Gov. Charlie Crist signed Florida's passenger rail bill into law Wednesday in ceremonies in Tampa and three other cities while delivering the message that new rail equals thousands of new jobs. More than 150 Tampa Bay area elected officials, business people and transportation advocates turned out at a vacant lot just south of the intersection of Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, where a high-speed rail station is planned for a proposed Tampa-to-Orlando route. The bill will improve the state's chances at winning federal stimulus money for the high-speed rail line that could be built by 2014. It also will jump-start the $1.2 billion SunRail project planned for Central Florida, create a new statewide rail authority and dedicate additional state money to Tri-Rail, South Florida's faltering commuter line. The high-speed project could provide as many as 15,000 construction jobs beginning in 2011 if the Obama administration approves the state's $2.5 billion high-speed rail bid, state officials said in its federal stimulus application. "Jobs, jobs, jobs is what it's really all about," Crist said. ...more

December 17, 2009

Authorities are handing out flyers of the man accused of shooting four relatives to death after a Thanksgiving dinner in South Florida. ...more

December 16, 2009

Gov. Charlie Crist is scheduled to sign Florida's rail legislation bill, which won legislative approval last week, at events Wednesday in Tampa, Tallahassee, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. ...more

December 15, 2009

TAMPA -- An approaching cold front will boost the chance for rain this afternoon, especially north of the Tampa Bay area, and bring some raw, chilly weather on Thursday. Think chilly, windy, dank and maybe even rainy, with the highest temperatures well before sunrise. ...more

December 9, 2009

It was Jan. 10, 1885, when Plant City incorporated as a city with an established council and mayor. ...more

December 9, 2009

Detectives have finally caught a South Florida man who allegedly killed his friend two years ago and stuffed him in a freezer. ...more

December 6, 2009

SOUTH FLORIDA AT CONNECTICUT KICKOFF: 8 p.m.; Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn. ...more

December 5, 2009

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday denied Gov. Charlie Crist's request to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate public corruption. ...more

November 30, 2009

They call this rivalry weekend in college football, and for fans here in the Sunshine State, we all know what that means: bragging rights between Gators and Seminoles are on the line for another year. ...more

November 28, 2009

Augustus Gilchrist scored a career-high 27 points and had seven rebounds, leading South Florida past Florida Atlantic 78-58 on Friday night. ...more

November 27, 2009