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© St. Petersburg Times, published April 13, 2003
The Sunshine Skyway bridge was closed for three hours Saturday morning while emergency responders talked a man out of jumping off the bridge.
The man was spotted at 6:25 a.m. by Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Robert Knight, who was patrolling the bridge as part of FHP's Skyway Suicide Watch.
Sgt. Steven Hooppell said a trooper patrols the bridge 24 hours a day, looking out for jumpers.
Officials from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Emergency Response Team were able to negotiate with the man, whom they took into custody, sheriff's officials said.