A Brandon man arrested during a recent Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office online chat operation is now facing additional charges after detectives discovered he was engaging in sex with a minor he met online. Flor-Adam Brandon Cruz, 24, was one of 22 men arrested during Operation Social Bust. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s OfficeContinue Reading
Two west coast Florida cities have been rated to be in the top 10 fastest-growing cities in America in 2020, according to a recent WalletHub report. Fort Myers, FL was ranked number one in the country, while Town ‘n’ Country, FL, in the Tampa Bay area was ranked number seven.Continue Reading
Leading animal welfare groups urged a “No” vote on Amendment 4 on this year’s ballot, charging that the measure would make it all but impossible to pass statewide ballot measures by amending the state constitution to require two votes in two separate elections that each require supermajority thresholds of 60Continue Reading
A new coalition of Florida business owners and executives – from retailers, manufacturers and cleaning companies to realtors, resorts and restaurants – released a statement today supporting Amendment 2, which would gradually raise the minimum wage, starting in Sept. 2021, to $15 by 2026. Business leaders, who continue to signContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported four additional locally acquired dengue fever cases this past week in Monroe and Miami-Dade Counties, bringing the state total to 70 in 2020. The Monroe County cases were identified through retrospective case finding efforts to better characterize activity early in the outbreak. TwoContinue Reading
The Voter Protection Corps announced Friday that, working in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, they have released the most comprehensive data to date outlining the risk factor of 745 counties in eight states for poll worker shortages. The update identifies 485 counties across eight battleground states that are at highContinue Reading
This week, Lakeland-based Publix Pharmacy announced a new online service for customers who would like to get their flu shot. The new service allows customers to schedule a convenient time for their vaccination and sign consent forms prior to arrival, which reduces the amount of time spent waiting while paperwork isContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of the horntail snail (Macrochlamys indica) in Miami-Dade County. The snail was discovered by a gastropod enthusiast in Coconut Grove who sent the unusual snail to the University of Florida (UF) for identification. This is the first time this snailContinue Reading
A father and son duo has been charged with enticement and coercion of a minor traveling out of the country to engage in illicit sexual conduct, and transporting a minor into the country to engage in sexual activity. Trinity residents, 26-year-old Jordan Jysae Pulido (charged with the above) and hisContinue Reading
On Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved Individual Assistance for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton and Bay counties following the impact of Hurricane Sally. With this announcement, families impacted by Hurricane Sally now have access to critical FEMA programs, including housing assistance,Continue Reading
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported detectives assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit have arrested a St. Petersburg man for two counts of Lewd and Lascivious Battery on a Child Under 16-years-old. According to detectives, their investigation began at 1:46 a.m. on Saturday, October 3, 2020, after deputies respondedContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health in Collier County recently issued a mosquito-borne illness alert for Collier County. Human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) have been confirmed and there is a heightened concern additional residents will become ill. In Florida to date, Thirty-two human cases of WNV illness acquired inContinue Reading
Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced new legislation to stop violent assemblies and protect law enforcement. The proposed legislation, the “Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act,” creates new criminal offenses and increases penalties for those who target law enforcement and participate in violent or disorderly assemblies. “Our rightContinue Reading
In this video, I look at the news surrounding Naegleria fowleri in the US and around the world. Cases reported in India, Costa Rica and the United States. Also, a report on the situation in Karachi, Pakistan, the hotspot for the parasitic infection during the past decade. Naegleria fowleri isContinue Reading
Polk County Sheriff’s Fraud detectives arrested 32-year-old Amanda Brown of Frostproof and charged her with five counts criminal use of personal ID (F2), one count grand theft (F3), one count misrepresentation of proceeds (F3), one count fraud (F3), for fraudulently misrepresenting three homicide victims’ families and collecting over $11,000 from GoFundMe onContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) announced today that they will cautiously resume offering in-person visitation to families and friends of inmates beginning in October. Effective Monday, October 5, 2020, HCSO will resume non-contact visitations at the Falkenburg Road Jail Video Visitation Center. Along with allowing loved ones of inmatesContinue Reading
CareerSource Tampa Bay (CSTB) will be hosting a Virtual Job Fair on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 starting at 9 a.m. The virtual job fair is part of Hillsborough County’s Rapid Response Recovery (R3) program and is open to all Hillsborough County Job Seekers. For instructions on how to participate inContinue Reading
Today, at The Birchwood hotel in St. Petersburg, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the state will move to Phase 3 of his “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step. Plan” for Re-Opening Florida, including allowing restaurants to operate at full capacity, effective immediately. There will no longer be operational limitations enforced by the State ofContinue Reading
Sally, formerly Tropical Depression 19, strengthened to a tropical storm at 2 p.m. EDT on Saturday afternoon. As of 5 a.m. EDT Sunday, the storm was centered 115 miles west of Port Charlotte, Florida, and moving west-northwestward at 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 50 mph. AccuWeather meteorologists continue toContinue Reading
U.S. Marshals announced the rescue of 8 “highly endangered” missing children in Indiana over the weekend, bringing their total children rescued in Operation Homecoming to 72. “From August 31- September 4, federal investigators coordinated with IMPD and NCMEC to recover eight highly endangered missing children resulting in one arrest ofContinue Reading
LifeLink® of Florida is thrilled to announce that 41 local hospitals have earned recognition for their work and dedication in support of organ, eye and tissue donation through the national Workplace Partnership for Life (WPFL) Hospital Organ Donation Campaign. The WPFL is a national initiative that unites the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, HealthContinue Reading
