Steve Newborn
ReporterI cover Florida’s unending series of issues with the environment and politics in the Tampa Bay area.
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 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.
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Backers of Amendment 3 say it would force local governments to cut bloated budgets and eliminate unneeded positions. -
Nixon fired up the crowd with an energetic case for more government involvement in medical care, college tuition and affordable housing. -
The Southern Poverty Law Center warned the nearest early voting site to heavily Black South St. Petersburg is in Gulfport. The elections office said all voters are within 5 miles of a site, and can also mail ballots. -
La Enmienda 3 aumentaría la exención del impuesto a la vivienda principal para tributos no escolares a $150,000 en 2027 y a $250,000 en 2028. -
A packed house heard speeches by Vance, Byron Donalds, Ashley Moody, Anna Paulina Luna and other Republican candidates. -
The GO (General Obligation) Bond would fund $600 million in improvements to speed up protection of the city's wastewater, drinking water and flood protection programs. -
Both men resigned from the sheriff's office after being arrested and charged with multiple felonies. "Running the plate of a 17-year-old girl who you are interested in is clearly inappropriate," Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said. -
Amendment 3 would increase the homestead tax exemption for non-school taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. -
Over the past several months, WUSF has researched what's behind rising electricity costs and what — if anything — can be done about them. -
When utilities want to raise rates or recoup costs, they have to go before the Florida Public Service Commission for approval.
