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A new weather alert system is now monitoring athletic fields across Plant City, giving players, coaches and families an added layer of protection when dangerous weather approaches. Plant City’s Parks and Recreation Department recently installed Perry Weather systems at its athletic facilities. The technology detects lightning and tracks weather conditions, sounding an audible alarm when…
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Families in Hillsborough County can now register for free back-to-school health clinics designed to help eligible students meet medical requirements before the new school year begins. Project Link is operating its annual Back-to-School Health Clinics through Aug. 8, providing school physicals, required immunizations, Florida DH 680 immunization certificates, and immunization record transfers for children ages…
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Tampa is posting the fastest luxury home price growth of any city in the nation, according to a new report from Redfin, revealing a widening gap between the region’s high-end housing market and the rest of the market. Redfin found that luxury home prices nationwide rose 4.7% year over year in May, compared with just…
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Even though Florida lawmakers exempted school district property taxes from a proposed constitutional amendment headed to the November ballot, Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick says local schools could still experience significant indirect effects if voters approve the measure. Speaking during a June 15 meeting of the Belleair Bluffs City Commission, Hendrick said the proposal…
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Florida’s state legislature has passed more than 50 laws in the past five years limiting the authority of local governments over issues ranging from land development to public health and elections, according to a review by the nonprofit newsroom Suncoast Searchlight. The eight state lawmakers who represent Sarasota, Manatee, and DeSoto counties supported nearly every…
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A newly opened affordable housing community in Bradenton is offering priority leasing to teachers, first responders, health care workers and other local employees as Manatee County continues to grapple with high housing costs. The Nest Apartments, a $22.9 million complex built by One Stop Housing, is designed for renters earning 80% of the area’s median…
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Hernando County officials are moving forward with a series of improvements at Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport that they say could strengthen the local economy, attract new businesses, and create additional jobs. The airport has been the focus of long-term redevelopment efforts aimed at expanding aviation facilities and increasing industrial and commercial development on airport property.…
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Pinellas County Schools kicked off a fresh round of community meetings last week as district leaders begin identifying which schools could be closed or consolidated for the 2027-2028 school year, part of an ongoing effort to address enrollment declines that officials say could persist for decades. Three “Planning for Progress” meetings were held Thursday across…
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St. Pete Beach has been awarded $5.3 million in state grant funding to support three major infrastructure projects aimed at improving public safety, utilities and transportation. City officials said the funding will be used to help construct a new fire station, replace aging sewer infrastructure in the Pass-a-Grille neighborhood and continue the reconstruction of Boca…
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The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would eliminate the twice-yearly clock change and make daylight saving time permanent nationwide. The vote follows a 48-1 committee approval of the bill in May. What the bill would do Daylight saving time currently runs from…
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Manatee County homeowners recovering from storm damage caused by Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton have more time to apply for financial assistance through the Lasting Manatee Home Recovery Program after county officials extended the application deadlines. The program is funded by a $252 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and…
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The St. Petersburg City Council is set to vote Thursday on a series of agreements that would clear the way for the long-awaited Tampa Bay Ferry to launch, including a $324,000 deal for a temporary dock near The Vinoy. The resolution includes a three-year agreement with Mobro Marine to install the temporary dock off Bayshore…
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Florida utility regulators are weighing whether Duke Energy’s proposal for serving large artificial intelligence data centers complies with a new state law designed to prevent existing utility customers from paying the costs of expanding infrastructure for those facilities. The case is the first major test of Florida’s data center law, which took effect July 1.…
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Colorado State University has revised its 2026 Atlantic hurricane season forecast for the third time, further reducing the expected number of storms as a strengthening El Niño takes hold. The university’s latest outlook, released this week, calls for nine named storms, four hurricanes, and one major hurricane this season. That’s down sharply from CSU’s original…
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September 26th and October 9th will mark the two-year anniversaries of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. But even twenty-three months after the destruction that both storms fiercely unleashed, there are still homeowners trying to recover. Although much of the Tampa Bay area, including Pinellas County, has rebuilt and rebounded, a substantial number of residents remain uncertain…
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A contested plan to change beachfront development rules in Treasure Island is on hold again after city commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday night to delay a decision. The proposed Planned Development ordinance would allow property owners to seek customized approval for individual redevelopment projects. Much of the debate centers on the historic Thunderbird Beach Resort, which…
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Parents in Hillsborough County are moving quickly to secure spots in the county’s after-school program as enrollment opens ahead of the 2026-27 school year. County officials say many program locations are already approaching capacity just days after registration began and are encouraging families to enroll as soon as possible if they plan to participate. The…
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Pinellas County is set to receive $29.4 million in federal funding to repair creeks damaged by Hurricane Milton. County commissioners unanimously approved an agreement last month with the Natural Resources Conservation Service to accept the grant through its Emergency Watershed Protection Program. Pinellas County Public Works Director Kelli Hammer Levy told commissioners the funding will…
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Florida is set to receive nearly $2 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reimbursement funding to support disaster recovery projects across the state, according to U.S. Senator Ashley Moody. The announcement is expected to be made during a news conference with leaders in Charlotte County. The latest allocation follows a previous announcement in May,…
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City of Sarasota residents can now register for a program that provides professionally installed shade trees at a fraction of their normal cost. Registration for the City’s Neighborhood Canopy Program opened this week and will remain available through Aug. 17. The initiative allows eligible homeowners to purchase and have a mature tree installed between their…
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A new statewide poll shows Florida’s property tax relief ballot measure has enough support to pass this November, according to survey results released by government and political public relations firm Sachs Media. The poll found 64% of Floridians support reducing their property tax bill on their primary residence this November. The measure originated as a…
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Madeira Beach city commissioners are scheduled to hold a final vote Wednesday on a $150 million hotel development proposed for the heart of John’s Pass Village. The project, led by JPV Hotel Property partner Bill Karns, calls for a six-story, 87-room hotel that would join Marriott’s Tribute Collection, a brand designed to reflect the character…
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Florida has climbed to No. 2 in the nation for child hot car deaths following a series of recent tragedies across the state, prompting renewed warnings from safety advocates and medical professionals as summer temperatures rise. Nationally, nearly 40 children die in hot cars every year, an average of about one death every nine days.…
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Despite carrying billions of dollars in debt and ongoing negotiations with creditors, Brightline says passengers should not expect any disruption to train service during one of the year’s busiest travel periods. The privately operated passenger rail company reported strong demand over the Independence Day holiday weekend, noting that ridership continues to grow as more travelers…
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Dozens of volunteers spent Sunday morning cleaning up Treasure Island’s beach after Fourth of July celebrations left behind piles of litter. The group, Treasure Island Adopt-a-Beach, brought together 39 volunteers who filled 90 bags with a total of 450 pounds of trash. The debris included food wrappers, towels, leftover fireworks, and large amounts of plastic…
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Hillsborough County voters will decide in November whether to renew the school district’s half-penny sales tax, a levy that has funded $97 million in campus improvements this summer alone. With students on break, construction crews are working at schools across the district, including a complete heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning overhaul at Steinbrenner High School. “It’s…
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Lakeland residents are expected to weigh in today as city commissioners hold a public hearing on a proposed temporary moratorium on new large-scale data center development. The proposed ordinance would establish a one-year pause on approvals for hyperscale data centers, giving city officials additional time to study how the facilities could affect Lakeland’s infrastructure, utilities,…
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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced 14 changes to the Federal Housing Administration’s single-family mortgage insurance program, saying the updates are designed to reduce regulatory burdens, lower administrative costs for lenders, and streamline the mortgage process. The policy changes affect several areas of FHA lending, including the agency’s renovation loan program,…
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Following the Florida Legislature’s June special legislative session, local governments across the Tampa Bay area are rapidly drafting financial contingency plans and issuing stark warnings to residents regarding the potential fallout of a major property tax overhaul on the upcoming November ballot. Dubbed Amendment 3, or the “Save Our Homes from Excessive Property Taxes” amendment,…
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Florida restaurants are now required to disclose mandatory service charges and other required fees before customers place an order under a new state law that took effect July 1. Senate Bill 606 expands existing disclosure requirements by requiring restaurants to clearly inform customers about any mandatory “operations charges,” including service charges, automatic gratuities, credit card…
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Twenty high school seniors spent four days this week learning to change tires, replace oil, and handle other basic vehicle maintenance tasks at an all-girls automotive summer camp hosted by Pinellas County Schools at Northeast High School. The camp is part of a district effort to draw more female students into automotive careers, a field…
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The City of Sarasota is moving forward with plans that could eventually bring water taxi service to the city’s waterfront, with officials hoping the system will provide another transportation option and help reduce travel times between downtown and nearby destinations. City planners are proposing pickup and drop-off locations at O’Leary’s dock next to Bayfront Park,…
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A new Florida law that changes some of the requirements for earning a standard high school diploma is now in effect, giving students additional options for meeting graduation requirements. The law, which took effect July 1, allows students who complete two years of marching band to satisfy both the one-credit physical education requirement and the…
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BayCare Health System announced this week it will launch a drone-based delivery network for medications, lab samples and medical supplies, in partnership with autonomous delivery company Zipline. The service, expected to launch in late 2027, will begin in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area before expanding into Hillsborough County and the broader Tampa Bay region, according to…
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A new state law regulating large-scale data centers took effect Wednesday, part of a wave of Florida legislation that became active on July 1. Senate Bill 484, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May, is designed to protect residential and small-business electricity customers from having to foot the bill for power-hungry facilities. The law bars…
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The Tampa Bay restaurant industry continues to face significant challenges, with more than 20 restaurants and bars across Tampa, St. Petersburg, and surrounding communities either closing permanently or rebranding during the first half of 2026. Restaurant owners cite a combination of economic pressures that have made it increasingly difficult to operate. Rising food and labor…
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The Madeira Beach Fire Department has become the first agency in Pinellas County to receive a rip current simulator, giving firefighters a new way to train for one of the Gulf Coast’s most dangerous water emergencies. The simulator, purchased for approximately $13,000 and reimbursed through a grant from the Florida Department of Children and Families,…
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Pinellas County commissioners this week approved a $29 million federal grant to repair five waterways left severely eroded by Hurricane Milton’s historic rainfall. The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service under its Emergency Watershed Protection Program, will fully cover construction and oversight costs for repairs to Joe’s Creek, Curlew…
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Millions of Americans with federal student loans will see significant changes beginning today as a sweeping overhaul of the student loan system takes effect. The new rules affect both future borrowers and many current borrowers by changing borrowing limits, repayment options, and loan eligibility. The changes impact an estimated 43 million Americans with federal student…
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A sweeping new Florida law took effect Wednesday, giving pet buyers stronger legal footing when a newly purchased animal turns out to be sick, arming consumers with rights to refunds, exchanges, and reimbursement for vet bills. SB 1004 is one of more than 100 new state laws taking effect July 1. Gov. Ron DeSantis has…
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Visitors to St. Pete Beach will see new restrictions on beachfront signs following approval of an ordinance aimed at regulating how signs are placed along the shoreline. The St. Pete Beach City Commission approved Ordinance 2026-11, which prohibits permanent signs, stakes, poles, and similar structures within 50 feet of the Gulf shoreline. Removable A-frame signs…
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