tuesday, outlining his priorities for the session. The proposed budget represents a $2.2 billion increase from last year’s…
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The Florida Department of Transportation plans to have air travel operating along the Interstate 4 corridor between Tampa and Orlando by late 2026, agency officials announced. FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue declared that advanced air mobility is now officially a mode of transportation in the state, with the agency working to establish what it calls the…
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Florida State Senator Tom Leek filed legislation Monday establishing an Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights, a priority of Governor Ron DeSantis. The measure would take effect during the legislative session beginning January 13. The proposal includes provisions to protect minors from harmful AI content and requires users to be notified when interacting with AI systems…
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Tampa Bay area residential moving companies are experiencing their busiest December in over a decade, driven by easing mortgage rates and renewed activity in the local housing market. 2 College Brothers Moving and Storage is seeing its busiest December in 15 years, according to owner Wade Swikle. The company recorded over 90 hours of overtime…
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Florida homeowners’ associations may see additional costs if two bills filed this week in the state legislature are approved. State Sen. Ileana Garcia (R-Miami) filed Senate Bill 906 on Monday, which would create a new state agency called the Office of the HOA Ombudsman. The office would help community association members understand their rights and…
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Former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner is urging state lawmakers to convene a special session before Christmas to roll back property taxes to 2024 levels, saying residents need immediate relief. Renner, who is running for governor in 2026, wants lawmakers to order counties to return to the tax rates that existed in 2024 through legislative…
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Pinellas County commissioners approved construction of a four-story parking garage at St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport on Tuesday, a project intended to address growing demand at the busy facility. The proposed garage would have approximately 2,000 spaces and replace the current Strawberry Lot next to the terminal, serving as economy parking. According to interim airport director…
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More than 6,580 Tampa Electric customers have signed an online petition calling for legal action against the utility, citing concerns about significant energy rate increases in recent years. The petition urges Governor Ron DeSantis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, and Senator Rick Scott to investigate Tampa Electric’s pricing practices. Petition organizer Robert Littlejohn questioned whether prices…
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The St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously December 4 to sell a 4-acre property at 7701 22nd Ave. N. to the St. Petersburg Group for $1.6 million, clearing a major obstacle for the revival of the historic Science Center. The sale is expected to close January 5, with construction company Sinclair Group anticipated to break…
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The City of St. Pete began accepting applications today for nearly $160 million in federal assistance to help residents affected by Hurricane Helene in 2024 and Hurricane Idalia in 2023. The program, called Sunrise St. Pete Disaster Recovery, is funded through community development block grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It…
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Pinellas County commissioners are weighing plans to transform the former Toytown landfill into a major youth sports complex, but first need to determine what lies beneath the 275-acre site. The county will vote Tuesday on whether to allocate $250,000 from Tourist Development Council funds for subsurface investigation work. Officials believe approximately 95 acres of the…
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A state audit of Florida’s school voucher program has identified accountability issues with funds distributed to parents who chose homeschooling or private charter schools, according to findings presented to lawmakers this week. The education system audit estimated that Florida may have made overpayments for approximately 30,000 students, and the state sent $47 million to families…
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A Florida legislator has filed a comprehensive bill aimed at reforming the state’s homeowners association system after months of protests and complaints from residents. Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Miami Republican, filed the 32-page HB 657 this week. The bill would restructure how HOA and condominium disputes are handled, create a specialized community association court,…
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Florida’s property insurance market is breathing a sigh of relief as Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, the state’s insurer of last resort, accelerates its depopulation efforts. Once bloated to over 1.4 million policies amid a crisis of soaring premiums and fleeing private carriers, Citizens has shed hundreds of thousands of policies this year alone. The depopulation…
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Gas prices across the state of Florida have declined in recent weeks, but the trend is not expected to continue, according to AAA. The state average dropped 19 cents per gallon over the past two weeks, reaching $2.92 per gallon on Sunday. That price is 10 cents lower than the previous week, three cents higher…
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Four proposed constitutional amendments aimed at reducing property taxes for Florida homeowners cleared a significant hurdle this week when the House State Affairs Committee approved them on Tuesday. The proposals, all filed in October, focus on cutting property taxes through various exemption strategies. If approved by the full legislature and 60% of voters in 2026,…
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Florida’s 175 state parks require nearly $760 million in repairs, upgrades, and maintenance over the next decade, according to a new report mandated by the State Park Preservation Act. The legislation, passed this year, prohibits development of golf courses, hotels or pickleball courts at state parks and reserves, requiring the land instead be used for…
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Florida homeowners—if you’ve been sticker-shocked by your property insurance premiums, you’re not alone. For years, skyrocketing rates turned homeownership into a financial thriller nobody signed up for. But here’s the good news: The market’s turning a corner, thanks to Citizens Property Insurance’s aggressive “depopulation” push and a wave of fresh insurers crashing the party. As…
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If you’re a Pinellas County homeowner who watched Hurricanes Helene and Milton turn your place into a soggy mess last fall, you know the drill: Floodwaters recede, but the real nightmare? Getting back to normal. It’s been over a year since those back-to-back beasts slammed the Gulf Coast in September and October 2024, leaving thousands…
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Florida drivers—if you’ve been grumbling about those sky-high auto insurance premiums (we’re talking an average of $243 a month, 44% above the national norm), there’s finally some good news. After years of rate hikes fueled by fraud, lawsuits, and hurricanes, the Sunshine State’s insurance market is cooling off. Thanks to a wave of reforms from…
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Florida homeowners are no strangers to sticker shock when the property tax bill lands. With assessments spiking nearly 60% over the past five years, thanks to booming real estate values and migration, lawmakers are dusting off plans to ease the pain. As of late November 2025, the state House has greenlit a slate of reform…
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More than a year after back-to-back hurricanes struck the Tampa Bay area, homeowners lined up Monday outside the Maureen B. Gauzza Public Library for Hillsborough County’s disaster-recovery intake session. The county’s Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program is helping residents determine whether they qualify for financial assistance, with some homeowners potentially eligible for up to $100,000 in home-repairs…
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Pinellas County collected $92.5 million in bed tax revenue for fiscal year 2025, a decline of $4 million from the previous year, according to data released last week by Visit St. Pete-Clearwater. The 4.4% decrease followed two major hurricanes that hit the region, though officials said the relatively small drop demonstrated the area’s tourism resilience.…
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Pinellas County school officials have begun a series of public meetings to gather community input on addressing declining enrollment that has left the district with approximately 45,000 empty seats. The district held the first of five town hall meetings on November 12 at Boca Ciega High School, where about 30 residents attended. Chief Operating Officer…
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The Florida House moved forward with several proposals Thursday aimed at reducing non-school property taxes, though the measures face an uncertain path ahead. The proposals cleared their first committee votes and include multiple approaches: one would eliminate non-school property taxes immediately, another would phase them out over 10 years, and a third would eliminate such…
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Two Republican Florida lawmakers have introduced legislation to require cursive handwriting instruction in the state’s public schools, 15 years after it was removed from the curriculum. State Representative Toby Overdorf and State Senator Erin Grall filed bills that would mandate cursive teaching from second through fifth grade, with students taking a state evaluation at the…
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St. Pete officials have concluded that flooding problems across the city require tailored solutions for each affected neighborhood, following nine walking tours and a public meeting analyzing last year’s hurricane season impacts. Working with Jacobs Engineering as part of broader storm resiliency planning, the city examined nine neighborhoods: Old Pasadena, Kingston Street, Shore Acres, Bartlett…
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Polk County commissioners have voted to place a one-mill property tax referendum on the November 2026 ballot to increase funding for the school district. The four-year measure, beginning July 1, 2027, would generate approximately $76 to $82 million annually. Under the proposal, 80% of revenue would fund recruiting, retaining, and compensating school-based staff, including teachers,…
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