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Florida Attorney General James Usmeyer on Monday announced the arrest of repeat offender Oscar Fowler, whose federal sentence was commuted in the final days of the Biden administration. Fowler was taken into custody at the St. Petersburg Police Department on February 23, 2026, and is currently facing multiple state charges, including two counts of intent to sell a controlled substance and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Officials say the state charges mirror federal crimes for which Fowler was previously convicted. Fowler was serving a 12-and-a-half year federal prison sentence before it was commuted near…

Three members of a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a violent revenge shooting and widespread marijuana distribution conspiracy along Interstate 95, federal prosecutors announced. James Toney, 20, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger. Toney was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a felony drug crime, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. In related sentences, Javon Davis, 27, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, and Christian Guyton, 23, was sentenced…

With just weeks left in Florida’s 2026 legislative session, legislation addressing property taxes is beginning to move forward, but most legislative proposals may have to wait until next year. Here’s what happened last week so far: The Florida Legislature passed a constitutional amendment on the November 2026 ballot that would eliminate all non-school property taxes on homestead properties. If the measure, in its current form, appears on this year’s state ballot and is approved by voters, it would immediately reduce local government tax revenues starting in 2027. Florida Tax Watch says local governments will lose $14.7 billion in savings to…

Their number is 143 million. That’s the number of tourists visiting the state in 2025, according to Visit Florida estimates. The Sunshine State has bucked the national trend of declining tourism. “This year was another record year for our state’s tourism industry,” Governor DeSantis’ office said in a statement. According to Visit Florida, 33.5 million visitors visited the state in the final quarter of 2025, the highest number of visitors in the fourth quarter ever. Who has visited this state the most? Preliminary estimates suggest that 131.1 million Americans will travel to Florida in 2025, with domestic travelers accounting for…

Five years past the expected opening date and $20 million later, St. Petersburg’s highly anticipated food and beverage hall is finally making its grand debut. Central Park St. Pete officially opened to the public on Feb. 23, inside the five-story building at 551 Central Ave. The sprawling 28,000-square-foot space, formerly home to the old Woolworth building, has been in the works since early 2020 and was initially slated to open in summer 2021. Construction lags, permitting setbacks and a number of other issues caused delays over the years, but now the spot is finally ready to welcome diners — that…

A Democratic victory in Florida would still result in a sharp increase at the state and legislative level. The political action committee Future Democrats PAC is backing a national slate of candidates and is currently targeting the Florida House district held by Republican Rep. Randy Fine. Why the Randy Fiennes District? Democrats believe they may have a shot at Ms. Fine’s House seat, given that she received fewer votes than her predecessor and President Trump in last year’s special election. In 2024, then-Congressman Mike Walz won 67% and President Trump 65%. In 2025, Fine received only 57%. Democrats note that…

FORT LAUDERDALE – The final push begins now. With a record of 29-25-3, the Florida Panthers (61 points) are eight points behind the Boston Bruins (69 points) for the wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. With only 25 games remaining, every game counts. “We’re running a much tougher race than last year at this point,” head coach Paul Maurice said Saturday after team practice at the Baptist Health Iceplex. The Panthers will have a chance to recover after the break. The Panthers, who host two divisional opponents, both competing for a spot in the playoff race, will face the…

If a birthday deserves a toast, then 150 of them deserve a toast. That’s why, as part of the Orlando Sentinel’s celebration of a century and a half of bringing news to Central Florida, we’ve partnered with Ten10 Brewing to release four celebratory beers, one for each quarter. The first beer, called Orange County Reporter, is a local citrus ale named after Orlando’s first newspaper, the predecessor to the Sentinel. And we invite you to the launch party! Space is limited and tickets can be purchased at OrlandoSentinel.com/RSVP. But in addition to enjoying quality celebratory beer, attendees will also enjoy…

Sunrise, Fla. – Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk won a gold medal for the United States at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics with a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada today at Santa Giulia Arena in Milan, Italy. Panthers Director of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito and Head Equipment Manager Teddy Richards served on the American staff. Tkachuk becomes the first player in franchise history to win an Olympic gold medal while playing for the Florida Panthers. He ranked second in the nation behind Quinn Hughes (1-7-8) with six assists (0-6-6). His six helpers also ranked fourth among all…

ORLANDO, Fla. — Eleven alleged members and associates of the Sex Money Murder 24K (SMM-24K) gang have been indicted in the Middle District of Florida on federal charges including racketeering conspiracy, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder by aiding and abetting racketeering, and large-scale drug trafficking in Florida prisons. Federal prosecutors have released a four-count indictment charging the defendants with operating a violent criminal enterprise both inside and outside of Florida Department of Corrections facilities. SMM-24K, which is part of the nationally known Bloods gang, allegedly enforced its rules with extreme violence, including stabbings and attempted murders of members, according…