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
After being closed for two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WonderWorks Orlando announces that it will be reopening on May 29, 2020. “We are ready to open our doors, it’s been a stressful time for us all and we hope to provide a fun family filled outlet for allContinue 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
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
In the wake of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit across central Florida to meet with tourism officials Wednesday came a rebuke of reporters, journalists’ coverage of Florida’s response to the Wuhan Coronavirus and the false predictions in the media. “You’ve got a lot of people in your profession [journalists] whoContinue Reading
Starting next Tuesday, May 26, Hillsborough County officials will reopen many of its larger conservation parks on Tuesday, May 26, according to an announcement today. In early May, the County opened most nature preserves, and neighborhood parks reopened earlier this week. The following conservation parks, trails, and boat ramps willContinue Reading
In a follow-up on the arrest of The River at Tampa Bay Church pastor, Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne, Friday it was announced that the criminal misdemeanor charges have been dropped. The Notice of Termination states, in part: “Having reviewed the charge(s) contained in the Criminal Report Affidavit and/or Notice to Appear, theContinue Reading
State of Florida health officials reported 928 new positive COVID-19 cases (902 Florida residents and 26 non-Florida residents) and forty-two deaths related to COVID-19, according to the latest Department of Health (DOH) update. This brings the state totals to 44,138 Florida cases with 1,917 deaths related to COVID-19. On Thursday,Continue Reading
Hillsborough County is canceling its Parks & Recreation summer camps due to coronavirus concerns. The county claims the decision was made to protect the safety of the children, the families and those who teach and lead the camps. The closures also align with the with Hillsborough County Public Schools toContinue Reading
Florida Highway Patrol has arrested a pair for racing their sports cars across the Courtney Campbell Causeway as fast as 130 mph Saturday night. Abraham Othman Yacoub and Mohammad Bages Elghassal were both arrested and told the trooper that they were fasting that day and were trying to quickly getContinue Reading
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reports that Steven Tromblee was arrested Monday on a charge of aggravated child abuse after striking a 7-year-old girl and causing her to suffer a head injury. Officers detailed the girl’s account, confirming that she’s related to Tromblee. Tromblee became angry at the girl because sheContinue Reading
The Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group met yesterday as salons and barbershops reopened around the state and Hillsborough Commission Chairman Les Miller visited a grocery store and was “utterly shocked” at the lack of people wearing masks. “I was utterly shocked. I was probably among the 10 percent wearing masks, otherContinue Reading
The city of Naples closed its public beaches at 12:01 a.m. Sunday after massive crowds turned out and Councilman Gary Price released the photo below. Price said he received a text from a friend Saturday that the number of people on the beach looked like a problem. “I went toContinue Reading
