Florida Matters: Hillsborough’s Transit Initiative

If Hillsborough County voters approve a one-cent sales tax hike in the next election, they’re promised better highways, more buses, and a new light rail train system. Proponents say it will create jobs, clear the roads and bring Tampa Bay up to par with competing metro areas. But critics of the plan say light rail’s [...]

Florida Matters: The Debate Over Amendment 4

Proponents call it “Hometown Democracy”; critics call it a disaster for the state’s economy. Amendment 4 has been proposed as a way to give voters more control over growth and to reign in unchecked development. But it’s stirring up fierce opposition from builders and business groups. They say it’s a jobs-killer and will deepen the [...]

Florida Matters: The Business of College Football

College football in Florida is more than a Saturday afternoon pastime for players, coaches and fans. It’s also big business, generating millions of dollars in revenues for universities. The start of play this year, though, has included questions about improper benefits for student-athletes in Florida and around the country. We’ll weigh the benefits and limitations [...]

Florida Matters: The Way Forward for Florida’s Economy

Economists disagree about how to deal with a recession. Some say direct government spending is best while others argue cutting back on government spending and putting money in people’s pockets works better. We’ll talk about these arguments and weigh the economic proposals being made by the two people who want to be Florida’s next governor [...]

Florida Matters: Hazing

Hazing on college campuses has been put in the spotlight after a suspected hazing at an off-campus event for the Omega Psi Phi fraternity at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Though details about what happened are still mostly unknown as the state attorney’s office and the Tampa Police Department investigate, we’ll look at [...]

Florida Matters: The Pier’s Future

St. Petersburg’s inverted pyramid pier. The St. Petersburg City Council has voted to tear down the city’s inverted pyramid pier, opting for a new structure and a shorter approach. Some say it would mean the loss of a building that is identified with the city. We’ll hear why some city officials think it’s time to [...]

Florida Matters: Voters’ Voices

There’s a new poll out almost every day now that the primary election is upon us, and the leader seems to change with every survey. In cooperation with Bay News 9 and the St. Petersburg Times, we’ll be following a group of votersthrough the November election to get their opinions and perspectives as the races [...]

Florida Matters: Primary Election – The Final Push

Several high-profile statewide primary races are neck-and-neck right now, and the candidates have gotten very heated in their rhetoric and their advertising. Would-be nominees have one last week to make their case and position themselves with their party’s voters. Veteran political strategists help us figure out what the last-minute strategies will be and how primary [...]

Florida Matters: Primary Election Preview – Senate and Gubernatorial Races

Voters decide Aug. 24 which Republican will face Alex Sink and Buddy Chiles in the governor’s race and which Democrat faces Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio for a U.S. Senate seat. With two weeks to go, these primary races are getting heated, and there’s no love lost between the candidates. They have debated each other [...]

Florida Matters: Primary Election Preview – Attorney General’s Race Part 2

Our coverage of the race for state attorney general continues with the Republican primary election. Three Republicans hope to succeed Attorney General Bill McCollum and continue much of his work in the office. Meet the field — two Crist administration officials and a career prosecutor — and find out what they would do as the [...]