Penny Tax for Orange Transit Needs a Long Shot

Orange County Commissioner Linda Stewart's push to get a penny-per-gallon tax hike to fund Lynx on the ballot faced legal challenges from County Attorney Tom Drage today, and may be a tough sell to fellow county leaders.

Orlando Sentinel

Jacksonville may call for offshore drilling

Former Jacksonville City Council President Daniel Davis is on a crusade to lower prices at the pump.

Florida Times Union

Jeb on Vouchers

Recently, education reformers from across the country descended on Orlando to attend an education reform summit organized by the Foundation for Excellence in Education and the James Madison Institute. The conference examined the need to reduce achievement gaps and improve opportunities for all children, and highlighted promising reform strategies like holding schools accountable for results and expanding school choice.

National Review

Al Gore's Hypocrisy Exposed in New Video

"We're back from Al Gore's big global warming speech, and boy did we have a great time! We had a dedicated band of taxpayer advocates out in force, pointing out the high economic cost of global warming alarmism - starting with $8 a gallon gasoline."

Americans for Prosperity

Grassroots organization opposes proposed property tax hike

The Florida chapter of a national grassroots organization is speaking out against a proposed property tax increase in the city of Orlando.

Americans for Prosperity-Florida is hosting a town hall meeting July 29 at the Winter Park Library to discuss property taxes, gas prices and how to more effectively communicate with elected officials, according to a news release.

Orlando Business Journal

Democrats Should Let Us Drill

By MITCH MCCONNELL
July 18, 2008; Page A11

Now that an executive-branch ban on offshore oil exploration has been lifted, the time has come for Democrats in Washington to lift their own ban on increased domestic supply. Americans are demanding that Congress do something about record-high gas prices. They recognize that prices will not go down unless supplies go up. And they also know that the only thing now standing in the way of more domestic supply is the Democratic refusal to allow it.

Wall Street Journal

School-voucher amendments get court date

A coalition of education groups trying to scrap two constitutional amendments that could lead to more state-funded private school vouchers in Florida will get their day in court early next month.

Orlando Sentinel

Vice President Crist?

Chris Cillizza makes the case for VP Charlie Crist".. In a toss-up race, Crist could make the difference as he not only has a demonstrated appeal at the ballot box (and high approval ratings to boot) but also has surrounded himself with a highly regarded political team -- both in Florida and Washington.

Tampabay.com

Jeb: I would've supported drilling at $4.30 a gallon

Former Gov. Jeb Bush tells the Florida Keys' Keynoter this week that "if he'd known while he was Florida's governor that oil would spike above $4.30 a gallon in the Keys, he would have been in favor of drilling for oil off Florida's coast.

Miami Herald

Property-tax bills likely to rise in Orlando

Property-tax rates are likely heading up in Orlando, city commissioners said Tuesday as they worked to plug a $30 million budget gap.

"It's a really bad time, with the economy the way it is, to impose an extra burden right when people need the extra cash," said Orlando native Edward Winslow, a student and restaurant worker. Winslow said his grandmother recently mortgaged her home, which had been paid off, to cover basic living expenses.

Orlando Sentinel

Property taxes headed up in Orlando

The tax rate will be going up in Orlando, where city commissioners say residents have become accustomed to top-notch municipal services and they plan to keep it that way.

Orlando Sentinel

Bush: Let's drill!

President Bush says he's lifted the presidential ban on offshore oil drilling his father imposed in 1990 and now it's time for Congress to act.

Miami Herald

Amendment 1 budget cuts kicking in

Local government budget cuts prompted in part by the passage of Amendment 1 are starting to roll out -- at least in local government workshops.

The property tax constitutional amendment championed by Gov. Charlie Crist last January was projected to shave a little over $9 billion in taxes for property owners over the next four years -- around $1.2 billion this year.

Orlando Sentinel

Scholars: Crist unlikely VP pick

TALLAHASSEE — The temptation is overwhelming and the flattery, for a rookie governor with a razor-sharp political instinct, irresistible.

But after months of speculation, political scholars and veteran players consider Charlie Crist an unlikely running mate for presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain.

PNJ.com

Positive Signs for Florida Housing Market

For the first time in a long time, there's positive news to report about Florida's foreclosure crisis.

The Sunshine State is second only to California for having the highest foreclosure rates in the country. Despite foreclosure filings being up 90% from this time last year, Alex Sanchez with the Florida Bankers Association says they're studying the statistics, and there's good news to report.

WOKV.com

Offshore drilling draws support

With a group of restaurants fronting the Gulf of Mexico and the Intracoastal Waterway, it probably comes as no surprise that Ed Chiles has strong views about drilling for oil off Florida's coast.

"I think that's a bad bet," said Chiles, owner of the Sandbar, BeachHouse and Mar Vista restaurants on Anna Maria Island and Longboat Key. "The beaches are Florida's livelihood, and we just can't afford an oil spill. I don't see the payoff. We need to get off fossil fuels, and we need to be conserving fuels and developing alternative sources of energy, and it's time for action, not talk."

Bradenton.com

Economic observers say Florida's downturn likely will last another year

Recession for another year, rising unemployment and $4.10-a-gallon gasoline, too? You might say this is getting to be difficult.

The questions now, at the mid-point of 2008, are: How long will these troubled economic times last? How far down will the economy go? And how many people will be able to hold on to their jobs while they wait for the economy to recover?

Sun-Sentinel