TAMPA, Fla. — Matthew Cox spent years creating identities, forging documents and manipulating the mortgage industry. His crimes eventually made him a federal fugitive, cost financial institutions millions of dollars and resulted in a 26-year prison sentence. Today, Cox makes his living talking about crime rather than committing it. From a studio near the Florida State Fairgrounds, Cox hosts Inside True Crime, a long-form interview show built around conversations with former c

TAMPA, Fla. — For decades, the stretch of Fletcher Avenue surrounding the University of South Florida has been one of Tampa's busiest corridors — a sprawling collection of apartments, restaurants, hospitals, shopping centers and traffic wrapped around one of the largest universities in the state. Now, USF is preparing to fundamentally change it. On Sept. 8, university officials broke ground on Uptown Landing, a nearly $500 million mixed-use development that will transform par

CLEARWATER, Fla. — On the morning of March 21, 2023, attorney Steven Cozzi arrived at his Largo law office for what should have been an ordinary workday. At some point that morning, the 41-year-old lawyer walked toward the men's restroom. He never returned. His wallet, keys and cellphone remained at the office. His vehicle was still outside. Investigators say surveillance footage never showed Cozzi leaving the building. More than three years later, his body has never been fou

For generations of Tampa residents, WestShore Plaza represented the future. When the mall opened in 1967, suburban America was booming. Families were moving away from traditional downtowns, automobiles were reshaping cities and enclosed shopping malls were becoming the new centers of American consumer life. Nearly 60 years later, WestShore Plaza may once again offer a glimpse of the future. Only this time, the future involves tearing much of the old model down. Third Lake Par

For more than a century, Ybor City has been one of Tampa's most recognizable neighborhoods—a place built by immigrants, cigar factories, small businesses and nightlife. Its brick streets and historic buildings have survived economic decline, urban renewal and decades of changing tastes. Now Ybor faces another transformation, and this one could be among the largest in its history. Billions of dollars in development are reshaping the neighborhoods surrounding the historic distr

Long before Tampa Heights became one of Tampa's most desirable urban neighborhoods, and before investors began pouring money into the areas surrounding Ybor City, Edward “Eddie” Serralles saw something others often overlooked. He saw potential. For nearly three decades, Serralles has worked as a real estate broker, investor, developer and construction professional in Tampa. His companies remain headquartered on North Highland Avenue in Tampa Heights, placing him in the middle

After nearly two decades of failed stadium proposals, political battles and questions about whether Major League Baseball could survive long-term in Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Rays finally appear to have found their future home. And it is in Tampa. The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 Friday to approve its portion of a proposed $2.36 billion stadium project on Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus. The vote came one day after the Tampa City Council narrowly approved

TAMPA, Fla. — In Florida, preparing for disaster has never seemed particularly unusual. Residents buy bottled water before hurricanes, fill gas cans when a storm enters the Gulf and keep flashlights tucked away for the inevitable power outage. But across Tampa Bay and Central Florida, another level of preparedness exists. These are residents preparing not simply for three days without electricity, but for the possibility that electricity, communications, banking, transportati

TAMPA, Fla. — At a time when many of America's largest cities are experiencing a remarkable decline in killings, Tampa is moving in the opposite direction. Preliminary data released by the Major Cities Chiefs Association shows homicides across 66 reporting U.S. law-enforcement agencies fell 17.2 percent during the first six months of 2026, dropping from 2,611 killings during the same period last year to 2,162. Robberies declined 16.6 percent, while aggravated assaults fell 5.

TAMPA, Fla. — When two University of South Florida graduate students disappeared on April 16, their friends noticed almost immediately. Nahida Bristy and Zamil Limon were both 27, both from Bangladesh and both pursuing advanced degrees at USF. They were described as dependable students who attended meetings, answered messages and took their academic responsibilities seriously. Their sudden silence was so out of character that friends quickly feared something was wrong. What b

TAMPA, Fla. — For decades, Tampa Bay's economy has been associated with tourism, real estate, health care, finance and the steady stream of new residents arriving in Florida. But a new national ranking suggests another industry is becoming increasingly important to the region: technology. Tampa-based nonprofit Tampa Bay Wave has been ranked the No. 3 startup accelerator in the United States in TIME's inaugural 2026 ranking of America's best startup incubators and accelerators

Rising along the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, The Dalí Museum is one of the world's premier destinations for admirers of surrealist art. Home to the largest collection of works by Spanish master Salvador Dalí outside of Europe, the museum attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and has become one of Florida's most celebrated cultural landmarks. The museum first opened in 1982 after collectors A. Reynolds and Eleanor Morse spent decades assembli

Tampa artist Jason Skeldon, better known by his artistic alias "SKEL," has built a reputation as one of the Bay area's most recognizable contemporary pop artists. Known for his vibrant colors, street-art influences, and bold cultural commentary, Skeldon has transformed a passion for painting into a nationally recognized brand while remaining deeply connected to the Tampa community. Originally from Las Vegas, Skeldon has spent most of his life in Tampa, where he developed his