Human Trafficking, Smoking Hot Real Estate Market, McDonald’s Delivery

Patch operates 24 daily news sites in the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties. The following are some of the top stories from the past week:

Now Delivering: 30 McDonald’s Locations In Tampa Bay Area

Some Tampa Bay area McDonald’s lovers don’t have to leave the comfort of their own homes to get their fry or Big Mac fixes any longer. The fast-food chain has announced a pilot partnership with UberEATS to provide home delivery to people served by 30 different locations in the region.

Tampa Bay Area's Real Estate Market Is Smoking Hot: Report

House hunters on the prowl for properties in the Tampa Bay area might notice the pickings are a little slim and the competition from other buyers fierce. That, according to Realtor.com, comes courtesy of Tampa having one of the hottest markets for real estate in the country right now.

Florida Human Trafficking Reports Rise Dramatically In 2016

As the number of human trafficking case reports climbed significantly across the country in 2016, the story was very much the same in Florida. The National Human Trafficking Hotline fielded 550 case calls from the Sunshine State in 2016, up from 412 cases reported in 2015. Since 2007, the hotline has received 2,321 case reports from Florida.

Unprovoked Shark Attacks: Florida No. 1 … Again

The folks at the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File have crunched the numbers related to shark attack reports made in 2016. The good news is that the total number of unprovoked shark attacks across the globe dropped year over year. The bad news is that the number of people in Florida who’ve managed to have run-ins with the toothy creatures tops the list nationally and internationally.

Emoji The Manatee Dead After Health Struggle, Lowry Park Zoo Reports

The folks at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo are mourning the loss of Emoji, an orphaned manatee calf that was brought to the facility’s hospital in late October. The male calf had plastic bags in his stomach when he arrived and received “intense around-the-clock care during a very critical period,” the zoo reported Tuesday.

Tampa Bay Area Hotels Earn U.S. News Ranking

The Tampa Bay area’s hospitality industry just got a pat on the back from U.S. News & World Report. While none of the region’s hotels earned top rankings in the publisher’s2017 Best Hotels list, several did earn recognition. The rankings resulted from the evaluation of more than 3,000 luxury hotel properties in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Nearly 50 Handguns Swiped From Guns Galore

Lakeland’s Guns Galore gun shop was targeted by burglars for the second time in just over a month on Sunday. This time the thieves are accused of swiping at least 46 handguns, which has Polk County Sheriff’s deputies asking for help to track down those involved.

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