In yet another cost-cutting move, Pasco Sheriff Bob White said he will disband the Pasco Detention Pretrial Services Unit to free up four full-time employees for redeployment as "front-line deputies." ...more

March 21, 2009

In yet another cost-cutting move, Pasco Sheriff Bob White said he will disband the Pasco Detention Pretrial Services Unit to free up four full-time employees for redeployment as "front-line deputies." "We just don't have the manpower to do that anymore," the sheriff said in making Friday's announcement, which means his agency will no longer supervise individuals released on their own recognizance to await a court date. At a first appearance before a judge, select defendants are released without having to post bail – cash or property pledged to guarantee his or her return to court on a scheduled date. Defendants who have ties to the community and do not pose a flight risk are often among those most often released on their own recognizance, White said. ...more

March 20, 2009

The woman handed me a stack of gift wish lists. That's not all that unusual this time of year, especially around our house where the lists include electronic devices I have (a) never heard of and (b) can't afford. It has been like that for a long time now, but it has only been in recent years that telephones exist that do everything except, apparently, make phone calls. ...more

December 10, 2008

Restoring money cut last year to prison education programs and increasing money to programs that would help prepare inmates to re-enter society are some of the top priorities for The Department of Corrections, the department's top official said Wednesday. ...more

November 19, 2008

So many Floridians are seeking unemployment benefits that the state's work force agency has hired more staff and expanded its hours just to keep up with the calls. ...more

October 11, 2008

Selecting judges is no easy task. The candidates are often unfamiliar to voters and judicial canons prevent them from addressing specific issues. The restriction is frustrating, though appropriate. Judges must execute the law without bias or agenda. The bench is no place for political grandstanding. ...more

August 4, 2008

One of Miami's longest-serving federal judges was honored at the downtown courthouse for his upcoming 90th birthday. ...more

June 15, 2008

The Greens owed $580 to the homeowners association, so it foreclosed and the family lost its home. It's an increasingly common story. ...more

June 2, 2008

Two former child welfare workers were arrested Thursday and accused of lying in official state records about having face-to-face meetings with children and foster parents. ...more

May 23, 2008

Fifth Circuit Judge Kurt Hitzemann wants to stick around for another term. ...more

January 26, 2008