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Hannah Critchfield - Investigative Reporter
Hannah Critchfield

Investigative Reporter

I’m on the investigative team at the Tampa Bay Times, where I work to reveal what’s hidden in plain sight — from gaps in regulation to the experiences of communities that are often overlooked. I’m originally from a city called Normal, an insurance town in Illinois with a surprisingly robust circus culture. (No, I can’t juggle; yes, I can ride the unicycle.) I’ve reported on labor, immigration, health care, prisons, housing and sexual misconduct within higher education. Most recently at the Times, I covered older adults and aging and will miss attending the occasional 100th birthday party. If you’re thinking about reaching out, don’t hesitate — I’m happy to answer any questions you have. Is there something we should dig deeper into? Let me know. Send me a tip, say hello or tell me your thoughts on the best Florida birds! I want to hear from you.

  1. A judge blocked Florida’s immigration law. Police arrested 25 anyway
    • Investigations
    A guard checks the identification of a man outside the U.S. Department of Homeland Security offices in Tampa. Florida lawmakers this year passed an immigration law that gave state officials unprecedented power.
  2. Florida lawmakers propose safeguards after Times report on worker heat deaths
    • Investigations
    Migrant farmworkers harvest watermelons in Chiefland, Florida, on May 30, 2024. The workers were bused over an hour to a farm in Levy county, where they spent the day working in the fields from sunrise to sunset before returning to the hotel.
  3. Migrant farmworkers came to Florida for stability. They found danger.
    • Investigations
    Migrant farmworkers harvest watermelons in Chiefland on May 30. The workers, who were staying at a Days Inn hotel in Gainesville, were bused more than an hour to a farm in Levy County where they spent the day working in the fields from sunrise to sunset before returning to the hotel.
  5. Florida workers died in the heat. Their deaths were kept from authorities
    • Investigations
    An aerial drone view as workers head to their vehicles just after sunrise to start their workday at the headquarters of TruScapes Industries Inc. in Bradenton. A 31-year-old temporary laborer died of heatstroke while working for the company in 2022.
  6. At least 24 people dead in Hurricane Milton’s aftermath
    • Hurricane
    First responders had to rescue hundreds of residents at 2690 Apartments in Clearwater on Thursday morning after Hurricane Milton hit Florida.
  7. Thursday, Oct. 10 updates: Tampa Bay begins to assess the damage from Hurricane Milton
    • Hurricane
    In the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, a building loses its front side around the Palmetto Beach neighborhood on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Tampa.
  8. Wednesday, Oct. 9 updates: Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida
    • Hurricane
    The roof of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg was torn as Hurricane Milton passed over Florida.
  9. Tuesday, Oct. 8 updates: Time running out for Tampa Bay to prepare for Milton
    • Hurricane
    A National Hurricane Center graphic shows Hurricane Milton's location and forecast cone as of 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.
  10. Friday, Sept. 27 updates: Hurricane Helene leaves devastation around Florida, at least 7 dead
    • Hurricane
    A Citrus County Firefigher carries 11-year-old Michael Cribbins while conducting rescues in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene Friday.
  11. Thursday, Sept. 26 updates: Hurricane Helene surges toward Florida as a dangerous Cat 4
    • Hurricane
    The Sept. 26, 2024 11 p.m. update on Hurricane Helene from the National Hurricane Center.
  12. Wednesday, Sept. 25 updates: Hurricane Helene enters gulf as evacuation orders issued
    • Hurricane
    A National Hurricane Center graphic shows Hurricane Helene's location and forecast cone as of 7 p.m. Central Time (8 p.m. Eastern) on Wednesday.
  13. FDA warns consumers not to use popular OPMS kratom product
    • Investigations
    O.P.M.S. (Optimized Plant Mediated Solutions) Liquid Kratom, in foreground, along with Green Vein Maeng Da Kratom Capsules in the background.
  14. Florida farmworkers survived a deadly bus crash. Then, they feared deportation.
    • Investigations
    Rigoberto Gregorio, foreground, sits on the edge of the bed with his walker in a hotel room along with Luis Manuel López Rojas, left, and Ramón Pérez Ponce. All are farmworkers who were injured in a bus crash that killed eight of their co-workers and injured more than four dozen others.
  15. When a bus without seat belts met a dangerous driver, Florida farmworkers paid the price
    • Investigations
    Authorities worked the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 near Ocala. The driver of the pickup, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of manslaughter. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)
  16. Speed, alcohol suspected in Clearwater Beach crash that killed 1, injured 1
    • Breaking News
    A Ford F-150 pickup became lodged under a tractor trailer when the pickup driver crashed into the trailer in front of the Sand Key Key Resort on Gulf Boulevard in Clearwater on Sunday, police said. A passenger in the pickup died at the scene and the driver was hospitalized in critical condition.
  17. Pedestrian, 70, killed in Pasco hit-and-run on State Road 54
    • Breaking News
    The Florida Highway Patrol is searching for a driver who left the scene of a fatal crash on State Road 54 in Pasco County.
  18. 1 person dead, 1 hospitalized in Courtney Campbell Causeway boating incident
    • Breaking News
    One person is dead and another has been hospitalized after a boating incident near the Courtney Campbell Causeway.
  19. Florida lawmaker pushes for congressional hearing on kratom
    • Investigations
    U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, wants congressional lawmakers to probe kratom, a virtually unregulated substance that is widely available across Florida, including at smoke shops and gas stations.
  20. Missing 16-year-old with autism has been found
    • Breaking News
    Law enforcement considered the teen missing and endangered.
  21. Car crashes into Clearwater Skyline Chili, dentist office early Sunday
    • Breaking News
    A vehicle crashed into a Clearwater strip mall around 6:45 a.m. on January 21, 2024, stopping inside Skyline Chili.
  22. Pinellas County Jail inmate, 51, dies while in custody
    • Breaking News
    Detectives are investigating the death of a man at the Pinellas County Jail.
  23. Pinellas deputies discover the body of a missing 85-year-old man
    • Breaking News
    The man was reported missing after he didn't return from a fishing trip.
  24. A major US kratom brand relies on a maze of companies. Here’s the list
    • Investigations
    O.P.M.S. is one of the most popular kratom brands in the U.S. It relies on a web of two dozen companies for the manufacturing and packaging of its products.