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 lawsuit is targeting recent cuts in staff at the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, where reports have surfaced of manatees being harassed. -
Disney World's conservation arm has given $1 million to the foundation that wants to preserve a wildlife corridor through the length of Florida. -
A court settlement over repeated sewage spills by St. Petersburg from nearly a decade ago has been resolved. Some environmentalists hope — but are far from sure — that major spills are a thing of the past. -
Si eres un nuevo propietario, quizás no sepas que el seguro contra inundaciones y el seguro de vivienda generalmente se venden por separado. La mayoría de las pólizas de seguro de vivienda no cubren los daños ocasionados por inundaciones. -
If you’re a new homeowner, you might not know that flood and home insurance are typically sold separately. Most home insurance policies don’t cover damages sustained from flooding. -
The decision to approve the "demonstration project" is expected to be challenged by one of a coalition of environmental groups. -
The plan, which would include several basketball and volleyball courts, will be discussed at a future workshop. -
The Rice's whale is considered the most endangered whale in the world, with around 50 estimated to exist in the Gulf. -
Finding more heat-resistant coral species could be the key to staving off their extinction as ocean temperatures are expected to continue rising. -
The new St. Pete Agile Resilience Plan includes fortifying the city's treatment plants, including one at the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility.
