The City of Tallahassee Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) has spent or committed over $27 million to redevelopment activities in two sections of town and the majority of this money has been spent in the last four years. Under Florida law (Chapter 163, Part III), local governments are able to designate areas as community redevelopment areas […]
The Leon County Grand Jury released a report on March 13, 2013 addressing a January 12, 2013 incident in which two subjects shot at an unmarked police vehicle driven by a Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) officer. The Grand Jury recommended that the State Attorney prosecute the two persons that shot at the police officer and […]
For the first time since 2007, a recently released report by the United States Department of Commerce indicates that Per Capita Personal Income (PCPI) has increased in all 366 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA). Personal income in the United States was up 5.2% in 2011 over 2010 for an average PCPI of $41,560. A MSA is […]
On February 5th, 2013, Tallahassee City Manager Anita Favors-Thompson made a presentation to the Ethics Advisory Panel. The ethics panel was created by the city commission to look into the recent ethical issues surrounding the city commission. The Panel is gathering information and looking at various options from creating an ethics commission, an ethic officer […]
With the economy still struggling, the importance of creating new jobs is becoming more and more important. Locally, we have heard for years about the impediments of job creation. These obstacles include high electric rates, the challenges at Tallahassee Regional Airport, and the permitting process. With the flow of money so tight, an extra expense […]
After the recent legislative session and Governor Scott’s subsequent vetoes, it is clear that the Great Recession continues to have real economic consequences in Florida. It would appear that reducing expenses while striving for the efficient delivery of services will be the mission statement for not only government, but the private sector for sometime to […]
Vince Long is slick. There’s really no other way to put it. How else to describe a guy who, in the span of 24 hours, somehow managed the announcement that his boss, Leon County Administrator Parwez Alam, was retiring, then got seven County Commissioners to unanimously vote to name him as the replacement, complete with […]
The COT press release on the 2012 budget reads: “No increase proposed for millage rate – City Manager Anita Favors Thompson today released the recommended $724.9 million fiscal year 2012 budget for review and action by the Tallahassee City Commission. The proposed amount is $2 million less than the current year budget and reflects feedback […]
Recently, the Citizens Advisory Committee for Utilities was becoming a lively bunch. The proposed increase in electric rates had put members of this newly reactivated board front and center. There meetings were even drawing attention from the print and broadcast media. A recent presentation to the group by the COT utility rate consultant, who calculated […]
When you were growing up didn’t you hate the kids that changed the rules of the game when they were losing? Usually those kids were the bullies and you had to accept it and move on! But as adults you would think we would have outgrown such behavior. Maybe we have, but somebody at the […]