Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office arrested a St. Petersburg area couple, Samantha Smith and Cody Corbin, charging them with child abuse, hiding the 6-year-old boy’s injuries and scars with makeup. Smith, 26, was charged with one count apiece of aggregated child abuse with great bodily harm and child neglect. Corbin, 31,Continue Reading

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrested the Steinbrenner High School band director, Jason Phillip Allgair, for engaging in sex acts with the students both on and off-campus between October 2017 and May 2018. Allgair, 35, was arrested after officers interviewed the female student, who provided evidence of a relationship withContinue Reading

Three protesters are facing felony charges as details emerge from the arrests made during the march on E. Scott St. heading towards the Interstate 4/Interstate 275 on-ramp. Police  arrested Emadi Okwuosa, 22, who was using a bullhorn “to incite the group in an attempt to disrupt the flow of trafficContinue Reading

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about several people who burglarized a jewelry store in Tampa during the George Floyd protests on May 31. The burglary happened at International Diamond Center at 10330 N. Dale Mabry Highway, in Tampa, around 2:30 a.m., officials said. Surveillance video (as seenContinue Reading

The NBA board of governors voted Thursday to approve a 22-team format to restart the 2019-20 season in Orlando, Fla., the league announced. Three-fourths of the 30 NBA teams must ratify the proposal. The new plan would see 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams play eight “seeding”Continue Reading

The Tampa City Council approved $952,000 to purchase more than 600 body cameras for the Tampa Police Department on Thursday, a move Police Chief Brian Dugan says many members of his force may not like, but if they don’t like it, “then I suggest that you turn your badge in.”Continue Reading

During the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group meeting Thursday afternoon, Hillsborough Commissioner Sandy Murman discussed the recent in coronavirus cases as testing has risen during recent weeks. Murman warned that the George Floyd rallies and protests could further the spike, stating they “are like incubators for the virus.’’ “I’m pretty concerned,’’Continue Reading

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a group of women who allegedly broke into a liquor store and stole thousand’s of dollars worth of alcohol under the guise of the George Floyd protests. Lawrencia Dixon, 19, was been identified from the surveillance video from inside the store, thenContinue Reading

The NBA Board of Governors is expected to approve a plan to resume play on Thursday afternoon. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN summarized the latest plan for the league to invite 22 teams, 13 Western Conference teams and nine Eastern Conference teams, to Orlando to compete in eight regular-season games. ThoseContinue Reading

Gov. Ron DeSantisannounced Phase Two reopening in Florida amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reopening movie theaters, bars and casinos with limited capacity. There will still be 50% occupancy limits at those locales, he said. “Those have not been operating up to this point,” DeSantis said. “They now have a pathway toContinue Reading

Police details some of the looting and riot arrests from early Tuesday, listing Lady Nicole Nash, Javonta McCloud, and Eddie Bryant among those charges with inciting a riot. Anthony Koedel was arrested for organizing the attack as a “protest” but the event quickly turned violent and dangerous. Koedel, 29, ofContinue Reading

As some protests and rallies erupt into riots and lootings over the last few days, Orange County Sheriff’s Office shows Sheriff John Mina and Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon made headlines by kneeling and praying with protesters. According to WOFL, Rolon urged protesters to do their part “to make sureContinue Reading

Floridians are increasingly concerned about the 2020 Hurricane Season and the coronavirus is one of the reasons why. According to a AAA survey – fielded last week – nearly a third (31%) of Floridians are more concerned about the 2020 Hurricane Season than they were last year. Two-of-five people (42%) say they are less likelyContinue Reading

Tampa Bay Rays returned to the field with an informal, voluntary, light workout Monday at Tropicana Field. “It was great seeing everybody,” said manager Kevin Cash. “It was good to see some smiling faces.” Players, coaches and facility workers had their temperatures taken before entering the building. Everyone in attendanceContinue Reading

Disney presented their reopening plan today during an Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force meeting, proposing a July 11 date for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom with a July 15 reopen date for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Jim MacPhee, senior vice president of operations for Disney World presentedContinue Reading

The Hillsborough County Clerk of Court’s office is now offering certified court documents online as part of their efforts to reduce the possible spread of the Chinese coronoavirus. Clerk Pat Frank says the move toward accommodating the digital age during the last decade proved to be another opportunity for constituents toContinue Reading

A federal judge ruled Sunday that the Florida law requiring felons to pay legal fees as part of their sentences before regaining the vote is unconstitutional for those unable to pay, or unable to find out how much they owe. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee issued a 125-pageContinue Reading

The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity released the Sunshine State’s unemployment, a tragic stat which hit a record high in April, at 12.9 percent. The state’s unemployment rate tripled from 4.3 percent in March to 12.9 percent in April. Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes the state re-opening can bring some ofContinue Reading

The Florida Department of Justice charged Mawdo  Malick Sallah, of Florida and South Carolina’s Kirk Douglas Johnson, with three counts of arson, two counts of using a fire or explosive to commit a federal felony and two counts of bank larceny Sallah, 33, and Johnson, 34, could face a maximumContinue Reading

Dr. Anthony Fauci opened up about ending the lockdown, stating that remaining closed too long could cause “irreparable damage,” said the White House’s top doctor on Friday. “We can’t stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences, includingContinue Reading