Advertisement
Michaela Mulligan - Environment and Climate Reporter

Environment and Climate Reporter

Tampa Bay has been my home since around the time I took my first steps as a toddler. I took a short break away to pursue my passion for storytelling at the University of Florida. But now I’m back and excited to be telling the stories that make my home unique. When I’m not hunched in front of a computer or waiting in line for coffee, you can find me outside enjoying Florida’s beaches. Or when it’s just too hot, snuggled up inside with my two cats, Willow and Gabby, watching the latest home renovation show.

  1. People mingle at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park along the green-dyed Hillsborough River in Tampa during the River O’Green Fest in March 2022. Forecasters are anticipating the warmest temperatures of the year so far ahead of St. Patrick's Day weekend in Tampa Bay. Temperatures will cool off slightly on Saturday, when thousands are expected to flock to this year's edition of the festival.
  2. The National Weather Service said to expect up to an inch of rain over the first half of the week from a number of storms. On Jan. 6, 2024 people take cover from the rain around Spring Bayou in Tarpon Springs.
  3. This screenshot is taken from the Instagram account of Sophie Hall, 34, under the account name "sophiesselfies224." The Pasco County-based influencer is suing Tyreek Hill, a Miami Dolphins player, alleging he pushed her down and fractured her leg.
  4. A sprinkler is seen as a lawn is irrigated in Kenneth City. Water restrictions in Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties restrict outdoor irrigation to one day a week until July 1.
  5. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released graphics showing sea surface temperature anomalies across the globe. Experts say temperatures are record-hot, even off the heels of an already unprecedented summer of ocean heat.
  6. A wood stork is shown searching for food in a wetland area off Lutz Lake Fern Road in Odessa last year. A federal court has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service violated federal law when the agencies allowed Florida to take control of wetland permitting in the state.
  7. The Allman Betts Band performs during the Gasparilla Music Festival at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in 2022 in Tampa. The weather was sunny that day, but rain is expected during the festival on Saturday and Sunday.
  8. A drone photo shows damage at Florida's Horseshoe Beach in the Big Bend area after Hurricane Idalia made landfall Aug. 30.
  9. The National Weather Service is calling for a rain-free and cool Valentine's Day on Wednesday in Tampa Bay. In 2022, Gary Graham of St. Petersburg brought his Scottish terrier Ceilidh on her remote-controlled decorated wagon to Localtopia in St. Petersburg.
  10. Some workers are shown wearing facial coverings and long sleeves to protect themselves from the hot sun while working at USF St. Petersburg in this 2015 file photo.
  11. The location of a 4.0 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Florida recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey. Experts say earthquakes are rare, but not impossible, in and around Florida.
  12. The Jose Gasparilla pirate ship sails while the Children's Gasparilla parade takes place along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa on Saturday.
  13. The warm glow at sunrise does not take the chill out of the air as a runner and pup pass by at North Shore Park Wednesday in St. Petersburg.
  14. Brandon L’heureux, with the city of Tarpon Springs Public Works department, is shown inspecting flooding on Dec. 17 after a low-pressure system moved into Florida.
  15. Dead fish, the result of red tide, are shown moving out of Clearwater Harbor on the north side of Sand Key Park in 2018. Red tide can be fueled by excess nutrients from fertilizers, and despite hundreds of municipalities banning fertilizer in the summer, environmental groups fear a pause on creating new fertilizer bans could be extended during the 2024 Florida legislative session.
  16. Chunks of roofing came down on top of parked cars at a building at 1716 Sixth St. S. after strong storms moved through the area Tuesday in St. Petersburg. The National Weather Service confirmed a small tornado was on the ground for less than a minute.
  17. The Tampa Electric Co. Big Bend Bend power plant is shown in this 2019 photo. The utility had petitioned the state to consider an altered step in seeking a change in rates, but withdrew the request on Monday.
  18. Lenny Rowe works the end of the makeshift assembly line placing sand bags in the trunk of an SUV at the Stormwater, Pavement and Traffic Operation site on Monday as city officials help residents prepare for expected flooding on Tuesday.
  19. A line of storms ahead of a cold front on Saturday will bring a slight chance of severe weather, complicating the Epiphany celebration in Tarpon Springs. In 2020, a man rode his  bicycle down Dodecanese Boulevard in downtown Tarpon Springs during rainy weather.
  20. Water pushes onto the streets of Shore Acres, a St. Petersburg neighborhood, in 2019. Instances of flooding caused by higher tides is expected to increase over the coming decades in Tampa Bay as sea levels rise.
  21. Fireworks light up the sky over the Vinoy yacht basin in St. Petersburg on New Year's Eve in 2021. Forecasters are expecting cool weather and clear skies across Tampa Bay on Sunday, New Year's Eve.
  22. Angela Giudice-Burris, 44, of Tampa, was arrested after police began investigating the deaths of three puppies found in a dumpster in late November.
  23. The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a vehicle it says is involved in a crash that killed a 17-year-old pedestrian Saturday night in Pasco County.