The City of Tampa will hand out free native plants and host a Florida‑Friendly Landscaping workshop this Saturday to help residents save water amid an extreme drought.

JavaCone is slated for 5537 Palmer Crossing Circle in Sarasota and promises artisan espresso, handcrafted breakfast and premium ice cream. No firm opening date has been announced.

Hillsborough’s TPO left the contentious I‑275 widening on its new priority list, keeping the corridor eligible for state and federal funding even as neighbors push back.

A Largo hospital employee was arrested May 12 and charged with sexual battery involving two vulnerable adults. Detectives are seeking other potential victims and witnesses.

Citrus County has asked staff to draft a temporary moratorium on data centers as neighbors raise water, power and noise concerns.

Surveillance photos are circulating after a 34‑year‑old was knocked unconscious on 1st Avenue North. Detectives are asking anyone with video or tips to contact police.

An 85-year-old Homosassa man died after a collision with a tractor-trailer at the US‑19 and US‑98 intersection; both vehicles burned and crews investigated.

Polk State’s search committee recommended Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas as the sole finalist to be the college’s next president. Trustees will consider the pick June 3 and Kamoutsas will visit campus that day.

Seventeen graves at Palmetto’s Old Memphis Cemetery were vandalized; deputies have opened an investigation and are asking the public for tips and any footage.

Birmingham-based Arlington Properties filed plans for a five-story, 8.4-acre apartment project in Hillsborough County that would add hundreds of units. The application is an early-stage filing subject to county review amid Live Local debates.

Renderings show three mixed-use towers proposed for the Godfrey Hotel site on Rocky Point, turning a storm-damaged waterfront parcel into hotel rooms and residences. City approvals and rezoning are still pending.

A Tampa man was arrested after a 103 mph chase on I‑75. Troopers recovered a loaded Glock and about 3.8 grams of fentanyl.

A single-vehicle crash on southbound I‑75 near mile marker 202 left one person dead Sunday morning, troopers say.