Politics & Government
St. Pete Road Renaming Would Honor Sailor Killed In FL Shooting
Florida lawmakers are pondering House Bill 841, which would rename a road near the Gandy Bridge after a sailor who was fatally shot in 2019.
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Florida lawmakers are working to name a road that passes through both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in honor of a fallen sailor who reportedly died in a December 2019 Pensacola shooting at a Naval Air Station.
Mohammed "Mo" Haitham, 19, was killed alongside Ensign Joshua Watson and Petty Officer 3rd Class Cameron Walters after a Saudi Arabian student shot into a classroom at the training facility, both WFLA and the Pensacola News Journal reported.
Eight people were injured, and officers killed the accused shooter, the outlets reported.
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Five years later, House Bill 841 could rename a road on the Gandy Bridge to AWF3 Mohammed "Mo" Haitham Memorial Way. Rep. Michele Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, sponsors the bill.
HB 841 was last with the Infrastructure Strategies Committee in early February. If enacted, the law would become effective on July 1.
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WFLA reported the Gandy Bridge would stand as is, and the renaming would solely affect the road that travels across the bridge.
Haitham was a St. Petersburg native and a former track and field athlete for Lakewood High School.
Read more about Haitham via WFLA and the Pensacola News Journal.
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