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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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County commissioners expressed concern about using bed taxes to help fund the stadium over the life of the project. But officials say there's enough money to pay for that and help renourish the county's eroded beaches.
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The money will be used to create a training center focusing on semiconductors, automation and robotics.
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President Joe Biden's decision to not seek reelection could have an impact on other races in Florida. WUSF spoke to a political observer who says women and young people may be more enthusiastic about voting now.
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By a 5-3 vote, the St. Petersburg City Council approved a plan to replace Tropicana Field and transform the Historic Gas Plant District.
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The referendum would have asked county voters to levy an additional one mill on property taxes to increase pay for teachers and school staffers.
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St. Petersburg City Council members are poised to take their final vote on the proposal Thursday.
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Negotiations are coming down to the wire over an agreement that would transform Tropicana Field into a major development, crowned with a new stadium, with a vote coming this week.
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The motion comes half a year after a federal appeals court ruled a judge could have him reinstated.
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The first lady's first campaign stop of the year in the Tampa Bay area comes more than a week after her husband's faltering performance in a debate against former President Donald Trump.
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The president's wife is scheduled to be in Seminole Heights on Monday.