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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 6719, the Combating Online Predators Act, legislation introduced by Congresswoman Laurel Lee to strengthen protections for children targeted by online sextortion.

The bill explicitly criminalizes intentional threats to distribute child sexual abuse material, a coercive tactic increasingly used by online predators to exploit and silence children. 

Under current law, sextortion has fallen outside existing child sexual abuse material statutes, forcing prosecutors to rely on patchwork charging theories that fail to reflect the gravity of these crimes.

Lee delivered her floor speech in support of the legislation on Jan. 12 during National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

“Predators are exploiting gaps in our laws to terrorize children online,” Lee said. “By passing the Combating Online Predators Act, Congress is making clear that these threats will be prosecuted with the seriousness they deserve.”

Reported sextortion cases in the United States rose from 13,842 in the first half of 2024 to 23,593 in the first half of 2025. Children are particularly vulnerable, with boys ages 14 to 17 most often targeted. In tragic cases, sextortion has led young victims to take their own lives.

During her remarks, Lee honored the lives of children lost to sextortion. She shared the story of a Florida mother whose son committed suicide after being targeted online.

The Combating Online Predators Act builds on Lee’s prior work to combat online exploitation, including the REPORT Act, which strengthened reporting requirements for online service providers and was signed into law in the previous Congress.

With House passage secured, Lee emphasized that protecting children from online exploitation must remain a bipartisan priority and that predators must be held fully accountable under federal law.

The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) voted “yes” on a bipartisan discharge petition that would extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act Tax Credits for the next three years. She released the following statement: 

Neighbors across the Tampa Bay area who are grappling with huge health cost increases in the new year have hope for their pocketbooks and affordable care. 

House Democrats successfully forced a vote and were joined by 17 Republicans to pass a three-year extension of enhanced tax credits. 

I appreciate the many Tampa Bay neighbors who shared their stories about the economic stability that affordable health coverage provides. 

Our health care system needs reform, but we cannot allow Republicans to sabotage health care for 22 million Americans in order to fund massive tax cuts for billionaires. 

People deserve affordable, consistent access to the care they need.

The ACA has been a godsend for hardworking Americans since it was signed into law 15 years ago in ending discrimination for preexisting conditions, allowing young people to stay on parents insurance until age 26, and providing true options for the self-employed. 

Our country and economy are stronger when Americans are healthy and can thrive.

I am thankful to the handful of Republicans who worked in a bipartisan manner with Democrats to get this bill across the finish line.

The Senate should immediately pass the three-year so our neighbors have greater access to more affordable health care coverage.

The Office of Congresswoman Kathy Castor is collecting stories about how the Affordable Care Act Tax Credits help her neighbors. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Laurel Lee praised the passage of multiple appropriations bills through the House on Jan. 8 that address needs in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.

These bills include priorities to strengthen public safety, protect access to clean drinking water and advance medical research and workforce development.

“These bills move Washington toward accountable budgeting by reducing overall federal spending while prioritizing essential investments that protect public safety, clean drinking water and economic opportunity,” Lee said. “As one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, Florida’s 15th District must ensure our infrastructure, public safety systems and research institutions can keep pace with that growth.”

The fiscal year 2026 appropriations package includes the following projects, each selected for its broad public benefit and long-term value to the community:

• Pasco County Crystal Springs Chlorine Booster Station Project: Improving drinking water safety and efficiency through federal investment in a chlorine booster station at Pasco County’s Crystal Springs facility, reducing unnecessary water loss while ensuring compliance with standards.
• Moffitt Cancer Center CryoCure: Illuminating Cancer’s Hidden Structures: Accelerating lifesaving cancer research with federal funding for advanced imaging technology that enables researchers to better understand how cancer drugs interact at the molecular level and speeds the development of more precise, targeted therapies.
• Hillsborough County Drinking Water Infrastructure Inspection and Analysis Program: Preventing disruptive water main breaks by supporting a comprehensive inspection and analysis of aging underground water infrastructure, allowing the county to identify vulnerabilities early and prioritize critical repairs before failures occur.
• USF Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Makerspace Equipment Acquisition and Installation: Preparing students for high-demand technology careers through investment in hands-on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity equipment at the University of South Florida, strengthening workforce readiness and supporting Tampa Bay’s growing innovation economy.
• Plant City Vehicle Incident Prevention and Mitigation Program: Protecting pedestrians at public events by providing federal funding for specialized safety barriers used by local law enforcement during parades, festivals and other large gatherings, helping prevent unauthorized vehicle access and reducing the risk of vehicle-based attacks.

“These projects address real needs by keeping families safe, ensuring access to clean and reliable drinking water and positioning our district as a leader in medical research and innovation,” Lee said. 

As we head into 2026, we’re reflecting on a year of milestones that help lower customer bills.

Every investment we’ve made in 2025 shared a common purpose: to deliver reliable energy and reduce rates for the customers and communities we serve.

This year, we expanded our clean energy development with three new solar sites in Hernando, Sumter and Madison counties, saving customers an estimated $750 million from displaced fuel costs. By the end of 2027, we’ll bring eight additional solar sites online to further protect customers from fuel prices fluctuations that drive up bills.

We also made major upgrades across our power plants, achieving the output of a new power plant without building one. As a result of the fuel savings from the plant enhancements, customers will save $10 a month on their bills. In DeBary, we successfully tested the nation’s first system capable of producing, storing and using 100% green hydrogen, an innovative step towards reliable, carbon-free energy.

Our teams also strengthened the grid with storm-hardened lines and self-healing technology, preventing more than 215,000 hours of outages in 2025.

By March 2026, Duke Energy Florida residential customers using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity will see their monthly bills decrease on average by $44, or 22%, compared to January.

As we head into 2026, our priorities remain the same. We’ll continue investing in innovation to strengthen our communities and lower bills. Every project and improvement we complete is focused on building a stronger energy future for our Florida customers.

 Melissa Seixas serves as president of Duke Energy Florida.

The final stretch of holiday shopping is often the costliest, with many Tampa residents feeling the pressure of rising prices, packed calendars and higher interest rates. 

According to the Bank of America Institute’s 2025 Holiday Survey, 62% of respondents report feeling financial strain this season, underscoring the importance of having a clear plan to manage spending and debt through the holidays and into the new year.

Below are simple, effective strategies Tampa residents can use to keep debt under control and stay financially grounded as holiday spending peaks.

Pick a debt strategy you can stick with

When it comes to paying down debt, consistency matters more than perfection. Choose the method you’re most likely to maintain month after month, not just the one that looks best on paper.

If small wins keep you motivated, try the snowball method

The snowball method focuses on paying off your smallest balances first. Each payoff gives you a burst of momentum and makes it easier to stay committed during the post-holiday payoff period.

If long-term savings are your priority, use the high-rate method

The high-rate method tackles your debts with the highest interest rates first. This approach helps you get out of debt sooner and spend less overall, especially helpful when interest rates remain elevated.

Always pay minimums first, no matter what

Regardless of the method you choose, make minimum payments on all debts, then apply any extra dollars to your target balance. When a card is paid off, roll that payment onto the next card. Over time, this creates the “snowball effect” or accelerates interest savings under the High-Rate Method.

Jeff Crabtree serves as preferred banking region executive for Bank of America West Florida.

DADE CITY – Transportation leaders in Pasco County will explore strategies that will ensure road infrastructure holds up to strong storms and other vulnerabilities. 

Ned Baier, southeastern planning director for engineering firm Volkert, points to Pasco County enduring two tropical storms within a month last year. 

“Pasco County is one of those counties where you do have a coastal area as well as a lot of conservation lands with rivers and lakes,” Baier told the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization on Nov. 13. “There was in places some extreme amount of flooding, especially on your roadway system.”

The Pasco County MPO is collaborating with Volkert to develop a Resilience Improvement Plan to address natural and man-made roadway vulnerabilities, according to Angel Avila, an MPO planner. 

The project team includes transportation planners, a structural engineer and a hydraulic engineer. They began working on the project in September and should finish in June. 

“We have some people that are kind of experts in roadway construction,” Baier said. “That’s going to come in handy when we start identifying improvements in projects.”

Baier said the team’s work will involve a lot of technical data and GIS mapping. 

“We’re going to be actually analyzing nearly 2,000 miles of roadway in the county by segment,” Baier said. “There will be a lot of technical analysis. We’ll actually be scoring the performance of roadways in terms of vulnerabilities.”

He mentioned flooding, sinkholes, storm surge, wildfires and cybersecurity attacks as some of the vulnerabilities they’ll be exploring. 

The scope of work includes an implementation plan that will have recommendations with five-, 10- and 20-year horizons. 

Baier shared that one of the suggestions brought up has been to integrate homeowners associations in their work. He mentioned they’ll work with the county’s communications team on promoting public workshops and other opportunities for feedback on social media. 

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano requested the project team explore a trailer park and canal near U.S. 19 in the Hudson area as well as an outfall system near a car dealership in New Port Richey.

County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey suggested the team look at Little Road, which goes underwater during big storms.