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Zachary T. Sampson - Environment Reporter
Zachary T. Sampson

Environment Reporter

I grew up in Rhode Island, on a bay similar to Tampa's. I'm fascinated by where we're from — how places shape us and we shape them. In Florida, our life turns on nature, from the gulf to rivers and flatwoods and swamps. I want my coverage to be just as expansive. Do you have a place to show me or a story to tell? Reach out. I'm friendlier than my face suggests. We can also talk about baseball, but it might be hard to get me to stop.

  1. How we used a tropical storm to calculate Tampa Bay’s growing flood risk
    Jan. 20• Data
    A motorist attempts to drive on flooded Bayshore Boulevard as Tropical Storm Eta struck Tampa Bay with downpours and storm surge flooding Nov. 12, 2020.
  2. Flooding will get worse in Tampa Bay. Tropical Storm Eta showed how.
    Jan. 20• Hurricane
    Water splashes against the seawall along Pass A Grille Way as squalls from Eta move through Pinellas County on Nov. 11, 2020. Though Eta wasn’t hurricane strength when it passed by, it gave an indication of the kind of damage the region could face.
  3. 5 environmental stories that affected Tampa Bay in 2021 and what’s ahead in 2022
    Jan. 1• Environment
    Dead fish fill the end of a canal near St. Petersburg's Snell Isle Marina off Snell Island on July 16 as a Red Tide bloom persists on the Florida Gulf Coast.
  5. Want to help Florida’s manatees? Don’t feed them yourself.
    Dec. 10, 2021• Environment
    A group of manatees surface near a kayaker along the Dunedin Causeway in August. Experts say manatees around Tampa Bay usually have no problem finding food.
  6. DeSantis appoints Florida’s environmental secretary; Fried challenges hire
    Sep. 1, 2021• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Shawn Hamilton was appointed as the secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection by Gov. Ron DeSantis after leading the agency this summer on an interim basis.
  7. Florida says Piney Point will be under new management
    Aug. 26, 2021• Environment
    A view of a phosphogypsum stack, far, background, and water management at the old Piney Point fertilizer plant in March.
  8. In Gibsonton, engineers want to return an old fish farm to nature
    Aug. 24, 2021• Environment
    Nancy Norton walks through the Kracker Avenue restoration site in Gibsonton last month.
  9. Florida says another Piney Point wastewater release is possible
    Aug. 19, 2021• Environment
    An overhead image shows the Piney Point site in April.
  10. Florida fears rain, hurricanes could cause Piney Point pollution to overflow
    Aug. 16, 2021• Environment
    An overhead image from a drone shows the Piney Point site in April.
  11. Red Tide-related limits extended for some fishing in Tampa Bay
    Aug. 10, 2021• Environment
    Dead fish are skimmed from the surface of the Intracoastal Waterway near Treasure Island in late July.
  12. Here’s how climate change could make future Red Tide blooms worse
    Aug. 10, 2021• Environment
    Dead fish washed up at Lassing Park in St. Petersburg's Old Southeast on July 1.
  13. Florida is suing Piney Point’s owners. Is the state also to blame?
    Aug. 9, 2021• Environment
    A drone image shows the old Piney Point fertilizer plant property in April.
  14. Florida sues Piney Point owner over polluted Tampa Bay discharge
    Aug. 5, 2021• Environment
    Effluent flows from a pipe into a drainage ditch near the old Piney Point fertilizer plant in April.
  15. Red Tide is still out there, Tampa Bay, but so far fish kills aren’t as bad
    Aug. 5, 2021• Environment
    William Lund, 21, top along with his friend Cameron Martiner, 20, both of Tampa, try their luck with the waves along Honeymoon Island Wednesday in Dunedin.
  16. Florida’s deadly manatee crisis could flare again this winter
    Aug. 4, 2021• Environment
    Two dead, emaciated adult manatees recovered from Brevard County are seen before a necropsy in March at the state's Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab.
  17. In reversal, EPA won’t allow radioactive fertilizer byproduct in roads
    Aug. 3, 2021• Environment
    An aerial view shows a phosphogypsum stack run by Mosaic in Bartow in June.
  18. Red Tide expected to stay around Pinellas coast this weekend
    Jul. 30, 2021• Environment
    Black skimmers fly over the water while looking for food in June by Indian Shores.
  19. Red Tide still hanging around Pinellas coast after ‘brief improvements’
    Jul. 28, 2021• Environment
    A fish kill from Red Tide dries on the shore of Pass-a-Grille on Saturday.
  20. Pinellas warns beachgoers of ‘stronger Red Tide impacts’ this weekend
    Jul. 23, 2021• Environment
    A sign warns about Red Tide at Indian Rocks Beach on Thursday.
  21. Red Tide’s return raises fears about the health of Tampa Bay
    Jul. 23, 2021• Environment
    Dead fish fill the end of a canal along Snell Isle on July 16 in St. Petersburg.
  22. With Tampa Bay in grip of Red Tide, shrimpers turn their nets toward death
    Jul. 22, 2021• Environment
    Tyler Tucker, left, works with his father, Toliver Tucker, to release nets full of dead fish onto the deck of the shrimp boat, Southbound, while Toliver's wife, Jessica Tucker, navigates the Intracoastal Waterway off Treasure Island on Thursday.
  23. Red Tide may recede in Tampa Bay but worsen off Pinellas beaches
    Jul. 20, 2021• Environment
    Workers from the city of St. Petersburg use a turbidity boom to corral dead fish as they float near the St. Petersburg Municipal Marina on July 16.
  24. Environmentalists urge DeSantis to declare Red Tide emergency
    Jul. 19, 2021• Environment
    Dead fish fill the end of a canal July 16 near the Sell Isle Marina in St. Petersburg. Red Tide continues to poison hundreds of tons of marine life in Tampa Bay and in the gulf.