On Friday, Director of the Department of Health in Hillsborough County (DOH-Hillsborough), Dr. Douglas Holt said concerning the rise of COVID-19 cases–“By now we should have more people vaccinated and it’s very concerning that so many people have chosen to not get vaccinated. The vaccine is safe, effective and widelyContinue Reading
Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis sent a letter to President Biden requesting federal assistance to provide Internet access to the people of Cuba standing up against communist oppression and demanding a voice after decades of suffering under the yoke of a cruel dictatorship: Dear Mr. President: I write toContinue Reading
In a follow-up on an earlier report on the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) says the engaged in battle with the mercenaries (suspects) and four were killed and another two were detained. Three police officers, previously held hostage, have beenContinue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports detectives assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit have arrested 28-year-old Lonnie Smith for 11 counts of Possession of Child Pornography. According to detectives, their investigation began after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An online account wasContinue Reading
On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that state law enforcement officers have deployed to Texas to provide additional support in response to the security crisis at the southern border. “When the Governors of Texas and Arizona reached out for help, Florida answered the call,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We areContinue Reading
Nine people have been arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for drug trafficking and various other charges, after a suspicious package was discovered at a shipping facility on Wednesday, June 23, 2021. From that discovery, an investigation was launched, with a collaboration among several PCSO specialized units: High-Intensity Drug-TraffickingContinue Reading
On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington sentenced 36-year-old Palm Harbor man, Steven Phillip Griffin, II to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, to be followed by 2 years of supervised release, for receiving and transporting endangered species in violation of the Endangered Species Act and forContinue Reading
Tampa General Hospital announced Friday the opening of a new TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track in growing Hillsborough County suburb of Fish Hawk. “Tampa General Hospital continues to advance health care options in an innovative way in the Tampa Bay area,” said Tampa General Hospital Executive Vice PresidentContinue Reading
Health officials in Hillsborough County is notifying the public of red tide blooms within Tampa Bay with health alerts being issued for Picnic Island and Davis Islands beaches. Caution signs have been placed at Ben T. Davis and Cypress Point due to the presence of red tide in the TampaContinue Reading
28-year-old Pasco County man, Justin Case Lebarron, was sentenced Wednesday to life imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine resulting in death, distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine resulting in death, possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, and maintaining a drug-involved premises after being found guilty in April. AccordingContinue Reading
On Friday, Barbara Tripp, a 23-year fire rescue veteran, was sworn in as the 22nd Fire Chief in Tampa history. The Oath of Office City was administered by Clerk Shirley Foxx-Knowles at Tampa Fire Rescue Station #5, 3900 North Central Avenue. The Tampa native is the first-ever female Fire ChiefContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health reported today the second Vibrio vulnificus case in Polk County this year. So far in 2021, Florida has reported 11 total cases, including 4 deaths. Cases were reported in Escambia (2), Lee (2), Santa Rosa (2), Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee and Polk (2) counties and deathsContinue Reading
Pest control company, Terminix, yesterday released a list of the top cities in the United States that were most interested in finding out more about mosquitoes, according to internet search trends from 2020. The state of Florida had the highest search frequency with seven different cities in the top 25,Continue Reading
On Tuesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 5, SB 1108 and HB 233 that will collectively strengthen civics instruction and civics literacy education in Florida’s kindergarten through postsecondary public schools. “I’m proud to sign three bills today that prioritize civics education in our schools,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “The sadContinue Reading
On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis highlighted a more than $12 million increase in Alzheimer’s and dementia funding, bringing the state’s total commitment to over $51 million for the 2021-2022 Fiscal Year, furthering his strong commitment to the advancement of research needed for this disease. Florida is the only state inContinue Reading
United States Marine Corps Sports Leadership Academy will train hundreds of high school athletes at its Built to Lead Football event Saturday, June 26th at Jesuit High School (4701 N Himes Ave, Tampa, FL 33614). USMC’s Built to Lead Football provides participants with first-class instruction from elite local coaches. ItContinue Reading
For the first time in more than a year, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) students can see a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. That’s because of its voluntary VaxMax program, which has students and employees self-report through an online portal if they have been fully vaccinated or not. NSU is not mandating that peopleContinue Reading
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Animal Control has reported the first animal case of rabies in 2021 in a raccoon that was involved in a fight with a dog at Poyner Road in Polk City. The owner of a Tibetan terrier mix separated the two animals and killed theContinue Reading
Tax hikes, post-pandemic violence and government mismanagement of the COVID-19 mandates have residents fleeing ‘Blue States,’ those solidly Democratic, for southern and southeastern states, especially Texas and Florida, according to a new study. “Despite the 2020 pandemic, this year Americans are following similar moving trends as prior years. Millions ofContinue Reading
On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 76, which builds on Governor DeSantis’ commitment to insurance reform in Florida. This bill protects Florida families by restructuring litigation rules for disputed insurance claims; expressly disallows contractors, public adjusters, and companies from using prohibited advertisements that encourage Floridians to make an insuranceContinue Reading
Gov. DeSantis signed House Bill 1475, making participation in school sports contingent on determining a student’s “biological sex,” which refers to a persons’ sex assigned at birth. “The ‘Fairness in Women’s Sports Act’ signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is entirely unfair to transgender and cisgender women and girls, as itContinue Reading
