TAMPA, Fla. — Good morning Tampa Bay!
Let's get started with the stories you need to know about.
Today marks 1 year since George Floyd's murder
One year ago, George Floyd was murdered.
Then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on the 46-year-old's neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds, as Floyd repeatedly said "I can't breathe."
A jury convicted Chauvin of murder and manslaughter. Three other ex-officers await trial on charges of aiding and abetting him.
The May 25, 2020, murder of a Black father by a white police officer led to racial justice protests as far away as Sydney, Australia, and as close to home as Tampa.
It’s a moment that changed communities across the country and around the world.
People saw his death from a bystander’s cell phone video, watched his final minutes, and heard his final words, "I can’t breathe."
Those very visible moments generated grief and trauma in so many people, especially Black Americans.
From more widespread talks about 'systematic racism' to the removal of Confederate symbols at a greater pace, here are some of the things that have changed since that day.
Adding a hero
The nation's first underwater dive memorial honoring veterans is getting an addition today.
Circle of Heroes, located 10-miles off the coast of Clearwater, will receive its 13th statute since officially opening to divers in 2019.
A statue honoring Seaman Apprentice William Flores will be lowered 40 feet into the Gulf of Mexico to its "final resting place" by the U.S. Coast Guard.
According to a press release, Flores died in the Blackthorn accident, along with 22 others. Following his death, Flores was posthumously awarded the Coast Guard's highest award for heroism in peacetime.
Flores' statute will stand among the 12 other life-size concrete statues honoring the men and women serving across the U.S. Armed Forces.
Let the rainy season begin!
We know the hurricane season has a start date of June 1 and an end date of Nov. 30. But, what about the rainy season? You know, the warm, humid days that see a storm or two brewing in the afternoon.
After evaluating local thunderstorm science and climatology to define the rainy season in our area, the NWS determined it begins on May 25 and ends on Oct. 10.
Of course, the rainy season can begin abruptly in some years, and the onset can take weeks to develop in other years. So, the beginning of the rainy season is usually a transition period rather than a single date. The actual start of the rainy season can start before May 25, similar to the way hurricanes can form before the official start of hurricane season on June 1.
The rainy season is characterized by warm, humid conditions with nearly daily showers and thunderstorms.