When Lisa Vacante was ready to buy a home in St. Petersburg, she chose the popular Kenwood neighborhood because it was “right smack in the middle of a no evacuation zone.” “My dad and grandfather lived in Shore Acres and I saw how high the water got every time it rained,

The death toll from Hurricane Milton in Florida rose to 17 on Friday as rescuers continued their efforts to reach residents in the Tampa Bay area who remained trapped by floodwaters triggered by record rainfalls.

In the hours before Hurricane Milton hit, forecasters worried it could send as much as 15 feet of water rushing onto the heavily populated shores of Florida’s Tampa Bay