A roughly 600,000‑square‑foot data‑center concept has been filed for west Lakeland; planners say it’s far smaller than Fort Meade but power and water questions remain.

A developer wants to replace Clearwater Beach’s 30‑room Palm Pavilion Inn with a 144‑room resort while preserving the historic restaurant. The plan returns to City Council in early June.

A Brooksville mother was convicted of child-sex charges after investigators say she filmed abuse of her toddler and sent videos online. Sentencing is set for July 13.

A 14-year-old Lakeland Highlands Middle School student faces 20 charges after police say he called in six bomb threats to his school; he remains in juvenile custody.

A Feldman Equities‑led joint venture has bought 200 Central Avenue (Priatek Plaza) and plans more than $20 million in upgrades to modernize the tower and lure tenants.

A St. Petersburg man was arrested after police allege he violently abused two dogs; officers deployed a Taser and he now faces felony animal cruelty counts.

A littering stop near Wahneta led deputies to find nearly 19 grams of meth in a car, and two people now face trafficking and related charges.

Tampa police say a Toyota SUV struck and later killed a 19‑year‑old bicyclist on W. Waters Avenue; parts recovered at the scene point to a 2013–2016 Toyota RAV4.

Cemex and Port Tampa Bay unveiled a $36M aggregate terminal with a 5,000‑ton‑per‑hour conveyor, expected to move about 1.5M tons a year and boost local construction supply.

BJ’s Wholesale Club broke ground Wednesday in Lecanto, joining the Shoppes at Black Diamond and promising a full‑size club and fuel station as part of its 2026 expansion. Local planners say the addition will reshape the busy County Road 486 retail corridor.

Police say a New Port Richey contractor accepted a $3,972 city grant to install a fence and the work wasn’t finished; the company owner was arrested for grand theft.

An 18‑year‑old was arrested after deputies traced a violent social‑media post targeting schoolgirls to his Tampa home.

Tampa-based Trace Systems won a 10-year, roughly $1.8B USSOCOM EAGLE‑I award to modernize C2ISR and multi-domain data transport.