FOX 13's Chris Cato

19/10/2024

Hopefully this is the last post-storm I'll have to give you for a very, very, very, very long time. In this episode, even the st*****rs of Florida are thanking utility crews; a man gives a pitiful excuse for trying to sn**ch a generator; floodwaters bring some unwanted visitors close to home; animals are rescued, though one large one in particular was reluctant to leave; the rays of Tropicana Field have a new home. Enjoy!

16/10/2024

Well, I messed up the most important part of our popular "Pet of the Week" segment: telling people how they can adopt the pet! And there is a ton of interest in today's dog, Steven. If you'd like to make him part of your family, just go to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, 3607 N. Armenia Avenue, Tampa. They open at 10:00am, but I will say if you're really interested in Steven, get there EARLY! It's first-come first-serve, and every time we feature a highly desirable dog, people start lining up hours before they open. Let me know if you end up adopting him! I know he'll make a great addition to someone's family. Humane Society of Tampa Bay
https://www.fox13news.com/video/1533041?fbclid=IwY2xjawF9Da5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHYspT9MpzcGLxKjk3KINO9_PNOulzgo1tMMMFXA9Bx4dArOwedxTBlPPUw_aem_k62kF6Ac8v6pop7fS8n3vw

FOX 13's Chris Cato highlights a Golden Doodle named Steven put up for adoption after Hurricane Milton.

12/10/2024

Here is your restoration estimate from Tampa Electric (TECO).
Hillsborough, Pinellas:
55% of you by Sunday
75% by Tuesday
100% by Thursday
All Pasco customers by Monday
All Polk customers by Tuesday

Immediately report downed power lines by calling 877-588-1010. If you smell the rotten-egg odor of natural gas or see a broken natural gas line, move to safety and call 911.

11/10/2024

🚨
https://www.facebook.com/share/R7YaN5UjvUWCSxuz/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Take these Flood Warnings seriously!! Water levels on area rivers typically crest days after a storm passes!

11/10/2024

Many have asked. Here is proof. The poor doggo who was found on the side of I-75 tied to a fence in floodwater is now safely at Leon County Humane Society. He was not returned to his “owner”. Interesting that the Governor’s Office got involved. Still want to know the thought process of the person who tied him there. And the effort to investigate this. Is he microchipped? Glad he’s in a safe place. Kuddos to the state troopers who spotted him.

Update: 10-11-24

We are seeing an unfair response toward the shelter who initially helped Trooper, and the volunteer-run Lost and Found pet group who reported Trooper as returned to owner, and we want to be absolutely clear: This is not acceptable.

Errors happen, especially in stressful, hectic, and emotional circumstances. Trooper is safe. Trooper is also one dog - there are hundreds of animals right now in need of their care and attention and they deserve to be able to focus on that. Let them do their lifesaving work helping animals.

This morning we were able to contact them to get more information on what happened, and we felt terrible having to take up their valuable time to clarify why he was posted as Returned to Owner.

It was an error - the same Trooper who brought him in to be looked over was the one who came back to pick him up for his transfer. Since he was released to the same person who brought him in, he was mistakenly listed as returned to owner, and later updated as transferred to law enforcement. We confirmed that an original owner did not come forward.

Trooper is safe and in our care, and shelters across the US are working hard to provide relief after two major hurricanes hit the south. There’s no reason to be unkind.

We also want to reiterate we are not taking adoption inquiries at this time. We have already received dozens of inquiries, and we understand he is a special and famous dog, but he needs time to decompress in foster so that we can match him with the best fit possible so that he has the best transition into his forever home.

Thank you to everyone who has been supportive and kind during this time!

EDITED TO ADD -

We’re seeing a lot of people reference a reunion that we weren’t informed on, and have no proof of. A comment on a Facebook post isn’t always factual.

We picked him up last night from the Department of Emergency Services after being contacted by the Governor’s office.

We respect our following - we would never lie to you. He’s in our care and we worked directly with government services to accept him in Leon County because of the damage expected to that area.

If his abandonment was a misunderstanding, that’s another reason to not accept applications. If these claims have any basis and reunification is possible, excellent! But as far as we know, we were contacted to take in a dog who needed help, and accepted the call.

If you’re feeling skeptical, continue following us. We’ll show you his journey and we’ll earn your trust.

—

We're sure you've heard about the dog who was left on an evacuation route, tied to a pole on I-75.

This storm was huge, powerful, and we're still learning the extent of how much damage was done. We know that without the help with Florida Highway Patrol Troopers with Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles that this dog would not have made it through. We're grateful the Troopers understood he was a scared and abandoned dog and treated him so patiently and kind during the rescue. They immediately wanted to make his life better and ensure his safety, and we're so thankful that animal abandonment is being taken seriously.

Leaving this dog in this way was completely unacceptable and endangered not only his life, but could have endangered others by causing a hazard on an already busy and stressful evacuation route. It was cruel, and it was thoughtless not only toward him, but toward the people who were trying their best to handle the incoming storm.

We can't imagine the situation that ended with him tied to this pole and left him without any hope. It's hard even to think about how scared he must have been as cars raced by, the water rose to his belly, and the storm clouds darkened.

We wanted to let those who have been following this story know that he is safe and sound, because we've been worried about him since seeing his story. We also want those following to know that we take animal abandonment seriously and will be closely watching his case and using his experience to educate.

His name is Trooper, because of how much he's been through and to honor those who saved him.

We know that many people are going to be interested in adopting him, because he's an amazing dog and deserves the world, and for every terrible person who would leave him like this there are hundreds who would go above and beyond, but right now we aren't accepting any applications or inquiries.

Really really, no inquiries please, we promise to update when he's ready.

He's incredibly stressed and still decompressing. Abandoning a dog like this doesn't typically allow for an immediate bounce back to their happy selves. Most dogs when rescued take a few days to feel safe, a few weeks to come out of their shell, and a few months to become comfortable and fall into a routine.

We have absolutely no idea what his life looked like before he was abandoned. We want to be sure that we know exactly what he needs before even considering adoption, so he'll be in foster care until we feel confident he's ready for the next phase of life, and that his future will be kind to him.

ETA: We've been made aware there is misinformation circling about this dog, we assure you that he is in our care, he was not reunited, and we worked directly with authorities to take him in.

We know that there will be more animals from this storm that need assistance, and even though we already have a busy program from our immediate community, we're here to help our neighbors and beyond. Animals don't know zip codes, they just need help.

If you're able, please consider making a donation through this post or our website, www.leoncountyhumane.org/donate to assist in our daily rescue work so we can continue to help dogs like Trooper, and other animals in need.

10/10/2024

Wow. And a lot of these occurred after the hurricane had passed those locations. 💨

10/10/2024

Max Chesnes, Tampa Bay Times

10/10/2024

🚨Major to locally catastrophic Flash flooding expected from metro Tampa area all the way to the east coast🚨

6 hour rainfall totals of at least 5-8 inches with hourly rainfall in the 2-3 inches per hour range are expected.

09/10/2024

DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR PAUL AND NASH? Haley and I will try to get some of them answered on air during our 8pm hour.

09/10/2024

Get in your place of safety.

🚨 Extreme Wind Warning🚨

Rare extreme wind warning for most of Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties until 930. Sustained winds of 115 mph are likely in the warned area as the eye wall of moves onshore. Stay in the safest room of home until the threat passes.

09/10/2024

Massive population center will likely be getting hurricane force winds when makes landfall. Highest storm surge will be to the south. Per ’s Paul Dellegatto
Long night ahead. Hang in there.

08/10/2024

Note Paul's commentary below.

08/10/2024

New 5pm advisory on Milton just in, showing a slight shift south in the track

08/10/2024

A lot of you have asked me how to watch us if you've evacuated the area and want to keep up with what's going on here. The FOX Local app is the way to go. Here are instructions on how to download it to streaming devices or smart TVs. And you can watch it directly on your on your phone or tablet.
https://www.fox13news.com/fox-local

07/10/2024

The 5pm advisory on bumped up the storm surge forecast. Important point here by Paul. These numbers will depend on the point of landfall, but that point is uncertain two days out, so the NHC has to forecast a worst-case scenario. We should plan for the same. FOX 13 News - Tampa Bay

07/10/2024

05/10/2024

I always struggle over what to do with after a major storm hurts our state. I worry that if I approach it with its usual satire and corniness, it will come off as tone deaf or even disrespectful. I could make the case that people could use a light-hearted distraction now...
But my heart isn't light at the moment.
So I took a different approach with this one: acknowledge the sadness and what caused it, illuminate the selfless actions of neighbors, and convey the hopeful spirit that resides in Floridians. I hope you like what I did with it.
And I know the stories I highlight in this episode are just a fraction of what's out there, so please feel free to leave comments telling me of other selfless deeds and acts of kindness that reflect the resilience of your community.

03/10/2024

Looking for ways to help hurricane victims? Or looking for help yourself? Numerous links and phone numbers in this article. Scroll all the way through.

Hurricane Helene help, resources, and recovery in Florida: Florida State Assistance Information Line, How to apply for FEMA, Disaster Distress Helpline, American Red Cross, Florida Disaster Fund, Price Gouging Hotline.

30/09/2024

Need help with food, household items, home repairs? Here is how to apply for assistance from Florida’s disaster fund.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced the activation of the Florida Disaster Fund to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene on Saturday.

26/09/2024

For those of you messaging me regarding a "shift in track towards Tampa". Storms wobble as they move. The storm is in a deep layer flow towards the Big Bend. Yes, even a small shift or wobble closer to us is not great, but the overall forecast is unchaged. Hopefully a slight wobble east will reduce the threat to Tallahassee.

New 11 pm track from NHC

26/09/2024

For most of us, we will see tropical storm conditions Thursday. There will be gusts near to above hurricane force, but that should be confined to our coastal areas.. Even along the coast, sustained winds should stay below hurricane force. There will be noticeably less wind across our inland counties. The risk for power outages will be high, mainly in our coastal counties.

23/09/2024

The wager. I hope Scott is wrong and my front porch doesn't have to be defiled by that tomato red🍅Packers flag😜 FOX 13's Linda Hurtado FOX 13's Scott Smith

23/09/2024

It’s that time again! With Alabama-Georgia week here, Big Al decided to class up Linda’s desk area and get rid of Hairy Dawg (terrible name) once and for all. Be sure to watch today’s 4pm news as we make our usual “friendly” wager on the game! FOX 13's Linda Hurtado 🐘🌊🐶

21/09/2024

Well it's about time I posted a new one! is here to amuse and amaze. In this episode: an alleged drunk driver takes out a sea turtle nest, a suspected car thief locks himself up, a guy gets busted for alligator possession, baby gators invade a neighborhood, and football is for the birds. Enjoy!