Lakeland FL

Video: Catch up on the latest top stories from across Tampa Bay PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said a teenage boy was arrested and charged after bringing a gun onto his middle school campus last week. On Nov. 20, HCSO got word of an armed student at Tomlin Middle School. […]

More than 50 new full-time jobs, each with an annual wage 200 percent greater than the county’s average annual wage, will be created now that county commissioners have approved granting a tax exemption to a new business. At their regular meeting on Tues. Nov. 4, the Polk County Board...

BARTOW, Fla. — One farm in Bartow is working to keep the citrus industry alive, and they want to involve their community in that process too. Golden Ridge Groves is opening a first-of-its-kind citrus U-pick, but it’s all being done under protective screening, a method that’s helping combat greening.

Goin’ Postal Lake Wales officially opened its doors and held a grand opening event November 20, 2025, marking the occasion with a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by community members and the Lake Wales Chamber of Commerce. Owner Irene Wasso shared her excitement about serving the Lake Wales area, offering a wide...

Stephanie Claytor, a writer for the Florida Courier, was one of the Tampa area journalists recognized on Thursday, Nov. 13 for outstanding coverage of Tampa Bay’s Black communities in 2024. TBABJ’s Griot Drum Awards & Scholarship Ceremony recognized broadcast, multimedia and print professionals. The event took place...

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Detectives with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office are requesting assistance from the public to track down a man facing severe charges involving violence and abduction. Authorities have identified the suspect as 30-year-old Kavonte Johnson. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Johnson...

The University of South Florida Police Department said they've identified and filed charges against two of the three men shown in a video harassing a group of Muslim students on the Tampa campus. The two individuals are identified as Christopher Svochak, 40, from Waco, Texas and Richard Penkoski, 49, of...

Polk County, FL – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office has arrested Jennifer Garula-Mers, former CEO of The East Polk County Association of Realtors (EPCAR), in connection with alleged grand theft totaling more than $81,000. Garula-Mers, 53, of Spring Hill, Florida, was taken into custody on Thursday, November 20, 2025,...

A Bartow man has been found guilty of assaulting a Deputy U.S. Marshal, U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe said on Friday.

It was an emotional day in court as a former Hillsborough County detention deputy learned his fate for a deadly high-speed crash.