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Skyway closed briefly By KELLY RYAN © St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 1998 T. PETERSBURG -- Authorities briefly closed the Sunshine Skyway bridge Wednesday while they investigated a bomb threat, the third in two days. It took 17 minutes for several agencies to clear the bridge, inspect its top and bottom and declare it safe. Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Guzman warned that authorities are investigating all three fake bomb threats, which he said authorities must take seriously. "We will take some action," Guzman said. "We can trace the calls to pay phones, cell phones. I don't want people to panic and be afraid of the Skyway." About 2 p.m. Wednesday, an unidentified man walked into a driver's license office in Cocoa Beach and told an employee that a bomb had been placed on the bridge. The employee called Florida Highway Patrol, which closed the bridge about 2:15 p.m. About 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities received two phoned-in bomb threats. Hundreds of motorists were re-routed as dozens of law enforcement officers spent three hours searching the bridge. Officials did not find anything suspicious Tuesday or Wednesday. -- Times staff writer Gregory Enns contributed to this report. Business | Citrus | Commentary | Hernando State | Floridian | Obituaries | Pasco Sports | Tampa Bay | World & Nation Index | Search © ; Copyright 1998 St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.