Tampa developer Third Lake filed plans on July 27, 2026 for a 273‑unit apartment complex at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. The proposal sits near entitlements the county expanded last year.

Deputies say a blue Kia drove onto the sidewalk at Bruce B. Downs and N. 43rd, entered an active scene and the driver was arrested on a DUI charge.

Polk County deputies arrested an 18-year-old and a 13-year-old after early-morning car burglaries in Jan Phyl Village; deputies say the masks led to enhanced charges.

Bullard Family Foundation volunteers packed 30,000 backpacks for Tampa students ahead of an August 8 giveaway at Raymond James Stadium. The event pairs school supplies with free health services.

A Hillsborough County jury convicted Taron Criner this week in the fatal 2022 stomping outside a Busch Boulevard 7‑Eleven.

DRIP opened a North St. Pete cafe at 4901 38th Ave N, mixing coffee, botanical teas and kava with evening events and alternative wellness products.

Florida regulators ordered Peace River Center’s Bartow crisis unit to stop new admissions after an AHCA review found lapses in emergency care following a patient’s death. The hold applies only to new intakes; existing patients and other sites remain open.

Howard & Platt opened July 24 on South Howard, taking over 301 S. Howard Ave with patio seating and reservations. The new spot aims to pull daytime diners to the SoHo corridor.

Hidden beneath Central Park Food Hall, The Winfield is a 22-seat subterranean cocktail parlor serving rare spirits, precise mixology and shareable elevated bites. The intimate room has quickly become a noted addition to downtown St. Pete.

The State Board approved a uniform weighted GPA for honors and accelerated courses and a uniform core curriculum for teacher-prep programs, with staggered deadlines through 2027.

Tampa police found two people dead inside a Hunters Pond Drive home Thursday while searching for a person of interest. Autopsies are pending as investigators probe.

A Sumter County detective was arrested after an audit found she allegedly accessed restricted law‑enforcement systems to track a private resident. The sheriff has ordered a wider audit and suspended ALPR access.

Family members flagged bank alerts and stopped a courier pickup, helping deputies arrest a suspect in a $30,000 Port Charlotte impostor scam. Officials urge caution.