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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Low concentrations of the toxin were found this past week around downtown St. Petersburg and the Sunshine Skyway bridge. -
The next move is up to the Rays after two Pinellas County commissioners flipped their earlier opposition and voted in favor of allocating bed tax money to help build a new stadium. -
The on-again, off-again quest to build a new baseball stadium as part of the massive Historic Gas Plant redevelopment is now in the hands of Pinellas County commissioners. -
A new study says Florida will be tops in the nation in the number of new solar panels by 2028. -
Concentrations of red tide are being found in large quantities, especially off Sarasota and Manatee county beaches. -
This is becoming the deadliest year since 2016. More than one out of every 10 known panthers have been killed this year — with most trying to cross highways. -
The vote to allocate bonds to build a new stadium and pay for infrastructure around the proposed Tropicana Field redevelopment site means Pinellas County commissioners must come up with their part of the money for the current deal to still be valid. -
But persistent winds from the north could push much of the algae bloom to the south over the rest of the week. -
Will the Rays ever play another game in St. Petersburg? One former sports executive said it's still up in the air. And there's always the allure of a better deal elsewhere. -
The toxin is persistent on beaches south of Tampa Bay.
