Flags will be at half staff today for Pulse Remembrance Day. It was seven years ago that the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando took the lives of 49 people, and wounded 53.
Your chance to take advantage of tax-free shopping for hurricane wrapped up Friday, but you get another chance August 26th through Sept. 8th. Check with the Florida Department of Revenue for supplies that are tax-free, and in the Dove Hurricane Guide for tips for staying safe before and after the storm. We also have the list of other holidays to save that include back-to-school shopping, and for the 2023 Florida Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday which also began over the weekend and will run through Monday, Sept 4th.
St Pete Police are working with the Florida Department of Transportation to crack down on aggressive drivers and people who text and drive, and this weekend, they shut down a street race on Gandy Boulevard. 31 year old Ryan Allen was going 108 mph at one point, racing a 17 year old who was released to his parents. Allen has bonded out of jail. The Enhanced Law Enforcement Engagement program will target some of the deadliest intersections in the city that include Roosevelt Boulevard, Gandy Boulevard, and the Pinellas Bayway. The increased law enforcement will last at least through October.
A big save at Tropicana Field during the Rays game Friday, but it wasn’t one the field. A fan went into cardiac arrest and thanks to a fan in the stands who was nearby and knew CPR, along with SPFR, Tampa Bay Rays staff, and St. Petersburg Police they restarted his heart. The man was awake and talking on the way to the hospital.
If you travel around Scott Lake Road at Fitzgerald Road in Lakeland, watch for repair crews in the area. A 75 foot sinkhole opened and is still growing. Crews started filling it with sand Saturday, but since it’s actually on private property, it’s only a visual delay at this point. A nearby drilling site may have contributed to the sinkhole.
A video of HCSO Deputy Sergeant Donnie Rizer rescuing a mother and her five children from their overturned van has gone viral. The van was hit as it was turning left onto I-75, then was t-boned across the southbound lanes of U.S. 301. The video might be a little hard to watch, especially if you have children, but everyone is okay and thanks to all the good Samaritans that helped keep the van upright during the rescue.