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

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

Tensions are escalating inside Facebook over the social platform’s laissez-faire approach to the president’s posts. Hundreds of Facebook employees, in rare public criticism on Monday of their own company, protested executives’ decision not to do anything about inflammatory posts that President Trump had placed on the giant social media platformContinue 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

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

President Trump signed an executive order yesterday for government agencies to enforce speech protections across the Internet as the editorial liberties and censorship from Silicon Valley companies continues to expand. Section 230 is a signature piece of legislation that protects outlets from lawsuits from content posted by users. Many socialContinue 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

The Hillsborough County Clerks Office says more than 180 filings have been set aside as foreclosures and evictions are being extended and delayed. Hillsborough County Judge Michael Baggé Hernandez told Fox that he had up to 10 eviction filings a day before the outbreak. “There has been a lot ofContinue Reading

Governor DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed off on plans for Miami-Dade and Broward counties to reopen restaurants and other businesses that were previously deemed non-essential. During a press conference in Doral yesterday, DeSantis said that “Miami-Dade and Broward have both submitted plans that I’ve approved…Today we take another important stepContinue Reading

The national politics continues to dominate the headlines and conversation and Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez revitalized the battle over her signature legislature, the Green New Deal, telling conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg Thursday “It does not have a price tag or CBO score and costs us $0 if passed.”Continue Reading

Tampa Bay Rays star Blake Snell says he will not play this season for a reduced salary, especially because the risk of coronavirus, the potential lifetime damage, is “just not worth it.” Snell posted to social media yesterday about Major League Baseball’s reported proposal of a 50-50 revenue split withContinue Reading

Hillsborough County Superintendent Addison Davis outlined a plan Tuesday to reduce management positions and centralize authority, eliminating 129 district jobs and trimming $7.5 million in payroll. Davis said he would create a “Transformational Network” to focus on improving 29 D and F-rated schools. The new grouping would replace the district’sContinue Reading

covid coronavirus n95 mask breathing

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

Lakeland police report two brothers have been arrested after a man died from an apparent gunshot wound. Roberto Rodriguez, 31, and his younger brother, Reynaldo Rodriguez, 30, were arrested on Sunday in connection to the Friday evening murder near the 400 block of Cornelia Avenue. Officials explained that the pairContinue Reading

Barbershops and salons are allowed to reopen in most counties in Florida tomorrow, Monday, May 11, but getting a haircut will certainly be different than the last time you got a snip. Governor Ron DeSantis issued the following guidelines for those opening on Monday: -All customers will be by appointmentContinue Reading

Official explained firefighters in the Florida Panhandle have been battling wildfires that forced some 1,600 people to evacuate from their homes, and a stretch of Interstate 10 remained closed in both directions Thursday afternoon due to smoke. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said in a news conference Thursday afternoon that fireContinue Reading