Lakeland FL

Sunday liquor sales in Polk County could be allowed as early as January – just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. The County Commission has started the process to modify its regulations regarding the opening times for bars and liquor stores as well as the required distances the establishments must be from churches and...

The hottest job markets in the country aren't in big cities. Instead, smaller metro areas like Tampa Bay look mighty at the moment, at least comparatively. Why it matters: Nationwide, the labor market is slowing down, particularly for white-collar professionals in tech-heavy cities, Axios' Emily Peck reports. By the...

On December 10, 2025, detectives from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested Jha'Kari Martin-Sugrin, 23, in Eagle Lake, Florida. Martin-Sugrin was out on bond from Leon County, where he is charged in connection with the 2024 deaths of his pregnant girlfriend and her unborn child. Detectives located him after...

A Lakeland micro-farm, My Tiny Greens started as a pandemic survival experiment. Founder and self-described “prepper” Patsy Rogers asked herself a simple question, “If all we had were rice and beans, what could we grow quickly that was actually good for us?”. Her answer — microgreens —...

The Fed’s quarter-point rate cut is already shaping Tampa Bay’s housing market, consumer spending and local business activity. Many residents want to know if lower rates will bring relief from high borrowing costs. To break down the Tampa Bay economic impact rate cut, TBBW spoke with Dave Germann,...

TAMPA, Fla. – A federal jury has handed down a guilty verdict for a Plant City man accused of a brutal 2020 gas station robbery where the clerk was shot in the face despite cooperating with the gunman’s demands. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced that Emarjai...

Lakeland commissioners are expected to vote Monday, Dec. 15, on a major increase to the stormwater fee charged on city utility bills. The fee, currently $9.72 per month for a single-family home, would rise to $17.47 over five years. The first phase of the rate increase would begin March 1, raising the rate for a...

PLANT CITY, Fla. – A private day care center in Hillsborough County has reached an agreement with federal prosecutors following allegations that it illegally denied enrollment to a child with Down syndrome. The settlement, announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, resolves an investigation into Autumn...

PLANT CITY, Fla. — There’s an urgent need for food for families at Burney Elementary School in Plant City, staff say. The school is a community school, meaning it serves as a hub for the entire community, working with community partners to provide not only food but also help with healthcare and housing.

AUBURNDALE, Fla. — Step back to the turn of the 20th century at the Ephraim Baynard Home in Auburndale. Ephraim Baynard came to Polk County with money from his family’s South Carolina rice plantation. He built the home in 1894. The city of Auburndale purchased the home, and...