SEBRING — When Ave Maria opened last year in Collier County, two large landowners in Highlands County started working on a plan to conserve their land so they could organize the same kind of city, minus the controversies that surround that development. But after a series of fits and starts, the Rural Land Stewardship Area Program appears dead in Highlands County. First, Lykes Bros. dropped out of the program. Now, Atlanticblue has put in a more traditional rezoning request. Susie Bishop, an Atlanticblue spokeswoman, said Atlanticblue got tired of waiting for the state to review the program rules, and was discouraged by what she described as a new leadership in Tallahassee that stripped the program of incentives. ...more

June 8, 2008

SEBRING – The Highlands County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to support the Sun 'N Lake of Sebring residents who filed a lawsuit to have their five-person governing body elected by residents. If the judge rules for the plaintiffs in the suit, the decision would take control of the Sun 'N Lake governing board away from the companies that own the thousands of vacant lots and, under the current rules, hold a 3-2 majority on the board. At the urging of county commissioners Andy Jackson and Barbara Stewart, the commissioners passed a resolution saying they support the lawsuit filed by the association representing Sun 'N Lake residents. The county also might enter this legal fight on the side of the residents seeking to put control of the governing board in the hands of residents. ...more

June 3, 2008

Residents creating a new look for downtown Riverview worry that a county planning rule could allow high-density commercial development to creep into their residential neighborhoods. ...more

May 21, 2008

Residents creating a new look for downtown Riverview worry that a county planning rule could allow high-density commercial development to creep into their residential neighborhoods. ...more

May 21, 2008

For many in this coastal town, the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster was an event so crushing that hard-bitten fishermen still get teary-eyed recalling ruined livelihoods, broken marriages and suicides. ...more

February 26, 2008

Tampa City Council is scheduled today to hear a proposal that would put needed sting in the penalties for those who trash their neighborhoods. ...more

February 21, 2008

SEBRING — Sun 'N Lake is having elections today until 7 p.m. for two seats on its five-member board of supervisors. Voters can cast their ballot at the Sun 'N Lake Community Center. ...more

February 19, 2008

The Sun N' Lake Special Improvement District of approximately 3,000 people is governed by five puppet supervisors, elected by landowners only. Two out of three are landowners from all over the western hemisphere (USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, South America and Mexico) who can vote to elect a supervisor to govern and tax the residents of this district. How long must the residents endure this abuse from this government? The abuses are practiced in communist countries, but, we are the democratic United States of America? ...more

February 18, 2008

The Florida Taxation and Budget Reform Commission has come up with a simple move that could cut taxes, control growth, sustain agriculture and protect open lands all at once. ...more

February 11, 2008

When the Brooker Creek Preserve decided to capture testimonies from older residents in the area, it looked to an unpaid intern to do the legwork. ...more

February 8, 2008