Chris KuoBeaches Reporter
I first fell in love with storytelling one summer in high school, when I was given a yellow reporter’s notebook (the first of many) and began telling stories about Boston. Since then, I’ve written about farmers in rural Indonesia, martial arts classes in Los Angeles and local election campaigns in North Carolina. Those experiences taught me that the best stories can help us rediscover what it means to be human in this big, fascinating world. I’ve previously reported for The Los Angeles Times and am completing a degree in English, political science and journalism at Duke University. I cover the beaches and communities of Pinellas County. Send me a note!
/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/tbt/e22f35c2-549e-4a97-ab14-8b9ea053192f.jpg "Chris Kuo - Beaches Reporter")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/MO7IA36BE5FMTLISUC4QEMMQMM.JPG "Kelli Hammer Levy, Pinellas County director of public works, stands at the Erosion Control Line on a stack of rolling dunes Monday, July 25, 2022, on Indian Rocks Beach. She's working to push through a beach renourishment project slated for 2024, but the prospects for that happening look grim. \"You lose the beach, you lose it all,\" she said.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/UYA7AXS4YNFIVFD2DWEP6RUS7M.jpg "Belleair Shore has had a ban on beach umbrellas and other \"temporary shade structures\" since June 2020, but Pinellas County sheriff's deputies have mostly been giving verbal warnings. Two citations have been given so far.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/5VRTIW32EVLTINQUO2NKZDM3HE.jpg "During the primary election on Aug. 23, voters in Pinellas County's District 58 will help decide who will represent them in the House for the next two years by narrowing the candidate field ahead of the general election in November.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/PMR3P3Z3BBH5NFZISBXA542IDE.jpg "From left, the candidates for the House District 56 race are Republicans Jayden Cocuzza, Scott Moore and Brad Yeager.")
:format(webP)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/YFZ3OATPZRALZID7M3PLIJJDUI.jpg "A rendering of the new buildings that would be constructed as part of the proposed expansion by TradeWinds Island Resorts in St. Pete Beach.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/6CFKO24ZFNBVNOJF7J4DLWHME4.jpg "A remote-controlled robot named BeBot rolls over a patch of sand in Indian Shores during a cleanup demonstration on Thursday, July 14, 2022. BeBot is part of a campaign by Keep Pinellas Beautiful to raise awareness about debris left by humans that lurks under the beach surface and eventually winds up in the Gulf of Mexico.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/APDO5ISRJJEFZEB3YG5DQIODKU.jpg "Beth Cole, left, a volunteer for Soothe Our Souls, leads a yoga session aboard the sailboat Magic on July 3, 2022. Greg Locke, center, and Dennis Carey, right, follow along. Soothe Our Souls is a nonprofit providing free sailing trips for people facing health and wellness challenges while also providing healing experiences, such as a yoga, on board.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/R756YZOBTJHEDFT4GAFTEWGKIM.jpg "Sean Ferraro, right, sells a pizza to boaters near Three Rooker Island off the north Pinellas County coast on Saturday, June 25, 2022. Ferraro, the owner of Madison Avenue Pizza in Dunedin, doesn't take orders before launching his Pizza Skiff on weekends, instead approaching boaters when he's on the water.")
:format(webP)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3LOJ2F2MHFD43BQ7WE7JXI4WT4.jpg "Water safety supervisor Konrad Ciolko, top, teaches kids about spinal immobilization out of the water during junior lifeguard camp at Clearwater Beach on Thursday, June 23, 2022.")
:format(webP)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/J2JKGF24NNC6DIB5L5GUTCCHXM.JPG "Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne conducts a meeting via Zoom on Tuesday while working at IcareLabs where he is an executive vice president in St. Petersburg. Payne, the first openly gay mayor of Treasure Island, signed the town’s first Pride proclamation in honor of LGBTQ Pride Month on June 1.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/OAX3GQOHL5DXBGPV56Q3MNTBCA.jpg "Abortion-rights marchers hold signs during a rally Friday in St. Petersburg.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/3F6JKNSNVNAZPKWYRGCJN2AOUI.JPG "Jakob Olmo, 4, of Kissimmee, explores the shallows at Clearwater Beach on Tuesday. While stingray season lasts from early spring to the fall, rays are often found in shallow water during the hot summer months.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/LGUXDWZ2SNHXXJBOUTPOEE2TTE.jpg "Erik Castillo, of North Andover, Massachusetts, traverses an area of rocks at Oasis Beach at Honeymoon Island State Park on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the site of a $2 million beach renourishment project.")
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/DLXSEBU63RH4DGZC56O7JE25UM.JPG "Sand piles up along the John’s Pass boardwalk as seen on Thursday, June 16, 2022. This year's state budget included $1.5 million to dredge away the accumulation, which has hurt waterfront businesses and made the pass unsafe.")
