The Hillsborough County Sheriff's office is dealing with the loss of one of their own, along with his family yesterday. Deputy Sheriff Terry Strawn took his own life along with  that of his wife, daughter and granddaughter. If you need help please remember you can always call 2-1-1 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 for free and confidential help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nine men were arrested yesterday and faces charges of animal cruelty, animal fighting or baiting, conspiracy to commit racketeering among many more. They set bait for the bears and let dogs go after them. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the arrests at a press conference at ZooTampa at Lowry Park yesterday to talk about the year-long investigation.

Brace yourself - AAA is predicting a record-breaking holiday travel season with more than one-third of Americans traveling. Today is the busiest day for those driving; if you're flying this  Saturday, Dec. 22, Sunday, Dec. 23 and Wednesday, Dec. 26 will be the heaviest.

With the new year comes an increase in Florida's minimum wage, On January 1st it will go up by 221 cents at hour, rising from $8.25 to $8.46 per hour. Those numbers come from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

Despite the red tide and boating accidents the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has good news regarding our manatee population. The estimated some 7,500 to 10,300 manatees our in our state waters. That's a nice increase increase from previous estimates of roughly 6,000.

The Florida State Fair has some 400 job openings to fill. You can apply online for positionslike ticket scanners, greeters, guest services, décor assistants and more. The Fair runs at the State Fairgrounds in Tampa February 7th - 18th.

The Tampa Bay Rays will stay in St Petersburg for now. The team notified Mayor Rick Kriseman that the attempt to move the team to Hillsborough County is no longer a viable option. Under the current deal the Rays contract at Tropicana Field goes until 2027.

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