Page 5 - Barbara Hoffman News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Georjean Bailey

When Hurricane Idalia churned past the Tampa Bay area in August, a battering storm surge sliced Pinellas County beaches. In the first weeks after the storm, a glimpse of the economic toll was quick to emerge: Idalia had caused tens of millions of dollars in damage to Pinellas coastlines. The county has already signed off on $23.5 million to restore destroyed sand dunes. The environmental toll ...

Storm surge from the major hurricane dismantled more than 60 turtle nests, according to Clearwater Marine Aquarium.

Larger-than-life attorney Jack McManus is best remembered for his high profile acquittals and the commercials that emphasized his cowboy persona.

North of touristy Clearwater Beach and west of Dunedin sits a cluster of quiet islands. They are state parks — lacking the accessibility and white sand beaches to the south. Instead, these barrier islands are home to redfish, loggerhead turtles and gulls. Hurricane Idalia’s storm surge widened island passes, thrashed vegetation and displaced nesting wildlife. In exchange, coastal Pinellas — ...