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Zachary T. Sampson - General Assignment Reporter
Zachary T. Sampson

General Assignment Reporter

I'm a general assignment reporter, which means I cover pretty much anything depending on the day. Think of me like a super utility player. Local, state, national, crime, weather, politics, and so on. I'm fascinated by where we're from -- how places shape us and how we shape them. I aim to tell stories that matter to you now, or will, or should. One day that might involve a police horse that paints, another how county officials spend your tax dollars. I'm from Rhode Island and will talk to you about it. I've coached youth baseball -- yes, the loud one. Okay, maybe I was checking the score on my phone under the table. I'm sorry. Call me with anything. I'm friendlier than my face suggests.

  1. Pasco firefighter, wife and infant daughter injured in Hillsborough car crash
    Sep. 14• Pasco
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates.
    His infant daughter suffered life-threatening injuries, officials said.
  2. Dorian renews anxiety in Florida Panhandle, with Hurricane Michael’s wounds still fresh
    Sep. 11• Hurricane
    Homes lay in ruins one week after Hurricane Dorian hit The Mudd neighborhood, in the Marsh Harbor area of Abaco, Bahamas. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
    Panic set in before the storm hit the Bahamas, followed by a familiar heartache.
  3. Michael Drejka’s lawyers ask for a new trial
    Sep. 6• Crime
    Defendant Michael Drejka, front, enters the courtroom with his attorney William Flores, center, Aug. 23 in Pinellas County.
    The defense team has filed a motion asking a judge to vacate the manslaughter conviction in the shooting over a parking space.
  4. Hurricane Dorian forecasting shows how models have improved since Floyd in 1999
    Sep. 4• Hurricane
    Satellite image of Hurricane Dorian on Monday.
    The two storms were very similar. The models, and trust in them, have changed.
  5. Florida’s new resilience officer doesn’t shy away from saying ‘climate change’
    Aug. 8• The Buzz
    From left: Thomas Frazer, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Julia Nesheiwat, Ph.D., Chief Resilience Officer, Executive Office of the Governor, and Noah Valenstein, Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, attend the Resilient Florida: Planning, Policy and Practice workshop on Thursday, August 8, 2019, at the University of South Florida in Tampa. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times
    Julia Nesheiwat also says new restrictions on development will be needed to cope with rising sea levels
  6. A Pinellas task force focuses on stolen cars. Why did St. Petersburg police leave it?
    Aug. 8• Pinellas
    St. Petersburg police Chief Tony Holloway, left, and Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri attend a community event at Tropicana Field in 2015. [DIRK SHADD | Times]
    Chief Tony Holloway has offered several explanations for why he withdrew from a special unit that the sheriff says has reduced vehicle thefts.
  7. Firefighters respond to gas leak on Central Avenue in downtown St. Petersburg
    Jul. 16• St. Petersburg
    St. Petersburg fire personnel are seen along Central Avenue near the intersections of 4th Street and 5th Street on Tuesday, July 16 in St. Petersburg. (BOYZELL HOSEY | Times)
  8. Pinellas Juvenile Welfare Board selects new CEO
    Jul. 15• Pinellas
    St. Petersburg Free Clinic’s Beth Houghton speaks at podium after being honored as one of the “Five Fabulous Females” at Academy Prep Center ‘s “Friends and Flowers” luncheon at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort on Feb. 4, 2014. (Times | 2014)
  9. Baby grazed by falling bullet in St. Petersburg on Fourth of July
    Jul. 5• Pinellas
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates.
  10. Hurricane Michael destroyed their homes. Then the insurance heartache began.
    Jun. 26• Florida
    Part of a house still lay submerged in a canal in Mexico Beach two months after Hurricane Michael. DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times (2018)
    Nine months after the storm, more than 20,000 property claims remain outstanding in Florida.