The 118th annual Epiphany is this Saturday. Thousands of people are expected to be in Tarpon Springs to see the cross dive at the Spring Bayou. The diver who retrieves the cross is considered blessed for the entire year. ABC Action News met with George Stamas, the young man who retrieved the cross in 2023, to learn his advice for all the teenagers taking part this weekend. This third one right here. To me, it was the best boat to go to. So, the night before, I jumped off here when it was even colder and swam there and said a little prayer. I made sure I felt that boat out, said Stamas. His str ..read more

A Tarpon Springs woman is behind bars after allegedly beating a child with a belt, according to an affidavit.Tarpon Springs police said Schnique Latrelle McCluster, 43, left an 18-inch mark on a young boy's back after hitting him with a belt. She was allegedly intoxicated during the attack.Police said McCluster did not know the child and said she hit him because he was cussing at her.According to the affidavit, the child’s mother then confronted McCluster. Prompting McCluster and her 23-year-old son, Cameron Lamount Bush to start attacking her.According to police, the pair stomped the mother’s ..read more

Christian Chrysakis’ face lights up when he talks about what it means to find the cross during the epiphany celebration.“Me and one of my best friends caught the cross the year before and we talk about it all the time. It’s always a conversation starter,” said Chrysakis, who found the cross in 2018.This is the 116th year for the Epiphany in Tarpon Springs which celebrates the Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist.“As the week nears my adrenaline pumps. For me, I look at the epiphany day as a reaffirmation of my faith,” said Mike Kouskoutis, Chairman of the Divers.And whi ..read more

As steady traffic hummed by on U.S. 19, an osprey's cry pierced the monotony. Thursday afternoon, Chris Hrabovsky strolled through the thick sand up to a fence on the side of the highway.“This is the entranceway to 74 acres of pristine beauty,” he said, as he stared out across the sprawling landscape of pines and mangroves behind the fence.There, along the Anclote River in Tarpon Springs, Texas-based developer Morgan Group wants to build 404 apartment homes in five four-story buildings. The project, known as Anclote Harbor, got the approval of the Tarpon Springs City Commission in a 3-1 vote l ..read more

Tarpon Springs city commissioners discussed a proposed multi-family development that includes 404 residential apartment units Tuesday evening. The proposed site of the apartment complex is on the Anclote River next to U.S. Highway 19 in Tarpon Springs. The first reading was approved on Oct. 28, 2021, at a city commission meeting. A second reading is scheduled for Tuesday night, Nov. 9.At the meeting in October, the board of commissioners listened to more than 10 hours of discussion. Environmental groups and residents said they are against the project because they want to protect wildlife. They ..read more

Chris Kuster, a quadriplegic who draws with his mouth, just finished illustrating his first children’s book "Nick Springer On The Move," about a Paralympic athlete who overcomes the odds.Kuster always loved drawing as a kid.“I was 21-years-old and I was involved in a shallow diving accident,” said Kuster.He accepted he would live the rest of his life as a quadriplegic, but what he didn’t accept is that he would never draw again. He began using his mouth to hold the pencil.“I struggled at first thinking, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do this,’ and then I started seeing it was a lot easier than you ..read more

Many of us are looking for ways to remain active while also staying a safe distance away from others. That's why Sarah Phinney started 'Sarah's Walking Club’ to highlight some hidden, and some not so hidden, trails and parks across Tampa Bay.Get in the Halloween spirit by searching for pumpkins in downtown Tarpon Springs!The second annual Great Tarpon Springs Pumpkin Hunt kicked off October 1 and runs through October 24.“You have three full weeks to come down to Tarpon Springs, get some steps in and learn where all the pumpkins are,” said Ashley Harter, Tarpon Springs Recreation Special Event ..read more

A family with two young children lost their home in Tarpon Springs and nearly everything in it to a fire that was likely caused by a lightning strike.In a split second, everything changed for the Stephenson family: Kailyn, Adam, and their two young boys, a 4-year-old and an 18-month-old.“Lightning struck very loudly, very close, and I knew immediately that we were a direct hit,” said Kailyn Stephenson. “I said, ‘Adam, we were just hit by lightning.’ And he goes yeah that was really close. And I said, ‘No, no, we were just, our house was just hit by lightning.”They got up and started to check t ..read more

Police are looking for the man they say shot at another driver during a road rage incident.According to police, the victim reported that on Sunday, September 12 he was driving his vehicle north on US 19, just north of Tarpon Ave., around 2 p.m., when the driver of another vehicle fired four or five rounds at his car. Police found bullet holes on the rear passenger area of the victim's vehicle. The victim says the incident started near East Lake Rd. and Keystone Rd., when the suspect vehicle "cut him off". After the suspect vehicle "cut off" the victim's vehicle for a second time both vehicles ..read more

With the COVID-19 variant surging in Florida, the stress on healthcare workers continues.“Staffers are just very tired. We are doing the best we can to support them. But I think that’s been their biggest challenge is they are worn out. And they are ready for this to end," said AdventHealth North Pinellas CEO Jason Dunkel.Part of the issue is overcrowding.AdventHealth officials say they are at capacity with more than 600 COVID patients in the Tampa Bay region.But next week a newly-renovated emergency room will be opening in Tarpon Springs at North Pinellas hospital.It has 18 private rooms, a he ..read more