Lakeland FL

In an industry where most restaurant brands struggle to survive a decade, Beef ’O’ Brady’s is entering its 40th year still growing, still profitable and still deeply tied to the communities that built it. The sports pub brand, founded in Brandon in 1985, now operates 125 locations...

POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A courtesy beer run in Polk County turned into what Sheriff Grady Judd described as a scrum, landing one man behind bars after he allegedly attacked the very neighbor he’d asked to restock his supply. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, 45-year-old Charles...

PLANT CITY, Fla. (WFLA)— Helen Parke, co-founder of Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, has died. She was 100. Helen was born on July 7, 1925, in St. Louis, Missouri. “It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Helen Parke, who went home to be with the Lord in the early morning hours,” […]

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Polk County woman is helping some little students learn how to read. Tracey Stephens is doing it with the help of a great big dog. Each Monday, Stephens takes her big black Newfoundland named Teddy to Sikes Elementary School where she goes to the library to volunteer as a reading coach. Stephens...

Commercial zoning is no fit for Thompson Nursery Road Winter Haven’s recent decision to grant C-3 commercial zoning along Thompson Nursery Road should concern residents who expect growth to follow planning, transparency and fairness. This rezoning places high-intensity commercial use directly against established...

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (WFLA)— A Winter Haven man was arrested after a violent attack on a woman, the Winter Haven Police Department said. Officers responded to the area of Avenue K Northeast and Lake Martha Drive, where a disturbance happened on Saturday at 2:17 a.m. According to WHPD, the victim told officers that she...

Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins toured Windhorst Commons, a new hurricane-fortified Habitat for Humanity neighborhood in Brandon being built to support veterans and working families.

A Florida woman is accused of fatally shooting two of her ex-husbands on the same day last week, officials say. Susan Erica Avalon was arrested on Dec. 18 on a charge of second-degree homicide in one of the killings, according to the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. More charges are expected in that case and another...

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. – A fatal collision on State Road 56 left a motorcyclist dead and an elderly woman seriously injured Saturday afternoon. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the crash occurred at approximately 4:14 p.m. near the intersection of Lajuana Boulevard. Troopers say an 80-year-old man from San...

It’s a first for Polk County. Madison Gundy, 20, from Lakeland, is the first student to graduate with a Federal Tower Operator (CTO) certificate through Traviss Technical College and Polk County Public Schools. Gundy trained at the Bartow Executive Airport since March with instructor Randy Clayton and qualified in...