News & Public Affairs

Charlie Crist holds business roundtable on Florida economy listen

07/14/09 Seán Kinane
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Governor Charlie Crist toured a printing factory in Clearwater today before holding a roundtable discussion with business leaders. Crist, who is competing for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, promised businesses that government would “stay out of their way.”

Governor Crist toured the factory of BIC Graphic USA, a division of the multinational company that makes pens and disposable lighters. Their central Pinellas factory, which Crist called a ...

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'Cash for Clunkers' gets green light listen

07/02/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Auto Industry, politics, economy

The three biggest car makers in America called a bottom to the long decline in U.S. auto sales as the industry reported its smallest monthly sales drop this year.

According to the market-research firm Autodata Corp., new vehicle sales in June fell 28 percent from a year earlier to 860,000 cars and light trucks. But that would be the smallest decline in any month this year.

Auto sales are expected to pick up as well now that President Barack Obama has signed into law what is known as the...

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Florida education head discusses school layoffs listen

06/24/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Education funding, economy, FEA

Last night in Fort Lauderdale, the Broward School Board voted unanimously to lay off almost 400 teachers.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports that board members said they had little choice but to lay off the teachers, citing three years of state budget cuts and declining student enrollment. But they were angry and defiant, urging the audience to call and write state leaders to protest.

Andy Ford is president of the Florida Education Association (FEA). He said that the recession is ...

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Empowerment Tour offers career advice, chance at scholarships listen

06/24/09 Seán Kinane
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Tags: education, economy, Empowerment Tour

People thinking about going back to school or looking for a change in career got some free advice today in downtown Tampa. Career coaches traveling in an event calling itself “the Empowerment Tour” offered counseling under the dome in Joe Chillura Courthouse Square.

Luis Rivera, from Town 'N Country, sought out advice because it has been tough to find work in his field lately.

“I was planning to go back to school because right now the job I do is a little bit slow because they have to ...

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Tempers flare as Hillsborough Commission discusses executive pay raises listen

06/18/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, salaries, wage increases, economy, budget, deficit

A week after it was reported that some of Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean’s top assistants received raises, the issue was revisited again today by County Commissioner Kevin Beckner.

Saying he wanted to control his anger, the freshman lawmaker said he needed more understanding about why such an issue happened at a time when Commissioners are dealing with a deficit of more than $100 million that could lead to more than 500 employees being laid off.

Beckner called for an inde...

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Cindy Sheehan speaks in St. Petersburg listen

06/18/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: politics, Cindy Sheehan, economy, deficit

Peace Activist Cindy Sheehan appeared in St. Petersburg last night.

Speaking at Nova 535, Sheehan spoke for approximately an hour, where she touched on a variety of subjects, including many in her new book, Myth America.

Sheehan moved to San Francisco a couple of years ago, specifically to challenge House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her bid for re-election last year, a topic she discussed last night.

Sheehan’s home state of California is in serious financial difficulties. The state f...

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Report: Florida will be among the last states to escape recession listen

06/16/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Economy, recession, poll

A new report says that Florida’s economic recovery will be longer and more difficult than the rest of the country.

Forecasters with the Wachovia Economics Group say the state went into recession a full nine months ahead of the rest of the nation. Plus, it says the state’s surplus of housing and commercial real estate is "considerably worse" than the rest of the U.S.

Read the economic forecast for Florida at Wachovia.org.

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Ken Welch on Pinellas economy, listen

06/16/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Pinellas County Commission, budget, economy, deficit, Ken Welch

Pinellas County Commissioners are conducting their public hearing portion of their meeting this afternoon.

Over the weekend, WMNF spoke with Commissioner Ken Welch about the economic woes Pinellas is undergoing. He says the county is staring at a deficit of at least $110 million.

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Congresswoman Castor on Pew study on green jobs listen

06/15/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Poll, green jobs, economy

Last week, WMNF reported on a new study from the Pew Charitable Trusts on the clean energy economy over the past decade. It said that Florida green job economy grew nearly 8 percent over the past decade.

Today Hillsborough area Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor said the release of the report comes at a critical time.

During a recent debate about the Clean Energy Bill, Castor says she added an amendment to promote renewable power in the Energy and Commerce Committee. She says she wa...

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Hillsborough honcho gets backlash over raises for staffers listen

06/11/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County Commission, economy, budget, Pat Bean, salaries, raises

Hillsborough County Adminstrator Pat Bean got a smackdown today at a county budget hearing today regarding recent pay raises for some of her top assistants.

It came as the Commission met to try to find a way to cut $144 million from next year’s budget. It also came a day and a half after hundreds of citizens packed the County’s chambers begging that certain services not be cut next year.

Commissioner Kevin Beckner brought the issue up, which was first reported in today’s *St. Petersburg...

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