Clearwater police say two suspects used fraudulent credit-card information to buy four puppies from Sunshine Puppies Two, leaving the shop more than $11,000 short.

A Florida House panel advanced HB 277, a bipartisan bill that would expand electronic monitoring and increase penalties for repeat domestic‑violence offenders. The measure now heads to the House calendar.

Hillsborough County is rolling out Axon Draft One to draft first-pass narratives from body-camera audio for non-criminal calls. Civil-rights groups warn the tool could complicate transparency and oversight.

Dense morning fog will cut visibility around Tampa this morning. Showers and thunderstorms are likely this afternoon into Saturday; expect localized heavy downpours.

Starwood Capital paid about $47.3M for 360 Tampa‑area apartments, including a fully affordable Plant City complex and a senior community near Ybor. The purchase adds to investor activity around affordable housing in the region.

Union members rallied in Ybor City as lawmakers advance HB 995 and SB 1296, bills critics say could weaken public‑sector unions across Florida.

Lee County deputies, FWC crews and drone pilots rescued an injured mother manatee and her calf from the Orange River; both were sent to ZooTampa for care.

Three of the five defendants in the 2024 ambush killing of rapper Julio Foolio asked a judge this week to be tried separately, citing publicity and conflicting defenses.

A $34.7M, 33,055‑sq‑ft Fair Oaks Recreation Complex has opened in East Tampa, adding courts, trails and senior programming across a 10.25‑acre campus.

DeSantis appears in roughly 90 entries in the DOJ's Epstein Library, but most mentions trace to his 2019 FDLE request and a 2024 law — not new proven charges.

Dutch Bros is coming to Bradenton — its first shop in Manatee County — as part of the SeaFlower Village Center. The center is slated to be completed in late 2026.

A Leto High teacher was arrested after detectives say he kissed a 17‑year‑old and showed an obscene photo. Authorities say he now faces multiple felony counts.

Federal prosecutors say a Palmetto man has been charged with illegally disposing of a body, but the announcement offers few details.