Author: admin

Below is an official statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced John Don Bannister Jr., 31, Clermont, to 28 years in federal prison for two counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mr. Bannister entered his guilty plea on July 21, 2025. According to court documents, on April 26, 2023 and May 4, 2023, in Lake County, Bannister filmed himself engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child and created a CSAM. An investigation by law enforcement revealed that Bannister provided vape…

Sen. Rick Scott led Florida’s entire congressional delegation in a letter to President Trump urging him to reject any potential Interior Department plans that violate the moratorium banning oil drilling off Florida’s coast. Members note that Florida’s coast is an iconic and pristine part of the state’s environment, serves as a vital national security site for military training at the Gulf Coast Test Range, and contributes to job creation and tourism spending of more than $127 billion annually. Sen. Scott has worked with President Trump over the years, both as governor and senator, to keep drilling for oil off Florida’s…

On Sunday, the city’s holiday market party season stalwart (get it?!) returns to the Milk District when Krampusfest returns to Plaza Live (425 N. Bumby Ave., Orlando). Known for its large collection of holiday stalls (both traditional and quirky), this wonderfully quirky gathering runs from 2pm to 9pm. After 6pm, the event is free and only for those 18 and older, so events range from fun to naughty. At that moment, the horn sounds. “Krampusfest is a welcoming event for everyone, including families, so we let parents decide whether they wanted to participate in a year-end celebration that was a…

ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe Tampa Bay Times e-Newspaper is a digital replica of the printed paper seven days a week that is available to read on desktop, mobile, and our app for subscribers only. To enjoy the e-Newspaper every day, please subscribe.”,”type”:”facebook-video”,”version”:”1.0″,”width”:500,”_id”:”https://www.facebook.com/100000870932528/videos/pcb.25309153912030292/2102123527195737″,”locale”:”en_US”},”referent”:{“id”:”https://www.facebook.com/100000870932528/videos/pcb.25309153912030292/2102123527195737″,”provider”:”https://graph.facebook.com/v8.0/oembed_video?url=”,”referent_properties”:{“locale”:”en_US”},”service”:”oembed”,”type”:”facebook-video”}},{“_id”:”QAXQEE2L25BIXJ2Y5R3TDEU3R4″,”additional_properties”:{},”content”:”Robinson, a Pinellas history teacher since 1998, became a familiar TikTok commenter around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. He offered a blend of inspirational thoughts and politics, frequently criticizing views espoused by the Moms for Liberty organization and its supporters.”,”type”:”text”},{“_id”:”MAVL2EKU6RG2VJZPWX4Z7X7BOY”,”additional_properties”:{},”content”:”In 2022, he gained national attention as one of the few educators willing to publicly criticize efforts to malign…

Florida Secretary of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the arrest of two foreign nationals in connection with an organized retail theft ring that caused more than $1 million in losses to Home Depot stores across the United States in what is described as a multi-state organized retail theft investigation. Simpson said the Office of Agricultural Law Enforcement (OALE) worked with local, state and federal partners to apprehend the thieves. The incident began on October 3, 2025, after Home Depot Loss Prevention referred the matter to OALE. This inquiry identified a pattern of theft by Lithuanians operating in multiple states. Investigators said…

The Florida Attorney General’s Office announced its endorsement of Blaise Ingoglia’s campaign for Florida Chief Financial Officer, citing his strong law and order record, principled leadership, and unwavering dedication to protecting Florida taxpayers. The state attorney general’s office praised Ingoglia’s history of supporting policies that strengthen criminal accountability, assist prosecutors, and promote safer communities. They emphasized that his approach to public safety reflects a deep respect for the rule of law and the work of those who enforce it. “Defendant Blaise Ingoglia has consistently demonstrated a tough stance on crime and an unwavering commitment to the safety of Florida’s families,”…

The Florida Safety Net Hospital Alliance shared new data for 2025 supporting the findings of its groundbreaking first report on hospital physician training programs. This data conclusively establishes safety net hospitals as leaders in graduate medical education (GME) in Florida. “This report shows great success. Our hospitals are always on call, provide the most critical and complex care in the state, and are among the best in the nation. This update validates the results of the underlying GME Compliance and Quality 2020-24 report, which found that safety net hospitals attract more residents than other hospitals,” said Justin Sr., CEO of…

There is elegance and special courtesy in the ritual of afternoon tea. You can see it in clothing, such as suits, dresses, and lace fascinations. We see it in music: pianists, harpists, string quartets. And it certainly shows in the food, including crisp-lined finger sandwiches stuffed with flavorful ingredients like watercress, roast beef, and coronation chicken. But in a wonderful way, this formal and luxurious little banquet inspires the simplest pleasures. Nowhere is this more evident than in the joy of young children experiencing tea for the first time and drinking real tea from fine china cups, rather than playing…

It’s another thing to visit an aquarium and stare in awe at a 1,000-pound manatee swimming just behind the glass. It’s another thing to share the same water with sea cows in Florida and have an up-close and personal encounter with them. Opportunities like this are only possible when you visit Crystal River, a charming Gulf coast city with a concentration of freshwater springs that lives up to its apt name, “Manatee Capital of the World.” They are primarily found in Kings Bay and the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, the only sanctuary created specifically to protect the endangered Florida…

Vu Nguyen gestures toward the wide windows of Little Saigon, a Vietnamese restaurant on East Colonial Drive in Orlando. Outside, cars whizz by and pedestrians meander past, many heading to the Mills Market next door, where an early lunch crowd is beginning to gather. “There weren’t that many people here,” Son Nguyen says, translating for his brother here and there. “Traffic was more open. Half the area was actually American.” There was also a shop that made custom rubber stamps, a debt collector, and a dog groomer. “There was also a video store where you could rent kung fu and…