Erik Waxler

Tampa

Reporter at WFTS-TV (Tampa, FL)

Emmy winning veteran of the tv news biz @abcactionnews in Tampa, @UFJSchool grad. Star of Netflix's #TigerKing2

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Articles

Broken hydrant causes concern as dozens lose homes to Tampa apartment fire

2 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

TAMPA — About 20 units at the Bay Colony Apartments were damaged during a fire early Saturday morning. "I stepped out, and that thing, the blaze, was just the biggest fire I've ever seen, honestly," said Ismael Rivera. Two days after a fire at his Tampa apartment building, Rivera is back, hoping to get some of his belongings. When he ran out of his apartment he said he panicked. "I grabbed my phone, wallet, and then I just went for my clothes. Aside from that, I didn't grab anything else.
Pasco residents prepare for next hurricane season

2 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

HUDSON, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia in 2023 led Robert Laramore to begin elevating his home in Hudson. “It scared us a little bit, so just for my wife and I to have peace of mind,” he said. Unfortunately, the flooding from Hurricane Helene came before the house went up. “It reinforced it, but it also made us ask ourselves did we even want to be in this situation? Do we want to sell out and move? But no, we chose to fight. We are fighters,” said Laramore.
Volunteers bringing historic South Tampa park back to life

2 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

SOUTH TAMPA, Fla. — Even though it sits in one of Tampa’s most prestigious neighborhoods, Fred Ball Park was in bad shape. “I used to bike Bayshore all the time, and it seemed like why is this park so rundown,” said Traci Riley with the Tampa Garden Club. Riley said this is where South Tampa started. “Because Thomas Palmer plotted this land and sold it for $100,” she said. The natural spring here was turned into a Venetian-style pool that people flocked to.
Contractor recommendations big help in hurricane recovery

3 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

GULF HARBORS, Fla — Out in front of Julie Randall’s house, right next to the driveway, there is a sign where she is posting recommendations for businesses that can help her neighbors. “Like the sign says I don't want any negative comments because they are a waste of time. People in the neighborhood who have used these contractors as well as some more comments coming in, we want to know how good they were. Their prices. Were they trustworthy. Did they do a great job,” said Randall.
Pasco's new Angeline development billed as 'a city in the making'

3 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Matthew Troncone is one of the first people to move to Angeline, a development in Pasco County billed as a "city in the making.""I tell everybody, 'You’re pioneers. You’ve got to think of the Old West when everybody went out for the gold rush. That’s basically what you are doing here,'" Troncone said. Angeline occupies over 6,000 acres between State Road 52 and Ridge Road in central Pasco County.
Tampa readies to host 4th Women's NCAA Final Four

3 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

TAMPA, Fla — If you didn't know the Women's Final Four was coming to Tampa week, the life-sized bracket might be a good clue. We already know South Carolina and UCLA have won their way to Tampa. We'll find out the other two teams Monday night. The signs are all over downtown that the Final Four is on the way. It's the 4th time Tampa has hosted this event and the finishing touches are being done at Amalie Arena. Danielle Carroll just flew in from Maryland for the festivities.
Is Wesley Chapel ready to become a city? Chamber wants to study incorporation

3 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Cornelius Demps opened his law firm in Wesley Chapel and moved his family here from St. Petersburg. “If you tell people you live in Wesley Chapel, you might as well tell them you live on Mars. They think it’s on the other side of the universe,” Demps said. “People are surprised to see how much Wesley Chapel has grown and how it’s changed and how it’s continued to thrive economically,” Demps said. Wesley Chapel is a lot of things. “It’s booming.
Gulf Harbors community still rebuilding six months after Hurricane Helene

4 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

PASCO COUNTY — While working to get her own home renovated, Jodi Pobst has also been trying to help her neighbors navigate the difficulties that have followed Hurricane Helene. “Many many people including myself still not home,” she said. The storm six months ago brought historic flooding to the Gulf Harbors community along Pasco County’s coastline. “In a way, it’s the rebuilding of a whole neighborhood,” said Pobst. Down every street, you’ll see storage units filled with belongings.
University of Tampa's bell tower featured in documentary at Gasparilla Film Fest

4 weeks ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

TAMPA, Fla. — At first, Andrew Lee wasn’t sure he’d be interested in making a documentary about a bell tower. But that changed once he started looking into the people behind the creation at the University of Tampa, known as an Ars Sonora. “I think people will be surprised at how much emotion is tied to this project. On one hand, you have this family in France that this really represents the culmination of, like, centuries of innovation for them.
Pasco County sees benefits from international exchange program

1 month ago | abcactionnews.com | Erik Waxler

PASCO COUNTY — Germersheim, Germany, is nearly 5000 miles away from where Mitchell Wilkins works for Pasco County's utilities department. But he jumped at the chance to spend time there. "I just thought it was a great opportunity to experience the culture or a different country and see how they work,” said Wilkins. Wilkins took his first-ever plane ride and went to Germany as part of an exchange program coordinated by Rotary International. He worked for a water and natural gas company there.