Julio Ochoa
Editorial DirectorNewspapers were my first love, but public radio stole my heart from the moment I tuned in during college.
We made it official in 2016 when WUSF came calling for a Health News Florida editor. Since then, I’ve worked hard to figure out what makes some radio stories sound so great — and how to produce stories about complicated health care subjects that sound that good.
It isn’t always easy but we know to do it right, we need to talk to real people, like you. For years, you’ve been telling us you want the system to work well for everyone but also not cost an arm and a leg. We’ve tried to focus our coverage on topics that matter most to you.
Before joining WUSF, I worked at the Tampa Tribune where I started as a web producer and held several editing roles, including my final stint as Deputy Metro Editor. I made the switch to radio just one week before the paper was sold and permanently shut down.
I’ve also reported and edited at papers in Naples and Greeley, Colorado.
Other than the seven years that I spent in Colorado after my undergrad — first as a ski bum and then earning my master’s degree from the University of Colorado — I’ve lived in Florida. I was born and raised in south St. Petersburg and received a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University.
As a native, I know a thing or two about the natural spaces that make this state great, and you can usually find me there when I’m not working. I love the salt water and spend lots of time on it with my wife and three kids, usually holding a paddle, a fishing pole or a cold beer in my hand.
If you have a story idea, give me a call at 813-974-8633, email me at julioochoa@wusf.org or find me on Twitter @julioochoa.
-
Tropical Storm conditions are possible as soon as Monday in the Keys and are likely to spread northward into South Florida late Monday into Monday night. -
Here is a summary of the Florida Department of Health’s Weekly Situation Report for June 18-24, 2021. -
The Department of Health in Pinellas County sent out the alert on Friday as a red tide bloom that has been found in Tampa Bay and along the county's beaches spread north to Sand Key. -
Four areas in lower Tampa Bay that had low concentrations of red tide earlier this week now have medium concentrations. -
In the greater Tampa Bay region, there were 843 new coronavirus cases and 4 deaths, according to the state. -
In the greater Tampa Bay region there were 1,168 new cases of the coronavirus reported by the state on Saturday and 14 deaths, including nine in Hillsborough County. -
The site had been offering the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine until the federal government recommended a pause earlier this week. -
The red tide bloom comes within weeks of a major discharge of nutrient-rich water from the Piney Point phosphate plant into Tampa Bay. -
The state had been releasing up to 50 million gallons a day from the reservoir. The flow is now down to 5 million gallons a day, which will be treated before it enters Tampa Bay. -
Officials say they're receiving help from Mosaic to haul hundreds of thousands of gallons of water from the reservoir to another site.
