Flooding Woes, Gator Found With Human Body, Wrong-Way Driver

Patch operates 23 daily news sites in Florida. The following are some of the top stories from the past day:

Tampa Bay Area Flood Watch Extended

The National Weather Service has extended a flood watch for most Tampa Bay area counties through 8 p.m. Wednesday night. According to the agency, a trough of low pressure over the area will continue to dump rain on already saturated areas.

Gator Found With Human Body In Its Mouth

A resident of Florida Presbyterian Homes in Lakeland made a grisly discovery Tuesday afternoon, sparking a mystery that Lakeland Police are now trying to unravel. It seems the unnamed resident called 911 after spotting an alligator with what appeared to be a human body in its mouth.

Wrong-Way Driver Caught With Toddler In Car: Deputies

A 31-year-old Ruskin woman faces a number of criminal charges after Hillsborough County deputies say they caught her driving the wrong way with a toddler in her car.

Felon Captured After Pursuit, Crash In Pinellas

A 44-year-old convicted felon wanted on several new charges is back in custody after a Tarpon Springs Police officer happened to spot him late Tuesday morning. Kitran Hendrix didn’t go quietly, however, the police department wrote in an email to media.

30 Evacuated From Largo Neighborhood

As floodwaters related to heavy rainfall dumped on the area courtesy of Tropical Storm Colin continued to rise Tuesday, the Largo Fire Department suspected problems might crop up at Mariner’s Cove Mobile Home Park off 58th Avenue.

Watch: Manatee Crashes Florida Backyard

A St. Petersburg woman got quite a surprise over the weekend when she found unusual visitors in her backyard. It seems two manatees took advantage of high waters to pay her a personal visit.

Restaurant Inspections: 19 Roaches, Dirty Oven, Flies

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation ordered emergency closures at four area eateries last week when conditions inside didn’t meet state guidelines for health and safety.

Partially Treated Wastewater Discharged Into Tampa Bay

St. Petersburg and several other local government began releasing partially treated wastewater into Tampa Bay Tuesday afternoon to address system overload issues reported in Pinellas County.

Photo of flooding in Largo courtesy of the Largo Police Department