The attorney for Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes said the ex-Tampa Bay Rays player expects to meet next week's deadline to pay more than $40,000 in court-ordered child support and alimony to his estranged wife. ...more

January 16, 2009

A federal office building in downtown Tampa was evacuated this afternoon when a suspicious package was found in the mailroom, authorities say. Seventy-five people working in the building, which houses Immigration and Customs Enforcement as well as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services workers, were evacuated about 1:45 p.m., Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade said in a written statement. ...more

January 15, 2009

A Colombian drug lord was sentenced to life in prison today, the culmination of an investigation by a multiagency task force created to stop the flow of cocaine from South America to the United States, federal prosecutors say. ...more

January 12, 2009

A five-day effort by law enforcement to target fugitive aliens has resulted in 110 arrests, including 11 in Tampa. The operation was organized by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and was aimed at illegal immigrants who ignored orders to leave the country. Of the 110 arrested, 81 fell under that category; the remaining 29 had other immigration violations. ...more

December 23, 2008

The security game plan for Super Bowl XLIII involves screening the backgrounds of more than 30,000 vendors and volunteers and restricting flights around Raymond James Stadium, officials said today. ...more

December 10, 2008

Talk about tall orders. When he chose Janet Napolitano to head the Department of Homeland Security, President-elect Barack Obama said, "She will be a leader who can reform a sprawling department while safeguarding our homeland." ...more

December 7, 2008

The owner of one of the few kosher specialty outlets in the Tampa Bay area says he should be all set for Thanksgiving, even though the largest kosher slaughterhouse in the nation was shut down in May. ...more

November 24, 2008

A Mexican citizen who pleaded guilty to one count of illegal re-entry into the United States after being deported was sentenced today to five years in prison, prosecutors say. ...more

November 18, 2008

Officers and agents who will scan vehicles around Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl week are training on X-ray imaging equipment this morning to spot explosives and other contraband. ...more

November 12, 2008

A federal inmate at the county jail claims staff deprived him of legal services and beat him when he made a formal complaint about it. ...more

November 11, 2008