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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. Should Florida lakes and forests have rights in court? Lawmakers weigh in.
    Yesterday• Environment
    Rep. Blaise Ingoglia on the floor of the Florida House in 2017. [SCOTT KEELER | Times]
  2. Madeira Beach wants permission to inspect his waterfront home. He’s suing.
    Feb. 6• Pinellas
    Clifford Smith owns this home on Bay Point Drive in Madeira Beach. He is suing the city over a provision in flood zone regulations that he says violates his constitutional rights.
  3. Nick the dolphin picks a Super Bowl winner. What do the people think?
    Jan. 31• Florida
    Senior animal care specialist Brook Bowersox, of Dunedin, celebrates, holding signs for the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers moments after Nicholas, an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin made a Super Bowl pick.
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  5. Driver in Bayshore death had alcohol level of 0.234. How many drinks is that?
    Jan. 13• Tampa
    A pedestrian was hit and killed by a Pinch a Penny pool truck truck on Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020.
  6. George Gage, Tampa man killed in Bayshore crash, remembered as kind, faithful
    Jan. 10• Tampa
    George Gage, 70, is a retired financial trust officer. Tampa police said he was walking on the Bayshore Boulevard sidewalk when he was fatally struck Thursday by an impaired driver speeding in a pickup truck. A memorial was set up along the sidewalk on Friday.
  7. Whiskey, marijuana and speed. New details revealed about deadly Bayshore Boulevard crash.
    Jan. 10• Tampa
    Benjamin Douglas Ehas, 31, of Tampa, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide after Tampa police said he struck and killed a man on Bayshore Boulevard's scenic sidewalk on Thursday.
  8. ‘Make or break moment.’ Tampa Bay leaders hold climate change summit.
    Jan. 7• Environment
    From left, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and Clearwater Mayor George Cretekos speak at a summit held by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council's Resiliency Coalition on Tuesday at the Hilton Carillon Park in St. Petersburg.
  9. UPDATE: Power restored after nearly 35,000 in Pinellas County were without it Tuesday
    Jan. 7• Pinellas
    A lineman with Service Electric Co., a subcontractor with Duke Energy, works on a project at a Duke substation Tuesday. This is one of three substations which had problems Tuesday morning that left about 34,000 Pinellas County customers without power for one hour and 40 minutes.
  10. Epiphany 2020: Visits from Greek prime minister, new archbishop buoy crowd
    Jan. 6• Pinellas
    Hunter Sakadales, 18, of Tarpon Springs emerges with the cross at Epiphany on Monday.
  11. Safecrackers stole millions in Florida. Here’s how they were caught.
    Dec. 12, 2019• Crime
    Dan Short, second from right, owner of Dan-Lo Jewelers, speaks with Hernando County Sheriff's detective Anthony Belmonte, far right, during a news conference Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019 in Brooksville. The Sheriff's Office announced that a trio of jewelry store burglars were arrested after robbing between $16 million and $18 million from places around Florida.
  12. Boy, 13, appears in adult court in grandmother’s murder
    Dec. 11, 2019• Crime
    Javarick Henderson Jr., 13, seen on a video screen at his first appearance hearing on Wednesday. A grand jury indicted the boy as an adult on a charge of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his grandmother, and his case is now being handled by the adult court system.
  13. These three St. Pete women started singing together 60 years ago. They’re still at it.
    Dec. 11, 2019• St. Petersburg
    The Alumni Singers of St. Petersburg includes three women from Gibbs High School class of 1957. Pictured left to right are those classmates: Carolyn Hobbs, Betty Hayward, and Helen Shaw. The friends are pictured at the "Jesus is King" Christmas concert at Lakewood United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019.
  14. For boy with autism, Tampa ‘Sensory Santa’ gives family photo without fuss
    Nov. 27, 2019• Tampa
    Yahir Manuel Charneco Roldán, 6, stretches to catch a glimpse of a TV screen playing holiday cartoons near the atrium where families lined up for a visit with Santa on Sunday Nov. 24 at International Plaza in Tampa. The early event at the mall was for families with sensory-sensitive children like Yahir, who has autism.
  15. Money raised for Citrus County’s New York Times subscription will go back to donors
    Nov. 22, 2019• The Buzz
    The New York Times newspaper on the shelf at the Citrus County Library Lakes Region at 1511 Druid Rd. on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2019 in Inverness. The Citrus County Commison was looking to eliminate the cost of the New York Times digital subscriptions because they say it is "Fake News." A former Mets GM has stepped up and wants to donate money to the Citrus County Libraries to cover the cost of the subscriptions.
  16. Citrus County commissioners vote down New York Times digital subscriptions
    Nov. 19, 2019• The Buzz
    United States Air Force veteran Daniel Carmichael, of Inverness, shares his opinion before a meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Citrus County on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, at the Citrus County Courthouse in Inverness, where the Citrus County Commission is expected to render a decision on whether to get digital subscriptions for the New York Times for all 70,000 of the county library cardholders.
  17. Employee killed in targeted shooting outside Pinellas Park Walmart, police say
    Nov. 15, 2019• Crime
    Forensic Science investigators with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office collect evidence at the scene of the shooting behind the Walmart Neighborhood Market, 6900 US Hwy 19 N, in Pinellas Park, on Friday, November 15, 2019.
  18. Man kills his grandfather in Hernando County, deputies say
    Nov. 7, 2019• Hernando
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates.
  19. Amid Trump-NYT controversy, everyone has a thought for Citrus County
    Nov. 7, 2019• The Buzz
    The New York Times newspaper on the shelf at the Citrus County Library Lakes Region at 1511 Druid Rd. on Thursday in Inverness. The Citrus County Commission was looking to eliminate the cost of the New York Times digital subscriptions because they say it is "Fake News." A former Mets GM has stepped up and wants to donate money to the Citrus County Libraries to cover the cost of the subscriptions.
  20. Welcome to Citrus County, Fla., home to the culture war for a day
    Nov. 6, 2019• The Buzz
    Inverness was home to the Citrus County commission meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 5, where leader were under fire from the public over their denial of a request to fund the county's libraries for digital subscriptions to The New York Times.
  21. Body found in burning vehicle by Pasco deputies
    Nov. 2, 2019• Crime
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates.
  22. Brooksville man, 78, dies after vehicle hits tree
    Nov. 2, 2019• Hernando
    Check tampabay.com for the latest breaking news and updates.
  23. Pinellas deputy cleared in death of Guatemalan man stopped over false report
    Oct. 31, 2019• Pinellas
    A photo of Baudilio Morales Velásquez, a father of six and Guatemalan migrant who was badly injured and ended up in a coma after an encounter with Pinellas County sheriff's deputies on the night of Aug. 18. He died on Aug. 31. (Courtesy of the Morales family)
  24. Census is yet another worry for Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Michael
    Oct. 18, 2019• Florida Politics
    The sun sets over a slab which once served as a foundation for a home on Mexico Beach in May.