Bradenton FL

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — All of the Tampa Bay area's colorful street murals are gone — painted over in gray to comply with a new state order. But the voices behind those murals, and the movements they represented, aren’t backing down. Early Tuesday morning, crews erased the...

A popular restaurant is planned to revitalize a defunct gas station site in Manatee County. Developers have proposed building a Chipotle Mexican Grill with a drive-thru at 5320 33rd St. E. The location is off State Road 70, about three miles west of Interstate 75. SDP Florida 1 LLC is...

Results from advanced water testing in a Southwest Florida bay traced horse DNA to bacteria found around a causeway, adding fuel to a long-standing debate that horses contaminate the waterway. Scientists with the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program and Suncoast Waterkeeper recently began the advanced sampling to pinpoint...

Troopers found a 41-year-old man dead inside a parked SUV early Tuesday at the Skyway Fishing Pier in Manatee County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. FHP said they arrived around 4:20 a.m. on the south side of the pier, where they located the man in a Chevrolet SUV. He was alone in the vehicle, according to...

Rita’s Italian Ice recently opened its Shoppes at University Town Center store. The quick-service chain, specializing in frozen desserts, is located next to Sprinkles Cupcakes at 8539 Cooper Creek Blvd. Rita’s, which has a slogan of “ice custard happiness,” serves Italian ice, frozen custard and gelati. Italian ice...

ANNA MARIA – Property owners in the city will see their annual stormwater fees double from $2 per 100 square feet of property to $4 per 100 square feet. On Aug. 28, city commissioners Chris Arendt, Kathy Morgan and Gary McMullen voted in favor of the increase. Commissioner Charlie Salem opposed the increase and...

If you had ever told me that I would enjoy feeding the world’s largest rodents, I would not have believed you. I am not generally a huge animal person, but I have to admit I was intrigued when I learned about the existence of the Capybara Café in St. Petersburg.

Jules Brownwell was the first East County resident to notice something amiss on her mid-August morning bike ride down the newly opened 44th Avenue East extension. A black-bellied whistling duck standing on top of a drainage grate just east of the bridge that crosses Interstate 75 didn’t seem quite right. When...

Florida officials are reviewing a proposal to name a portion of U.S. Highway 41 after Dickey Betts, the Allman Brothers Band co-founder and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist.

CLEARWATER — The city is removing street paintings, in compliance with a statewide directive against public art displays on roadways. Officials in St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater received letters Aug. 22 with directions: Remove the identified street murals by Sept. 4 or risk losing state funding. Clearwater...