A new state report shows that 475 manatees had died in 2024 in Florida as of Oct. 11.

After Hurricane Helene flooded Mark Collins's childhood home with 3 feet of saltwater, he returned two weeks later to see the destruction left by Hurricane Milton. Both storms resulted in two different types of damage. Milton's wind reached 90 mph along Pinellas County's coast crushing glass windows and lofting a roof over his home into the front yard.

Thirty-five JEA team members left Jacksonville Saturday morning to help neighboring communities in need following Hurricane Milton.

For News4JAX meteorologist Mark Collins, he had to face what lay ahead of him when he returned to his hometown of Treasure Island, which is off Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Video shows an electric vehicle catching fire after being flooded in saltwater in a garage in Pinellas County on Saturday.

School board candidates in Florida backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were defeated in several counties, results that opponents of the Republican say are a rebuke to his conservative education agenda.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “parental rights” campaign didn’t win him the Republican presidential nomination, but he’s still waging that fight on another front.

The group Public School Defenders attended the Duval County Public School board meeting to voice concerns about Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri’s presentation at the school safety workshop on February 20th.

Dozens of local elected officials in communities across Florida have resigned or are considering quitting their positions before a new law requires them to disclose detailed financial information.

Police searching for missing 2-year-old after mom found dead in St. Petersburg Apartment

It’s been over a century since a major storm like Hurricane Ian has struck the Tampa Bay area, which blossomed from a few hundred thousand people in 1921 to more than 3 million today.

A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy was struck and killed by a front-end loader late Thursday in a hit-and-run crash along I-275 in St. Petersburg, officials said.

As part of a three-year plan, DeSantis is asking for the Legislature to sign off on $276 million for more than 76 projects across Florida.

Authorities in Florida say police fatally shot a Florida teenager who pointed what turned out to be an air rifle at officers.

A 70-year-old man has been accused of slamming a child to the ground at a playground after yelling that kids were making too much noise.

Authorities say a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot someone early Tuesday in Clearwater.

Two people have died after a Tesla crashed into a Florida home.

CLEARWATER, Fla. – A Florida woman is facing murder charges more than two years after her father was killed with a baseball bat and a knife, authorities said. Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said Shannon Gillespie, 46, was arrested Friday on first-degree murder charges. She is charged with killing her father, 71-year-old Daniel Gillespie, in November 2018. The Tampa Bay Times reports that Shannon Gillespie had repeatedly denied any involvement, although she did tell investigators she despised him. Authorities say Shannon Gillespie was kicked out of the Clearwater home she shared with her father.

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. – A golfer died after he disappeared while looking for his ball at a country club in Oldsmar, and evidence suggests he may have drowned, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Jazmines’ golf cart was parked on the cart path and his putter was found lying on the ground near the water, investigators said. As deputies searched a nearby wooded area, the Sheriff’s Office dive team located Jazmines in the water, investigators said. AdInvestigators said evidence suggests Jazmines may have fallen into the water and drowned. The medical examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death, however, it does not appear to be suspicious, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Authorities say a hacker gained access to Oldsmar's water treatment plant in an unsuccessful attempt to taint the water supply with a caustic chemical. A local sheriff's startling announcement Monday that the water supply of Oldsmar, population 15,000, was briefly in jeopardy last week exhibited uncharacteristic transparency. Ad“I deal with a lot of municipal water utilities for small, medium and large-sized cities. The nation's 151,000 public water systems lack the financial fortification of the corporate owners of nuclear power plants and electrical utilities. Although such incidents have been relatively few, that does not mean the risk is low and that most water systems are secure.

Authorities say a hacker gained access to Oldsmar's water treatment plant in an unsuccessful attempt to taint the water supply with a caustic chemical. A local sheriff's startling announcement Monday that the water supply of Oldsmar, population 15,000, was briefly in jeopardy last week exhibited uncharacteristic transparency. Ad“I deal with a lot of municipal water utilities for small, medium and large-sized cities. The nation's 151,000 public water systems lack the financial fortification of the corporate owners of nuclear power plants and electrical utilities. Although such incidents have been relatively few that does not mean the risk is low and that most water systems are secure.

In this screen shot from a YouTube video posted by the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri speaks during a news conference as Oldsmar, Fla., Mayor Eric Seidel, left, listens, Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, in Oldsmar, Fla. Authorities say a hacker gained access to Oldsmar's water treatment plant in an unsuccessful attempt to taint the water supply with a caustic chemical. Robert M. Lee, CEO of Dragos Security, and a specialist in industrial control system vulnerabilities, said remote access to industrial control systems such as those running water treatment plants has become increasingly common. AdIn May, Israel’s cyber chief s aid the country had thwarted a major cyber attack a month earlier against its water systems, an assault widely attributed to its archenemy Iran. The FBI, along with the Secret Service and the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The number of people hospitalized with “primary” diagnoses of COVID-19 has substantially increased during the past two weeks, topping 2,900 on Monday, according to numbers posted on the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration website. The total of 2,902 hospitalizations late Monday afternoon was up from 2,777 on Sunday. It also was up from 2,474 a week earlier and 2,252 two weeks earlier, numbers compiled daily by The News Service of Florida show. The increase in hospitalizations has come as the state has seen thousands of new COVID-19 cases each day. Miami-Dade County had the most people hospitalized late Monday afternoon at 402.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – With just four days until election day, and tensions high across the country, law enforcement agencies are finalizing plans for security at voting sites. Many groups have brought up the possibility of voter suppression attempts, even armed militias hoping to influence people to vote for their candidate or avoid the polls altogether. “The advice is for voters and poll managers not to engage,” said Nancy Abudu with the Southern Poverty Law Center. Meanwhile, law enforcement is on high alert across the country. There could be unrest whichever way it goes.”He noted law enforcement must walk a fine line.

So they have an incentive to do it.”Meanwhile, a trial testing program at Tampa International Airport will get underway in October. The Florida airport and BayCare Health System will offer voluntary testing for any passenger departing from or arriving at the airport. There will be two types of tests for passengers: a rapid antigen test, which costs $57, and a polymerase chain reaction swab, which costs $125. During a news conference, airport officials said passengers will be encouraged to take the more expensive swab three days before departure. The antigen test “offers an added layer of same-day reassurance” for travelers, airport executives said.

In the afternoon, the commission decided it wasn't ready to discuss a repeal just yet, and left the mask ordinance in place. Many residents addressing the Pinellas County commission claimed the mask mandate is unconstitutional, and used words like “tyranny” when discussing it. But others implored commissioners to keep the mask ordinance, saying it is working to keep the coronavirus in check. Commissioners also added that the mayors of St. Petersburg and Tampa urged the commission not to repeal the ordinance. Florida's number of reported COVID-19 cases has dropped substantially since its peak in mid-July, when the state was averaging almost 12,000 newly reported cases daily.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The 2020 recreational bay scallop season for Pasco County opens Friday, July 17 and will remain open through Sunday, July 26. Other 2020 Season DatesAdditional bay scallop season dates are as follows:St. Joseph Bay/Gulf County: Aug. 16 through Sept. 24. Franklin County through northwestern Taylor County (including Carrabelle, Lanark and St. Marks): July 1 through Sept. 24. The remaining portion of Taylor County and all of Dixie County (including Keaton Beach and the Steinhatchee area): June 15 through Labor Day. Learn more about how FWC scientists monitor Floridas scallops by visiting MyFWC.com/Research and clicking on Saltwater, Bay Scallops and Bay Scallop Season and Abundance Survey.

A new county order also closes casinos, strip clubs, movie theaters, the zoo and other entertainment venues a month after they were allowed to reopen. Florida reported 341 new hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients on Friday, the biggest daily jump since the pandemic began. The county's latest statistics showed more than 1,400 COVID patients in Miami hospitals, including 306 in intensive care, occupying about 73% of the ICU beds that would be otherwise available. Florida's health department releases a daily cumulative tally of new hospitalizations of people who test positive for the virus, but doesn't provide statewide numbers of COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals, ICU beds or on ventilators. Statewide, about 20% of ICU beds are currently available, though some hospitals have additional capacity that can be turned into ICU units if need be.

MIAMI The Sunshine State faces an uncertain start to summer with some areas hoping for brisk business over Memorial Day weekend while high-profile South Florida beaches remained closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Beaches in Miami-Dade County remain closed, with access points blocked, and officials there aren't expecting crowds. Just north in Broward County, officials are also expecting closed beaches to keep crowds away for the holiday weekend. Most events that draw crowds have also been canceled in the Florida Keys, which has been closed to visitors since March. Outside of South Florida, other parts of the state are somewhat more optimistic about Memorial Day weekend.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida had 53 newly reported hepatitis A cases last week, bringing the total number of cases this year to 2,791 as of Saturday, numbers from the state Department of Health show. Pasco County, which leads the state in hepatitis A cases, had just one new case reported last week, bringing its total to 398. Nearby Pinellas County, which has had 369 cases this year, did not report any additional cases last week. Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees issued a Public Health Emergency in August to address the massive increase in hepatitis A cases in Florida over the past year. Rivkees' goal is to vaccinate 80 percent of the at-risk populations, or about 392,000 people.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Another 64 cases of hepatitis A were reported to the state last week, bringing the total number of reported cases this year to 2,609, according to state data as of Saturday. Citrus County had nine new reported cases last week, the largest number in the state, a News Service of Florida analysis shows. Volusia County had the second-highest number of newly reported cases with seven, bringing its total number of reported cases to 236. Pinellas County had five newly reported cases, bringing its total this year to 363. Pasco County has had 392 cases this year, more than any other county in the state, though it had just one reported new case last week.

The manslaughter trial of a Florida man who claims self-defense under the state's controversial "Stand Your Ground" law began Wednesday in Pinellas County. Michael Drejka, 49, told authorities he was defending himself when he fatally shot a man who had pushed him to the ground in a handicapped parking spot dispute. Drejka approached Jacobs and the two argued over the car being parked in a handicapped spot without a visible permit, authorities said. McGlockton emerged from the store, saw Drejka arguing with his girlfriend, and shoved the man, who hit the ground, officials said. The statute was also claimed by George Zimmerman, who was acquitted in the fatal shooting of teenager Trayvon Martin in 2012.

A microscopic image of the Hepatitis A virus, taken by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The number of hepatitis A cases in Florida continues to climb, with 68 new cases reported to state health officials last week. The largest number of new cases was in Pinellas County, which reported seven cases of the virus, followed by Volusia and Brevard counites, which each reported six new cases. Pasco County, which has reported more cases than any other county in Florida, reported five new cases last week, bringing its total to 373 cases. As of Saturday, 10 counties -- Dixie, Calhoun, Bradford, Gadsden, Gulf, Highlands Holmes, Lafayette, Jefferson and Union -- did not have any reported hepatitis A cases, while Suwannee County reported its first case last week.