Business: Talk of the bay: Port critics, be warned: You're on film

Business

Special report

Last mission to repair the Hubble telescope
Hubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. In this special report, you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are.
More special reports

Video report

For their own good
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
More video reports

Multimedia report

Rays fan guide to the Trop
Here are some insider tips to Tropicana Field and area information.
More multimedia reports

Talk of the bay: Port critics, be warned: You're on film

By Times Staff
Published September 1, 2007

If you're going to take a shot at the Tampa Port Authority, remember the cameras are always watching. When the boss of a shipyard trade group criticized the port's security office last month as "chaotic" and its workers as disinterested, port director Richard Wainio didn't take it lying down. Security supervisors interviewed employees and reviewed video camera images of the official's visit. They showed news reporters their findings Friday. Allen Walker and his escort, Bruce Croushore of Bender Shipbuilding & Repair, spent 16 minutes trying to get a pass to go through the gate, not the 45 minutes Walker later told the Times. He spent six minutes talking on a cell phone. Video appeared to show employees dealing efficiently with visitors.

Utilities' fuel costs may alter your bill
Is your electricity bill about to get a little better or a little worse? State law lets utilities pass on fuel costs to customers. On Tuesday, Florida's five investor-owned utilities, including Progress Energy Florida and Tampa Electric, will report what they've paid for fuel in the first half of 2007, and what they think it will cost them next year. The Public Service Commission will review the reports in November, and decide if the fuel charges are reasonable.

Note to readers
Some of today's stock tables are shorter and contain less information. This move reflects an industrywide move by newspapers to reduce costs by trimming pages dedicated to stock data. Instead, we encourage readers to find the stock information they need online at money.tampabay.com.
- Robert Trigaux, Business editor

Gas watch

The price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the Tampa Bay area:

Friday: $2.639
Thursday: $2.631
Month ago: $2.788
Year ago: $2.791
Record: $3.095*