With an unlikely ally at his side - Republican Gov. Charlie Crist - Barack Obama made his first Florida appearance as president Tuesday to push his economic stimulus plan, the first major legislative test of his administration. ...more

February 11, 2009

Determined to "do something," President Barack Obama barnstormed Fort Myers on Tuesday on behalf of Nancy Pelosi's spendapalooza but found what restless locals have in mind is, um, something else. ...more

February 11, 2009

Bank of Tampa patriarch Jerry Divers began his career in the early 1960s with bankers who survived the Great Depression, when the city lost 24 of its 28 banks. ...more

February 10, 2009

So when the president of the Tampa Banking Co. adds to the refrain that today's banking conditions are the worst since the Depression, industry colleagues are apt to pay attention, as did competitors and others at a gathering of the Tampa Chapter of the Exchange Club this afternoon. Divers shared his thoughts about the economic plight affecting banks and the nation, including a warning that 2009 looks gloomy for Florida banking. ...more

February 9, 2009

In a measure of how quickly its options are shrinking, the United States is about to embrace an economic theory that widely was thought to have been discredited for most of the last generation: the idea that great bursts of deficit-funded government expenditure can jolt an economy back to growth. ...more

February 9, 2009

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old cliches about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts. ...more

February 7, 2009

Buyers eager to snatch up deals on Florida condos may have to fork over bigger down payments and face more intense reviews of their potential purchases. ...more

February 6, 2009

Buyers anxious to snatch up deals on Florida condos may have to plunk down higher down payments and have the condominium complex scrutinized. Fannie Mae, one of the largest providers of U.S. mortgages, is requiring more cash upfront and taking over the condo review process from its lenders. Amy Bonitatibus, Fannie Mae spokeswoman, said that's because condos are at a higher risk of failure in this economy. ...more

February 5, 2009

There's no question schools today have access to a much wider array of tools and resources to enhance the educational experience than were available in previous generations. Last week, a previous generation proved to be the greatest resource of all for teachers and students at Hudson High School working on a unit about the Great Depression and the prelude to World War II. ...more

February 4, 2009

The Great Depression was not caused by business failure; it was a financial downturn that was mitigated by the government's reactionary and blundering response to the situation. This resembles our situation today. Our government has not learned a thing from history, and it is on the verge of plunging us into another economic disaster because Congress doesn't have enough sense to study in depth and debate the pros and cons of bills that come before them. How will they create another economic disaster for us? ...more

February 3, 2009