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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Gov. Ron DeSantis announced more than $100 million in grants Wednesday to improve drinking water supplies. He's also backing efforts to clean up springs and prevent algae blooms. -
The story of the Peace River is, in a sense, the story of Florida. Parts of it look like they did before Florida was developed. But it also bears the scars of a century and a half of exploitation. -
Political leaders from both sides of the aisle are opposing the plans to open up areas of the Gulf off Florida's coast for drilling. -
The Interior Department announced a second sale of 80 million acres of the Gulf, set for March. The sales stop at the Florida-Alabama state line. -
Starting Dec. 1, 2025, "wasteful and unnecessary" water usage across areas in Southwest Florida will be prohibited. -
One of the region's few long-term clinics for injured manatees is open again after suffering $2.5 million in damages from last year's hurricanes. It will be named after renowned manatee researcher James "Buddy" Powell. -
Anyone who's interested in redeveloping the Tropicana Field site now has a couple of extra months to get a plan together. That's because the deadline has been moved back to February. -
Wind chills of a brisk 23 degrees in Brooksville and 27 degrees in Lake Wales were reported this morning. Scattered power outages were also reported. -
Moez Limayem's confirmation hearing to become USF's next president was pushed back until next year. He says he's not disappointed and looks forward to laying out his plan. -
Artificial intelligence is making its way into the way our crops are grown and harvested. A new center to apply AI to local agriculture will break ground Friday in Wimauma.
