Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays have new owners after a group led by real estate developer Patrick Zalupski closed its purchase of the team.

A 31-year-old St. Petersburg woman, accused of the death of a 9-month-old child in her care nearly a year ago, was arrested on Tuesday by the St. Petersburg Police Department, officials said.

The Tampa Bay Rays say they are in “exclusive discussions” with a Florida investment group for a potential sale of the team.

St. Petersburg police say a man and a woman face charges in the alleged kidnapping and killing of a 16-year-old girl who was reported missing last month.

The Tampa Bay Rays should declare in writing whether they want to pursue an existing financing plan for a new $1.3 billion ballpark or walk away from the deal.

A combination of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political delays on financing means it is highly unlikely the Tampa Bay Rays’ planned new stadium will be ready for the 2028 season, if at all.

Major League Baseball hopes to find the Tampa Bay Rays a temporary home near their fanbase for the start of the 2025 season if their home field can't be repaired in time.

Before Hurricane Milton’s landfall, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) deployed eight wave sensors between Naples and Crystal River and installed one rapid-deployment gauge on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to measure the coastal waves caused by the storm.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said millions of Florida residents were still without power on Friday morning in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue confirmed one collapse late Wednesday about six blocks from the city’s pier. There were no reports of injuries.

A new study says that in a little more than five years the world will likely be unable to stay below the internationally agreed temperature limit for global warming if it continues to burn fossil fuels at its current rate.

The Tampa Bay Rays won their 12th straight game to start the season, one short of the major league record, as Randy Arozarena hit a three-run homer in a 9-7 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The Tampa Bay Rays became the first major league team since the 1987 Milwaukee Brewers to open the season with 10 straight wins, getting a solo homer from Brandon Lowe in the eighth inning to beat the Boston Red Sox 1-0.

The Tampa Bay Rays matched the best start to a major league season in 20 years, routing the Oakland Athletics 11-0 for a 9-0 record as Drew Rasmussen combined on a one-hitter and Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has an execution date for a man dubbed the “ninja killer” in a 1989 double slaying.

Election officials in some Florida counties are urging people to vote early where possible as potentially severe weather threatens the state on Election Day.

The Houston Astros clinched their fifth AL West title in six years, getting a leadoff home run from Jose Altuve in a 4-0 victory over the Tampa Bays.

Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz homered as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-4.

The Baltimore Orioles’ winning streak ended at 10 when Christian Bethancourt hit his first home run for Tampa Bay and the Rays rallied for a 5-4 victory.

Tropical storm watches were posted Thursday for Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas as the system that battered Mexico moves to the east.

U.S. wildlife officials have agreed to revise the critical habitat designation for Florida manatees, which have been dying in record numbers because water pollution is killing a main food source.

Wildlife officials working to prevent Florida manatees from starving to death say they’re encouraged that some of the marine mammals’ favorite food is growing naturally in a key area.

The CVS drug store company and pharmaceutical companies will pay Florida a combined $860 million as part of the settlement of an opioid epidemic case.

Governor DeSantis signed a bill eliminating the annual student assessments – in favor of a “progress monitoring” system.

Mac, an alligator snapping turtle that lived at a botanical garden in Florida for more than 50 years, has died.

Boston Red Sox star shortstop Xander Bogaerts has tested positive for COVID-19 and been pulled from a game at Tampa Bay.

Amid the stench of dead fish, protesters marched Saturday along Florida’s Tampa Bay to call for state assistance in dealing with a growing outbreak of harmful red tide.

Health officials say red tide could cause people along certain parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast to experience respiratory irritation.

Boston Red Sox pitchers Nick Pivetta and Josh Taylor have combined on a no-hitter through seven innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Tampa Bay Times has won its 13th Pulitzer Prize.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday that he is signing an executive order to suspend all COVID-19 emergency orders issued by local governments in Florida.

Colton Herta has rebounded from a first-lap crash in the IndyCar season opener to win the pole on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said he doesn’t favor raising Florida’s unemployment benefits, which are some of the nation’s lowest, but is focused instead on getting people back to work.

Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida will permanently close the leaky Piney Point reservoir that poured millions of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay while threatening to burst open and flood nearby homes and businesses.

A 1928 church in St. Petersburg, Florida, has been renovated into a four bedroom home, complete with a large stained glass window of Jesus.

Home Depot is considered an essential business and remains open in Jacksonville. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A delivery driver was killed Sunday night when a load of construction materials fell on him at a Home Depot store in Florida, police said. News outlets report that the incident happened around 7:30 p.m. as the driver was making a delivery at a Home Depot store in St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg police said the man was not an employee of the store. The man’s name has not been released.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The University of South Florida acknowledged this week that its campus in Tampa is located on land once occupied by the Seminole people and other Native Americans, an admission meant to give context to the Thanksgiving holiday most Americans are celebrating Thursday. Native Americans were the first people to inhabit the Tampa Bay area. During the Seminole wars of the 1800s, President Andrew Jackson called for the removal of the Seminole people from the area. The acknowledgement “is something that’s been a long time coming,” said Sarah Taylor, a faculty member who chairs the diversity and inclusion committee. “Acknowledging the land you’re on and land you’re using is a traditional behavior of many Native American groups.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Five Florida mayors on Wednesday said they were extremely concerned about the rising number of coronavirus cases in the state, and begged Gov. Following a monthslong decline from its huge summer spike in the outbreak, Florida has seen a mid-autumn climb in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Still, the governor has resisted a return to statewide restrictions in place earlier in the year. “What Florida is doing right now isn’t working,” said Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, during a sharply worded news conference on Zoom. Gelber was joined by the mayors of Hialeah, Miami Shores Village, Sunrise, and St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Battleground Florida was again a central focus of the presidential campaign Saturday as President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and former President Barack Obama all had high-profile events in the state. Trump kicked things off in the morning by voting early at a library in West Palm Beach, saying he voted for “a guy named Trump" as he left the building. Trump had spent the night at his nearby Mar-a-Lago club and then headed out to several events in other states. Ron DeSantis were taking part in early voting events aimed at rallying around the president. Before his event, Obama stopped by a Democratic volunteer location in Miami Springs, which is next to Miami International Airport.

That means all statewide restrictions on bars and restaurants will be removed, DeSantis said, and the changes will go into effect immediately. “The order that I’m signing today will guarantee restaurants can operate and will not allow closures. In Jacksonville, there aren’t any restrictions that are impacted by the governor’s decision meaning full capacity is allowed. Statewide, there will also be a suspension of collecting fines or fees for restrictions like not wearing a mask, DeSantis added. Five of the newly reported deaths in Northeast Florida were first identified as COVID-19 patients by the state in July.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Florida’s unemployment rate dropped to 7.4% in August, a sharp decline from July, when it was 11.4%, according to state statistics released Friday. Jobless claims are still high, however, as Floridians and businesses attempt to inch back to economic health during the coronavirus pandemic. Florida lost 1,178,100 jobs from February to April 2020 and has since gained back over half of the jobs lost, officials said. Nowhere is that effect felt more than in the Orlando area, which had the highest regional unemployment rate in the state in August at 11%. The Swan and Dolphin warned the economic impact will carry over into 2021, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A veteran Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputy has died from coronavirus, according to the agency. According to the Palm Beach Post, Angela Chavers was 44 years old and is survived by her son and niece. On April 4, deputy Jose Diaz-Ayala became the first deputy in Palm Beach County to die from the coronavirus. That brings the average daily reported deaths over the past week to 109. In the first half of August, the seven-day reported deaths average usually exceeded 170 deaths.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Tampa Bay Rays became the first major league team since at least 1901 to start a batting order with all left-handed batters. Rays manager Kevin Cash stacked his lineup with lefties on Friday night against Boston Red Sox right-hander Andrew Triggs. Triggs was making just his second start for the Red Sox, who claimed him off waivers from San Francisco on Aug. 19. We’ve added a couple of left-handed hitters,” Cash said. “Thinking about it last night after the game, we don’t know their pitcher very well, Triggs.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Authorities are searching for a Florida man accused of attacking his wife on Interstate 75 and pushing her into the path of an oncoming semi-truck. Morgan grabbed the steering wheel and almost caused the victim to lose control after the blowout, officials said. He headbutted her and punched her several times before pushing her into the path of an oncoming truck on the interstate, according to a trooper's reportThe truck driver was able to avoid hitting her, the agency said. Officials couldn't find him after a search of the area by troopers and Pasco County Sheriff's deputies. The Florida Highway Patrol was granted a warrant for Morgans arrest for attempted murder and the search for him continues.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. A central Florida sheriff says his deputies wont be allowed to wear face masks except under some conditions, and neither will visitors to the sheriffs office. Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said this week in an email to staff that he had weighed both sides of the issue. The sheriff made the announcement on the week that Florida reported 213 new deaths Wednesday. Thats down from the states peak rate in daily reported deaths of 185 a week ago. Woods, the Marion County sheriff, said exceptions will be made for deputies at jails, schools, courthouses, hospitals, nursing homes and when dealing with someone who is elderly or has COVID-19.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Tampa Bay Rays ace Blake Snell reported for work, after all. The 27-year-old Snell made headlines in May when he said he opposed the idea of players taking further pay reductions to start the season during a pandemic that it was not worth the health risk. But he said Friday it wasn't difficult to start playing again after the players' agreement with Major League Baseball included their full pro-rated salaries. I would say it wasnt tough when it came down to what the (union) agreed on," he said. But as far as the workout today, it went really well.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Baseball's minor leagues canceled their seasons on Tuesday after Major League Baseball decided not to provide any players to its affiliated teams amid the coronavirus pandemic. The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body, made the long-expected announcement. The Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and the minors expires after this season, and MLB has proposed reducing the minimum affiliates from 160 to 120. MLB already had told clubs to retain expanded 60-player pools, of which 30 players can be active during the first two weeks of the season starting in late July. These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that weve had a summer without minor league baseball played, National Association president Pat OConner.

CNN ImageST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A new bill filed in Florida could allow students to miss school for for mental health reasons. House Bill 315, introduced by Representative Susan Valdes, would allow a specified number of mental health days as excused absences for students. Under the bill, students would be allowed to take one day off of school per semester for mental health reasons. "The Legislature finds that poor academic performance is associated with nonattendance and that school districts must take an active role in promoting and enforcing attendance as a means of improving student performance," the bill reads. The students who take a mental health day will also be able to make up assigned work and not receive an academic penalty, the bill says.

WFTS via CNNST. PETERSBURG, Florida (CNN) - A Tampa woman is suing the Don Cesar Hotel, alleging severe injuries she suffered after liquid nitrogen was poured into her drink, WFTS reported. According to the lawsuit, Stacey Wagers was celebrating her birthday with a friend on Nov. 11, 2018, when the incident happened. She claims that a waiter who was using liquid nitrogen on another guest's dessert, to make it smoke, added the chemical to her water. "She lost about 26 pounds as a result of this because she couldn't eat," attorney with Morgan and Morgan Adam Brum said. Brum said Wagers reacted to the liquid nitrogen within seconds.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - The mother of a high school football player says he's been taken off life support days after collapsing during a game in Florida. Marcia Nelson told the congregation at Gateway Baptist Church in St. Petersburg that Jacquez Welch's organs will be donated. The Tampa Bay Times reports he was removed from life support Monday. Welch played for Northeast High School in St. Petersburg. Welch had just received an offer to play football for Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, next year.

WFTS-TV imageST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A severely decomposed body was found Thursday morning in a Pinnelas County lake, surrounded by alligators. The St. Petersburg Police Department told WFTS-TV the body "with alligator involvement" found in the mangroves at the southeast corner of Lake Maggiore was so badly decomposed they couldnt determine race or gender. The Tampa Bay Times reported that Otis Crawford and Patricia Kays spotted the body around 8 a.m. Thursday. Crawford says they were eating breakfast in their car when they saw alligators dragging the remains in the water. She added that while the gators scattered it doesn't mean that's how the person died since gators are known to be scavengers.

Several people reported stabbed at a plasma center in Virginia. PETERSBURG, Va. - A 20-year-old suspect attacked a Petersburg, Virginia, plasma donation center on Thursday with a weapon similar to a machete, injuring several people, police said. The man, who is from Petersburg, hid the weapon when he walked into Octapharma Plasma center and asked to use the restroom, Petersburg police Capt. The suspect then later attacked people inside the center, injuring four, Chambliss said. People inside the center ran out through the back door and called police, according to Chambliss.