Episode 97: Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge disaster

The 2022 season of "Welcome to Florida" has been about uncovering forgotten stories. We continue today as the anniversary of the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge collapses approaches. On May 9, 1980, a container ship was blown off course by a freak weather system and into a piling of the Tampa Skyway Bridge. The collision caused a span of the bridge to collapse, sending 35 travelers over the edge and to their death below.Bill DeYoung wrote the definitive book on the tragedy, "Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay's Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down." Bill, a St. Pete native who now works at the St. Petersburg Catalyst, a local news source, joins us to discuss the accident and the ship's pilot.This week's episode is brought to you by Visit Sarasota where polo season has just wrapped up! That's right, Sarasota has polo. Sunday matches are open to the public mid-December through April. Learn more at www.sarastoapolo.com and begin planning your next getaway at VisitSarasota.com.