Tuesday, May 21, 2013
East Lake Library Advisory Board member Roger Johnson has been pushing for the change. "This means that all of the tax dollars that you pay for the library will come back 100 percent to East Lake," he said.
East Lake residents are one-step closer to getting their own taxing district. Pinellas County Commissioners are set to vote on an ordinance Tuesday that allows residents to fund their own library. "This means that all of the tax dollars that you pay for the library will come back 100 percent to East Lake," said Roger Johnson, who is on the East Lake Library Advisory Board. East Lake is one of the wealthier communities in Pinellas County. Many residents have been unhappy for years because a large portion of their tax money is distributed for use at libraries in other parts of the county. 80 percent of East Lake's 30,962 residents own their homes, which have a median value of $312,700, according to 2010 U.S. Census records. That accounts for…
Friday, May 17, 2013
As news about possible abuses of power on the federal level continues to break, we’d like to get your take about what’s been going on Tampa Bay.
Tampa Bay residents who keep up with the headlines coming out of Washington, D.C., have likely found themselves scratching their heads more than a few times this past week. Allegations of wrongdoing seem to be coming at the speed of light as the Obama Administration fends off bad press about inappropriate targeting of Tea Party organizations by the Internal Revenue Service and possible wrongdoing in the handling of a national security leak. The IRS’ targeting of Tea Party groups centers around hassles these groups report experiencing while trying to apply for tax-exempt status prior to the 2012 election. The controversy even hit home as Bay area groups are now reporting that they were targeted, according to The Tampa Tribune. The kerfuffle…
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
The farmer's market that used to be held on the grounds of the North Pinellas Historical Museum will re-open June 2 at Pop Stansell Park.
Palm Harbor will once again have a farmer's market. Representatives from the Palm Harbor Historical Society and CSA Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation met Wednesday afternoon and agreed to team up to bring the farmer's market back to Palm Harbor. The farmer's market that used to be held on the grounds of the North Pinellas Historical Museum will re-open June 2 at Pop Stansell Park. "After reading about what happened with the current location on Palm Harbor Patch, we realized it would be a great asset to add the market to one of our locations. We already have the park space, we have the shade, we have the accessibility and it's something that a Parks and Recreation Department should be partnering with," said Mathew Eberius, CSA Palm Harbor …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The city of Sarasota just enacted a law aimed at getting motorists to turn down the volume. Now, other local governments are following suit. Should they?
Most of us have been in the car when a great tune comes on the radio. The urge to turn up that volume just a little bit is often too strong to resist. But, how loud is too loud? When is cranking it up going too far? When should authorities be able to step in and say enough is enough? Those are questions some local governments in the Tampa Bay area are now wrestling with. Since the Florida Legislature shot down a measure that would have regulated just how loud car stereos can be, some local authorities have decided to take matters into their own hands. The City of Sarasota just put its new ordinance into effect that makes it against the law for car stereos and portable electronic devices to emit sounds at a level that are considered “…
Palm Harbor Patch readers are voicing their support for the Cross Roads Farmer's Market, which closed last month. CSA Palm Harbor Parks & Recreation is now offering to help move the market to a new location.
On Monday, we posted a story about the closure of the Palm Harbor Cross Roads Farmer's Market. After reading our story, a local organization is hoping to help the farmer's market return to Palm Harbor. "On behalf of CSA Palm Harbor Parks & Recreation, we would love the opportunity to partner with this organization and bring the Farmer's Market to one of our park facilities here in the community. The Museum and the Society are important parts of our heritage here in Palm Harbor / North Pinellas and we can lend a hand to help support them. We are reaching out to them as we speak to see if we can assist," wrote Mathew Eberius, who is the recreation specialist and camps coordinator at CSA Palm Harbor. Eberius says one possible location for the…
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H. S. "Pop" Stansell Memorial Park
8th St & Florida Ave, Palm Harbor, FL
/articles/support-for-shuttered-farmer-s-market-pours-in
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/locations/9384879
Monday, May 13, 2013
Curious to see what passed and what didn’t during the Florida Legislature’s 2013 session?
Wine in a keg can now be sold in the Palm Harbor area. It’s no longer legal to dye or artificially color an animal. Early voting is going to be extended to prevent those extra-long lines some experienced during the 2012 Presidential Election. Those are just a few of the bills that made it through the House and Senate before the Florida Legislature called it quits on the 2013 session, according to The Miami Herald. Here’s a look at a few of the bills that didn’t quite make the grade: Want to find out more about what passed, what failed and what got vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott? Check out The Miami Herald’s winners and losers list. How do you think state lawmakers did during the 2013 session? Did any laws pass you think are absurd? Did …
Sunday, May 12, 2013
It seems like everyone has an opinion when it comes to red light cameras. Pinellas County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Kent Burke sent Patch this letter to the editor about red light cameras.
To the Editor: The people of the state of Florida have won a victory in the Red Light Camera legislation which was introduced by state Senator Jeff Brandes and passed into law during the 2013 legislative session. The bill cured many of the defects that existed in the previous Red Light Camera law. Among many of the positive changes in the legislation is the ability of drivers to challenge a red light camera violation using an administrative proceeding. Previously, citizens had no right to due process unless a Uniform Traffic Citation was issued with a higher fine rate of $264. All drivers who receive this violation now have a reasonable process to follow and local hearing officers are used to conduct the hearings. The hearing officers …
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Florida House and Senate recently approved a measure that would make driving slow in the fast lane punishable by a fine. Do you think this is a good idea?
Can’t handle traveling at the Interstate’s 70 mph pace or a local four-lane road’s legal top speed? You might want to get in the practice of moving over. The Florida House and Senate recently approved a measure that makes it illegal to drive more than 10 mph under the speed limit if your vehicle is riding in the fast lane. The proposal will become the law of the land in Florida if Gov. Rick Scott signs on the dotted line. Dubbed the “road rage” bill, according to ABC News, the measure would give law enforcement the right to fine drivers $60 for moving at a snail’s pace in the far left lane of any road that has two or more lanes. That means slow drivers who refuse to move over – often causing other motorists to lose their cool – would be …
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Drivers who want to appeal a ticket might have to pay up to $250 in additional fees if Gov. Rick Scott signs a new bill into law. Do you think that’s right?
Hate red light cameras? If so, you might hate them even more if Gov. Rick Scott signs a bill recently passed by the Florida Legislature into law. The bill sets a new process for appeals that enables local government bodies – cities and counties – to tack on an additional $250 in court fees for those who try to appeal tickets generated by red light cameras and fail. It also puts the new appeals process into the hands of those very same local governments that would benefit from the additional fees. That means motorists who appeal and lose will no longer be subject to just a $158 penalty – they might have to fork over $408. The new law, according to The Tampa Tribune, was designed to streamline the appeals process and put more control in the …
Monday, May 6, 2013
A law that would have ended permanent alimony in Florida didn’t get Gov. Rick Scott’s stamp of approval. Do you think he was right to nix the legislation?
Divorced men and women across Florida got good news – or bad, depending on perspective – late last week when Gov. Rick Scott shot down a law that would have put an end to permanent alimony in Florida. Scott vetoed the measure with only four hours left on the clock for it to automatically go into law, according to Fox News. Citing concerns about the financial impacts the bill would have on Florida families and a dislike for the fact the measure had a clause that would make it retroactive, Scott told lawmakers he could not support passage. "The retroactive adjustment of alimony could result in unfair, unanticipated results,” Fox quoted Scott as saying. Had the law gone into effect it would have limited the amount of alimony a person could …
Robert "Bobby" Saltzman
6:42 am on Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Yes I will as soon as the GOP/TEA get off the "kill all social programs" bandwagon and want to through me under the bus. They did all they could to throw money at an unelectable fool that would have been their puppet. Until they show me something viable that is for the people instead of for the money..they to me are..well you guessed it blah blah blah..have a great day.. more ›