Bill Clinton comes to West Central Florida tonight. He'll be speaking in Sarasota at the Van Wezel Center at 7:45 p.m. The event is being sponsored by the Ringling College Library Association. More on how the former commander in chief might, just might, have an impact on the Florida governor's race later in the post.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Kathy Castor is in the news. The Tampa Democrat is calling on the EPA to review the controversial mall proposed in Wesley Chapel next to Cypress Creek, near the border between Pasco & Hillsborough counties. The conglomerate trying to build the mall has been engaged in a battle with local environmentalists for years.
Less than a month ago, the Army Corps of Engineers lifted a suspension of its permit. That came after the developers agreed to pay a $297,000 fine for discharging muddy water into Cypress Creek, which is a tributary for the Hillsborough River, Tampa's main source of potable water.
Castor is also defending herself against charges that she supported a vote to maintain funding for ACORN, the community activist group that has received an avalanche of negative publicity in recent weeks.
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This article appears in Sep 30 – Oct 7, 2009.