SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — If you are looking for weekend plans, take the kids to this outdoor Gem of Tampa Bay. Established in 1939, Sarasota Jungle Gardens is known as one of the oldest tourist attractions in the state. "That’s the great thing about this, because it’s multi-generations," Sarasota Jungle Gardens Lead Entertainment Host Alan Gillespie said. "So many people came here as kids and now they’re bringing their kids." Visitors have the opportunity to walk around the 10-acre park and even feed flamingos out of the palm of their hands. “When people come here for the first time, literally ..read more

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Walmart employees at a North Port store saved a customer's life after they went into cardiac arrest earlier this month. On the evening of April 10, North Port Fire Rescue responded to a Walmart located at 17000 Tamiami Trail regarding a reported cardiac arrest ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) -- One person was hospitalized after a fire broke out at a Sarasota apartment complex Thursday afternoon. The Sarasota County Fire Department was dispatched to the 6000 block of Medici Ct. around 12:43 p.m., according to authorities. ‘I had no idea’: Woman discovers $1M lottery ticket hidden inside Tupperware container SCFD said the blaze was contained to a balcony, where cooking equipment was located, and was extinguished around 12:57 p.m. According to officials, one person was taken to the Sarasota County Memorial Hospital. The severity of their injuries is unknown at t ..read more

SARASOTA, Fla. (SNNTV) — Some of the world’s top male gymnasts are in Sarasota, training hard to secure their spots on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team. EVO Gymnastics boasts two 2020 Olympians and three other USA Senior National Team Members, some of whom have recently won gold medals in world competitions leading up to the Paris Olympics, scheduled between July 27 and Aug. 5. According to EVO Gymnastics: The current number one gymnast in the world on parallel bars and pommel horse trains at EVO Gymnastics. Two EVO gymnasts were on the 2020 Men’s Gymnastics Olympic Team and one was an alternate. T ..read more

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- The Fresh Market grocery store opened its first Lakewood Ranch location on Wednesday. The grand opening event featured a bread-baking ceremony, samples, presentations, live music and giveaways for shoppers. The grocery chain also presented a $2,000 check to Feeding Tampa Bay to fight food insecurity. The Lakewood Ranch store has the grocery offerings you'd expect: produce, deli, meat, seafood, bakery and floral departments. It also has fresh meals like smoked pit barbecue, pizza, a salad bar and a soup station. Shoppers can also grab a coffee or craft beer to enjoy at th ..read more

VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) — The Venice Theatre was hit hard by Hurricane Ian. As we inch closer to another hurricane season, the recovery process continues. Other parts of the campus have been retrofitted to keep classes, rehearsals, and performances going as construction gets underway. Crews are set to start pouring foundation on the site next week. After that, the building that housed the main stage should start going vertical. "We say we are like the phoenix rising from the ashes, but literally, we cannot wait to see this building rise," said Executive Director Kristofer Geddie. Donations have be ..read more

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) -- The Sarasota Bay Estuary started the deployment of 24 artificial reefs into Sarasota Bay Tuesday. The reefs are being placed at six sites throughout the bay in both Sarasota County and Manatee County waters, including Bayshore North Reef, Whale Key Reef, Bayshore South Reef, Walkers Reef, Harts Reef, and Sportsmans Reef. Reef Innovations of Sarasota constructed the deep-cover reef modules. They are specially designed to attract species of fish that are popular among commercial and recreational fishermen, such as gag grouper, sheepshead and mangrove snapper. The ..read more

SARASOTA BAY, Fla. (WFLA) -- New fish homes will make a rather big splash in Sarasota Bay on Tuesday. This is great news for the ecosystem and also for recreational fishermen. The new artificial reefs aim to home grouper, snapper, and other fish. The Sarasota Bay Estuary Program will scatter 24 modules throughout the bay. Dr. Jay Leverone, a Staff Scientist at the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, said each artificial reef is estimated to weigh a ton and fish are expected to live in them for the first two years of their lives. “If you look at Sarasota Bay, most of the shoreline is seawall," Levero ..read more

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WBOY) — After winning a silver medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team, West Virginia University athlete Mary Tucker is definitely looking for gold in Paris 2024. Tucker is a fifth-year senior on WVU's Rifle Team and has already earned her place on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics in France this summer. In an interview with WBOY's parent company, Nexstar, Tucker said she keeps a photo of the gold medal for the upcoming Olympics on her phone as motivation. "When they unveiled it and I saw like how shiny it was, I was like 'Oo yes, I want that ..read more

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WFLA) — David Bunn, 37, of North Port is being held without bond in the Sarasota County Jail, accused of kidnapping, drugging, and sexually battering a teenage girl. North Port police said Bunn met the victim through social media and used the ridesharing service Lyft to take her to his home. Police said the teen's concerned parents were able to find an address by going through her online search history. That address brought authorities to Bunn's front door. Bunn initially said the girl wasn’t at his home, but officers later found her there on his bed. By that point, she had b ..read more