A federal judge sentenced Cristian Diaz‑Garcia to 3 years and 2 months after a jury found he used stolen IDs to get work on a Pinellas County highway project.

Signed contracts rose 1.8% in February as affordability eased slightly, but the rebound is uneven — a few metros and the Midwest led the gains.

Children in Fort Meade found a military training grenade; state bomb technicians removed it after crews secured the scene.

Hillsborough County deputies say they used a Grappler device to stop a driver weaving through traffic in Tampa; the driver faces multiple charges.

DEA Tampa’s Daniel Escobar joined Hernando officials at a press briefing about illicit vapes tied to MDMA and chemical adulterants.

Former Syracuse quarterback Rex Culpepper died at 28 after a dirt‑bike crash in Georgia. He had beaten testicular cancer and was engaged less than a month earlier.

PMG Affordable was chosen to redevelop four acres in North Downtown Tampa into 1,150 homes, with roughly 70% dedicated to affordable and workforce housing.

A Lakeland man pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in the 2020 Christmas Eve shooting that killed a 70‑year‑old woman; ballistics tied a recovered Kahr CM9 to the fatal rounds.

A travel trailer fire on S. Bluebird Terrace in Lecanto sent two adults and two children to trauma centers; state investigators have been called in.

A 2,533‑sq‑ft Starbucks drive‑thru is rising at the former Econo Lodge on North Dale Mabry; crews are on site and permit records show work is underway.

St. Petersburg has asked consultants to study whether a downtown convention center — possibly on the 86‑acre Tropicana Field site — would make economic sense.

A Tampa officer fired a single round during a Hyde Park foot chase; no one was hit and a 24-year-old man was arrested on multiple drug charges.

Rep. Kathy Castor presented $3.15M to help turn the former Edward White Hospital into 71 affordable senior apartments and an on-site clinic.