Lakeland FL

Lakeland City Manager Shawn Sherrouse is pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Little as Director of Communications, effective February 9, 2026. “Following a highly competitive recruitment process that attracted 87 applicants, 52 of whom met minimum qualifications, Mr. Little’s exceptional blend of education,...

LAKELAND, Florida - A 56-year-old woman from Lakeland was arrested after posing as a Department of Children and Families employee in an attempt to kidnap a 9-year-old boy, according to the Polk County Sheriff's Office. Nicole Terry Thomas was taken into custody on February 13, 2026, and charged with multiple...

Polk County officials will hold a press conference Monday to discuss recent brush fire activity.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Firefighters responded to a barrage of wildfires over the weekend in Hillsborough County, where heavy winds and dry brush spread one blaze across 350 acres in Wimauma. It was the 14th wildfire that sparked in the county Sunday. Two more — one near Interstate 275...

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A high school teacher in Polk County was arrested Sunday after he set a fire in his backyard that grew to be 5 acres, according to sheriff’s officials. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office responded to Cox Road in Bartow, where firefighters were fighting a fire.

State and local law enforcement officials held a press conference in Winter Haven to announce the results of a lengthy narcotics investigation that authorities say targeted a large scale drug distribution network operating in Central Florida.

LAKELAND, Fla. – A Lakeland woman’s attempt to impersonate a state official ended in handcuffs this past Friday after she tried to seize a nine-year-old boy from a local home. Nicole Terry Thomas, 56, was arrested by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office on February 13, 2026, following a...

A much-anticipated Downtown Lakeland burger shop that hopes to reinvigorate a property with a troubled past will open its doors on Feb. 16. Grievous Angel , a burger joint created by LoveBird Almost Famous Chicken owners Jeremy and Leah Brumley, will launch a soft opening 4 p.m. Monday at 801 E. Main St. The soft...

Whataburger has made its debut in the Tampa Bay area — with more juicy goodness cooking up for the future. The burger chain is now open in Largo at 10150 Ulmerton Road. It's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can get food through dine-in, drive-thru, online ordering or the Whataburger app.

Debra Patton was sentenced to life in prison on Monday morning for her sister's murder in 2021. Last month, a Hillsborough County jury took just about one hour of deliberation to return a guilty verdict against Patton. Prosecutors successfully argued that Patton shot her sister in the chest before wrapping...