Chris Tisch

Forecasters believe the system could form into a tropical depression next week and move into the Gulf of Mexico.

Officials said they were cleaning debris and also would be on the lookout for looters.

Officer John Antoine, 36, faces a charge of aggravated assault and has been placed on unpaid administrative leave, according to the police department.

“Peak season” of the hurricane calendar is in full swing as the tropics get busy.

Transportation officials urged drivers to slow down and watch for workers in the area.

Police said three people in masks were involved in the shooting of a 17-year-old boy.

The 18-wheeler was “teetering on the guard rail, with the cab still out of the water” at first, but the cab later sunk into the canal, fire rescue said.

Duke Energy Florida and Tampa Electric said they were working to restore power to those who lost it.

Sandbag locations are opening up across the Tampa Bay area. Here’s what to know.

Tampa police said the men also threatened jewelry store employees and mall security with pepper spray.

A man speeding in a Tesla on Interstate 275 near the Sunshine Skyway bridge on Wednesday crashed into mangroves, was ejected into the waters of Tampa Bay and was rescued by a passing boater, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.The highway patrol in a news release identified the driver as a 25-year-old St. Petersburg man but did not make his name available. Troopers said he suffered serious injuries.The crash occurred at 12:30 p.m. in the southbound lanes. The driver was approaching the Skyway wh…

An 11-year veteran officer with the Clearwater Police Department has been arrested on charges that he exaggerated the effects of an injury to collect nearly $12,000 in benefits from the city, according to a news release from police and arrest records.Scott Penna, 35, was arrested Thursday and taken to the Pinellas County Jail on felony charges of scheme to defraud, pension fraud and grand theft. Bail on the charges was set at $10,500 and Penna left the jail about 40 minutes later, records show.P…

An 18-year-old New Port Richey woman was killed Monday night after a car with five teens inside crashed into a retention pond in Hernando County, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.The crash occurred at 10:06 p.m. at Tundra Drive and Brookridge Central Boulevard, troopers said in a news release.Troopers said a 17-year-old boy was driving an Infiniti Q50 east on Tundra Drive when he “failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway.” The car “entered the shoulder, rotated, overturned and came to rest…

Don’t let it be you who has to dash in a panic to the grocery store to fight over the last few gallons of water, granola bars or batteries left on the shelves as a hurricane looms off our coast.Nor should that be you waiting in a snaking, three-hour line at the pump as the storm creeps closer so you can fill your gas cans. Or trying desperately to find a place to bring your kids, your pets or old Aunt Mabel as the highways clog.As Floridians, we’re supposed to be more clever than that. We’re sto…

Police in St. Petersburg are using drones, bloodhounds and a helicopter to search for an 84-year-old man who suffers from mental confusion who has been missing since Monday morning.Livio Antonio Mota walked away from his home in the 3400 block of 37th Street S and has been missing since 11:40 a.m. Monday, police said in a news release issued Tuesday morning.Mota is 5 foot 8 and about 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing a gray jacket with yellow lettering, gray sweatpants with lettering down the…

All lanes of the Courtney Campbell Causeway have reopened after a three-vehicle crash left four people with injuries this afternoon.The crash occurred at 1:54 p.m. just before the bridge’s incline, the Tampa Police Department said in a news release. The crash involved a car, pickup truck and motorcycle.Four people were taken to the hospital, one with critical injuries and three with serious injuries, police said.All westbound lanes were closed for several hours as police worked the scene. As of…

A Largo man was killed in a crash on Bryan Dairy Road in Pinellas County this morning after a speeding driver lost control of his pickup truck and hit his vehicle nearly head-on, the Florida Highway Patrol reported.The crash occurred about 11:20 a.m. near Starkey Road. Troopers said a 62-year-old St. Petersburg man was driving a Dodge Ram east on Bryan Dairy at “a high rate of speed” before the crash occurred, according to a news release.He lost control of the pickup truck, crossed the median an…

A temp worker stayed overnight at a Pinellas County waste facility and was found the next morning driving a company truck recklessly around the property after he stole a key from a manager’s office, according to arrest reports filed by Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office deputies.The man also appeared to have been drinking, deputies noted in their reports.Deputies were summoned to 3095 114th Ave N, which is the address of the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex, at about 5:15 a.m. Thursday…

A 45-foot sailboat docked behind an Apollo Beach home caught fire on Tuesday afternoon.Hillsborough Fire Rescue was called to the fire on the 900 block of Chipaway Drive at about 4:45 p.m. The sailboat was “heavily involved” in fire when they arrived, officials said.Crews on land and in a fire boat battled the blaze, which took more than an hour to be put out.No one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A day after about 10 people were arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at the University of South Florida, organizers said they planned to protest again today — but off campus.The protest Tuesday evening ended when law enforcement used tear gas to disperse about 100 people who had gathered.You can catch up with all that happened Tuesday at USF, and other Florida universities, here .Meanwhile, here’s what’s happening Wednesday.Three protesters were also arrested at USF on Monday. Simon Rowe,…