Jessica Meszaros
Reporter/HostI’ve been a voice on public radio stations across Florida since 2012, working for stations in Miami, Fort Myers and now Tampa.
My main role for WUSF is to report on climate change and the environment, while taking part in NPR’s High-Impact Climate Change Team. I’m also a participant of the Florida Climate Change Reporting Network.
I enjoy giving the audience an immersive sensory experience by using active sounds and descriptive writing.
Over the years, my work has been recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association, Sunshine State Awards, Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists, Public Media Journalists Association, Green Eyeshade Awards, and Climate Adaptation Center.
I’ve also been a recipient of a few fellowships: Natl. Science, Health, Environment Reporting Fellow; RTDNA N.S. Bienstock Fellow; and Kopenhaver Center Fellow.
Some of my hobbies, like camping, hiking and kayaking, have coincided with my beat to continue giving me a fresh take of the human experience within the natural world.
Born and raised in South Florida, I’m a second-generation immigrant. My mom and dad both escaped communist countries — Cuba and what was then known as Czechoslovakia, respectively. I feel that my family’s unique background gives me a deeper understanding of the complexities each person brings to a story.
If you have a story idea about the environment or sustainability, you can contact me at jmmeszaros@wusf.org.
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We bring you the highlights from the 28th United Nations Climate Change conference. It was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from Nov. 30 through Dec. 12. -
Once completed, the Suspended Ion Exchange plant in Tampa is expected to be the first in the U.S. and largest in the world. -
"The idea behind using sporopollenin is that now you create a permanent storage for that carbon — that carbon is not going back to the atmosphere," said Matias Kirst with UF. -
Lakeland city commissioners are concerned about building on green space and whether this solar project would be a catalyst for growth or a deterrent. -
Palm Beach County ranked 4th in the nation for fine particulate pollutants, Broward and Miami-Dade counties were in the top 15, and Hillsborough was 25th. -
A couple of Hillsborough County commissioners agreed to each send personal letters asking the commission which oversees Tampa Electric to request the utility do the required cost of service study ahead of next year's base rate changes. -
Each year, between May and October, threatened and endangered sea turtles create their nests along Pinellas County's beaches. -
Florida is expected to take five water bodies near Sarasota off its nutrient-polluted list after multiple upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and stormwater infrastructure, said one expert during a panel on red tide. -
One in four people, or 1.9 billion, experienced a five-day heat wave, at minimum, influenced by carbon pollution. -
Florida scientists are determining how cattle grazing impacts plants, green house gas emissions, and carbon stored in the soil, using collars and cell towers.
