A WalletHub analysis puts Florida 10th for fast‑food spending as a share of income; the three‑item basket costs about $24.80, highlighting rising menu prices.

Two adult sea turtles were found dead near Manasota Key with injuries consistent with boat strikes. Volunteers say boaters can help by slowing down and reporting injured animals.

A pre-dawn fatal crash on I-75 northbound near Exit 213 in Sarasota County prompted an active FHP investigation and drew county deputies to the scene.

Miami’s Mister O1 is set to open at University Town Center on June 23, bringing its Michelin‑recommended pies, star‑shaped pizzas and a burrata bar to Sarasota.

A Georgia man was sentenced after prosecutors say he helped divert nearly $1.4M from Manatee County; about $510K has been recovered so far. Local officials are tightening payment controls.

DeSantis ordered state offices closed July 2 and July 6, stretching Independence Day into a five‑day holiday for nearly 100,000 state workers as part of America 250.

Capital Electric opened a 258,000-square-foot distribution center in Steele Creek and plans to hire about 100 employees to support its Southern expansion.

A Seminole nurse was sentenced to two years after prosecutors say she replaced injectable painkillers with saline and returned the vials to hospital supplies.

A Clearwater man was arrested after deputies say he aimed a laser at a sheriffs helicopter from the Memorial Causeway Bridge. Authorities booked him on laser-misuse and related charges.

A St. Petersburg man was sentenced to 16 years and 6 months after undercover buys produced pounds of meth and multiple grams of fentanyl, federal prosecutors say.

A Brooksville gas‑station disturbance ended with a woman stripping and spitting on a deputy; authorities say bodycam and in‑car video captured the arrest and a review is underway.

HART advanced a roughly $140M plan to replace its cramped, flood‑prone maintenance shop on 21st Avenue. The project would add full‑height bays, training space and better stormwater controls.

Lucky Goat Coffee has filed permits to renovate a 1,107‑sq‑ft unit at St. Croix Plaza in South Tampa, a move that would give the Tallahassee roaster its first Tampa Bay café.