National Regional Planning Councils Report on Livability

Livability Literature Review: A Synthesis of Current Practice Introduction and Purpose In 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (U.S. HUD) created the Partnership for Sustainable Communities (the Partnership) “to help improve access to affordable housing, more transportation…

2012 Local Government Financial Information Now Available

The Office of Economic and Demographic Research has published the 2012 Local Government Financial Information Handbook.  This annual report is a reference for most of the revenue sources available to local governments and contains relevant information useful for local government budgeting purposes, including descriptions of revenue sources, estimated revenue distributions, and adjusted population estimates used…

A Shining Beacon for Panama City

Plans for The Panama City Lighthouse began in 2003, when it was going to be a quaint, utilitarian structure that would honor our community’s history as well as serve as an event shelter with a beacon on top. It was designed after an authentic, historical Florida lighthouse. Now, after more than a decade, and with…

Tearing Down to Build Back Up

It took the city of Leesburg less than 10 minutes Friday to tear down an abandoned house and lift up an entire city block. A mechanical excavator quickly ripped apart the crumbling, wood-sided house at 130 S. East St., the latest of several badly aged properties the city is destroying in voluntary cooperation with owners…