News & Public Affairs

Rally against CSX rail deal in Lakeland listen

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Tags: CSX, Legislature, Transportation, commuter rail, labor, taxes, Lakeland

Lakeland business and labor leaders rallied today against plans for a deal between CSX and the state of Florida for a commuter rail line in the Orlando area.

About 170 people held signs and chanted in downtown Lakeland’s Munn Park, next to the rail line shared by CSX and Amtrak. Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Partnership, said that the cost to Florida’s taxpayers of the CSX deal had “gotten out of control.”

Townsend thanked Sen. Paula Dockery and Rep. Denni...

Part 2 of annual tax call-in program

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Tags: Taxes

Today we held the second part of our annual federal income tax advice call-in program with guests Phil Scheidt, Anne Marie and Andy Mason. All three are CPA's who practice in the Tampa area.

Part 1 of annual tax call-in program

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Tags: Taxes

Today we presented the first of two call-in programs this week devoted to offering advice on filling out federal income tax forms. Our guests were CPA's Phil Scheidt, Lee Hewitt and Malcolm Hayes.

Iorio meets with City Council on budget listen

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Tags: Tampa, Pam Iorio, Mary Mulhern, John Dingfelder, Linda Saul-Sena, Tampa City Council, Amendment 1, taxes, budget

Today Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio briefed members of the City Council about budget concerns resulting from Amendment 1.

The property tax cut approved last month by Florida voters will greatly reduce revenues for local governments. In the meeting at City Hall, Iorio said the city projects collecting $4.1-million less in property tax in 2009. That would result in a $16.8-million difference between total revenues and total expenditures.

Iorio proposed making up $3.4 million of that deficit with ...

Crist stumps for Amendment One in Tampa listen

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Tags: Amendment 1, taxes

Gov. Charlie Crist arrived by bus at a South Tampa home this afternoon to tout the Yes On 1 campaign. Floridians vote in less than two weeks on Amendment 1, which could lower the property taxes of most Floridians by an average of about $240 per year.

One argument against Amendment 1 is that local governments will have to lay off even more police officers and firefighters because of revenue shortfalls. But Crist doesn’t buy that.

Florida’s public schools will lose an estimated $1.6-billi...