The Latest Breaking News from Fla

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. — SeaWorld Orlando has set the dates for its lineup of 2023 theme park festivals, including its third edition of Howl-O-Scream, its after-hours, separate ticket Halloween event.

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.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Royal Caribbean and the shipbuilders tackling what will be the world’s largest cruise ship performed a Herculean task to get the most prevalent feature in place for the Florida-bound Icon of the Seas.

TAMPA, Fla. — Fresh off his inauguration and two weeks into his second term, Gov. Ron DeSantis called a news conference to announce one of his first policy proposals since his reelection. It trod familiar ground.