Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Social Security Administrator Michael Astrue today officially opened a new Social Security hearing office in St. Petersburg, which brings 65 new jobs to the area. Read more »

"BP elevated profits over safety. From the testimony I heard today from Mr. Hayward, I am convinced BP was blinded by profits, much to the detriment of the victims of this disaster Read more »

As oil washed closer to Florida on Thursday, local businesses and environmentalists said the state must spread a critically important message: Tampa Bay beaches are still oil-free. Read more »

The current in the Gulf of Mexico has begun flowing in a clockwise circle, a temporary shift that spins a massive oil spill away from the Florida Keys and the East Coast, a group of academics said Wednesday. Read more »

A new report released this week showed alarming statistics that Florida’s rate of babies born prematurely is higher than the national average, a troubling trend because studies have shown correlations between preterm births and neurodevelopmental disorders. Read more »

On a former cattle pasture north of Arcadia, President Barack Obama commissioned the largest photovoltaic solar array in the United States. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, the focus of tumultuous reaction at a town hall meeting Thursday night, said in an interview this morning that the event has strengthened her conviction to support health care reform. Read more »

The White House, faced with flaring tempers at town hall meetings around the country, is taking sides in an emerging fight between lawmakers in Washington, supporting the Senate and the drug industry against House Democrats. Read more »

Midnight approached and the lawmakers were still debating. Back and forth it went over the role of government in health care. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor stood out for not standing out. Head down, she focused on the mountain before her — the 1,000-plus pages that make up America's Affordable Health Choices Act. Read more »

U.S. Central Command will orchestrate wars from a four-story, $60 million headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, where officials broke ground on the project Monday. The 250,000-square-foot facility will house about 1,800 military employees who run the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as oversee counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, humanitarian relief and other operations in 20 countries. Read more »