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Thomas C. Tobin - Editor, Education and Clearwater

Editor, Education and Clearwater

I lead a talented team of journalists covering a diverse range of topics including education, religion, local nonprofits and the city of Clearwater. When I arrived in Tampa Bay in the mid-1980s from my hometown of St. Louis, Florida was just coming into its own as the economic, political and cultural powerhouse it is today. Since then I've covered local and state government, election issues, education and more. As the Times’ state reporter for two years, I got a chance to travel to a different corner of Florida every week. For a time, I delved into the world of Scientology. It’s been amazing to see our state and our region grow. I love to hear from readers. Give me a shout any time.

  1. The Tampa Bay Times Community Spotlight event on education was held Tuesday at the Tampa Theatre.
  2. Incoming students and their families navigate campus during New College of Florida's move-in and orientation on Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023 in Sarasota. Officials say overall enrollment is up at the school, but many students departed after changes engineered earlier this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
  3. Tampa Bay area schools, universities and colleges were deciding when to reopen in the wake of Hurricane Idalia on Wednesday.
  4. The Tampa Bay Times' headquarters in downtown St. Petersburg.
  5. Graduation ceremonies for Pasco County's public high schools begin Tuesday and continue through Sunday.
  6. Graduates celebrate in front of friends and family after a commencement ceremony at Carrollwood Day School.
  7. Graduates attend the Hillsborough Virtual School commencement ceremony on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at the Florida State Fairgrounds’ Expo Hall in Tampa. Ceremonies for Hillsborough's class of 2023 will begin Wednesday at the same location.
  8. The Class of 2023 takes center stage at 12 Pinellas private schools.
  9. A Seminole High School graduate is pictured after commencement ceremonies at Tropicana Field on Friday, May 20, 2022, in St. Petersburg. Ceremonies for the Class of 2023 in Pinellas County began Saturday and will continue this week.
  10. A student searches for textbooks in a storage space at Nature Coast Technical High School. Social studies textbooks are the current focus in Florida, where state officials have rejected dozens of books submitted by publishers for the 2023-24 school year.
  11. Zephyrhills Police are investigating a shooting in front of a 7-Eleven store Saturday afternoon.
  12. An architect's rendering shows the outdoor recreation features planned for Pinellas County’s newest middle school, a partnership between the school district and the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg. The school board voted on Jan. 24, 2023, to name the new campus Mangrove Bay Middle School, after the neighborhood that surrounds it.
  13. A school flag waves in the wind on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at New College of Florida in Sarasota, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed six conservatives to the board of trustees.
  14. People in need of a warm place to sleep wait in line to enter the Hillsborough County cold weather Shelter hosted by the Hyde Park Methodist Church on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022 in Tampa.
  15. Graduating seniors from St. Petersburg High attend their commencement ceremony at Tropicana Field on Friday, May 20, 2022, in Pinellas County. High school seniors from Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties can apply for a scholarship that offers $25,000 for college starting in 2023.
  16. A "DUI wolf pack" operation that spanned Saturday night and early Sunday morning in Pinellas County netted a large number of DUI arrests, speeding tickets and charges for other offenses, the Sheriff's Office said.
  17. Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., talks during the confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington. On Monday, he travels to Gainesville to meet with students, faculty and employees at the University of Florida.
  18. The Florida Highway Patrol released this photo of a broken passenger-side mirror found at the scene of a crash where a bicyclist was struck on Saturday in Pasco County. The mirror appears to have come from a gray Nissan Altima, troopers said.
  19. Crews clear power lines along Fourth Street N in St. Petersburg on Sunday to make way for a house that was moved from its original location a few blocks away at 136 Fourth Ave. NE. The house was built in 1912. Its relocation paves the way for construction of The Nolen, a 23-story residential tower on Fourth Avenue NE.
  20. Authorities are looking for the driver of a vehicle that struck and killed a man on a bicycle in Pasco County early Sunday.
  21. Tash Elwyn, president and CEO of Raymond James & Associates, has been named chairperson of the Pinellas Education Foundation's board.
  22. Corey Anderson, 18, was charged on Sunday, May 29, 2022, with Written or Electronic Threat to Conduct a Mass Shooting or Act of Terrorism, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said.