Lakeland FL

LAKELAND, Fla. — Two siblings are putting College Avenue on the map in Lakeland. They’ve banded together to create College Ave-News, a neighborhood paper focused on sharing the stories of the locals. As the saying goes, “two heads are better than one.” And in this sibling duo, Elliott...

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has announced that deputies are responding to an urgent situation at the Alderman Ford Nature Preserve, located close to Durant High School. An advisory was issued through their social media channels, urging the public to keep clear of the area while law enforcement manages...

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay nonprofit Grey Bull Rescue, known for launching recovery missions after natural disasters and rescuing civilians from dangerous environments, said on Thursday that it completed its most “high threat and high stakes” mission yet. Nobel Peace Laureate and Venezuelan opposition leader...

POINCIANA, Fla. – A controversial $2.5 billion toll road is moving forward in Poinciana. The Central Florida Expressway Authority approved the Southport Connector Project on Thursday, a 15-mile highway designed to ease traffic from Poinciana Parkway to the Turnpike. Part of the road will be elevated above Cypress...

A sophisticated scheme to turn counterfeit cash into real currency was dismantled this week after investigators say adults were using children to unknowingly launder the money. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the investigation began on December 6 when deputies received reports of counterfeit bills...

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,...