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Zachary T. Sampson - Investigative Reporter
Zachary T. Sampson

Investigative Reporter

I work on the investigative team, reporting stories to identify and fix problems or hold powerful people to account. I came to Florida in 2014 by way of Boston. I grew up in Rhode Island, a diehard Yankees fan deep in the heart of enemy bleachers. Talking about baseball is still a quick way to my heart. In Tampa Bay, I've covered breaking news, public safety, general assignment, hurricanes and the environment. Have a story? Something you think more people should know about? Let's talk.

  1. Florida lets big companies pollute with impunity. Waterways suffer
    • Investigations
    Florida is supposed to police the state’s biggest sources of water pollution: agriculture and development. Instead, regulators and lawmakers have protected the major industries at nearly every turn, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found.
  2. Gotten sick from Florida algae blooms? We want to hear from you
    • Environment
    A health alert sign warns visitors to Sand Key Park in Clearwater of the presence of red tide in March 2023.
  3. 1 dead, several hurt after hit-and-run boat crash into Clearwater Ferry
    • Breaking News
    Law enforcement investigate the wreckage of a Clearwater Ferry after a boat crashed into the ferry causing multiple injuries near the Clearwater Memorial Causeway Bridge Sunday.
  5. Florida waters are getting more polluted. Here’s what the Times found
    • Investigations
    A Times journalist surveys algae at Shell Key Preserve in Pinellas County in 2022. Tangles of seaweed coat the water and surrounding mangroves.
  6. Which polluted Florida waters are getting worse? Find out here
    • Investigations
    Screenshot of a Tampa Bay Times interactive tool.
  7. Florida must act quickly to stop water pollution, federal lawmakers urge
    • Investigations
    A devastating red tide bloom hit Tampa Bay in 2021, causing dead fish to float ashore in downtown St. Perersburg. Niko Price, center, used a net to collect carcasses while working with a contracted crew around a marina.
  8. Rampant pollution caused manatees to starve. Florida waters are getting worse.
    • Investigations
    Hundreds of manatees starved in the Indian River Lagoon after the animals' main food source, seagrass, disappeared following decades of pollution. To trace the manatee die-off to its roots, Times reporters conducted a first-of-its-kind statewide analysis, pinpointing alarming levels of chemicals in nearly 1 in 4 waterways.
  9. St. Petersburg wants state to create crane safety standards
    • St. Petersburg
    A construction crane is pictured after falling over during Hurricane Milton into an office building that houses the Tampa Bay Times headquarters, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.
  10. After St. Petersburg crane collapse, legislators propose changing Florida law
    • The Buzz on Florida Politics
    An aerial drone view shows where a crane fell and smashed into an office building during Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg.
  11. 2024 election night in Florida: Trump rolls, abortion and marijuana amendments fail
    • Elections
    National election results are shown on a projector screen at an election watch party outside the Woodson African American Museum of Florida in St. Petersburg.
  12. A crane collapsed in Hurricane Milton. Authorities aren’t investigating
    • Hurricane
    During Hurricane Milton's high winds, a crane fell from a downtown high-rise and smashed into an office building at 490 First Ave. S in St. Petersburg. Days later, an aerial drone view showed the broken crane still wedged into the damaged building and splayed across the street.
  13. ‘Not even 2 weeks’: In Siesta Key, first Helene then Milton’s landfall
    • Hurricane
    Debris along Commonwealth Drive clogs the roadway after Hurricane Milton made landfall nearby Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Siesta Key.
  14. Crane collapses into Times’ office building amid thrashing Milton winds
    • Hurricane
    A crane falls onto a building along 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg as Hurricane Milton's strong winds tore through the area Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. The building houses several businesses, including the Tampa Bay Times. (Chris Urso/Tampa Bay Times via AP)
  15. Hurricane Milton tears open Tropicana Field’s roof
    • Hurricane
    The roof of Tropicana Field is torn as Hurricane Milton passes Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in St. Petersburg.
  16. Who gets Hurricane Milton’s worst surge? Here’s why we don’t know yet.
    • Hurricane
    Debris litters the area around Times Square near the Fort Myers Fishing Pier on in September 2022, after Hurricane Ian made landfall.
  17. As Helene tore into Pinellas, a makeshift rescue crew rode into the storm
    • Hurricane
    Gary Forbes, 70, of Redington Shores, front, was rescued from his home during Hurricane Helene. From back left, his rescue crew: Mitchell Birchard, 35, of Seminole (with 2-year-old son Crew); Daniel Demint, 50, of St. Petersburg; Hayden Flynn, 16, of Seminole; Fred Craig, 50, of Seminole; and Torin Fitzgibbon, 29, of Largo.
  18. In an evacuation zone? Hurricane Ian showed Florida why we’re told to leave
    • Hurricane
    Anthony Prado, with the South Florida Urban Search and Rescue Team (FL-TF2), ducks into a collapsed roof while searching for people Wednesday in Fort Myers Beach. Hurricane Ian devastated the town when it made landfall nearby on Sept. 28.
  19. Forecasters still watching Gulf for potential tropical system
    • Hurricane
    A National Hurricane Center forecast graphic shows the 2 p.m. outlook Saturday. A potential tropical system could form in the Gulf of Mexico next week, forecasters say.
  20. Pasco deputies find remains, still searching for missing family of 4
    • Breaking News
    Pasco deputies investigating the disappearance of a family of four in Hudson say they have found remains at a home on Nottingham Trail.
  21. Mystery surrounds Clearwater plane crash that killed 3
    • Breaking News
    An aerial drone view shows the property where a small plane crashed at the Bayside Waters manufactured home community in Clearwater late Thursday. Three people died, including the pilot, authorities say.
  22. Small plane crashes into Clearwater mobile home park, ‘several fatalities’ reported
    • Breaking News
    Investigators look at the burned out remains of a mobile home after a small plane crash in Clearwater.
  23. Hurricane Idalia spilled Sunset Beach’s sand through the streets
    • Hurricane
    Erosion from Hurricane Idalia has damaged the dunes and shrunk the beach at Sunset Beach.
  24. In Pinellas beach towns, Idalia brings another soggy cleanup
    • Hurricane
    Todd Abrams surveys what the water brought to his Madeira Beach home during Hurricane Idalia, including a door from an unknown house.