The Cleveland Cavaliers were hitting golf balls into a lake and some people couldn’t figure out why.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference at the FDOT Manatee Operations Center near Bradenton.

It all starts with voters. But sometimes, it ends up coming down to luck of the draw.

The “11 to Save” sites are historic spots across Florida that are at risk of being shut down or destroyed.

Walgreens is finalizing a plan to fix its business that could result in the closure of hundreds of additional stores in the next three years.

“Buy now, pay later” services are a popular way that shoppers pay for goods.

Authorities say a Florida sheriff’s deputy has been shot and is in stable condition.

Hometown favorite Nelly Korda shot a 3-under 68 with an eagle-birdie finish Saturday to take a four-shot lead into the final round of the LPGA Drive On Championship.

Nelly Korda birdied three of her final four holes to shoot a 4-under 67 and take a two-shot lead midway through the LPGA Drive On Championship.

Many who have recently visited Mixon's— a family business that has been around since 1939— comes to say thank you and goodbye, all while sharing a memory of some sort.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger and his dancer girlfriend Melanie Hamrick have put their Florida home up for sale.

Two Central Florida players won $3 million and $1 million in separate Mega Millions lottery draw games, officials announced Thursday.

Alligators and manatees seem to get all of the attention when it comes to Florida wildlife.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is holding a news conference at State College of Florida in Bradenton.

Manatee County officials could soon decide whether to restore and replace the Confederate monument that stood for decades outside the historic courthouse in downtown Bradenton.

It’s a popular destination for travelers with its location along the Manatee River and warm climate, but what exactly is there to do in Bradenton?

A man in Manatee County was seen fighting the wind and rain Wednesday night in the thick of Hurricane Ian to save the boat he poured three years and $50,000 into.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a one-year tax holiday on baby necessities and household items under $25 at a news conference in a Bradenton seafood restaurant Tuesday afternoon.

A 77-year-old woman was attacked by a gator at a gated community in Florida, reports show.

A woman was arrested at a hospital in Bradenton early Wednesday morning after staff notified police she was trying to load a gun inside her purse, according to the Bradenton Police Department.

When 135-pound Bentley walked into the Dollar General, he wandered around for hours like he owned the place, body camera footage released by police shows.

The Pittsburgh Pirates and All-Star center fielder Bryan Reynolds have avoided arbitration, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $13.5 million.

Shortages continue to plague grocery stores and now the latest victims appear to be cat food and canned beer.

The city of Bradenton could find itself in the same seat as other local governments that have been accused of breaking federal law with repeated sewage spills.

Officials say a man walked into a Florida sheriff’s office and confessed to killing a woman a decade ago because he “found Jehovah and couldn’t live with the guilt anymore."

Police say a Florida day care worker is accused of slapping a 4-month-old several times before twisting the baby’s leg until it broke.

Police say a mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service died when a sports utility vehicle ran a stop sign in a Florida neighborhood and crashed into his vehicle.

A Florida county has shuttered its main administration building after several employees contracted COVID-19 and two people died.

The WNBA is back and celebrating its silver anniversary.

Two tornadoes confirmed this past weekend in Bradenton and Winter Haven. Damages estimated over $1 million and one woman injured.

The strong storms pushing through Florida have killed a 17-year-old girl.

A mandatory evacuation order near a leaking Florida wastewater reservoir that affected more than 300 homes and additional businesses has been lifted.

Florida's governor has declared a state of emergency after a significant leak at a large storage pond of wastewater threatened to flood roads and burst a system that stores polluted waters.

[READ YESTERDAY’S REPORT: Young adults seeing higher infection rates as Florida reports 5,759 new COVID-19 cases]Find the state-run COVID-19 dashboard below:Below is a breakdown of Florida COVID-19 data reported by the state on March 27. CasesThe Florida Department of Health reported 5,688 new cases on Saturday, bringing the state’s overall total to 2,039,062 cases since the virus was first detected on March 1, 2020. HospitalizationsAs of Saturday afternoon, there were currently 2,831 people with the virus hospitalized in Florida, according to the state Agency for Health Care Administration. Since last March, 84,561 people have been hospitalized in Florida after complications from COVID-19. VaccinationsThe Florida Department of Health began releasing a daily report in December on COVID-19 vaccines administered throughout the state.

Spring has arrived with sunshine and warmer weather, and many older adults who have been vaccinated, like Griffin, are emerging from COVID-19-imposed hibernation. Visiting grandchildren is a top priority for many older adults. Isolated by the pandemic, older adults were hard hit by loneliness caused by restrictions intended to keep people safe. Plenty of older adults are eager to hop on a jet to travel. Indeed, many older adults are taking a cautious approach, especially when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declined to ease recommendations for travel.

The WNBA and the Players' Association have agreed to an opt-in process for this season's draft, the league confirmed to The Associated Press, late Sunday, March 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)NEW YORK – The WNBA and the Players' Association have agreed to an opt-in process for this season's draft, the league confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday night. In the past, players who have run out of college eligibility are automatically entered into the draft. While this is a new situation in the WNBA, it’s unclear what the NCAA will do as far as allowing players to pull out of the draft. The NBA implemented similar rules, making players opt-in for the draft.

Brooks Koepka hits from the seventh fairway during the final round of the Workday Championship golf tournament Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)ORLANDO, Fla. – Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka has withdrawn from The Players Championship next week with what his manager described as a strained right knee. Koepka won the Phoenix Open last month and was a runner-up in the Workday Championship last week. He has been saddled the last few years with injuries to his left knee, including a partially torn patella. His manager at Hambric Sports, Blake Smith, said Koepka would meet with doctors this week for a better evaluation and no further details. Koepka was planning to play the Honda Classic the following week, and he had the Dell Match Play after that as the Masters on April 8-11 gets closer.

And there was a tribute to Tiger Woods, his golf idol growing up. “We don't say ‘Thank you’ enough,” Morikawa said, referring to how much Woods has raised the profile and prize money in golf. He finished at 18-under 270 and became the 24th player to win a major and a World Golf Championship title since this series began in 1999. Outside of a chunked chip on the second hole that made him scramble for bogey, Morikawa didn't miss a fairway the rest of the way and was rarely out of position. “If there was no Tiger Woods, I just the think the tour and the game of golf in general would be in a worse place.

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Bradenton man is accused of using $7.2 million from Paycheck Protection Program funds to buy a mansion in Chuluota, according to court records. Don Cisternino was indicted on two counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of illegal monetary transaction. Records show Cisternino applied for Paycheck Protection Program loan established as part of the federal CARES Act relief bill. Cisternino is accused of saying MagnifiCo had 441 employees with an average monthly payroll of $2.88 million. Records show after the application the Small Business Administration issued $7.2 million in PPP funds to MagnifiCo.

(AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)NEW YORK – Liberty guard Layshia Clarendon, who identifies as transgender and nonbinary, announced on social media Friday that they had surgery to remove breast tissue. The league, the players' union and the New York Liberty released statements offering support to Clarendon. Clarendon wrote in The Players' Tribune five years ago they identify as “black, gay, female, non-cisgender and Christian," and expanded on their identity in an Instagram post in December. “Existing outside of the binary for me is freedom,” Clarendon wrote. I know that my gender will keep evolving because we change and grow and shape shift and expand.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday, Jan. 27, because no official announcement is allowed until Feb. 1. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)Candace Parker is headed home and Kayla McBride is getting a fresh start in Minnesota. that she would be signing with the Lynx once free agents can officially ink deals Monday. Nearly 75% of the players on the Sparks' roster are free agents. That’s led to increased player movement from our roster.”Two players who are free agents but won't be moving are Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

Ron DeSantis says he hopes more Florida lawmakers will support his idea for enforced penalties against protesters. Protesters in Florida and across the country took to the streets calling for justice and changes to law enforcement tactics. Now DeSantis’ idea has legislative backing after Republicans in the Florida House and Senate filed bills Wednesday night that would enact penalties against protesters who turn violent. The “Combating Public Disorder” bill targets protesters who damage personal and business property or assault law enforcement. On funding, the legislation includes language that would allow a resident to appeal any tentative budget cuts to a municipal law enforcement agency.

BRADENTON, Fla. – A Florida woman stuffed the body of a 40-year-old man into a trash can after he died to keep collecting his Social Security benefits, investigators said. | Intruders cut woman’s hair, leave]Investigators said Haney told them Jon Christopher Leonard died in July of what appeared to be natural causes. Instead of calling authorities, investigators said Haney stored Leonard's body in a closet, before sealing it in a trash can three weeks later. She then took the trash can to a neighbor’s house, and told the neighbor that she's be back for it later. Haney told investigators that she kept the body so she could continue receiving his benefits.

BRADENTON, Fla. – A Florida pastor is being sued by a teenager who claims fake pornographic images of her were posted online from a computer in the pastor’s home. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports that the lawsuit is against Pastor Jason B. It claims the teenager, a high school student at the time, has suffered shame, embarrassment, emotional pain and suffering because of the incident. Authorities said they could not establish who actually posted the images on the computer in the pastor's house because multiple people had access to the internet address. Attorney Rebecca Brownell, who represents Lane and Skyway Community Chapel, declined to comment on the case.

Stewart scored 26 points and Seattle completed a sweep of the Las Vegas Aces with a 92-59 rout Tuesday night. It was the biggest margin of victory in WNBA Finals history. Seattle had pretty much the same core group that won the 2018 championship back for this year, led by Stewart, Bird and Jewell Loyd. Seattle has now won a record 11 games in a row in the WNBA Finals, dating to the team's first championship in 2004. She led the Dream to three WNBA Finals appearances but the team was swept in each one.

Las Vegas couldn't respond. A'ja Wilson had 20 points to lead Las Vegas while Angel McCoughtry and Emma Cannon added 17 each. The Aces led 65-64 with 3:22 left in the period before the Storm closed with a 11-3 burst. The Storm, who had 17 assists on their 18 baskets, built the lead to 13 before Las Vegas rallied to the six-point halftime deficit. ... Stewart had her fifth consecutive 20-point game in the WNBA Finals spanning back to the 2018 season.

“You impose on them it's a five-game series, even if you lose one game so what? “He trusts us and knows what we’re capable of.”The Aces feel that they have fixable problems. It was also the first finals for many of the Aces players, including Wilson and Jackie Young. Stewart had a career-high 37 points — one short of the WNBA Finals record. The biggest thing is to make them contested shots," Wilson said.

Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart (30) celebrates after the team defated the Las Vegas Aces during Game 1 of basketball's WNBA Finals Friday, Oct. 2, 2020, in Bradenton, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)BRADENTON, Fla. – The Seattle Storm's lead down to two with a quarter left, Breanna Stewart took over. The big-game player scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter and finished with 37 to help the Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces 93-80 on Friday night in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. She was a point short of the WNBA Finals record set by Angel McCoughtry. McCoughtry scored 20 points to lead Las Vegas, which was playing in the WNBA Finals for the first time since the franchise moved to the Nevada city three years ago. Eight players had reached 11 assists in a finals game before Bird's record performance.

BRADENTON, Fla. – A manager at a Florida Walmart was shot and wounded during a robbery Tuesday night, and police said they were still looking for the two culprits. The shooting occurred at a Bradenton store, news outlets reported. Manatee County Sheriff’s Office investigators said the men involved in the Walmart robbery appear to be connected to robberies at a Publix in Palmetto and a Dollar General in Bradenton. Two men entered the Walmart and demanded money, but a manager refused, deputies said. The armed robber fell and shot the approaching manager in the leg, according to officials.

“She knows who she is, she knows where she’s going,” said Las Vegas coach Bill Laimbeer. “I feel like I'm a more complete player now then when I first got into the league,” Wilson said in an online interview. The second team included Phoenix teammates Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith, Connecticut teammates DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas, and Minnesota's Napheesa Collier. POWER POLLThe Las Vegas Aces finished atop the AP Power Poll, a spot they held for three of the final four weeks of the season. A'ja Wilson also received votes after she led Las Vegas to the top seed in the postseason.

BRADENTON, Fla. Three customers were injured when a 90-year-old driver crashed his car into a Florida bank, authorities said. The crash happened Tuesday afternoon at a Bank of America branch in Bradenton, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report. A 66-year-old man inside the bank sustained critical injuries, and a 57-year-old woman was seriously injured, officials said. Another customer, an 85-year-old man, had minor injuries. The driver also had minor injuries, while a 77-year-old woman riding with him was unharmed, officials said.