Tampa Bay's Most Popular Facebook Stories Of The Week

From the safest suburbs in Florida to a giant LEGO exhibit in Tampa, check out the stories Florida Patch readers were sharing, reading and commenting on for the week of May 22.

3 People Set Weedon Island Fire, Watched It Burn: Deputies

The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office has announced three arrests in connection with an April 15 fire that ripped through 6.1 acres of land on Googe Island within the Weedon Island Preserve. According to authorities, deputies received a 911 call about the fire shortly after it began. During the course of the investigation, a witness told St. Petersburg Police officers a vessel had been seen leaving the area shortly after the fire started.

Pinellas County Suburbs Rank Among Florida’s Safest

The Tampa Bay area is well represented in a new ranking report released by Niche.com that names the 2017 Safest Suburbs in Florida. While first-place honors didn’t go to a community in the region, dozens of towns in the area are on the list of 100. Niche is a website that’s dedicated to helping people explore schools and neighborhoods across the country. The website’s number crunchers "rigorously analyze dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings."

Sex With Minors, Prostitution Sting Nets 39 Arrests

A multi-day undercover operation conducted in Polk County has resulted in the arrest of 39 people on charges ranging from traveling to meet minors for sex to possession of child pornography. One of those arrested allegedly traveled from Orlando to Polk County believing he was going to meet up with a 10-year-old girl. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the operation ran May 15 through May 21 with its results announced on May 23.

Giant LEGO Exhibit Set To Debut In Tampa

Tampa Bay area LEGO lovers will soon get a treat of epic proportions courtesy of the Vinik Family Foundation. The Art of the Brick, a giant, 100-work art exhibit, is set to open next month in downtown Tampa at no cost to the viewing public. Featuring 100 works of art made out of LEGOs by Nathan Sawaya, the exhibit is considered “the world’s largest and most elaborate display of LEGO brick art,” according to the foundation.

Photo credit: Eckley Media