The Latest Breaking News from Fla

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis is expecting a special session next week to consider the proposed state takeover of Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District, a spokesman said late Tuesday.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Doubt made its first appearance on April 1, 1998. That was the day the Devil Rays saw their attendance dip 33% for the second game in franchise history at Tropicana Field.

TAMPA, Fla. — Early this season, Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy needed a change. After years of committing himself to an extensive preparation regimen that helped turn him into arguably the best netminder in the world, Vasilevskiy felt like he needed to pull back a bit.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Rays on Tuesday completed and announced a three-year contract extension for infielder Yandy Diaz that guarantees the corner infielder $24 million with a 2026 option could be worth $36 million.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Investigators have identified 11 people who were injured in a drive-by mass shooting Monday afternoon in Lakeland, and officers have also recovered a car believed to have been used by the gunmen, the Tampa-area city’s police chief said Tuesday.

TAMPA, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced a package of major reforms to Florida’s higher education system, including tighter controls on faculty tenure, the establishment of “civics institutes” at three universities and prohibitions on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police officers are investigating a drive-by shooting that injured multiple people in a residential neighborhood Monday afternoon, just north of downtown Lakeland.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mayor Ken Welch made the biggest decision of his political career on Monday, selecting the team led by the Tampa Bay Rays to redevelop Tropicana Field.

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida House Speaker Paul Renner is pushing a measure that would allow people to carry concealed firearms without a permit and without training, saying he wants to remove the “government permission slip.”

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Grounded in sand bars, adrift in the sea or washed onto private beaches, the boats keep piling up: rafts made from Styrofoam, sailboats, hollowed-out drums attached to ironing boards.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Space Coast saw a record number of launches from the two facilities with 57 in 2022. Space Launch Delta 45 commander Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy said in January that there could be between 86 and 92 potential launches in 2023.