Carl Lisciandrello

The Tampa Bay region should brace for strong storm surge, gusty winds and periods of heavy rain from a system, now Tropical Storm Nestor, that intensifed on Friday as it speeds across the Gulf of Mexico on a path toward the Florida Panhandle.

A local legislator is taking steps to combat what she calls "an alarming and urgent healthcare crisis” – especially among young people.

Rep. Jackie Toledo, R-Tampa, said she is introducing legislation to raise the legal age to purchase vaping and tobacco products to 21.

Hurricane Dorian continues pounding Florida’s east coast this evening as the Category 2 storm moving out in the Gulf of Mexico, parallel to the state.

The storm’s outer bands are producing tropical storm force winds, periods of heavy rain and storm surge across central Florida.

As predicted, Hurricane Dorian is now a major hurricane, reaching Category 4 strength Friday night while slowly making its way west toward a wary Florida.

Dorian has strengthened into a hurricane near St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and could become a Category 3 storm when it makes its projected landfall in Florida late Sunday night or early Monday.

Puerto Rico is under a tropical storm warning and hurricane watch as Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to be near hurricane strength before making landfall there on Wednesday on a track toward Florida’s east coast by this weekend.

First it was the heat, and now it's the rain.

After enduring a few days of scorching conditions, the Tampa Bay area will have to deal with drenching rains, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood watch for the region through Friday.

According to Ray Hawthorne, meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, the region has already received nearly 6 inches more rain than normal since June 1.

It’s the middle of August in Florida, which means we should be accustomed to the sweltering, suffocating heat we’ve been sweating through across the Tampa Bay area – especially since the end of last week.

But if you been thinking these oppressive conditions feel just a bit worse than normal, you’re right.

It turns out that Sunday’s heat levels broke records in some parts of the region, and this trend will continue at least for the next couple of days.

By Carl Lisciandrello

The number of schools receiving an A grade increased by 63%, while the number of those receiving a grade of F dropped to just 15, according to number released by the Florida Department of Education on Thursday.