Weather

There may only be a few weeks left of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, but the basin remains active as forecasters continue to monitor a weakening Tropical Storm Rafael in the Gulf of Mexico and Invest 98L swirling near the Bahamas.

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) worker was fired after she directed workers helping hurricane survivors in Lake Placid, Florida not to go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump, according to the agency.

With only a few weeks left in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, tropical activity is heating up once again. 

The 36th Tarpon Springs Seafood Festival kicked off on Friday and runs through Sunday, but residents and business owners said after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, this year’s festival means so much more.

Treasure Island residents working to rebuild said to return home their contractors need permits from the city, but a backlog of permits means many can't get started. Some neighbors said red tape and confusion at City Hall is contributing to the slow process.

Powerful Hurricane Rafael has strengthened in the Gulf of Mexico after slamming into Cuba as a major hurricane on Wednesday and continues to crawl westward slowly.

Thousands of families across the Tampa Bay area were forced to rip out their drywall before mold grew after back-to-back hurricanes, and now they're waiting for permits and contractors. But, there is something homeowners can do while they wait that will save them from future storms. 

Close to 250 volunteers came out to Clearwater Beach on Friday morning to kick off the Big Cleanup Clearwater.

Since the storms, there have been a lot of signs in the roadway medians advertising contractor services, but many are taking advantage of people during their most desperate times, so law enforcement officials set up an unlicensed contractor sting in Pinellas County that led to the arrests of nearly 40 people over two days.