A Gainesville special-needs student, 18-year-old Brandon Laforce, is participating in the Great Bike Giveaway national campaign in an effort to receive a custom-made bike. His family is hoping to raise $5,125 for the bike.

By barking, a dog in Hernando Beach alerted its sleeping owner Tuesday night to a fire engulfing a neighbor’s two-story stilt house. The house was destroyed but was vacant at the time.

The University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is offering free tax services to those with medium to low incomes living in rural North Central Florida.

Florida universities could see more students during the summer if a proposal by Gov. Rick Scott to extend Bright Futures scholarships to the summer semester is passed during the state Legislature's 2017 session.