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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Young environmentalists from the Tampa area and beyond are preparing for Jane Goodall's local summitAbout 30 children from the Cayman Islands are traveling to St. Petersburg for the Youth Environmental Summit. They have been collaborating with students there on sea turtle conservation. -
After Debby swept through Sarasota Bay as a tropical storm, the water was murky, contained more nutrients, and had lower oxygen levels. -
Not only are the same tax credits going to be available for the next decade or so, but Florida will start distributing home energy rebates from a $346 million Inflation Reduction Act pot Gov. Ron DeSantis recently accepted. -
The home insurance market in every other state seems to be headed down the road that Florida has paved. We dove into this issue through a partnership with NPR station WWNO in New Orleans for their podcast, "Sea Change." -
"By freezing these larvae, they can be held for literally hundreds of years," said Keri O'Neil with the Florida Aquarium. -
As a popular coffee bean is threatened by rising temperatures, Florida researchers try a replacementThe Robusta coffee bean might have to widely replace Arabica in the next 30 years. -
Many states accepted IRA federal funding to address climate change, but Florida turned the money down from the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. -
The national report comes shortly after Florida banned local heat protections for outdoor workers. -
People living in East Tampa are disproportionately affected by the heat with older homes positioned further away from green spaces. -
Parts of Tampa are 9 degrees hotter than the city's overall forecast on any given day, due to population density and development.
