Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday signed a bill into law, which would allow college athletes in the state to earn money from endorsement deals. Effective in 2021, the restrictions on college athletes will be lifted to allow these student athletes to be paid for the use of their names, imagesContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported that a Temple Terrace fire inspector has been arrested and accused of possessing “thousands of images and videos of child pornography, ranging in ages from infants to young teenagers,” Casey Dwayne Hannah, 40, of Seminole, was charged with 20 counts of Possession of Child Pornography.Continue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said people armed with hammers and other blunt objects smashed their way into the Tampa Walmart on East Fletcher Avenue after 9 p.m. May 30 during a George Floyd protest. Detectives believe approximately 200 people entered the store and said most began looting the electronicsContinue Reading
Former Florida House Rep. Larry Ahern filed to run against Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long Wednesday for the at-large District 1 seat representing northeast and mid-Pinellas. Ahern brings name recognition to the race to challenge the incumbent Democrat, serving Florida’s 66th District in northwestern Pinellas County from 2012 to 2018. He also served in Florida’sContinue Reading
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida announced the indictment of a two people from Clearwater, Courtney Marie Michaelis and Nicholas Andrew Ham, with the illegal distribution of fentanyl. Michaelis, 37, and Ham, 21, have been charged with distributing fentanyl resulting in serious bodily injury to anContinue Reading
Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced plans for Florida’s K-12 public schools to reopen at full capacity in the fall. “Having a teacher there, there just isn’t going to be a substitute for that in-person instruction,” he said. Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran said that’s the recommendation being made to local schoolContinue Reading
Major League Soccer will be back on the field next month, announcing yesterday that a World Cup-style tournament featuring all 26 clubs will be played at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World. “The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables usContinue Reading
UPDATE: Busch Gardens and Adventure will open June 11. Guests will notice increased cleaning and safety protocols in addition to limits on the number of people who can be in the theme parks at once. A new online reservation system will help manage capacity. “Over the past two months, weContinue Reading
The Wagon Wheel and Mustang Flea Markets are closing their doors permanently after being shuttered due to coronavirus, ending their business after 55 years. According to their Facebook page Wednesday afternoon, the organization stated, “It is with a heavy-heart that we share with you the news that we will not beContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has arrested multiple teenagers seen on video engaging in a shootout on Monday morning in Tampa. At 10:54 a.m. on Monday, June 8, Marqueas Williams, 16, and Gregory Turner, 16, were seen riding a bicycle and a scooter past a group of eight other juvenilesContinue Reading
Tampa Police release footage of the incidents which resulted in the arrest of Marli Church and Stephanie Sanchez. In the footage below, Church, 17, was arrested for holding an umbrella during a march and then trying to jab a bicycle officer with the metal tip of the umbrella. The officerContinue Reading
United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Ivan Jacob Zecher (27, Jacksonville) with possessing a firearm as a convicted felon and unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm. If convicted, Zecher faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each count. “The cooperationContinue Reading
The Tampa Police Department have arrested a woman, Erica Schmidt, charging her with assault, rioting, throwing rocks at police and handing them out to other rioters. Schmidt, 31, was arrested Saturday at an apartment located at 11727 12th Street and found a silver Hyundai Elantra, which matched the same carContinue Reading
As protests and rallies occur all over the country, Bradenton and Palmetto citizens came out to support George Floyd, speaking out against police brutality and calling for justice. “A crowd of several hundred people gathered in front of Bradenton Police headquarters early Sunday night,” reported Bay News 9, noting thoseContinue Reading
Officials are now reporting a cash reward up to $3,000 for information in the looting of the International Diamond Center in north Tampa during the protests and riots on May 30 and May 31. Surveillance video provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shows three men breaking the window andContinue Reading
Hillsborough County Republican Party Chair Jim Waurishuk has used inflammatory language to speak out against George Floyd protesters, claiming they are “violent hard core radical political left extremists” warning Trump supporters, conservatives that they ‘will be murdered.” Waurishuk shared an article about former PresidentBarack Obama’s statements on the protests calling them “aContinue Reading
A UCF professor is being denounced by the university and investigate for tweeting a racially charged statement, which included that “black privilege is real” and “shielded from legitimate criticism is a privilege. But as a group, they’re missing out on much needed feedback.” Charles Negy, an associate professor in theContinue Reading
As donations wane during the Chinese coronavirus outbreak, the Ronald McDonald House has found a new and exciting backer to help them survive. “Our biggest challenge with COVID is the fact that our families are not able to get meals like they normally would,” said Joe Citro, Director of DevelopmentContinue Reading
Former Florida Gator star and NFL player Donald “Reche” Caldwell was shot and killed in a robbery attempt in Tampa yesterday. According to TMZ, Caldwell was “ambushed” by a “couple of people” who jumped out of bushes trying to rob him. He was shot in the leg and chest, dyingContinue Reading
A protester in Plant City, Osvaldo “Ozzy” Banda, surrendered to police after throwing bottles at police during Tuesday’s George Floyd rally. Banda, 21, hid from police in the crowd of peaceful protesters at the gathering held at the RaceTrac gas station on James L. Redman Parkway. It was noted thatContinue Reading
The Orlando Police Department arrested a man, Kelvin Williams III, Thursday, for inciting riots and looting of Orlando Premium Outlets on social media. Williams, 20, was identified as a potential gang member and awareness rose as May 31 as OPD’s Gang Unit had been monitoring social media for “intelligence, specificallyContinue Reading
