CLEVELAND — 3News' Mike Polk Jr. snagged a $40 round-trip flight from Cleveland to Florida, leaving at 6 a.m. Thursday with an 8 p.m. return.
What kind of fun will Mike find during his one-day adventure in the Sunshine State? Follow along for live updates to see how he's making the most of his quick get-away to Tampa.
7:45 p.m.
Mike is heading onto the plane in Tampa for a return flight back to Cleveland.
3 p.m.
Mike wraps up his thoughts from Florida before he heads home to Cleveland:
1:40 p.m.
WTSP anchor Candice Aviles was nice enough to take Mike to one of her favorite lunch spots, Frenchy's on Clearwater Beach. Mike also says his favorite part of his big day so far was getting to dip his toes in the water, even if gators were lurking nearby.
12:30 p.m.
Mike found a beach! He says it has a very Tampa-esque feel, thanks to the nearby traffic and casino.
Noon
Mike has found his first stop in the Sunshine State: a croc encounter (the kind that bites, not the kind you wear on your feet for a fashion statement). He was also joined by our friends at WTSP, our Tegna affiliate in Tampa, who convinced him to feed some gators.
10:10 a.m.
Mike and our 3News producers grabbed a rental car and are on their way to explore The Sunshine State.
This is not the car they ended up with, but it is very cool looking:
8:30 a.m.
Mike Polk Jr. landed safely in Tampa, Florida, on a Frontier flight he snagged a few days ago for only $20.
He has just under 12 hours to soak up the sunshine before heading back to Cleveland on another $20 flight.
6:00 a.m.
Now this is a steal!
We nabbed a $40 round-trip flight from Cleveland to Florida, and we thought it would be fun to send Mike Polk Jr. on a fast trip to the Sunshine State to see how much he could do in one day.
The journey began at CLE Thursday morning on a 6 a.m. Frontier Airlines flight to Tampa.
The goal? To squeeze in as much Florida-centric fun in just one day. Polk plans to drop by Croc Encounters with hopes of visiting Clearwater Beach.
He only has a few hours, though, because his return flight to Cleveland is at 8 p.m.
“On the plane. Made it," Polk said shortly before takeoff. "On our way to Florida where dreams come true all the way at the bottom of America. That’s right, a day trip to Florida. $20 seat, check it out.”
You can follow along in the adventures all day on our 3News Instagram page.