Breakfast with DOT

Goodness Gracious. Whatever one thinks of the outcome of the CSX/High Speed Rail/Tri-Rail/Rail Authority/Sunrail monstrosity that finally romanced its way through Tallahassee last week, can we all agree on the general...


Be a patriot, JD: Divest from your CSX-related holdings

As I was driving home last night, I heard a WUSF report in which Sen. JD Alexander, R-Lake Wales, waxed patriotic about how it’s our duty to support our troops by approving Sunrail. Yes, really. The idea is that the...


Hey Orlando, Get Your Act Together, Like Tampa, and Pay for Your Own Rail

You may have seen that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood supposedly said recently that Florida won’t get high speed rail money unless the state senate agrees to CSX’s blackmail payment, eerrr, Sunrail...


Redbox vs Blue box – Movie Rental boxes that is…

Redbox now has a blue box, Blockbuster, for competition. I have used Redbox many times before, mainly because I was at a location where they had it (Wal-mart and CVS). Now Blockbuster has come out with their own box, so I...


Lakeland Police Officer Flashed by Red Light Camera

Some of Lakeland’s brightest have asked how it is possible that none of Lakeland’s finest have committed a red light camera violation. Well, one has, and we have the video. Actually, the video was supplied by the...


Sneak peak into a new Diner

Looks like the final preparations are being made for a new diner to open soon – Anna’s Diner. If you drive by it now the windows have brown paper on them. It will join the other business in the Highland City shopping...


Weak SunRail Sauce

I clearly don’t know the back story to any of the most recent negotiations - or whatever they are. But the letters to Sunrail backers from the Federal Transit Authority and from CSX discussing the new developments are...


From the Department of CSX Actions No One Could Have Predicted

Some schlub wrote this not long ago: In this economy, CSX will not lightly walk away from more than $600 million in cash and system improvements, liability or no. A commenter expressed some skepticism and asked what I based...


What Did MyRegion.org Do With All That State CSX Money?

You may have seen this story Thursday in The Ledger: CSX Battle Drained State of $44 million Quite a chunk of change. I’ll let Joe Follick’s story discuss the merits of spending that money in advance of a big...


Red Light Cameras Money Matters More

Thanks to a Lakeland Local reader, attorney Kemp Brinson, we have an update to the Red Light Cameras Money Matters story. In Fall 2008, I reported the formula used in the article. It was based on conversations with Lakeland...


Lakeland Minute: Red Light Camera Edition

We took our Lakeland Local camera out to a couple of the red light cameras last night. Here’s a minute of what we found… The time of the yellow light on Northbound South Florida at Beacon: Next, we wonder if...


Red Light Camera Sign at South Florida at Beacon

In Saturday’s paper, the Ledger published a photo to accompany their article on Lakeland’s red light cameras. The photo showed the “photo enforced” sign on Northbound South Florida at Beacon Road. The...


Red Light Camera Money Matters

This article has been updated. Please see Red Light Cameras Money Matters More • Here are our previous red light camera articles: 1) Series Introduction 2) Why Lakeland? Why Now? 3) The Dilemma Zone? 4) Update 5) City...


CSX Deal: Relic of a [For Now] Bygone Era

In this economy, CSX will not lightly walk away from more than $600 million in cash and system improvements, liability or no. FDOT probably still wants to hand that money over to the company. In fact, it’s already done...

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