The year is winding down, and it's time to find out what you think was the biggest local news story of the year.
Bay News 9 and BayNews9.com covered thousands of stories in 2012, and we narrowed that down to nine local stories we thought were the most compelling and far-reaching stories of the year.
Our choices were limited to stories that took place within Bay News 9's seven-county viewing area. As a result, stories like the re-election of President Barack Obama, the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act and the theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., will not appear on the list.
Read the brief summaries of the story below, then cast your vote for what you think was the biggest local news story of the year. Check back at the end of December for the final poll results.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers fire head coach Raheem Morris
In January, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired Raheem Morris, who had coached the team for three seasons. The Bucs had lost ten games in a row when he was relieved. The team later brought on former Rutgers University head coach Greg Schiano. The team is in the playoff hunt for the first time since 2010.
- Tropical Storm Debby leaves flooding, damage in its wake
Tropical Storm Debby brought two days of heavy winds, downpour and tornadoes to the Bay area in June. When it passed, it left widespread flooding and damage in its wake. The flooding caused some sinkholes to form in parts of Hernando County, while high winds and storm surge closed three of the four bridges that connect Pinellas County to the rest of the Bay area.
- Former principal arrested in Lealman crime spree
Former Van Buren Middle principal Anthony Giancola, 45, was arrested in June after investigators said he went on a drug-fueled rampage through Lealman that left two people dead and several others injured. Investigators said Giancola stabbed four people at a group home for the hearing impaired, rammed his car into a group of people, hit a teenager on a bicycle, then beat the owners of a motel.
- Family of six dies when plane crashes in Lake Wales
The Bramlage family - Ronald, Rebecca and their four children, Brandon, Boston, Beau and Roxanne - were flying from the Bahamas to their home in Kansas city in June when the plane began experiencing trouble. The plane went down in the Tiger Creek Swamp area of eastern Polk County. No one survived the crash.
- Lakeland girl, 14, accused of strangling baby after giving birth
Cassidy Goodson, 14, has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of her newborn baby. Deputies said the girl gave birth in her family's bathroom in September, then strangled the infant and hid his body in a pile of dirty laundry in her bedroom. Goodson, a student at Kathleen High School, has been charged as an adult.
- Republican National Convention comes to Tampa
For four days in August, the eyes of the political world were on Tampa, which hosted the 2012 Republican National Convention. Thousands of politicians, delegates and journalists came to the Bay area from all over the United States to watch as the Republican Party nominated former Gov. Mitt Romney as its candidate for the 2012 presidential election.
- Deputies search for woman who "rode" manatee at Fort De Soto
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office released photos of a woman riding a manatee at Fort De Soto in October, and the photos quickly went viral. The woman, Ana Gloria Garcia Gutierrez, 52, turned herself in the following day, saying she was new to the area and did not realize it was
- Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay captured after three years on the loose
During his three years on the loose, the Mystery Monkey of Tampa Bay popped up everywhere from Temple Terrace to St. Petersburg, even once making an appearance on the pages of the New York Times. However, the famous simian's carefree days came to an end in October, just a few days after he bit a woman in a St. Petersburg park. The rhesus macaque, now named Cornelius, is settled in his new home at Wild Things in Pasco County.
- Tampa socialite at center of scandal involving top military brass
As details unraveled about an affair between CIA director David Petraeus and his biographer Paula Broadwell, a Tampa socialite named Jill Kelley soon emerged as a featured player in the scandal. The series of events, which eventually ended Petraeus’ CIA career, started with emails sent from Broadwell to Kelley and soon revealed her exploits as a socialite, friend of MacDill Air Force Base and special consul to South Korea.