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The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit seeking records about the Sarasota Police Department’s use of a device that can secretly track cell phone use. The ACLU lawsuit filed Tuesday in Sarasota County Circuit Court contends records about use of so-called “stingray” devices should be disclosed under Florida public records laws. The lawsuit says they are being withheld at the request of the U.S. Marshals Service, which said the records are federal and not subject to disclosure. Deputy…

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The threat of torrential rain and Florida’s blazing sun, heat and humidity are reasons a majority of Pinellas County’s high schools have opted for indoor graduation ceremonies. Last year, rain forced St. Petersburg High School to break 88 years of tradition at an outdoor venue and move its ceremony to Tropicana Field. The county’s public high school graduations are slated to begin Monday. The Tampa Tribune reports many of the county’s 16 high schools will move indoors with graduation ceremonies planned…

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About four years ago, the Google team trying to develop cars driven by computers — not people — became convinced that sooner than later, the technology would be ready for the masses. There was one big problem: Driverless cars were almost certainly illegal in the U.S. And yet this week, Google said it wants to give Californians access to a small fleet of prototypes it will make without a steering wheel or pedals. The plan is possible because, by this…

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House Democrats are ready to empty their deep pockets for television ads in their uphill climb to overtake Republicans as the majority party. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Thursday began asking television stations in 36 districts to set aside broadcast and cable advertising time for the fall’s campaign blitz. It comes to almost $44 million in advertising requests, or $1.2 million per race. That’s the largest ever from the committee and the biggest so far this election year from…

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Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley said Wednesday there is “mutual interest” in playing in-state rival Miami again. Speaking at the Southeastern Conference meetings, Foley said he spoke with Hurricanes athletic director Blake James briefly about organizing a neutral-site game between the two schools. The game probably would be played in Tampa or Orlando, although other cities could be in the mix. “I think there’s a mutual interest to maybe do something,” Foley said. “We don’t have our conference schedule and…

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Malcolm Glazer, the self-made billionaire who owned English soccer’s Manchester United and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has died. He was 85. The Bucs said Glazer died Wednesday. The reclusive Palm Beach businessman had been in failing health since April 2006 when a pair of strokes left him with impaired speech and limited mobility in his right arm and leg. Glazer raised his profile in 2005 with a $1.47 billion takeover of Manchester United that was bitterly opposed by fans…

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A trial to determine whether state legislators broke the law when drawing up new political maps is entering its second week. The non-jury trial is expected to resume Tuesday with testimony from well-connected Republican political consultants. A coalition of groups contends state legislators ignored a 2010 constitutional amendment that required them to draw up congressional districts that do not protect incumbents or members of a certain party. Attorneys for the Legislature have denied any wrongdoing. If the court finds the…

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