Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted Tuesday to advance roughly $353 million in public funding for the proposed Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, including $263 million in tourist-tax bonds and a $90 million sales-tax appropriation, even as Amendment 3 raises questions about the county's long-term finances.
Local Government
Local Government
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Local Government
Local Government
A 9.48-acre planned development modification on Apollo Beach Boulevard was continued for a third straight month at the June 22 Zoning Hearing Master session, with no decision date set, while several other South Hillsborough rezoning cases advanced or were rescheduled.
Local Government
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and Florida AG James Uthmeier announced more than 100 arrests and the recovery of trafficking victims in "Operation Relentless Summer," a two-month sweep covering the county that includes Apollo Beach and Ruskin.
Local Government
Hillsborough County fired emergency management director Timothy Dudley Jr. after a 10-month HR investigation found interference and high staff turnover, leaving Fire Rescue Chief Jason Dougherty in charge as Apollo Beach enters peak hurricane season with expanded evacuation zones.
Local Government
Hillsborough County commissioners reviewed two Fire Rescue funding options at their May 8 meeting that could add a new fee or tax to Apollo Beach and Ruskin property tax bills if voters approve Amendment 3's property tax cut in November 2026.
Local Government
Heavy equipment, tunnel shoring and 24/7 diesel dewatering pumps arrive on Balm Boyette Road southwest of Woodland Spur Drive on Monday, Aug. 10, as the $505.7 million South Hillsborough Pipeline project opens a new construction segment.
Local Government
Hillsborough County students at Lennard High, East Bay High and Apollo Beach K-8 return Monday, Aug. 10, to a district that earned its first A grade since 2014, slashed teacher vacancies and is rolling out free full-day VPK, fewer exams and expanded field trips.
Local Government
Tampa General Hospital and Hillsborough County Fire Rescue are seeking county commission approval Sept. 2 for a drone program that would deliver whole blood to trauma scenes in under three minutes from two fire stations near South Shore.
Local Government
The Hillsborough County Zoning Hearing Master heard a 0.98-acre rezoning request at 1115 E. Shell Point Road in Ruskin on Monday, July 20, while a repeatedly continued 9.48-acre planned development modification on Apollo Beach Boulevard was postponed for at least the fourth time to August 24.
Local Government
Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack visited a Hillsborough County school on Aug. 5, praising Superintendent Van Ayres and pledging collaboration after years of adversarial state oversight that targeted the district over library books and social media criticism.
Local Government
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers visited Deputies Sopharmony Muon and Colton Daniels and Sgt. Harrison Bashner on Aug. 5 to present signed jerseys and game balls, three weeks after the two deputies survived an ambush shooting on West Shell Point Road in Ruskin.
Local Government
Three of five RiverBend CDD supervisors in Ruskin have resigned, and the board will appoint replacements, elect new officers, and hold a public hearing on FY2027 assessments at its Thursday, Aug. 13 meeting.
Local Government
The mother of Antonio Marazita, a 24-year-old Hillsborough County road ranger killed by a suspected drunk driver on I-75, has launched "Antonio's Law," a campaign to expand protections for road rangers and increase penalties for Move Over Law violations.
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