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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With a tense 4-3 vote, the city approved the non-binding agreement, allowing negotiations to continue on building the ballpark. But council members still have several concerns. -
The tentative agreement, finalized last week by the team, county and city, details financing for the $2.3 billion indoor stadium that would anchor a multiuse development in Drew Park. -
Mayor Jane Castor says she expects the city council and county commission to pass the non-binding agreement, allowing negotiators to fill in the blanks on multiple documents in the complex deal. -
The move comes after a video of a fishing boat off the Panhandle hauling aboard an exhausted manta ray went viral. -
The non-binding memorandum of understanding drops the public money involved to $976 million. The deal must be voted on next week by the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council. -
Seagrasses are not only good for the water quality of our bays, but they are also home to as many as 75% of both recreationally and commercially important species of fish. -
A new count shows increased numbers of mother-calf pairs in the Atlantic, but their total numbers are still less than 400. -
During a nearly four-hour meeting, councilors heard their first presentation on the stadium from Rays CEO Ken Babby, learned more about what public funding would be required and listened to dozens of citizens. -
Funcionarios de transporte de ambos lados de la bahía presentaron su nueva ubicación de atraque en el Centro de Convenciones de Tampa. Se espera que esta terminal se complementa con una similar en el muelle de St. Petersburg (St. Pete Pier). -
Transportation officials from both sides of the bay unveiled their new dock location at the Tampa Convention Center. It's expected to be twinned with a terminal at the St. Petersburg Pier.
