Ybor shootings

Tampa Police arrested Tyrell Stephen Phillips and charged him with second-degree murder for his role in the fatal Ybor City shootings. Tampa Police say two people died: a fourteen-year-old and a twenty-year-old. Sixteen other people were transported to nearby hospitals with related injuries, fifteen of them had gunshot wounds.

Rent burden

Although rent growth has cooled significantly over the past year, the national median rent is still 23 percent higher than it was just three years ago. A new study shows Florida has one the highest rates of cost-burdened renters in the country.

Early resignation

St. Petersburg’s first Chief Equity Officer has resigned less than one month into her role. Lenice Emanuel wrote her resignation letter on Wednesday.

North Florida congressional districts

A state district court of appeal will hear arguments this week in a challenge to North Florida’s congressional districts. The case centers on the region’s only district where African-American voters could elect their candidate of choice.

Homeowners’ insurance

Republican Senator Joe Gruters is pitching his fellow lawmakers about investing in a new homeowners’ insurance company that projects a five-year 165% return on investment. Changes in state law made it more difficult for homeowners to sue insurance companies.

Federal energy assistance

Florida will receive more than one hundred million dollars from the Biden Administration to help lower energy bills. The funding is part of a nearly four-billion-dollar national package. Last year, six million families relied on the federal energy assistance program to pay their energy bills. For individuals who want to check their eligibility, there’s a new tool online at energyhelp.us.

Information from the Florida Public Media, News Service of Florida, and Associated Press was used in this report.

The Scoop: Tampa Bay & Florida headlines by WMNF

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