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.

Pinellas Park posted photos from a ribbon cutting for the new 36‑bed Pinellas County Rehabilitation Hospital, which reopens after a recent acquisition and rebrand.

Hillsborough County Public Schools is exploring a pilot to build affordable housing for employees on school-owned land near McLane Middle to help ease staff shortages. The plan is exploratory and would rely on state rules that make district land available for workforce housing.

A Fort Myers man pleaded no contest after surveillance showed him hurling three young children over a nearly 6‑foot fence while fleeing deputies; a judge ordered community control and probation.

Dewayne Gallishaw is on trial after prosecutors say he killed a man during a sexual encounter at a Tampa apartment and wounded a 73‑year‑old neighbor when bullets tore through a closed bedroom door.

Three Tampa teens were charged after July 13 assaults left a homeless man critically injured; police say evidence from an unrelated arrest linked them to the attacks.

Commissioners approved a 32-unit townhome site plan on Mango Street and vacated right-of-way, renewing debate over a Disston Avenue extension.