Deputies say a man fired through a front door in Apollo Beach, wounding a woman. He was arrested and is charged with attempted second-degree murder and other felonies.

An illegal burn on Tyndall Road grew into a 10‑acre brush fire that destroyed derelict campers and damaged a home; one firefighter was treated and the starter was cited.

A City Council appeal fell one vote short Thursday, leaving a 21‑story, 370‑unit tower called The Pelican on track amid preservationist protests.

A late-night police chase on Treasure Island ended in a crash that sent six people to the hospital. Deputies say the vehicle fled a traffic stop and struck a utility pole.

Demonstrators confronted SPCA Tampa Bay at its Pet Walk in Largo over the viral Waddles case; the shelter says legal steps are underway and a hearing is set next Wednesday.

Pasco County is pairing opioid‑settlement dollars with a USF training and simulation program and a community grant fund to expand treatment, prevention and harm‑reduction work. The move folds university research into local grantmaking to try to cut fatal overdoses.

The state board reclassified Introduction to Sociology as an elective for 2026–27, part of a broader rewrite of college curricula that faculty say censors core topics.

San Martin Boulevard will drop to one lane on March 30 as the city relocates pipes under Riviera Bay; expect delays through October 2026.

Willy Ritch, who led Maine’s anti‑public‑utility campaign in 2023, appears on a Pinellas group’s site backing Duke Energy — raising questions about outside influence in a local utility fight.

A North Port High School teacher was arrested March 26 after police say he engaged in sexual activity with a minor. The district and police say the investigation is ongoing.

FDOT says the 1960s northbound span of the Howard Frankland Bridge has been demolished while crews finish express lanes, a shared‑use path and final touches ahead of a summer 2026 wrap.

A federal judge in Florida stripped Vladimir Volgaev of U.S. citizenship after finding he hid a years‑long firearm‑parts smuggling scheme and lied during naturalization.

A woman is in critical condition after a hit-and-run on Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach; deputies later arrested a 43-year-old after locating a 2019 Escalade.