Steve Newborn
ReporterI cover Florida’s unending series of issues with the environment and politics in the Tampa Bay area, and also am on occasional host for Florida Matters, our half-hour public affairs show.
I love to go camping, ride bikes and go for long paddles on scenic, winding rivers, so I can think about that while covering meetings that go on for hours.
I've been around Florida so long that I have covered events that most people can’t remember anymore. I've been with WUSF since 2001, and covered President George W. Bush’s speech in Sarasota as the Sept. 11 attacks unfolded; the ongoing drama over whether the feeding tube should be removed from Terri Schiavo; the arrest and terrorism trial of USF professor Sami Al-Arian; how the BP Deepwater Horizon spill affected Florida; and followed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition as they walked and paddled through the state — twice.
I also got the privilege of tagging along with a Sarasota-based group investigating how manatees are faring in Cuba.
Before joining WUSF, I covered environmental and Polk County news for the late, great Tampa Tribune and worked for NASA at the Kennedy Space Center during the early days of the space shuttle. Again, stuff that most people can’t even remember. Oh, and I'm a graduate of the University of South Florida, back when it was about a third of the size it is now. Before it even had a football team. Go Bulls!
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The additional money pledged by the state comes as an impasse continues with the Army Corps of Engineers over allocating federal funds to replenish eroded beaches. -
Biden argued that Trump created a “health care crisis for women all over this country.” The president was at HCC in Tampa seeking to capitalize on momentum against abortion restrictions nationwide. -
The issue of abortion will be the focus when President Joe Biden visits Tampa on Tuesday afternoon. It will be one of the centerpieces of his reelection campaign. -
Specifics on the appearance — his first campaign stop in Florida since winning the Democratic nomination — have yet to be released. -
An extension to a half-cent sales tax that has been in place for nearly 30 years will go before the voters in November in Hillsborough County. But it also reduces the amount that would go to the county's public schools. -
In an interview with WUSF, Hillsborough state attorney Andrew Warren said the November election will be a choice between a candidate who has been elected twice and someone appointed. -
Members of such oversight boards can still discuss police department or sheriff's office policies, but cannot investigate individual officers. -
Hurricanes and red tides could become more powerful as the Gulf of Mexico heats to record levels. But budget cuts are threatening a system that monitors conditions there — including programs based in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. -
Mangroves tamper down waves, keeping shorelines from eroding. And as storms become more intense and sea levels rise, their value will only become greater. But they are being chopped down faster than they can be replaced. -
The move by Hernando County Commissioners could open the door for expanded kayaking, hiking and recreational opportunities at the preserve, located in Hernando Beach.
