Top Florida News Stories In 2021: Red Tide, Piney Point, Surfside Condo Collapse

FLORIDA — From the Buccaneers, Rays and the Lightning making Tampa Bay "Champa Bay" to the COVID-19 vaccines, the investigation of what happened to Gabby Petito and the search for Brian Laundrie dominated the Florida news in 2021.

Concerned about the disappearance of 22-year-old Gabby Petito, Florida residents along with people across the nation were glued to the news and social media looking for answers about what happened to her. The Long Island native's boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, return to their North Port, Florida, home in early September without her.

Petito and Laundrie embarked on a cross-country trip in a small van owned by Petito in June, North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison said. The couple's goal was to stop by national and state parks on their way to the West Coast.

"She maintained regular contact with her family members during her travels; however, that communication abruptly stopped around the end of August,"Garrison said.

She had also been posting her travel adventures to Instagram. One of her last Instagram posts shows a photo of her smiling in front of a butterfly mural holding an art craft in her hands.

According to police in Utah, the couple fought Aug. 12; a passerby told authorities in a 9-1-1 call they saw a man slap a woman inside a van, and hit her when the couple got out. Fast forward to Aug. 27, and a couple vacationing in the area saw Petito and Laundrie in a fight as they left Merry Piglets Tex-Mex restaurant.

Her body was found weeks later near Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. An autopsy concluded she died of strangulation and the cause of death was a homicide.

Laundrie returned home alone to Florida in Petito's van Sept. 1 and was reported missing by his parents Sept. 17. About a month later his body was found in a Sarasota park with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Gabby Petito, Brian Laundrie Missing/Homicide Case

As the FBI and Florida law enforcement agencies investigated the death of Petito and searched for about a month in Sarasota County parks for Laundrie before finding his remains Oct. 20 in the Carlton Reserve and the Myakkahatchee Creek Environment , police had spent $200,000 on overtime.

• Laundrie Shot Self In The Head, Gun Missing From Home: Report
• Photos: The Search For Gabby Petito and Brian Laundrie
• Gabby Petito Foundation Plans Scholarships On Long Island
• Gabby Petito Memorial Removed From Laundrie Yard: Report
• Utah PD To Return Gabby Petito Bodycam Fees To Press: Report
• FBI Has Info Needed To Investigate Laundrie Death, Attorney Says
• Police Spent $200K On Overtime During Laundrie Search: Report

Tampa Bay Named Champa Bay With Bucs As Super Bowl Champions, Lightning Take The Stanley Final Cup, Rays Win The American League East Championship

Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the 2021 Super Bowl champions with the three touchdowns quarterback Tom Brady threw in the first half of Super Bowl 55, and Leonard Fournette who ran in a 29-yard touchdown in a 31-9 win against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Tampa Bay Lightning kept the Stanley Cup at home in Tampa with their consecutive win in July against the Montreal Canadiens, 1-0. Tampa Bay Lightning became back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions.

Although the Tampa Bay Rays didn't make it to the World Series like they did in 2020, they clinched the second straight AL East title with a win over in-state rival Marlins.

• Lightning Does It Again: Stanley Cup Stays In Tampa
• Super Bowl Bound: Bucs Head Home To Make History
• Brady, Gronk Lead Bucs To Lopsided Super Bowl Win Over Chiefs
• Rays Clinch American League East Championship 2021
• 'Big Mistake' To Announce Rays Move To Montreal During Playoffs

Surfside Condominium Collapse

Authorities identified More than 90 bodies recovered at the site of the June 24 collapse of the Champlain Towers South condo building in Miami. A county circuit judge said families of the victims will get at least $150 million. One of the victim's found at the collapse was a city of Miami firefighter's 7-year-old child.

• FL Condo Collapse: Victims Will Get $150M; 97 Victims Identified
• 4 Victims Identified, 9 Confirmed Dead In FL Condo Collapse
• FL Condo Collapse: Work Resumes At Surfside, 18 Dead, 145 Missing
• 2 Chicago Men Among Those Missing In Florida Building Collapse
• FL Condo Collapse: President Biden To Visit Surfside Thursday
• Surfside Condo Collapse Is Third Largest Building Failure In Country's History

Piney Point, Red Tide

Tampa Bay residents and visitors had a summer that reeked of thousands of dead fish floating along Bay area waters because of red tide.

It began with Piney Point, a former phosphate processing plant in Palmetto, at the end of March. A breach in the reservoir that contained polluted wastewater threatened to flood parts of Manatee County. To prevent flooding, millions of gallons was pumped into Tampa Bay. This also caused nearby businesses, homes and the Manatee County Jail to be evacuated.

Florida's former chief science officer, Tom Frazer, told WUSF News that although the discharge didn't cause the red tide along Florida's west coast, the nutrient-laden wastewater that leaked from the phosphate plant may have helped fuel existing bloom outbreaks resulting in red tide.

• What’s Going On At Piney Point? 5 Things You Should Know
• Inmates At Manatee County Jail Evacuated Sunday Evening
• $200 Million Could Be Added To FL Budget For Piney Point Clean-Up
• 400 Million Gallons Of Contaminated Water To Be Discharged In Bay
• DeSantis Accused Of Red Tide Negligence, Economy Affected
• Volunteering To Pick Up Dead Fish? Here Are The 7 Dumpster Areas
• Removal Of Dead Fish From St. Pete Shoreline Seeks State Help
• Piney Point Deep-Well Injection Permit Approved: Manatee County

School Mask Mandates, Vaccine Mandates

School mask mandates across Florida, and employees required to get vaccinations or lose their jobs was closely followed with mixed concerns from Floridians, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, school districts, parents and health officials.

• COVID-19 Mandates Won't Cost Floridians Their Jobs: DeSantis
• Families Defeat Gov. Ron DeSantis Over FL School Mask Lawsuit
• FL Mask Mandate Fight Not Over, Feds Investigate Schools
• DeSantis' Mask Mandate Ban Struck Down For 2nd Time: Reports
• DeSantis To Appeal School Mask Ruling In Bid To Reinstate Ban
• US Vaccine Mandate Targeted By FL Lawmakers In Special Session
• DeSantis Sues Biden Over Vaccine Mandates For Businesses
• Vaccine Mandates Would Put Thousands Out Of Work: Gov. DeSantis
• Omicron Cases Explode In Florida: See Latest CDC Data