Swimming still not advised at North Lido Key Beach after high levels of fecal...
SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - On Thursday a Water Quality Advisory was issued for North Lido Key Beach after two tests determined the water does not meet the recreational criteria for Enterococcus bacteria recommended. That means there are higher than normal levels of fecal matter. On Friday, many people were seen...
Rideshare driver caught off guard by St. Pete police decision to relocate pickup and...
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In an attempt to make the 200 block of Central Avenue safer, from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, the St. Petersburg Police Department started a trial run last week moving rideshare drop-offs and pickups one block north. The change caught the drivers...
USF report finds Florida among states with highest rates of human trafficking
A University of South Florida report shows that Florida was among the states with the highest rates of human trafficking last year. The USF Trafficking in Persons Risk to Resilience Lab was in charge of developing the report after it was selected as the state repository for anonymous human trafficking data under a...
Florida Department of Transportation threatens city funding over street murals like rainbow crosswalks
Local advocates repainting the city’s Progressive Pride Street Mural ahead of St Pete Pride 2025 (Photo by Ryan Williams-Jent) The Florida Department of Transportation issued a sweeping memo July 2 threatening to withhold funding from cities over any “pavement surface markings” that aren’t “uniform and consistent.”
Bright lights, no rules: Florida’s illegal gambling dens are hiding in plain sight
They light up U.S. 41 north of the airport with neon promises — flashing 7-7-7 and mounds of gold — on storefronts wrapped in dark tint. Up and down 14th Street in Bradenton, along the Manatee Avenue corridor and tucked in southern stretches of Sarasota County, places like Diamond City and Spin Fun operate in plain...
New Capybara Cafe opens in St. Petersburg
Stop by the Capybara Cafe, which opened in St. Petersburg on Friday, and enjoy a cup of coffee with a new furry friend.
When does the new Mote aquarium open near I-75? Here’s why it’s complicated
For two years, Mote Marine has been constructing its new Science Education Aquarium near the University Town Center Mall. Originally projected to open in early 2025, Hurricane Helene and Milton’s devastating damage delayed the $130 million facility from opening, but an exact date for Mote Marine SEA’s opening have...
Loud and right! My response to the mayor’s ‘Plan for progress at St. Petersburg...
‘My review of the mayor’s plan leaves me wondering why he is assuming so much responsibility for what Watts didn’t do,’ questions Dr. Goliath Davis. ST. PETERSBURG — I read Mayor Welch’s plan with great interest and take this opportunity to offer some insight that may help to clarify some issues he may be misinformed...
Meet the Sarasota pastor rallying for a spiritual war against America’s ‘enemies’
At a recent Saturday evening service, Pastor Brian Gibbs issued a startling pronouncement to his Sarasota congregation: Nefarious entities had embedded themselves in America. “Warring angels,” he prayed, would assist the U.S. military in snuffing them out. “I pray, Lord, that you would reveal to us exactly where...
Missing 80-year-old found safe
BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) - A man missing from an extended care facility has been found, Bradenton Police said Friday. Police say 80-year-old Anthony Raniere left Casa Mora Rehabilitation & Extended Care on Wednesday afternoon. “Raniere was located and is safe,” police posted on the social media platform X.
