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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Members of such oversight boards can still discuss police department or sheriff's office policies, but cannot investigate individual officers.
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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.
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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.
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The move by Hernando County Commissioners could open the door for expanded kayaking, hiking and recreational opportunities at the preserve, located in Hernando Beach.
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The leak happened after an electrical circuit breaker tripped on a facility being used to pump polluted water deep under the drinking water aquifer.
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The lawsuit would be the latest legal move intended to protect the threatened sea cows, whose numbers have been decimated in recent years.
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There was some movement in legislation to protect Florida's environment during the recent legislative session. But advocates are lauding the removal of one provision that never made it out of committee.
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The race was the most significant one in the region, as voters also cast ballots in a Republican presidential primary that has already been decided.
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The tear in a gypstack is the latest in a series of environmental mishaps at the New Wales phosphate plant, near Mulberry.
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Today's Republican presidential primary promises no surprises, but there is a spirited contest for mayor of Clearwater that will be on the local ballot.