Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
The Florida Department of Transportation is running nightly lane closures on the I-75 southbound Exit 279 off-ramp, SR-56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and SR-52 near I-75 through at least Thursday, Oct. 15.
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Public Safety
Two Port Richey parents face felony child neglect charges after their 6-month-old daughter was hospitalized with a blood alcohol level of 0.383, nearly five times the adult legal limit, after allegedly ingesting vodka mixed into her bottle at a beach outing.
Public Safety
An aftermarket e-bike battery that didn't fit its bike ignited and destroyed a home on Grouper Lane in New Port Richey on Sept. 16, killing the family's dog and displacing four adults and two children, Pasco County Fire Rescue said.
Public Safety
Pasco County commissioners approved $235.4 million for 20 hurricane recovery and infrastructure projects, but the county faces a five-year federal deadline to complete the work or risk repaying the funds.
Public Safety
FDOT's $19.8 million repaving of SR 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in Wesley Chapel includes two new turn lanes at the Meadow Pointe Boulevard intersection and safety, ADA, signal and lighting upgrades at the Bruce B. Downs intersection, with nightly closures scheduled week by week through fall 2027.
Public Safety
After terminating the county's license plate reader program, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco is proposing a $9 million FEMA-funded drone program that would deploy 86 Skydio drones, including 21 dock-based units on public property.
Public Safety
Pasco County commissioners directed staff to form a technology task force to study license plate readers, drones and surveillance tools, adding a new governance step after a 2-2 commission split and Sheriff Nocco's termination of the county's camera program.
Public Safety
The Pasco Sheriff's Office issued a sextortion warning on Friday, Aug. 28, explaining how scammers use fake social media profiles to obtain intimate images and blackmail victims, and listing four steps residents should take if targeted.
Public Safety
The Pasco Sheriff's Office warned that electric motorcycles cannot be ridden on sidewalks in Pasco County and reminded riders that vehicles not meeting Florida's electric bicycle definition may require registration, licensing and other compliance depending on their legal classification.
Public Safety
Pasco County Fire Rescue confirmed lightning caused the Cobalt Apartments fire, condemned the building over collapse risk, and revealed the blaze burned 25 minutes before anyone called 911 because the fire alarm never activated.
Public Safety
A three-alarm fire destroyed roughly 90 units at the Cobalt Apartments on Jermyn Loop in Wesley Chapel on Thursday, Aug. 20, displacing an estimated 400 residents with no injuries reported and firefighting operations expected to continue through the weekend.
Public Safety
The Pasco County Sheriff's Office issued a "Pause Before Posting" advisory on Aug. 11, the day before school starts, warning parents to conceal school names, ages, teacher names and personal interests in first-day-of-school social media photos because predators actively search for those details.
Public Safety
A 17-year-old reported missing from Land O'Lakes, the community adjacent to Wesley Chapel, was found safe on Thursday, Aug. 6, while Pasco deputies continue searching for a missing 41-year-old man from New Port Richey.
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