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Red Tide Alert: High Concentrations Detected in Pinellas County
The red tide organism Karenia brevis was detected in 28 water samples from Southwest Florida this past week, according to information from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Three samples collected in and near Pinellas County showed bloom concentrations of over 100,000 cells per liter. Satellite imagery from USF and NOAA is being used to track conditions both nearshore and offshore.
SANDBAGS: Sites across Tampa Bay open as Milton tracks toward Florida
SARASOTA, Fla. — Sandbag sites are starting to open ahead of Tropical Storm Milton, which is expected to be at or near hurricane strength when it reaches the west coast of Florida. Learn more about what's in the forecast here. With so many communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene...
Cheesecake Factory Files Preapplication for New Florida Location
Floridians may soon have a new dining destination as popular chain restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, has filed pre-application documents for a potential location in Wesley Chapel. Known for its extensive and “legendary” menu, the restaurant could be setting up shop at the Tampa Premium Outlets, offering local residents and visitors another go-to spot for casual dining.
Tampa mom accused of strangling daughter released to mental health treatment facility
Rothesha Silveus, the Erie mother charged in May with the murder of her 18-year-old daughter, Natavia Sanders, was released from custody on October 3 and has been involuntarily placed in a mental health facility.
Helene’s powerful storm surge killed 12 near Tampa. They didn’t have to die
Hurricane Helene’s storm surge struck Florida fast and hard when it slammed into Gulf Coast communities near St. Petersburg. Longtime residents had never seen anything like the 8-foot wall of water that pushed ashore, and that was the problem. Because the Sept. 26 storm surge was unprecedented, many people living near the beaches ignored mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind, thinking the warnings were exaggerated. Some people still escaped the rising waters and others were rescued. But 12 died from the surge, including a retired restaurant owner, a former hairdresser, a beach lover and a teacher who was about to retire.
Pinellas County health officials see spike in West Nile Virus
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Pinellas County Mosquito Control is urging residents to protect themselves from mosquitoes as there is an increase in West Nile Virus cases. Officials say they've seen an increased transmission of the disease through its sentinel chicken illness detection program. With a lot of rain forecasted...
Man dead after being hit by a car in Wesley Chapel, FHP says
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — A 33-year-old man was killed after he was hit by a car early Friday morning in Wesley Chapel, according to Florida Highway Patrol. The incident happened around 4:08 a.m. when the driver, a 51-year-old man from Largo, was traveling southbound on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. At the intersection of Aronwood Boulevard, the driver passed under a green traffic light as the 33-year-old failed to obey a walk signal, according to troopers.
E-bikers’ videos of hurricane damage help snowbirds, others in Indian Rocks Beach
INDIAN ROCKS BEACH — Before Hurricane Helene rocked Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 26, Seminole native Tanner Rice was just an Indian Rocks Beach resident who loved the outdoors and using his electric bicycle to get around the small island. But after the 3-5-foot storm surge from the...
A FL Barnes & Noble Will Replace An Empty Bed, Bath & Beyond. Now Baycare Will Replace The Bookstore
From articles that I write about Florida's retailers, I've come to believe that some Floridians really miss the state's 39 Bed, Bath & Beyond stores. That said, some also lament having empty retail spaces, along with the eye sore of vacant parking lots. That's probably why an article I wrote about a Tampa Barnes and Noble replacing an empty Bed, Bath & Beyond got positive feedback. And now, that empty Barnes and Noble will become a Baycare health facility.
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