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TAMPA – A blaze destroyed a Hillsborough County home Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out at a home at the corner of Sligh Avenue and Alene Street. The first crews arrived and found the one story home heavily involved in flames. It took crews from Hillsborough and Tampa a couple hours to completely extinguish the flames.

Officials say the home belonged to a Hillsborough County firefighter, who was out of town with family. It is unknown how the fire started.

TAMPA – Hillsborough County deputies are investigating a double shooting in Tampa.

It happened late Sunday night at 10020 Wilder Road. According to a supervisor at the scene, two men were transported to the hospital after a domestic related shooting.

Scanner traffic indicated that a 55-year-old and 53-year-old male sustained gunshot wounds and were transported to Tampa General Hospital. Both were trauma alerts, with one of the males suffering a gunshot wound to the head.

No other information was released at this time.

This morning as I was getting ready to leave my girlfriend’s house for church, the incoming thunderstorm caught my eye.

Storms have always fascinated me since I was a child. The distant thunder along with the refreshing moist winds coming in, was very therapeutic.

It also helped it was very early Sunday morning in rural Odessa. Had I been at home in Tampa this morning, my view would have been obstructed by trees and buildings. There are many things you don’t take note of in a big city.

Sometimes when life is crazy we should recharge and enjoy the simple things in life. Last night, instead of working, I removed myself from my communication devices and just spent some quality time with my girlfriend.

It’s amazing how a incoming thunderstorm can make you realize what is really important.

Enjoy your morning.

I’ve received a few emails asking for an update regarding my issues with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

I’m afraid to say not much. As far as treatment out at scenes in the last couple months, it has been much better. However, I feel that more needs to be addressed here. The fact is, I have been denied the opportunity to make a formal complaint, which seems wrong to me. From many inside sources that unfortunately have no power in the office, I am a victim of the “good old boy” society, where people who are personally familiar with each other will always back each other up.

Another issue is that phone calls to a particular public information officer are not being returned. This PIO was very open in my concerns regarding on scene treatment until my incident in April. In fact, a supervisor suggested that I contact the public information office and meet with one of the PIO’s to discuss my issues. He stated if any of the PIO’s found something unsettling in my video of the confrontation, he would reconsider he opinion. The fact is, I have made a couple calls and they were never returned. Roadblock.

Since then I have only had two issues with HCSO since the April incident. You may remember me describing and posting video of an incident where myself, along with many of the mainstream media were not allowed to walk up to the crime scene tape at a deputy involved shooting.

I was first on scene and was told to stand a block away from the tape. However, when the rest of the media showed up, we all marched up to the tape. After a few minutes of arguing with a deputy, and a reporter contacted the PIO who was at the scene, and finally were allowed up to the tape. I recorded the incident, but I was asked at the reporters request to remove it.

A couple weeks ago I was first on scene at large drug bust. I purposely waited down the street until all suspects were arrested before approaching the scene. I do this not to interfere with K9 tracks, which is a courtesy that is never acknowledged. As soon as all suspects were accounted for, I approached the scene and was stopped on the way.

Even though the neighborhood street was open for vehicular and pedestrian traffic at all times, I was told I cannot not stand directly across the street from the house. Seeming how there were lots of undercover units at that scene, arguing further by my lonesome is not the best idea. I was told by the on scene supervisor and the public information office that covering the story would jeopardize future busts.

However,  soon after I retreated to my vehicle to figure out my next move, HCSO sent a media release regarding the bust. Soon after, a couple other photographers showed up. We were all confused… again, because we were told that covering the story would hurt other investigations. But a media release which included the details of the bust and the physical address were sent minutes after my inquiry. After we as a group argued and phone calls to the public information office were made, we were allowed to proceed to shoot even closer than we wanted.

The question is, why are there inconsistencies in relations between myself and other members of the media? I couple be wrong, but here are a couple of assumptions…

First, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office does not consider myself as part of the media. Well, my pay checks beg to differ. I provide video to local and national news media as a sole means of a living. Instead of a salary, I get paid per story. It has been a great business relationship that has worked very well. I love working with my stations. It’s the best job in the world. Considering that I only get paid for compelling video, I am a stickler for making sure I’m treated fairly.

Second, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is not influenced by me because I’m the little guy. Being independent of my stations means I don’t have the legal backing they have. If a news agency is not being treated fairly, you can bet the station executives and officials will be able to work things out. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect my clients to back me up legally. I am an independent contractor and that’s the way it is and I accept that.

Case in point, you may remember HCSO cutting off direct contact with a local television station due to issues with the stations reporter. I won’t go into why due to the station being a client (conflict of interest). Plus, the details of the dispute are irrelevant to my point. What is relevant is that HCSO gave the station an opportunity to meet with top officials and discuss their problems. They were discussed, an it’s been smooth sailing between them. Why can’t I have an opportunity to speak with officials regarding my problems? Excluding immediate supervisors (buddies).

What seems to be the problem here is that HCSO executives do not like negative publicity and any media who airs any negative stories against the agency, runs the risk of burning bridges. Which is precisely why one of my clients said they wouldn’t air my story. I don’t blame them.

Although stations can always work things out in the long run, my mission is that anyone who wishes to cover the news… whether for a blog, for fun, or as a stringer for a local news station, to have the same treatment and courtesy as other journalists. If I’m not in the way, let me be. Making up lame reasons why I can’t be in a certain place will not cut it anymore. I cringe at the fact that other people who are less informed on their rights are probably not questioning any type of authority figure. It’s happening all over the country.

Here are the principles that if were applied, would resolve all of my grievances…

Anything in public view can be photographed regardless of who is taking the pictures. You cannot remove a person with a camera from public property that is still open to the public. And law enforcement offers are subject to photography. This is based on very recent case law, lawsuits, and our US Constitution.

I am not out to get the sheriff’s office and have no vendetta against them. As soon as my problems are solved, I will shut my trap. There are at least two other agencies whom I’m working to resolve issues. Since I am getting the time of day from them, I’ve kept my grievances private. It is obvious that I am not being taken seriously by this agency, so this is my only voice.

I know I won’t make friends by speaking out, but this issue is bigger than myself. I have lost friends in this process, but they are the same people who either cannot decipher what’s wright from wrong, are easily influenced and silenced by others, and don’t care about problems until they explode to a point where it is impossible to correct them. I don’t need people like that in my life anyway.

I have been reading both negative, positive, and neutral comments on Photography is Not A Crime,  Slater 911, B-Roll, my YouTube video. Its good to see read constructive criticism on how I handled April’s incident. I will learn from them because I have a goal of becoming a professional, reliable, but aggressive journalist… meaning I will do everything I can to fairly shoot and report on my stories. This includes defending the rights of the media, both large and small.

Some people are just too afraid to do what’s right because they know people would have differing opinions. If you don’t believe this is a serious problem, take some time and visit my mentor Carlos Miller’s website, Photography is Not a Crime.

“Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period and pursued unalterably through every change of ministers, too plainly prove a deliberate, systematic plan of reducing [a people] to slavery.” Yes, I just quoted Thomas Jefferson.

TAMPA – One driver is dead, another is in critical condition after a crash on Sheldon Road in the Citrus Park area.

It happened Thursday night around 10:52 just north of Linebaugh Avenue. Two vehicles collided in the southbound lanes. According to deputies, the driver of the white sedan was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the tan sedan was transported to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, where they are said to be in critical condition.

The southbound lanes of Sheldon Road were opened around 3am. Deputies have not released any names nor what may have caused the crash.