Lakeland FL

Angel Maldonado began cutting hair when he was 11. For many years, he dreamed of opening a barbershop in Puerto Rico. But to his surprise, his barbering business has become a hit in Lakeland instead. Hurricane Maria led Maldonado to relocate his family to Florida and to open his first...

Fugitive Apprehended by Polk County Sheriff’s Deputy on South Combee Road. Forty-six-year-old Michael Gutierrez of Mulberry found his run from the law cut short on Wednesday, July 16th, when he was apprehended by a Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy in Lakeland. Gutierrez was wanted on an active warrant...

Tampa Bay Water officials said a new settlement will help them keep drinking water safe across three counties.

Hidden away on the shores of Lake Ned in Winter Haven, Florida sits a seafood sanctuary that locals guard like a precious secret and visitors stumble upon like buried treasure. Harry’s Old Place doesn’t announce itself with neon signs or flashy billboards – just a humble yellow building with a...

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida’s new school speed zone cameras are causing a lot of confusion among drivers. “It could be confusing to anyone,” said Joe Weaver of Tampa. “I just didn't get it,” Martha Foster agreed. Same for Juan Calderon. “This is a confusing thing,” he...

The Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested eight suspects in connection to a fraud investigation, resulting in the recovery of a total of $8.8 million in stolen funds.

Lakeland officials gave a greenlight for a new townhouse development in the Kathleen area, immediately adjacent to two schools and a major intersection. The city commission unanimously approved land use and zoning changes on July 21 with a conditional use permit to allow 64 townhomes to be built on roughly 7.5 acres...

Sometimes the most extraordinary culinary treasures are hiding in plain sight, and Charm City Seafood in Bartow, Florida is the living, breathing, seafood-slinging proof of this universal truth. In a state where seafood joints are as common as sunburned tourists, finding one that truly stands out is like discovering...

UNION COUNTY, Ill. (WJPF) — Three Florida men have been fined more that $29,000 for illegal hunting in Union County. According to the Union County State’s Attorney’s office, Aaron Holmes, 30, Parker Bell, 27, and Scott Adams, 30, traveled from their homes in Lakeland, Florida to rural Union County in November 2024....

A Lakeland detective has been arrested by the Polk County Sheriff's Office and accused of falsely reporting a crime involving a broken SUV window. Michael Hayes, 42, was arrested July 19 on a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting a crime, according to a sheriff's office press release. Hayes contacted the Polk County...