Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida late Wednesday, tearing off the roof of Tropicana Field stadium in St. Petersburg, which was being used as a shelter for first responders.
Videos of the Category 3 storm's path of destruction showed section after section of the stadium's domed roof, constructed of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass, being shredded into pieces by the up to 101 mph wind gusts. According to the Tampa Bay Rays' 2024 media guide, the roof was built to withstand 115 mph winds.
'A crane collapse ... and roof damage.'
Footage reportedly taken by security personnel inside the facility captured pieces of the roof draped across stadium chairs and some of the thousands of empty cots set up for emergency responders.
In the days leading up to the storm, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) stated that the stadium was being used as a 10,000-person base camp to "support ongoing debris operations and post-landfall responders."
According to officials, no injuries were reported at the stadium.
The city stated, "Late Wednesday night, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue has received two critical reports of incidents in downtown St. Pete: a crane collapse at the 400 Central building construction site and roof damage at Tropicana Field. No injuries have been reported in either incident at this time."
"The public is urged to continue to shelter in place and avoid both areas until further notice."
St. Petersburg also sustained a water main break that caused two sewer plants to be taken offline and a citywide drinking water alert to be issued. The sewer plants were brought back online in the morning.
Around 9:00 a.m. local time, the city announced that crews were working on recovery efforts, including fixing traffic signals. Local officials encouraged residents to remain off the roads until first responders are able to clear fallen trees and downed power lines.
Analysts with Jeffries Group, an investment banking company, previously reported that Hurricane Milton could cause as much as $245 billion in property damages in the Tampa Bay and Fort Myers areas.
"A 1-in-100-year event is estimated by some to result in $175 billion in losses for landfall in the Tampa region, and $70 billion in losses in the Fort Myers region," they wrote.
Analysts with Morningstar DBRS, a global credit rating agency, estimated that the storm could result in up to $100 billion in insured losses.
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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor (D) delivered a blunt, grim message on Tuesday evening to Floridians ignoring evacuation orders as Hurricane Milton approaches the peninsula.
“The number one message — as it has been for several days now — is that you need to prepare. Do whatever you need to do and then get out of the evacuation zones,” Castor told CNN this week.
'Write your name on your arms so that we know who you are.'
“Hide from the wind and run from the water,” she continued. “And we are talking about right now the possibility of a direct hit with 10 to 12-foot tidal surge.”
Castor compared the oncoming Hurricane Milton to the recent Hurricane Helene, which she noted resulted in a six-foot storm surge that was “literally devastating to so many in our coastal area.”
She stated that the traffic on all the state’s northbound highways indicates that most residents are taking the warning to heart and getting out of Dodge.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Castor what she would say to those choosing to ignore the evacuation orders and ride out the storm.
Castor warned that Milton will be far worse than any previous storm the area has experienced.
“Helene was a wake-up call. This is literally catastrophic. And I can say without any dramatization whatsoever, if you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re gonna die,” Castor stated.
Hurricane Milton is expected to hit the Florida coast as early as late Wednesday. The storm has fluctuated between Category 4 and 5 as it approaches landfall.
Cathie Perkins, the director of Pinellas County Emergency Management, stated, “This is it, folks.”
“Those of you who were punched during Hurricane Helene, this is going to be a knockout. You need to get out, and you need to get out now,” she said, according to the Associated Press. “Everybody in Tampa Bay should assume we are going to be ground zero.”
In the days leading up to Hurricane Helene, Taylor County Sheriff Wayne Padgett issued his own dire warning to those choosing to ignore the evacuation orders, instructing them to “take a black Magic Marker, write your name, your Social Security number, everything on your arm,” so that officials could identify their bodies if they did not survive.
Police Chief William Tokajer told CNN that residents who have refused to evacuate the area for Milton are on their own.
“You might as well take a Sharpie and write your name and Social Security Number on your leg so that when we find you, we have a contact because it is not going to be good for you,” he said.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody had a similar message.
“I’ve heard people say it before: If you choose to stay where there’s a direct hit, make sure you write your name on your arms so that we know who you are,” Moody told LiveNOW from Fox.
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A man told police he shot a burglar who broke through a window of a Tampa, Florida, home in the middle of the night over the weekend, and the alleged burglar was found dead.
Tampa police said officers responded to the Palmetto Beach Community for a reported burglary around 4:19 a.m. Saturday, WTVT-TV reported.
The man who fired the shot stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, police added to the station.
Police said when they arrived at the home in the 1300 block of South Bermuda Boulevard, a man at the home said he shot an intruder who broke in through a window, the station noted.
Investigators said officers found a male in his early 40s suffering from a gunshot wound; he was pronounced dead, WTVT reported.
The man who fired the shot stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, police added to the station. There is no threat to the public, police noted to WTVT.
Commenters underneath the station's Facebook post about the incident appeared decidedly behind the man who pulled the trigger:
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The American flying experience is shadowed not only by the threat of structural breakdown but also of social breakdown. Fortunately, there are remedies for both.
In the case of a recent American Airlines flight set to take off from Tampa, Florida, for Philadelphia, the remedy apparently took the form of a hulking off-duty cop with an apparent zero-tolerance policy for nonsense.
American Airlines flight 2506 was scheduled to depart Tampa International Airport Tuesday afternoon. However, a physical altercation broke out during boarding, resulting in a 30-minute delay, reported the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The incident, which was captured on video, appears to have started when an individual in a blue-striped shirt was asked to disembark and refused to do so.
A male flight attendant can be seen calmly asking the unruly passenger to comply. The passenger threatens the flight attendant, then returns to his seat.
After suggesting that the flight attendants were ganging up on him, the unruly passenger twice hurls anti-Semitic remarks, calling the male attendant a "k**e" and "k**e human."
This was Tuesday. Part 1 of 3. \ud83d\udc47\n\n\u201cYou as a k*** human\u201d— (@)
The bigot evidently attracts the interest of at least one other passenger, who appears to recommend that he get off the plane.
"You want to be a tough guy, bro?" says the unruly passenger. "You're all teaming up. See how most of the people are white here?"
The unruly passenger tells the female flight attendant, "I'm trying to get to my home country, and you all people made it harder for me to get to my home country. I'm telling you, I'm telling you."
— (@)
Having sapped the goodwill in the airplane, the unruly passenger decides to get physical with a brawny man in a blue-hooded shirt and baseball hat.
"They want to see you up front, cos. Go up to the front," says the man in blue. "C'mon, c'mon."
No longer dealing with timid flight attendants, the unruly passenger's demeanor appears to shift. He calls the man in blue "big guy," then asks, "You gonna touch me?"
The man in blue indicates he is not interested in a physical confrontation, even as the unruly passenger shouts in his face.
As the female flight attendant calls for support, the unruly passenger takes a step in the right direction but pivots, approaching the man in blue, aggressively yelling, "You touch me, fool?"
The man in blue defensively pushes the bigot back; however, the unruly passenger swiftly closes the distance, attacking the man in blue and pushing him rearward into other people standing in the aisle.
The man in blue makes quick work out of the unruly passenger, putting him in a headlock.
"Now put your hands down and don't touch anybody," yells the man in blue.
A woman off camera can be heard announcing, "I'm a police officer.
The man in blue responds, "So am I."
"Turn around and walk," says the man in blue to the bigot.
With the help of the other self-identified cop, the man in blue successfully escorts the unruly passenger off the plane to the sound of applause.
Part 3 of 3. The Grand Finale.\ud83d\udc47\n\nCan we hire the guy in the blue hoodie to work the front lines of the soon-to-be-created deportation task force?— (@)
The Tampa International Airport Police Department indicated that police arrested the unruly passenger just before 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. He was reportedly charged with disorderly intoxication and two counts of battery.
American Airlines told the Inquirer that law enforcement had been requested to the aircraft "due to a disturbance in the cabin involving a disruptive customer." According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the incident involved two passengers who got into a tussle during boarding.
"We thank our team for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," said the airline.
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A fan attempted to get a picture with Florida rapper Nardo Wick early Monday morning following a show at Club Skye in Tampa. Instead of a selfie, George Obregon Jr. of Pasco County reportedly received a savage beating, which left him in critical condition with a brain bleed.
Tampa police are now investigating the attack, noting that the suspects "appear to be affiliated with the performer."
Connor Villa, a witness to the attack and a friend of the victim, told TMZ they both shelled out for VIP tickets and attended the rapper's show. Afterward, "George was just walking toward Nardo with his phone up and then the guys that were around him, they didn't hit him at first, they just kind of looked at him. And he was like, 'Hey, can I get a picture?' And then out of nowhere, the guy hit him from the side and just knocked him out."
"The other guy continuously hit him while he was knocked out," said Villa. "It's completely ridiculous because even if you don't want someone coming up taking a picture of your artist or your friend or whatever is going on, to hit him ... is out of the question, but to continuously hit him after he's on the wall, leaning, like not even responsive, it just should never have happened."
Graphic footage of the attack shows Obregon calmly approach the rapper's entourage with both hands clearly visible. One hooded individual — ostensibly a member of the rapper's entourage — closes in on the victim from the side, then sucker-punches him in the head.
The victim appears to lose consciousness, freeze up, then lean against the wall.
The thugs aren't finished with the rap fan, however.
A short, hooded individual notices the fan wavering and defenseless, then delivers a series of blows to his head. The victim falls with his short attacker atop him. As Obregon makes contact with the ground, his head can be heard bouncing against the pavement. Wick intervenes at the last moment to pull the short attacker away.
Police indicated Obregon was still in critical condition as of Tuesday afternoon, reported WFLA-TV.
Michelle Obregon, the victim's mother, said that doctors informed her that her son has a concussion and bleeding to various parts of his brain.
She shared footage of the incident to Meta, noting, "I want everyone to see what these mother f***ers did to my son!!!!! At no point was my son aggressive."
"My son wanted a stupid f***in picture with his favorite artist!!!! And This is what he gets!!!!!!! I am sick to my stomach to think about how this could have turned out!!!!"
Wick, whose real name is Horace Walls III, addressed the attack in an Instagram post, stating, "I don't condone what happened to my fan George after my show in any type of way."
"I expressed to him and his mama how sorry and concerned I was that it happened to him, multiple times before anything was even posted or on the internet. ... I cant control another grown man actions, I ain't know that was gone happen, and I was mad when it happened," continued Wick. "I tried to stop it as u can see in the video, and if somebody got the longer video you can see how mad I was."
Wick's team also released a statement noting, "Nardo is furious over what happened! He did not condone or participate in anything that occurred. He took no part in it. As soon as he realized what was happening, he jumped to put a stop to it," reported WFLA.
"That's not his security nor are the individuals directly connected to Nardo," added the team.
The Tampa Police Department indicated on Tuesday that they are looking for the two suspects seen in the video assaulting Obregon.
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An assistant coach for a Catholic high school football team in Florida was caught on video punching a player during a game last week — and that coach is now out of a job.
The unnamed assistant coach for Jesuit High School in Tampa was seen striking one his players on the helmet as the player ran off the field toward the sideline during Friday night's contest against rival Tampa Catholic, WTVT-TV reported.
The defensive player wearing a number 94 jersey appeared to be trying to exit the field of play before the ball was snapped, the Tampa Bay Times said, adding the assistant coach appeared to strike the player with a closed hand.
— (@)
Jesuit High's head coach, Matt Thompson, did not identify the assistant Saturday night and would say only that “the matter is being addressed," the paper reported.
However, school president Rev. Richard C. Hermes, S.J., issued the following statement about the incident:
I am writing to make you aware of an incident that occurred this past Friday night during the Jesuit home football game. Between plays on the field, one of our part-time assistant coaches struck a Jesuit player on the helmet as the player was coming off the field and onto the sideline.
This behavior contradicts what the school stands for and is completely contrary to the expectation we have for coaches, moderators, and faculty members, who are to be role models for our students and mentors in their development as young men.
We have reached out to the student, who was not injured in the incident, and to his family. We have met with the coach and informed him that he will no longer be coaching Jesuit football or assisting the school in any other capacity.
The mission of Jesuit is to provide a Christian formation and education for our students. This requires that we maintain an environment for them that is safe, supportive, and conducive to their well-being and growth. This standard applies to all activities, inside and outside the classroom. We are reviewing our internal procedures and staff training to ensure that this standard is upheld by all Jesuit personnel, full-time and part-time.
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement in helping us to better fulfill our mission.
Jesuit won the game 66-35 and will host Pinellas Park (6-4) in the opening round of the Class 3M, Region 2 playoffs Friday, the Times reported.
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A popular Florida radio host is seen on a leaked video getting into a physical confrontation with a woman at a fan event.
Tampa radio personality Mike Calta is seen on video getting into a physical altercation with a woman at a Florida gun store, according to the Daily Mail.
Video shows a woman with papers in one hand and a cell phone in the other hand. The woman is allegedly recording video of Calta with her cell phone at a gun shop in Sarasota on July 17.
Calta is heard saying on video, "How pathetic is your life that you're here fighting this fight?"
The woman responds, "How pathetic is your life?"
Calta instructs the woman to turn around and look at the people behind her.
"Turn around and look at these people," Calta said. "Turn your camera around, these people are here to see me."
Calta steals the phone from the woman.
The woman tells the radio host, "You don't have permission to take that from me. That's my property."
The woman attempts to retrieve her phone back, but Calta holds it out of her reach.
Calta threatens, "Back away from me or I'll kick the s**t outta you."
"B*tch, you don't back away from me these guys are gonna throw you the f*** out," Calta said, referencing security guards nearby.
The woman lunges for her phone; then a furious Calta violently shoves the woman in her face. She is pushed away and a security guard physically removes her from the area.
Calta demands, "Get the f*** off me, you dirty c***."
The host of "The Mike Calta Show" on 102.5 FM is seen on video using the woman's phone after she is taken away.
Calta, previously known as "Cowhead," signed a contract with 102.5 FM last year.
The Tampa Bay Times reported, "Cox Media Group on Monday announced that Mike Calta has signed a new multi-year contract to stay at 102.5 FM 'The Bone,' marking two decades in the Tampa Bay area radio scene."
"I couldn’t be more excited that The Mike Calta Show will continue to call 102.5 The Bone home for many years to come," said John Brennan – director of branding and programming for 102.5 The Bone.
The outlet noted that "The Mike Calta Show" was the top morning drive talk show in Tampa.
(WARNING: Graphic video)
— (@)
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A former federal prosecutor of defendants involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, now faces violent charges of his own.
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