St. Petersburg – November 03, 2026 -- Duke Energy Florida customers will pay less for electricity in 2027. The Florida Public Service Commission approved the utility's request to lower rates, and a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) a month will see a $33 decrease on the January 2027 bill compared with January 2026.

St. Petersburg – October 29, 2026 -- Travelers are booking pricier trips: policies covering trips insured for $30,000 or more rose 27.2% in Q3 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth.

That is more than twice the 12.9% growth in insured trips overall. Trips insured for under $10,000 fell 2.3%, per Squaremouth's Q3 2026 Travel Insurance Trends Report.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – October 28, 2026 -- Geico offers the lowest average premium for teen drivers at $153 a month, according to a new Quote.com report on teen car insurance rates. Teens carry higher driving risks than any other age group and pay the highest rates as a result, though discounts and experience can bring those rates down.

Travelers' average is nearly triple Geico's

Quote.com ranked the top 10 insurers for teen drivers by average monthly premium:

St. Petersburg, Fla. – September 19, 2026 -- Squaremouth, a travel insurance comparison platform, has expanded its partnership with Trawick International Travel Insurance, adding two new plans to its marketplace for U.S. residents in all states.

St. Petersburg – September 18, 2026 -- AI use for trip planning has surged over the past year, but travelers remain wary of letting algorithms make actual decisions, according to new survey data from travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth.

AI adoption for trip planning has more than doubled since last year

The share of travelers who said they never use AI to plan trips fell from 63.1% last year to 27.6% this year. Nearly one in five travelers, 18.7%, now say they use AI to help plan every trip they take.

St. Petersburg – September 17, 2026 -- Webull will give eligible customers access to CME Group's E-nano S&P 500 and E-nano Nasdaq-100 futures starting in mid-September, adding contracts sized at one-tenth of the platform's existing CME Micro E-mini futures.

Central Florida – September 17, 2026 -- As hurricane season peaks and National Preparedness Month draws attention to household safety, Frank Gay Services is urging Central Florida homeowners to inspect plumbing, electrical and air-conditioning systems before storm damage or summer wear causes bigger problems.

Largo, Fla. – September 15, 2026 -- Largo residents now have clearer guidance on how to dispose of used batteries safely, according to an article published by HelloNation detailing local drop-off points and handling rules.

Battery chemistry, not size, determines the correct bin

Pinellas County's 2026 Recycle Guide allows batteries labeled alkaline to go in household trash, but no batteries belong in mixed recycling bins. Rechargeable batteries, lithium batteries, and some button batteries require separate collection instead.

St. Petersburg – September 13, 2026 -- Summer heatwaves have driven water levels on some of Europe's most popular rivers so low that cruise lines are altering or canceling itineraries, and travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth warns that most policies won't reimburse travelers for it.

St. Petersburg – September 13, 2026 -- Amped Fitness named Joel "J.D." Valdez the $10,000 Grand Prize winner of its first Amped Summer Creator Challenge, a three-month contest that drew more than 2,000 creators competing for a $25,000 total prize pool.