Hurricane Milton tears through Florida, shredding roof off stadium used as shelter for first responders



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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MLB star formally charged with human trafficking and sexual exploitation after alleged relationship with 14-year-old



Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was formally charged with sex crimes in the Dominican Republic after being accused of having a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old.

The young player was charged with sexual abuse, sexual exploitation against a minor, and human trafficking. The charges reportedly carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years.

It was previously reported that an anonymous tip provided to the authorities in July 2023 eventually ignited an investigation against Franco. The anonymous individual said that he or she had seen a media post that alluded to the possibility that Franco was in a relationship with the 14-year-old girl.

'Our investigation remains open, and we will continue to closely monitor the case.'

The 23-year-old shortstop was placed on administrative leave, a deal that was struck between Major League Baseball and its players association that took the player off the field but still paid him. It appeared the league wanted to see if Franco would be charged while keeping him out of the spotlight.

At the end of the administrative leave, the Rays reportedly requested that the MLB place Franco on the restricted list for not reporting to the team. Franco's bail conditions require him to stay in the Dominican Republic, and, therefore, he was unable to report to his major league team.

Now that the charges have been formally laid, the request was granted, ESPN reported, and the player will not be paid and not receive service time.

Authorities spent more than six months building the case after it was initially reported that Franco took the underage girl away from her home in Puerto Plata in late 2022, with the girl's mother allegedly giving consent for the relationship to continue.

As previously reported by Blaze News, a nearly 600-page document acquired by journalists in early 2024 stated that Franco started the relationship when he was 21 and the girl was 14. The shortstop also was accused of paying the child's mother $1,700 per month (for seven months) and gave her a new car.

The vehicle was for the mother "to allow the relationship and let her go out with him wherever she wanted," according to the document that quoted the underage girl.

The mother's home was raided in September 2023 with authorities finding 800,000 Dominican pesos ($13,700 USD) and another $68,500 USD hidden behind a frame. A separate seizure found $36,000 USD in the form of a guarantee certificate from a local bank, which was allegedly tied to payments from Franco.

The mother has been charged with money laundering.

"We are aware of the charges against Mr. Franco," the MLB said in a statement. "Our investigation remains open, and we will continue to closely monitor the case as it moves forward."

ESPN reported that it was able to reach Franco's U.S.-based lawyer, who confirmed he received the charging documents but declined to comment.

Franco was just a couple years into an 11-year, $182 million contract and was an All Star in 2023.

The preliminary hearing for his case will reportedly take place on August 14, 2024.

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Tampa Bay coach apologizes for 'an inappropriate analogy' after cries of sexism — says complaints hurt more than playoff loss



Coach Jon Cooper apologized for offending anyone who didn't like his analogy about treating NHL goaltenders softly, as if they were wearing "skirts."

The bench boss for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning said he was sorry for making relatively harmless remarks when he spoke about goals being called back in his team's playoff series against the Florida Panthers.

Multiple goals were disallowed due to goalie interference, and Cooper commented on the goals following the team's 6-1 loss that eliminated them from the playoffs.

"If anyone's going to talk about this game they're going to talk about the goals that were taken away," Cooper began. "In this league where goals are a premium and how all we've done is make the rules for more goal scoring, that's what we've done."

"Every year there seems to be something we tweak so more goals can be scored, and that's great. But, there's mandates and the words were to pull a goal off the board it has be unbelievably egregious. That's the standard to pull a goal off the board ... I couldn't find anything remotely egregious," the coach explained.

"Net front battles aren't allowed anymore? The boxing out rules there are like prison rules in the playoffs, but it's not prison rules for the goalies? We might as well put skirts on them then if that's how it's going to be. I mean they have to battle through stuff too."

"We might has well put skirts on them then... I think we're letting the goalies off the hook."\n\nLightning coach Jon Cooper weighs in with his perspective on the two disallowed goals tonight and the impact those decisions had on the game.
— (@)

The throw-away comment did not fall on deaf ears, however, as vapid claims of sexism soon followed.

"Put skirts on them? Wow, that's some kind of misogyny. Coach, you should be better. Gross," one fan responded.

Ian Kennedy, writer for the Hockey News, called Cooper's comments "open sexism" that "just can’t be part of a head coach’s vernacular."

Just a couple days later, Cooper opened a press conference by apologizing for the remarks, and shockingly said the negative responses he received felt even worse than the playoff loss.

As a "massive supporter" of women's hockey, Cooper said, "Quite frankly, it was wrong, and I've got to go explain myself to my [daughters]."

"Anyway, I sincerely apologize to all I offended, it's pained me more than the actual series loss itself," he added.

Jon Cooper opens his presser addressing the \u201cgirls in skirts\u201d comment from Monday night. \n\nHe says this has been harder than the loss. #GoBolts
— (@)

"Respect that Jon Cooper opened by addressing this. He’s always been great to deal with, so his comment surprised me. Addressing it head on, with sincerity, is the right approach," wrote betting podcaster Rachel Doerrie.

A former professional football player in the CFL, Troy Westwood, gave advice that men should try to be better "dudes."

"Dear cavemen. Jon Cooper is by all accounts a good guy. He made a mistake. He apologized. He, like what all of us should be doing, strives to be a better dude. It’s easy. Try to be a better dude."

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'See what these motherf***ers did to my son': Rapper's entourage reportedly savagely knocks out fan who asked for picture



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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FBI raided home of Tampa Bay politician, journalist over hack of Tucker Carlson's unaired Fox News footage



The FBI raided the home of a Tampa Bay politician earlier this month in connection with a hack of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

On May 8, the FBI searched the home belonging to media consultant Tim Burke, who formally worked for the Daily Beast and other news outlets, and Tampa Bay City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak in connection to an investigation into leaked Fox News video footage, the Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday.

A letter from federal prosecutors to Fox News "describes an ongoing criminal probe into computer hacks at the company, including unaired video from Tucker Carlson's show," according to the Tampa Bay newspaper. The letter does not cite Burke or Hurtak, but the Times confirmed the connection between the raid and the investigation.

Hurtak — an at-large councilwomen who was elected as a nonpartisan but is a registered Democrat — confirmed the search after it happened. At the time, she said it "was solely related to my husband’s work as a journalist."

More from the Tampa Bay Times:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Trezevant wrote the letter asking that Fox News preserve information and records related to the investigation for a period of at least 90 days. The government views the network “as one of the potential victim- witnesses” of the alleged criminal conduct, Trezevant wrote.

The investigation, according to the letter, concerns allegations of unauthorized computer access; interception of wire, oral or electronic communication; conspiracy; and other federal crimes. Trezevant is assigned to the criminal probe and is listed on court filings related to the search at Burke and Hurtak's home.

Importantly, neither Burke nor Hurtak have been accused of wrongdoing.

Still, a judge must have agreed that federal investigators would have located evidence of a crime in the home because investigators had gathered probable cause for the search warrant. Otherwise, the search would not have been authorized. Burke previously confirmed his name was listed on the warrant.

Moreover, neither Media Matters nor Vice — the two outlets that published the unaired Carlson footage — have been accused of wrongdoing. It's also not clear what exact crime federal investigators believe was committed.

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School ‘Lost Its Way’ To ‘Woke Culture’: Couple Who Donated $1.35 Million To Catholic School Sue For Money Back

'You were always eager to solicit our hard-earned money and take what you could'

Florida declares state of emergency as reservoir — holding back hundreds of millions of gallons in radioactive wastewater — faces 'imminent' collapse



Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has declared a state of emergency as a reservoir holding back "millions of gallons of radioactive wastewater" is set for "imminent" collapse, according to Insider.

What are the details?

The leak was detected at an old phosphate plant pond, which is located near Tampa, on Friday. According to a Sunday report from CNN, such a leak could potentially "cause a collapse of phosphogypsum stacks, waste that is created during fertilizer production and phosphate rock mining."

The old Piney Point phosphate mine "contains small amounts of radium and uranium."

"State officials said they first discovered the leak on Friday," the outlet reported. "It was located in one wall of the 77-acre pond that holds about 600 million gallons of water, containing phosphorous, nitrogen, and small amounts of radium and uranium."

DeSantis urged residents living in close proximity to the reservoir to evacuate on Saturday, as a collapse was reportedly considered "imminent."

According to CBS News, Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jake Saur said, "A portion of the containment wall at the leak site shifted laterally, signifying that structural collapse could occur at any time."

Officials are reportedly most concerned about potential flooding, and said that the water is only "slightly acidic."

"The water meets water quality standards for marine waters with the exception of pH, total phosphorous, total nitrogen, and total ammonia nitrogen. It is slightly acidic, but not at a level that is expected to be a concern, nor is it expected to be toxic."

Insider reported that authorities worked around the clock on Saturday to pump out as much water as possible to mitigate the effects of a potential flood.

Manatee County Commissioner George Kruse said that he visited the plant on Saturday, but left almost immediately after seeing the hazard.

"We determined that it was no longer safe to be anywhere near Piney Point, so we all kind of raced off the stacks as fast as we could," he told The Guardian in a statement on the disaster.

CBS News on Saturday tweeted, "TOXIC LEAK: Residents near Piney Point retention pond in Manatee County, Florida, were evacuated on Saturday as officials fear an 'imminent' collapse of a local wastewater reservoir contaminated with material that could be radioactive."

TOXIC LEAK: Residents near Piney Point retention pond in Manatee County, Florida were evacuated on Saturday as offi… https://t.co/twzTyze2xG
— CBS News (@CBS News)1617494994.0

What else?

Spectrum News on Sunday reported that engineering crews as well as state environment officials continue to work on the developing breach, and that U.S. 41 will be closed for Buckeye Road to Moccasin Wallow Road. Moccasin Wallow Road will also be closed west of 38th Avenue East in the area.

“This is nothing that should come as any surprise to officials that have been monitoring this phosphogypsum stack," said Jaclyn Lopez, Florida Director of the Center for Biological Diversity said according to the outlet. “It has had a series and history of repeated leaks and breaches and discharges into Tampa Bay and this latest is the most alarming because it's caused this public notice that's forced the evacuation and the governor to declare a state of emergency."

Pirates are a Bad Influence for our Children! We may Have to Cancel Them!

Pirates are a Bad Influence for our Children! We may Have to Cancel Them!

Tampa Democratic mayor threatens maskless Super Bowl fans, says they will be 'identified' by police



Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, a Democrat, warned Monday that fans who celebrated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win in Super Bowl LV without wearing masks will be identified by the Tampa Police Department, who she promised will "handle" the situation.

What is the background?

Humans sans face masks were a huge concern for the mainstream media. The New York Times, for example, wondered whether Super Bowl celebrations would create a "superspreader" event in Tampa Bay. The Washington Post and Huffington Post voiced similar concerns.

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather even questioned whether it was "responsible" to air commercials showing maskless individuals.

What did Castor say?

During a press conference on Monday, Castor called maskless fans "bad actors" and threatened action by law enforcement.

"Everyone knows that simply wearing a mask dramatically reduces the spread of COVID-19. And I'm proud to say that the majority of the individuals that I saw out and about enjoying the festivities associated with the Super Bowl were complying," Castor began. "We had tens of thousands of people all over the city, downtown, out by the stadium ... and very very few incidents."

"I'm proud of our community but those few bad actors will be identified and the Tampa Police Department will handle it," she threatened.

"There just has to be that level of personal responsibility," the Democratic mayor continued. "You can supply everyone with a mask, advise them of the science behind it and expect that they are going to abide by the mask order. Again, you're gonna find a few that don't. The majority that I saw were wearing masks."

BREAKING: At a press conference Monday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said that maskless fans at the Super Bowl will be "… https://t.co/d4A9gIjTvl
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911)1612826520.0

What can authorities enforce?

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Castor issued an executive order prior the Super Bowl extending the city's face mask ordinance to include popular outdoor locations.

Castor's office claimed the purpose of the order was to encourage "safe" behavior, but it threatened fines for violators.

From the Times:

The order is designed to be voluntary, but as a "last resort," the order statesviolators can be cited with a "nominal civil infraction" that carries a penalty up toa $500 fine.It's unclear how that penalty will coexist with Gov. Ron DeSantis's previous orderthat individuals couldn't be fined for violating pandemic restrictions.

It is not clear what specific action Castor has in mind for maskless fans. Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan had said that issuing citations should be a "last resort."

According to the Associated Press, Castor admitted Monday that there was no spike in COVID-19 cases after the city celebrated the Tampa Bay Lightening's Stanley Cup championship last fall.