Michael Paluska

After being sidelined for more than a month following back-to-back hurricanes, the commercial fisherman in the historic Village of Cortez is back out hunting.

We sat down with an immigration attorney and undocumented immigrant from Mauritania to see how the asylum process works to help people fleeing persecution gain citizenship while also inspiring bad actors to take advantage of the system.

There is no denying that relief from FEMA for people impacted by natural disasters can be a godsend. But, with that said, the process to qualify for specific aid and the time it takes to payout (with no guarantees) can be a waiting game many people can't stomach.

TAMPA, Fla. — AnimalLuvr's Dream Rescue, Inc., Mercy Full Project, and Pet Pal Animal Shelter stopped by our ABC Action News studios to show off some cute dogs that need a good home.

Soleta Golf Club is a high-end community. It will be gated and contain just under a hundred custom-built luxury residences.

MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. — After a devastating hurricane season, business owners on Madeira Beach are slowly returning to normal.

TAMPA, Fla. — At a large gathering in a Lutz neighborhood, music, singing, and dancing echoed through the streets as hundreds of Syrian Americans gathered to celebrate a free Syria.

On Oct. 1, 2013, the 13th Judicial Circuit Court launched a Veterans Treatment Court. Since then, more than a thousand veterans have graduated from the program and turned their lives around.

A Florida Mystery: Green sea turtle found a mile inland on a rural dirt road Good Samaritans find lost sea turtle a mile from coast Prev Next There is no way to definitively say how a green sea turtle ended up a mile from the coast in Dixie County in the middle of a rural dirt road. Posted 5 minutes ago and last updated 4 minutes ago APOLLO BEACH, Fla. — There is no way to definitively say how a green sea turtle ended up a mile from the coast in Dixie County in the middle of a rural dirt road. Was the turtle disoriented? Storm surge from recent hurricanes? Who knows. Without a giant heap of luck and Good Samaritans discovering the turtle, the majestic creature likely wouldn't have survived. Nov. 11, the green sea turtle was found a mile from Horseshoe Beach at the intersection of SW 583rd Ave and SW Hwy 361. The location is very close to Buck Creek, hence the name "Buckley." "Buckley was found on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, which is not a normal place for a sea turtle to be found," Ashley Riese, Director of the Sea Turtle Conservancy Program at The Florida Aquarium , said. "Without those good Samaritans being in the right place at the right time and actually happening to find Buckley on that dirt road. Who's to say? There was probably no way that Buckley could make it back into the ocean." The Florida Aquarium Buckley the green sea turtle found on a rural dirt road in Dixie County The turtle is now getting a complete medical checkup at the rehabilitation facility in Apollo Beach. "She did have some superficial abrasions on her plastron, which is the bottom part of her shell area. Right now, we're just working with Buckley to put on a little bit of extra weight. The other thing we did have to manage when Buckley first came in was that she did have, or he had low blood glucose levels. So it took us some time creating an individualized medical care plan to make sure Buckley received the treatments that Buckley needed to stabilize that blood glucose level," Riese said. Buckley comes with another mystery. The team doesn't know if Buckley is a boy or a girl. The turtle is a sub-adult, only about 10 years old, so there is no way to tell gender unless they perform a surgical exam, which is invasive and unnecessary for her care. Staff called Buckley him/her during the interview and Paluska did the same thing identifying Buckley as a male in the intro and a female throughout the report, just to clarify the discrepancies. "Buckley, as you can see, is doing fantastic. So, it's just a matter of feeding Buckley, giving Buckley all of the vegetables, sea grass, and seafood that Buckley wants, putting on a little bit of weight, and hopefully releasing Buckley very soon," Riese said. WFTS-TV "Buckley" the green sea turtle rescued off a rural dirt road at the Florida Aquarium Rehab facility in Apollo Beach. Buckley didn't know that her name was the same as another Tampa Bay resident, Ed Buckley. When he learned about her story, human, Buckley had to help. "The story of Buckley, the turtle, is amazing," Buckley said. "When I heard that they had rescued a turtle that had my same last name, how could I not be compelled to come in and help and to be able to come out watch Buckley, and she's very energetic, has just been absolutely amazing. She's going to have an individual medical plan and all these medical bills, so I thought, well, I'll step up. I'll pay for the first half of what we're going to raise. We're trying to raise $15,000, so I was fortunate enough to donate $7,500, and now we're going to raise the other $7,500, hopefully from the Tampa community, maybe the community across Florida, considering that Buckley has traveled so far already up from the Big Bend in Florida." The plan is to get Buckley healthy and release her back into the wild. But she won't get lost again. "We will be placing a satellite transmitter on this turtle," Riese said. "And, then, we can track Buckley on the journey and figure out where Buckley will go." Florida unlicensed contractor faces a bond normally reserved for murderers and violent criminals. Florida unlicensed contractor faces a bond normally reserved for murderers and violent criminals Copyright 2024 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sign up for the Morning Headlines Newsletter and receive up to date information. 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