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 neighborhood is just above sea level, next to Port Tampa Bay and McKay Bay. -
Several feet of seawater flowed into businesses along Tarpon Springs' famed sponge docks in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The cleanup was going strong the day after the storm surge. -
Helene's winds and storm surge could be worse that expected in the Tampa Bay area, according to Bob Weisberg, a professor emerita of oceanography at USF's College of Marine Science. -
The city has been clearing storm drains and removed around 84 tons of debris. Some flood-prone areas could see more of the same from Helene. -
A federal judge has ruled in favor of several environmental groups that sued the Piney Point phosphate plant. Hundreds of millions of gallons of polluted water flowed into Tampa Bay following a leak there in 2021. -
Young voters have been called a key to this upcoming election. Some people believe young people will vote — but not the way some think they will. -
Injured and sick manatees have a new place to get better. A manatee rehabilitation center is now open at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. -
Scientists are researching toxins, including what are known as "forever chemicals," in the bay and they could create warnings based on what they find. -
Rising ocean temperatures and diseases continue to stress Florida's coral reefs. Sarasota scientists managed to breed one of the most difficult species to keep in captivity. -
Crystal River is famous for its manatees, when hundreds flock snout to snout in the warm waters of Three Sisters Spring during winter cold snaps. But there's also a key species hiding in its waters that most people never heard of. We go on a trip to Crystal River, where two scientists are researching bull sharks.
