LAKELAND - It looks innocent enough, just another storefront in a busy south Lakeland strip mall, nestled right between "Nail Boutique" and "Lynn's Fish 'n Pets." But Polk County Sheriff's Office vice detectives say The Palms Redemption Arcade has been operating as an illegal gambling house full of video slot machines since it opened about two months ago. This afternoon, they arrested the owner of the business, Janet Bruggeman, 55, and her husband Joseph, 52. ...more

October 22, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG - The man at the wheel of a city bus that lurched out of control last month before crashing into a strip mall was arrested today, police said. Travis Merriex, 37, was fired from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority after the Sept. 12 wreck. As he was leaving a grievance hearing, he was arrested, said St. Petersburg police spokesman William Proffitt. ...more

October 10, 2007

Wallace Reyes' tiny cigar shop is hidden in a Columbus Drive strip mall known mostly as the home of La Teresita grocery. ...more

October 6, 2007