ATM Explosion
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are joining the investigation with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office after an explosion occurred at an ATM located in Oldsmar.
The Sheriff’s Office says that it happened early this morning at a BB&T bank branch.
The drive-thru was damaged, but there were no reports of injuries.
Health Care Announcement
Today Florida Governor Ron Desantis announced a new initiative to bring transparency to the healthcare industry.
“You know, we think that this is a powerful tool that can be used as we look to innovate in healthcare and to save costs,” Desantis stated.
The new web tool shows pricing and quality information for common health care services.
You can go to the website to find medical procedures and costs in your area.
The site features an interactive search for services by body part.
The site also shows average price ranges and recommends questions to ask your doctor.
Desantis stated he is starting to governor transparency award in healthcare to honor hospitals and surgical centers that show dedication to price and quality transparency.
Voting Day Preview
Polls open tomorrow, Nov. 5, across Tampa Bay.
A diverse number of local leaders, from mayors to city council members, are on the ballots.
Eight candidates are vying for four open city council seats in Saint Petersburg.
Voters in Seminole Heights will elect a new mayor, council members and decide on several amendments.
Voting will also span across Polk, Sarasota and Manatee Counties.
Tampa Veterans
With over 19.2 million veterans in the United States, Tampa was just named the best place for them to live.
This information from the website WalletHub was created by evaluating four key factors: employment, economy, quality of life and health.
Each category is out of 25 points, which all add up to a possibility of 100 points.
These cities evaluated for their living conditions were also tested for the range of military skill-related jobs, veteran income growth and the availability of VA health facilities.
The website also stated that many veterans hospitals have improved recently, which adds to the evaluation of the best place for a veteran to live.
Manatee Viewing
After this weekend’s cold snap, manatees will be heading to the newly opened viewing center.
The Tampa Electric Company Manatee Viewing Center is now open and free to the public.
“The other thing that we do is release the animals here that have been captured and rehabbed,” said Jamie Woodlee, the senior environmental technician of the center.
The warm waters near Teco’s Big Bend power plant attract manatees once Gulf water temperatures drop below 68 degrees.
“We get a big percentage of manatees in here of the population,” stated Woodlee. “I think last year they counted maybe just over six thousand.”
In addition to viewing manatees, you can get close and personal at the stingray touch tank.
They also have hiking trails, education center, a 50-foot-tall wildlife observation tower and many more things to see.
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