Florida
Florida’s first injured K9 air medical transport program launched by Tampa General Aeromed
TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time in Florida, life-saving air medical care is available not just for people, but for K9s injured in the line of duty.
Through a new partnership between Tampa General Hospital’s Aeromed team and veterinary specialists in Manatee County, injured K9s can now receive advanced trauma care during helicopter transport, dramatically cutting down response times when every second counts.
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What we know:
The Aeromed team at Tampa General Hospital is now trained and equipped to treat and transport injured law enforcement K9s by air. The program makes TGH the first in Florida, and the fourth in the nation, to offer this level of pre-hospital emergency care for police dogs.
Specialized K9 medical kits are now stored on each Aeromed helicopter. Flight nurses and paramedics have also trained law enforcement officers, fire rescue crews and EMS personnel across multiple counties in canine life support.
The partnership includes the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch, where critically injured K9s can be transported for advanced care.
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The backstory:
The effort began after a K9 in Highlands County was seriously injured during a mission. With no veterinarian immediately available, deputies had to drive the dog nearly 50 minutes to Polk County for treatment.
Flight nurse Donny Richardson with Tampa General Hospital realized there was a major gap in emergency care for law enforcement K9s. While military working dogs have established trauma protocols, similar pre-hospital systems did not exist in the civilian world until recently.
Richardson sought out training through Tampa Fire Rescue at MacDill Air Force Base and began building a civilian K9 trauma response program from the ground up.
How does the program work?
Training includes the use of a highly advanced canine medical simulator named “Hero,” a $33,000 trainer modeled after U.S. military K9 Astra, who served in Afghanistan. The simulator can bleed, breathe and replicate traumatic injuries, allowing crews to practice advanced treatment techniques.
READ: FWC investigating spike in manatee deaths over the past week
According to Richardson, the philosophy is simple: A heart is a heart, whether human or canine.
Since launching the initiative, the Aeromed team has:
- Trained TGH Aeromed staff in Hillsborough, Highlands, Polk and Charlotte counties.
- Certified about half a dozen fire rescue agencies in the state.
- Certified 20 sheriff’s offices across Florida.
The program also includes the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Last month, their skills were put to the test through the Manatee County Sheriff’s Offices Mass Casualty Incident Drill. The TGH Aeromed helicopter was staged at Mosquito Control. East Manatee Fire Rescue coordinated the flight takeoff and landing.
“We gave one of the deputies the simulator and the aircraft came, and he came running out with that simulator in both hands,” TGH Aeromed Flight Paramedic James Hutson said. “Our crews had no idea the receiving hospital had no idea. Everybody thought this was a Life Flight.”
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Why you should care:
Law enforcement K9s are often deployed into high-risk situations, from suspect apprehensions to narcotics detection and search operations. In trauma cases, minutes can determine survival.
With helicopter transport and advanced life support on board, response times that once took nearly an hour by patrol car can now be reduced to minutes.
Dr. Devon Diaz, a critical care specialist at the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch, called the partnership “amazing,” saying it allows injured K9s to receive advanced treatment faster than ever before.
The center is one of only three VEX-certified emergency and critical care facilities in Florida.
What’s next:
The TGH team plans to continue training agencies across the state and expand instruction beyond Florida, with upcoming training sessions scheduled in Kentucky. Diaz is also helping advance trauma standards nationwide through the rollout of the Veterinary Advanced Trauma Life Support (VetATLS) course later this year.
The Source: This story is based on reporting from a multi-agency mass casualty drill in Manatee County, along with interviews conducted by FOX 13 News with flight nurse Donny Richardson, flight paramedic James Hutson of Tampa General Hospital Aeromed, and Dr. Devon Diaz of the Veterinary Medical Center at Lakewood Ranch.
The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots.
Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Friday, July 10, 2026.
Winning Mega Millions numbers from July 10 drawing
02-39-44-46-56, Mega Ball: 23
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Jackpot Triple Play numbers from July 10 drawing
11-15-32-40-45-46
Check Jackpot Triple Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from July 10 drawing
Midday: 11-20-21-24-25
Evening: 06-11-15-20-33
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 10 drawing
Morning: 15
Matinee: 13
Afternoon: 09
Evening: 04
Late Night: 08
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Winning Pick 2 numbers from July 10 drawing
Midday: 6-0, FB: 5
Evening: 0-4, FB: 8
Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 10 drawing
Midday: 7-5-3, FB: 5
Evening: 5-8-1, FB: 8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 10 drawing
Midday: 2-2-4-2, FB: 5
Evening: 0-4-4-1, FB: 8
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from July 10 drawing
Midday: 4-4-6-0-0, FB: 5
Evening: 9-2-9-8-1, FB: 8
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
- Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
- Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.
You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.
Florida law requires public disclosure of winners
If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:
- Full name
- City of residence
- Game won
- Date won
- Amount won
- Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.
When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
The day has finally arrived. On July 10, hundreds of professional and amateur snake hunters entered the annual Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day race to remove as many of the invasive animals as possible from the Everglades. The person who bags the most snakes will earn a $10,000 first-place prize, while another $15,000 in payouts will go to various other categories, including for the longest snake captured.
Conservationists estimate between 100,000 and 300,000 Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) live across the state’s subtropical regions, where they have thrived as apex predators since their accidental introduction into the wild during the 1970s. Pregnant females can lay upwards of 70 eggs at a time, and each hatchling can reach an adult length of 13-feet long. Despite their population explosion, only around five percent of all pythons are spotted by the average onlooker. That means only one in about 20 snakes are noticed on any given day.
Over 600 people registered to participate in this year’s Florida Python Challenge as of July 7, according to Naples Daily News. Last year saw more than 900 local and international competitors, and the largest snake captured measured nearly 16 feet long. The annual event isn’t a free-for-all, however. Every hunter must complete a safety course prior to scouring for snakes, and while guns are allowed on private land with owner’s permission, all pythons must be euthanized as humanely as possible.
It may come as a surprise, but beheading one of the massive, coiling predators absolutely isn’t an ethical means of disposal. Because the snakes possess extremely slow metabolisms and can survive with very low amounts of oxygen, they can remain conscious (and in immense pain) for a prolonged period of time after decapitation. Instead, hunters are recommended to draw an imaginary line from each eye to the opposite jaw bone, then locate where those paths intersect. Then can then use a sharp rod or screwdriver to impale the top of the head before moving the tool in a multilateral direction to ensure an immediate loss of consciousness and a quick death. No one said python hunting was for the squeamish.
The Florida Python Challenge will end at 5 p.m. EDT on July 19, with champions announced soon afterwards.
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HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A driver accused of driving under the influence caused a head-on crash that sent two people to the hospital before crashing into a fence, abandoning his vehicle and fleeing the scene, authorities said.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, at about 11:42 p.m. Tuesday, Kelly Castleman was driving on Turner Road in Tampa when he crashed into a sedan, causing it to strike an SUV and resulting in a head-on collision. The drivers of the sedan and the SUV were taken to the hospital with serious and critical injuries.
See also: Armed Florida man arrested after setting restaurant on fire with propane tank, police say
Deputies say Castleman’s vehicle continued north before crashing through a fence. According to the sheriff’s office, he stopped in the backyard of a nearby residence and then fled the scene on foot.
Castleman was found about a mile from his apartment and taken into custody. Investigators say he provided breath samples of 0.287 and 0.283.
Castleman is charged with DUI with serious bodily injury, DUI with a breath-alcohol level of 0.15 or higher and property damage, leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene of a crash involving unattended property.
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