Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Riverview, FL

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Advent Health is building its newest hospital on Boyette Road in Riverview. They're racing to finish construction and keep up with how fast the U.S. 301 corridor is growing in South Hillsborough County.

"We chose this specific location, because there are 500,000 people that live in about a 25-minute radius of this facility," said Jason Newmyer, the president and chief executive officer of AdventHealth Riverview.

The new hospital is designed to expand with relative ease.

READ: Former pro-wrestler plagued with injuries standing tall, pain-free after 16-hour spine surgery at TGH

"We're going to start with 82 beds and have the ability to go to 160 beds without having to bring cranes back on the property or seriously impact traffic in any way," said Newmyer.

Riverview will be AdventHealth's 29th hospital in Florida. It's modeled after a hospital in another fast-growing part of our area. It's virtually the same as AdventHealth's Wesley Chapel Hospital, which opened in 2012 with 80 beds.

It's now more than doubled with 180 beds. Newmyer said what they learned in Wesley Chapel will help them grow in Riverview.

"We'll go into space that has already been set up with plumbing and gas ready to go. All we have to do is drywall and bring in beds," Newmyer said.

MORE: Neglected service station becomes historical landmark in St. Pete

It may or may not be a coincidence that a competing hospital company has a billboard along the highway very close by. It advertises Baycare's St. Joseph's Hospital South about 13 minutes away. It opened in 2015 with 90 beds, and it has now grown to more than 220 rooms.

Hosptial companies said they're not just putting up bricks and mortar, they're also bringing in jobs and expertise that helps growing communities.

"We’re recruiting doctors from around the country," said Newmyer. "Urologists, general surgeons, bariatric surgery, and orthopedics."

Advent Health is pouring $160 million into its new Riverview hospital, but with confidence of a good return on the investment.

"This ER is going to take care of folks that live in the Gibsonton, Riverview and South Hillsborough County area," said Newmyer.

In small towns that get big fast, people in the hospital business are building to grow. AdventHealth Riverview Hospital is scheduled to open in October 2024.

Population growth can have a ripple effect throughout a local economy. As people move into an area and families grow, demand for housing, local businesses and infrastructure can be unexpectedly impacted. Examining shifts in populations and their dynamics can help residents understand the greater economic picture and inform their financial decisions.

To find where population growth has been most prevalent, SmartAsset examined the most recent U.S. population data across 344 of the largest cities to determine the biggest growth from 2017 to 2022, including shifts between the balance of men and women.

Key findings

Here is a closer look at the top 10 cities with the highest population growth from 2017 to 2022:

1. Buckeye, Arizona

Buckeye had the largest population growth of approximately 54.3% over the past five years, with the 2022 population standing at 105,567. The population is made up of 51.2% men and 48.83% women.

2. Enterprise, Nevada

Enterprise just missed the first-place spot, with 37.8% growth in population. By 2022, the city housed 231,446 residents with a slight male majority at 50.40%.

3. Goodyear, Arizona

In Goodyear, the population grew by 32.0% over five years. With a 2022 population of 105,404, the city maintains a balanced gender ratio, with men accounting for 50.19%.

4. Meridian, Idaho

Meridian’s resident base expanded by 29.8% over five years. The city’s population in 2022 registered at 129,730, with a nearly equal distribution between men (50.1%) and women (49.9%).

5. Atascocita, Texas

Atascocita had 27.5% more residents by 2022 when compared to 2017, with the most recent population clocking 107,626. Men marginally outnumber women at 51.4%.

6. San Tan Valley, Arizona

San Tan Valley charted a 26.5% growth in its population over the span of five years. The 2022 population stood at 117,415 with a nearly equal split between men (50.1%) and women (49.9%).

7. Riverview, Florida

This Tampa suburb experienced a population growth of 26.4% since 2017. The city’s most recent population count stands at 114,454, with a female majority at 53.25%.

8. Frisco, Texas

Frisco registered a growth of 23.9% in its population. As of 2022, the city had 219,571 inhabitants, balanced almost evenly between men and women.

9. Sugar Land, Texas

In Sugar Land, the population increased by 23.6% in the last five years. With 109,395 residents in 2022, the female population slightly outweighs its male counterpart at 51.5%.

10. Lewisville, Texas

Lewisville capped the list with a growth of approximately 22.8% since 2017. The city’s population in 2022 was 130,933, with a female majority at 52.8%.

Data and methodology

This study examined the 344 U.S. cities that had a population of 100,000 or higher in 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 1-Year American Community Survey. Cities were ranked by five-year population growth between 2022 and 2017. The population of men and women as a percentage of the whole was also examined. Population data includes people of all ages. Changes in population may be due to births, deaths or migrations.

This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — While Tuesday's storm system cleared out of the Tampa Bay region, people living in coastal areas remained on high alert for flooding.

People near the immediate bay were facing a possible 2-3 foot water rise.

The National Weather Service found evidence that an EF-0 tornado likely touched down Tuesday afternoon just south of Downtown St. Petersburg.

Elsewhere, strong thunderstorms brought down tree branches and tore up a backyard awning in the Eagles neighborhood in northwestern Hillsborough County.

7:06 p.m. A tornado warning was issued for Highlands County through 7:30 p.m.

6:53 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning continues until 7:30 p.m. for parts of DeSoto, Hardee and Highlands counties. Wind gusts to 60 mph are possible.

6:47 p.m.: The squall line continues pushing through portions of DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties.

6:16 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 7 p.m. for portions of DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties. Wind gusts to 60 mph are possible.

5:49 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 6:15 p.m. for parts of DeSoto and Sarasota counties. Wind gusts to 60 mph and pea-sized hail are possible.

5:28 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 6:15 p.m. for parts of DeSoto, Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk and Sarasota counties. Wind gusts to 60 mph are possible. Pea-sized hail is possible, as well.

4:58 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 5:30 p.m. for parts of Hillsborough, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Wind gusts to 60 mph are possible.

4:50 p.m.: Residents in the Eagles neighborhood in northwestern Hillsborough County are assessing the damage after strong to severe storms moved through.

4:45 p.m.: The tornado warning earlier in effect for Hillsborough County has been allowed to expire.

4:36 p.m.: Strong storms are seen from the downtown Tampa area. There are no immediate reports of damage.

4:31 p.m.: A tornado warning is in effect until 4:45 p.m. for parts of Tampa and central Hillsborough County.

4:31 p.m.: Previous tornado warnings in effect for Pinellas County are no longer in effect.

4:22 p.m.: A tornado warning is in effect until 4:45 p.m. for parts of southeastern Pinellas County, including the city of St. Petersburg.

4:12 p.m.: A tornado warning is in effect until 4:30 p.m. for parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The storm is moving generally east and will effect portions of South Tampa.

4 p.m.: The tornado warning earlier issued for Pinellas County has been allowed to expire.

3:54 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 4:30 p.m. for parts of Pinellas County. Wind gusts to 60 mph are possible.

3:43 p.m.: A tornado warning is in effect until 4 p.m. for parts of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

3:41 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect until 4:15 p.m. for parts of Citrus County. Wind gusts to 60 mph and pea-sized hail are possible.

Forecasters warned of a possible tornado, too.

2:43 p.m.: The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners declares a local state of emergency to respond to possible impacts.

2 p.m.: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay closes early for the day because of the threat of severe weather. It will reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

1:19 p.m.: The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners declares a local state of emergency to respond to possible impacts.

1:15 p.m.: A tornado watch has been issued through 9 p.m. for portions of Central Florida. A few tornadoes and a couple of intense tornadoes are possible, and 70-mph scattered damaging wind gusts are likely.

RIVERVIEW, Fla. - Fifteen-year-old Andrew Papp is a hero, but the sophomore at Riverview High School hardly said a word about it in school.

His principal, Brian Spiro, told Andrew’s Junior ROTC class how he saved a woman as others stood and watched.

READ: Man accused of attacking woman at Riverview Publix arrested after good Samaritans come to her aid: HCSO

"Andrew saw that as an opportunity to step in and protect her, and he did so decisively," Spiro said.

Good Samaritans ward off man attacking 65-year-old

A man was arrested in Riverview on Monday after good samaritans stopped him attacking a 65-year-old woman at a Publix parking lot.

Andrew didn’t pause for an instant when he dashed across a supermarket parking lot to save the woman from a violent carjacker.

"He told me to give him my keys, and I said no and turned away from him, and he was still all over me," 65-year-old Billie Richert told FOX 13 News shortly after the attack.

On Wednesday, Andrew talked about why he went after the attacker.

READ: More Pinellas County elected officials resign in wake of controversial new Florida law

"It’s just the right thing to do," he said. "I mean that could be someone's mom, someone's aunt. Like if that was my mom, and someone did that to my mom, and he got away, that's just like, that's terrible."

15-year-old Andrew Papp

Richert wasn’t injured and was in Virginia with family for Christmas when she learned that she was saved by a 15-year-old boy along with a man who came running moments after Andrew intervened.

School officials arranged a FaceTime meeting on Wednesday so that Richert could thank Andrew.

"I want to thank you for helping me when I needed help. Your mama raised a good boy," said Richert.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," said Richert’s granddaughters as they made Christmas cookies, something they might not have had the chance to do had Andrew not come to her rescue.

Robert Moore, 42, was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a victim over 65 and battery.

RIVERVIEW — It was still dark when the waters breached Pam Marshall’s Riverview home at 5:30 a.m.

She and husband Jeff Marshall grabbed what valuables and important papers they could and made sure their two dogs and cat were safe.

Within 30 minutes, their living room was 6 inches underwater.

“Once it started coming in, it was coming in fast,” said Pam Marshall. “I was in a panic.”

By 10 a.m., the water had receded to the porch, revealing the damage left behind. Sodden furniture and soaked dog mattresses lay on floorboards that had warped and detached from the underlay.

The combination of Idalia-fueled storm surge and a high tide raised the Alafia River to a 6.5-foot flood stage in the Riverview area early Wednesday, the highest level this century, according to National Weather Service records.

Tactical search and rescue teams were dispatched to flooded parts of the county, said Earl Brown, deputy operations section chief for the county’s Emergency Management office. There was also flooding in low-lying areas of Gibsonton and areas west of U.S. Highway 41, Brown said. Boats on lifts 6 feet off the ground were unmoored in parts of Apollo Beach.

“Our hearts go out to those who have been affected,” he said.

Parts of the Alafia River near Lithia regularly flood, especially when heavy rains send additional water from the Alafia headwaters in Polk County. Many homes in that area are built on stilts, some as high as 20 feet, and streets are equipped with sirens to warn residents.

But the area hit by Idalia was closer to Tampa Bay, one that floods only rarely.

The Marshalls have lived in their 1970s-style ranch house on Park Drive since 2010. It has never flooded before, Pam Marshall said. It backs onto a tiny spur of the Alafia.

Fearing that floodwaters might return with an afternoon tide, family members arrived with a trailer to try to salvage furniture as granddaughter Callista, 2, ran around the home.

A Hillsborough County code enforcement officer already visited their home and told them to begin the process of making a claim to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The home is in an evacuation zone, but Pam Marshall said it didn’t make sense to evacuate since the winds were not particularly dangerous.

“I’ve gone through Irma and Ian and other storms,” she said.

A few doors down on Park Drive, Victoria Crib and Brandon Lee watched the floodwaters anxiously.

Their home was dry so far, but the couple also feared a king tide on Wednesday afternoon would bring more menace. But the drop in winds as Idalia moved farther north meant less water was pushing into the river from Hillsborough Bay.

Jannette Diaz couldn’t sleep Tuesday night as she heard bands of rain pass over her home on Magnolia Street. At 2 a.m., she turned on her porch lights to discover the river was closing in on her front door.

Her defense line of 10 sandbags held firm. She also lifted furniture off the ground and used breeze blocks to raise her sofa off the floor.

Diaz, 55, said she ignored the evacuation order because the winds were not dangerously high and she wanted to be there to try to protect her home.

“I’m a Floridian; I’ve been here all my life,” she said.

Floodwaters forced Sarah Strickland and her husband to evacuate their home on Casa Loma Drive at 4 a.m.

About 18 inches of floodwater penetrated the home, where she has lived for the past three years. The couple have flood insurance.

“It needs a lot of work,” she said of her home’s interior. “But nobody’s hurt; nobody’s injured.”

• • •

Tampa Bay Times hurricane coverage 2023

What to know about forecast tracks as Idalia looms over Florida

Idalia could rapidly intensify. How and why?

Hurricane season 2023: Here’s what to know about forecast tracks.

Storm surge is deadly. We built a computer model to show how.

How to protect your pets — and yourself — during a hurricane.