CORY LAKE ISLES - Homeowners in this New Tampa gated community often complained that they weren't getting first-rate service from developer Gene Thomason. As the neighborhood weans itself from Thomason and his all-everything company, Cory Lakes Limited, it's learning that first-rate service will cost a hefty chunk of change. Cory Lake Isles homeowners will face a 34 percent increase in their assessments in the next fiscal year. That's a difference of $540 per household. ...more

June 10, 2008

Residents of the Westpark Preserve town home community in Westchase recently celebrated the opening of their new amenities center by holding an ice cream social. ...more

May 21, 2008

The city's controversial sprinkler law is facing its first major challenge. ...more

May 12, 2008

David Weekley Homes is pre-selling in Kensington, a gated community in Pinellas County, giving prospective buyers a chance to enjoy the builder's signature "healthy home" standards. ...more

May 11, 2008

Re: Controlled burns and wild pigs. Mr. Quehl must be new to Florida since he doesn't know what a "controlled burn" is and how it will benefit him in the future. He certainly needs to contact the phone number the editor provided him to gain this knowledge, along with the reason why the helicopters dropped water at the end of the day. ...more

May 10, 2008

NEW TAMPA - Four years after the first homeowner moved into Live Oak Preserve, the gated community will become truly gated Sunday. The New Tampa neighborhood's main gate is accessed from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, across from Wharton High School. A second, unmanned gate is accessed from Imperial Oak Boulevard near Turner Elementary. "Residents had expressed concerns about the gate by the [elementary] school being open during the day," Engle Homes Vice President Rick Feather said, "so we're going to close all the gates during the day, and the front gate will be manned 24 hours a day." ...more

May 9, 2008

Neighbors say they do not recall ever seeing the man who killed five Illinois college students at his father's home in Lakeland. ...more

February 16, 2008

This is one of those celebrity deals that practically requires a scorecard. ...more

February 16, 2008

Let's face it: Eddie Murphy has his hands full. First he exchanged vows with producer Tracey Edmonds on New Year's Day on a private island off Bora Bora. Then the pair announced their split two weeks later, forgoing the chance to make their ceremonial union legal in the United States. ...more

February 9, 2008

SEBRING — Teachers seeking affordable housing have a new option with the School Board of Highlands County approving an agreement with a local developer. The school district will help get the word out about Las Villas Phase 2, an affordable housing development on Kenilworth Boulevard, east of Sebring High School. Project developer Caribbean Realestate Developers has qualified for a grant to provide workforce housing for personnel considered essential to the county. Teachers are considered essential personnel. "The bottom line is you have the opportunity to provide $50,000, maybe even $70,000 off the purchase of a villa for a teacher," school district teacher recruiter Sean Rego said at a recent school board meeting. The housing agreement requires no monetary responsibility of the school district. ...more

February 4, 2008