Florida Year In Review: 10 Top-Read Stories In 2019

ACROSS FLORIDA — Between now and New Year's, Patch will take a look back at 2019 and review some of the biggest news stories from the year.

Here are the 10 top-read articles on Florida Patch sites in 2019:

Jewelry and accessories retailer Charming Charlie filed for bankruptcy and closed all of its 261 Florida stores in August. The news marked another closing in what's been a rough year for national retailers nationwide.

Another National Retailer Closing 21 Florida Stores

In February, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office arrested Port Richey Mayor Dale "Doc" Massad after they said he fired shots at a SWAT Team that was raiding his home on orders from the Department of Law Enforcement. The FDLE was investigating him for practicing medicine without a license.

Port Richey Mayor Arrested After Shooting At SWAT Team: Sheriff

When the results of a home DNA testing kit from an Ocala woman were entered into the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's statewide database, alarm bells went off. The woman's DNA showed she was related to a man who left behind his DNA during a 1998 rape in Pinellas County. Investigators helped the woman trace her relatives, leading to the arrest of a 61-year-old man in Niles, Michigan. Tampa Bay law enforcement predict this is the first of many unsolved cases that will be closed with the help of home DNA kits.

Home DNA Testing Kit Leads To Arrest Of Man in 1998 Rape Case

Florida residents were gratified to learn that 35 of the state's hospitals made U.S. News and World Report's listing of best hospitals in the country for 2017-18.

35 Best Hospitals In Florida: U.S. News & World Report

Fans were shocked when popular Tampa Bay rapper, Nina Boss Da Boss (aka Jimmiel Spillman-Ingram) was gunned down at her home in North Tampa. The 31-year-old performer left behind six children, the youngest just 2 months old and the oldest 11 years old.

Popular Tampa Rapper Among 2 Killed In Shootings Tuesday

Operating a charter boat is the bread and butter of many Tampa Bay residents. Therefore, licensed charter board captains celebrated a crackdown on illegally operated charter boats by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Coast Guard Cracks Down On Illegal Charter Boats

Dog lovers who frequent Fort DeSoto Park were alarmed when Pinellas County issued a warning against bringing their dogs to the popular beach after two raccoons at the park tested positive for canine distemper virus.

Pinellas Residents Warned Against Bringing Pets To Fort DeSoto

In a tragic story that reverberated with parents throughout Florida, a Winter Haven father was killed in an accident while teaching his 15-year-old son to drive.

Florida Dad Killed Teaching Son To Drive

The severity of the hepatitis A epidemic that struck Florida in 2019 hit home when the Florida Department of Health announced that 18 Floridians had died this year as a result of contracting the virus.

18 Floridians Dead After Contracting Hepatitis A

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium had a surprise visitor during the 2019 turtle nesting season. A rare Kemp's ridley sea turtle made a nest at an undisclosed location on a Clearwater beach. Listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the Kemp's ridley sea turtle faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate future, according to the Sea Turtle Conservancy.

World's Rarest Sea Turtle Makes Nest On Beach In Clearwater