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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida employees will get an extra day on the July 4th holiday, Gov. Ron Desantis announced Monday. The governor said the state office will be closed on Thursday, July 3rd, saying “as Florida celebrates America’s 249th Independence Day weekend and as Florida celebrates America’s 250th anniversary.” The state office will also close on July 4th. List: Where to watch the July 4th fireworks in Tampa Bay “In anticipation of the upcoming semi-calcentennial celebrations in America in 2026, I have long been awarding state employees to celebrate this weekend,” DeSantis said. “We hope that our state employees…

TAMPA – Ronnie Tremel Walker killed 14-year-old Nilexia Alexander on dark dead-end Tampa Street three years ago, the ju judges decided Tuesday.A panel of five men and seven women deliberated about two hours before Walker, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder, and refused to defence arguments that his accomplice was the one who shot the girl.Walker was also found guilty of tampeThe ju umpire refused to defence arguing that Walker’s friend, Robert Creed, who was in the car on the night of the shooting, may have shot the girl. Creed was the only witness to acknowledging it was a…

Collier County, Fla. (WFLA) – Construction of the new immigration detention facility, Alligator Alcatraz, began after Florida leaders approved the plan Monday. NBC affiliate WBBH reported that the facility is located at Dade Carrier Training and Transition Airport, an abandoned runway spanning the Miami-Dade and Collier County lines. State officials told media that the site would house roughly 5,000 immigrants who illegally live in the United States in July 2025. (WBBH) Florida Attorney General James Usmier said the location would allow for efficient disposal and deportation, while the natural environment (with crocodile, Pison and Panthers) would serve as a deterrent…

Stan Choe, David Mchugh, Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) – Oil prices are falling even further, and US stocks hope that Israeli Iran’s war will not want to undermine the crude trends of the world, even if a temporary ceasefire appears to be on fire in the morning. The S&P 500 followed up even greater profits in European and Asian stocks, up 0.9% in morning trading. This comes after President Donald Trump said late Monday that Israel and Iran agreed to a “complete and complete ceasefire.” The main measure of Wall Street health returned within 1.1% of…

HOLY HIL, Fla. (WFLA) – A sixth grade teacher has been arrested for having child sexual abuse materials made using artificial intelligence, the Holly Hill Police Department has announced. David McKeown, 47, was arrested on June 20th for possessing child pornography and sexual activity, including animals. ICAC detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division of the Holly Hill Police Station received tips from National Missing and Exploited Children on June 2, 2025 on reports of people sharing files depicting child sexual abuse. Credit: fdle The search warrant was executed at Mackie Oun’s home and at United’s brothers at the Academy of…

Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman said Monday that central banks should consider cutting key interest rates soon at their next meeting in July, and should highlight a deep division among Fed officials as they withstand sharp criticism from the White House. Bowman said President Donald Trump’s tariffs have not caused an inflationary jump so far that many economists fear, and future prices will likely be a one-off rise. “The impact of tariffs on inflation could be longer, delayed and less effective than initially expected,” Bowman said in a speech on Monday in Prague.…

STARK, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of raping and murdering a woman near Central Florida Bar is scheduled to be executed Tuesday. Thomas Lee Gudinas, 51, is due for a fatal injection at the Florida State Jail near Stark, except for a last day’s resignation. He was convicted of the murder of Michelle McGrath in May 1994. Gudinas will be the seventh person in Florida this year, with the eighth scheduled for next month. The state executed six people in 2023, but last year only one execution was carried out. A total of 23 men have been executed in…

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation asking condo owners to help them comply with safety laws enacted after the fatal home tower collapsed on the surfside, claiming the victory for cash-bound unit owners while using public events to promote feuds with Florida homes.The bill was signed on Clearwater on the eve of the fourth anniversary of the collapse of Champlain Towers South, but does not include new money to fund expensive and mandatory repairs. But lawmakers believe it will help apartment owners pay for the necessary projects to make the building safer and avoid repeated surfside tragedy that killed…

A veteran services and volunteer organization deploying veterans across the United States to help underresourced communities descend to Tampa Bay this week. On the fourth day of the weekly event called “Operation Tampa Bay Blitz,” veterans and volunteers will gather at the Sweetwater Organic Community Farm to help expand the garden, clean spaces for education, and routes along the farm.Mission volunteers continue walking through the sweetwater greenhouse. (Lily SperedeLozzi | Time)Veterans and community volunteers gather to cheer the group before working that day. (Lily SperedeLozzi | Time)Air Force veteran Keith Thomas, senior director of mission communications, continues, and welcoming veterans…

TALHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — The state’s legislative meeting has extended its original 60-day deadline by 45 days, making it one of the longest in history. The political conflict between the governor and Republican leadership has been a major storyline over the last few months, with the budget finally passing, and all eyes are turning to Gov. Ron DeSantis to decide what the final cut will do. DeSantis talks about our strikes about Iran DeSantis is currently returning to Tallahassee to check the state’s budget and is expected to be vetoed. “There’s a lot of stuff on the desk and it…