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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Despite a scenic location overlooking the water and millions spent on a new amphitheater and park, downtown Clearwater can be pretty empty most days. We talk with two former property owners there to find out why.
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During a workshop with the Rays-Hines partnership, City Council members asked about affordable housing, jobs, a timeline and reconnecting the site with neighborhoods.
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St. Petersburg City Council members will offer comment on a document that outlines how the Tropicana Field site will be redeveloped.
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About 100 flamingos were counted during the first statewide survey completed since Hurricane Idalia. Two were spotted in the Tampa Bay area.
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The fate of the Florida panther could be decided by several proposed developments that are in the middle of the planned Florida Wildlife Corridor.
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Hurricane season starts June 1. And water district officials are planning to rebuild a water control structure that helps keeps the Hillsborough River from flooding during major storms. It's a key feature protecting much of Tampa.
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With rising water temperatures threatening Florida’s coral reefs, scientists have worked to relocate the animals in order to save them. But one rescue operation run in part by Disney and Sea World in Orlando has been doing this for years - even before the latest bout of extreme heat.
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For 43 years, Mote Marine in Sarasota has been documenting sea turtle nests on the areas' beaches.
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Four members of Congress in the greater Tampa Bay area won't have to face opponents in the August primary. They include Democrat Kathy Castor and Republicans Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube and Scott Franklin.
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Supporters of an amendment that would enshrine a right to clean water in the state constitution are once again ramping up their efforts to get it on the ballot. This time, they're eyeing the 2026 election.