A 17‑year‑old in Brandon was arrested after investigators say he held his girlfriend at gunpoint and assaulted her; he now faces multiple felony charges.

Junior Caminero crushed three homers and drove in six as the Rays won 13-2, while Tampa Bay pitchers carried a combined no‑hit into the ninth. It was a breakout day at the Trop.

A youth pastor’s son was arrested in Tampa on charges he allegedly tried to meet a minor; the arrest follows a viral confrontation video that shook a Palatka church.

A fire near State Road 52 pushed smoke across Conner Preserve Thursday, prompting social‑media alerts and a Florida Forest Service response. Officials urged caution on nearby roads.

James Fishback tapped his deputy campaign manager, former Lauderhill officer Sean Lozano, as his running mate. The campaign-shared body-cam clip has already drawn scrutiny.

Largo police detained two juveniles after attempted vehicle break‑ins at an Enclave Apartments parking lot. A stolen taser was recovered and K‑9 Bruce helped locate a suspect.

Packed watch parties and late‑night matches are sending sales higher at Tampa Bay bars and restaurants, with some operators reporting up to 50% bumps on big nights. Local venues say the U.S. run is turning ordinary weeknights into lucrative service windows.

Attorneys say more than 160 Florida suits claim website chatbots recorded users without consent, raising steep statutory‑damages risk for companies that use web chat tools.

Tampa police say a cyber tip led to an arrest after detectives found AI-generated child sexual images in cloud storage. The suspect now faces more than 100 felony counts.

Federal agents in Tampa are cataloging more than 12,000 ancient artifacts intercepted by CBP; investigators are authenticating pieces and tracing their origin.

A new Florida law phases out PFAS-based firefighting foam on a multi-year schedule beginning July 1, 2026. Tampa Bay departments must inventory stocks and prepare to switch.

Tampa Bay Business Journal’s new roster lists 69 teams with $40M+ in 2025 sales and shows a lower cutoff that expanded the field of high-volume players.

Hot and muggy in Tampa today: highs near 95°F and feels-like temps topping 100°F. Afternoon storms are possible and cooling stations are available.