When Manatee County got rid of bus fares- ridership went up. And it’s not the only place in Tampa Bay where more people started taking the bus after fares went away. Hillsborough County made its most popular bus route, from downtown Tampa to the University of South Florida, free for this year, and ridership is way up. On this episode of Florida Matters, Manatee County Transit Division Manager Kevin Hoyt explains why it makes sense to get more people on the bus, even when they're not collecting fare revenue. And, Streetsblog USA senior editor Kea Wilson talks about how other transit agencies around the US have adopted the fare-free model, and the arguments for and against removing the fare box. Also, if you've driven the recently reopened Howard Frankland Bridge, you might have noticed it's built higher to withstand storm surge like Tampa Bay experienced during the last hurricane season. WUSF’s Sky Lebron caught up with historian Rodney Kite Powell on top of the bridge, before it reopened to traffic. Hear how the original bridge, which opened in 1960, was built for a post-war population boom, much like the remodeled bridge is built to handle traffic for Tampa Bay's current population boom. And you’ll get caught up on some of the latest transportation news from around the greater Tampa Bay region. Hear why the cross bay ferry is sailing for the last time, about efforts to ease traffic woes on the dreaded I-4 corridor, and how Tampa International Airport is dealing with animal problems.

You know the Tampa Bay Rays. If you’re a baseball fan, you follow the wins and losses. But if you’re a taxpayer in St Petersburg or Pinellas County, the ongoing stadium saga may grab your attention.The city of St Petersburg is fixing the damaged roof of Tropicana Field. Across the Bay in Tampa - the team plays its home games at Steinbrenner FieldBut here’s the question you - and a lot of your neighbors - really want answered once and for all: Will the team stick around long-term after the one-point-three billion dollar deal to redevelop the stadium collapsed? WUSF’s Steve Newborn, and Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright stopped by Florida Matters to help get you caught up with the latest twists and turns with the Rays and why this story reverberates far beyond the Trop. “The [St. Petersburg] mayor [Ken Welch] won't work with this ownership group,” Wright added. “I know that that sentiment is the same, also at the county level, they feel the same way, and they also feel like, if the Rays couldn't make it work with 700 plus million dollars in public funding, would it ever work? I don't know.” Newborn said negotiations on a new stadium go back decades. “This was pitched by Mayor Welch as a way to right what he views as an historical wrong. He had relatives who grew up in that old Gas Plant neighborhood which was bulldozed back in the 1980s to build this [Stadium], you know, which was by no means a sure thing. It was kind of ‘build it and they will come’, right?” “So all this was seen as basically spurring a development that would create new taxes in the area around the stadium, right, that would make it profitable.”

When Uber arrived in Tampa Bay ten years ago, it was a game changer for transit, disrupting the taxi industry and opening up the gig economy. Uber says it has more than 8 million drivers and couriers worldwide using the app each month. And it’s been reported that Uber commands about three quarters of the ride share business in the US. Javi Correoso is the director of public affairs for Uber’s South region. He tells Florida Matters Uber doesn’t discuss market share. But he says Tampa Bay has been good for the company. Correoso also talks about how Tampa Bay has been a model for Uber's integration with mass transit systems around the country. And he addresses concerns raised by drivers on the app, like pay and safety, and how robotaxis could affect the rideshare business.

When Uber arrived in Tampa Bay ten years ago, it was a gamechanger. The rideshare app disrupted the taxi industry and offered people a way to make extra money on their own schedule. It hasn’t all been smooth driving since then. Last year, Uber and Lyft drivers in Tampa joined a nationwide strike, calling for higher wages. Joining Florida Matters for a conversation about what it's like to drive for Uber, and how it fits into the wider gig economy in Tampa Bay are Jonathan Rigsby, author of 'Drive: Scraping By in Uber's America, One Ride at a Time'; Dragana Mrvos, assistant professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Tampa; and Ashley Girbal Kritzer, business reporter with the Tampa Bay Business Journal. You'll also hear from Javi Correoso, Uber's Head of Federal Affairs and U.S. Policy for the South region, who discusses Uber's impact on moving people around Tampa Bay and addresses some of the concerns brought up by drivers who use the platform.A more in-depth conversation with Correoso is available as a bonus Florida Matters podcast. Correoso talks about how Tampa Bay has been a model for how Uber integrates with mass transit systems around the US, the future of robotaxis and more.

At the start of the session, you heard from WUSF’s ‘Your Florida’ team. Reporters Meghan Bowman and Douglas Soule are keeping tabs on the legislature up in Tallahassee and talking with you and your neighbors across Tampa Bay about issues that you think are important. On this episode you'll hear from Douglas and Meghan about how the session is going. Lawmakers are debating things like loosening gun legislation and proposed changes to the constitutional amendment process. Meanwhile, a legislators have reversed a law passed a couple years ago that would have mandated later start times for middle and high school students. There’s also tug of war over taxes in the Florida legislature. Lawmakers and the governor want to cut taxes in this already low-tax state. But they disagree over what taxes to cut. And you'll hear the latest on whether Florida will get a new state bird.

Tampa Bay is a pro sports town. You’ve got the Lightning for Hockey, Buccaneers for Football, and the Rays for baseball. That attracts folks for hundreds of games in the area this year.But there’s another huge presence: the numbers are in for the first IndyCar Series broadcast of the season for the audience that watched Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden battle on the streets of St. Petersburg’s waterfront. 1.4 million viewers watched, a steep increase from last year’s race.And if you were anywhere near downtown St. Pete at the start of March, you probably heard it, as the streets alongside the marina were transformed into a racetrack for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. For this episode, Florida Matters takes you to the Grand Prix, where motor racing fans talk about what keeps them coming back. And you'll hear what drivers like Hailie Deegan and Lochie Hughes think about racing in St. Pete. And- we talk with Chris Steinocher, President and CEO at St Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission's Claire Lessinger, Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Local Organizing Committee hosting the Women’s Final Four. They share insights into what it takes to bring marquee events to Tampa Bay, and how they help power the area's economy.

Birding- or bird watching- is booming. The US Fish and Wildlife service estimates there are 96 million birders in the United States. That’s one in three adults in this country. And even if you aren’t one of them- you may just be birdwatching by default. On this episode, Florida Matters executive producer Gracyn Doctor takes you on a bird walk at Lettuce Lake. And you'll hear about the appeal of birdwatching- and why young people in particular are flocking to the hobby. Joining the conversation- Ann Paul, President of the Tampa Audubon and Florida Ornithological Society; Kara Cook, Suncoast Rooftop Biologist with Audubon Florida; and WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan. Sheridan has reported on efforts by birders in Sarasota to protect a popular birdwatching site from development, and on young Floridians taking up birdwatching. Cook and Paul also share tips on what you need to get started on birdwatching and how to get involved in monitoring bird populations and conservation efforts.

If you experienced Hurricane Milton- or Helene or Debby- it’s something you don’t want to relive. But for some people in Tampa Bay- they’re still dealing with flooding from last year’s storms. WUSF's Sky Lebron visited people in Pasco and Polk County who whose homes were flooded during last year's hurricane season. Some are living in RVs because floodwaters left their homes uninhabitable. Others are still unable to get into their houses because the water never went down. Lebron talked with Florida Matters about how they are coping and why it's been so hard for them to get help.

For many Floridians, getting ready for hurricane season means things like dusting off the emergency supply kit, checking flashlight batteries and making sure you know where your important documents are stashed. But for some Tampa Bay residents who lived through the 2024 hurricane season- they’re still dealing with flooding from Hurricane Milton- and worried about what the next season may bring. WUSF's Sky Lebron explains how people in Polk and Pasco Counties are trying to put their lives back together without electricity, running water, and homes ruined by floodwaters. And you may know that oyster beds can help protect shorelines from the impact of powerful storms. WUSF’s Steve Newborn takes us on a tour of an artificial island in Hillsborough Bay, where oysters help protect an important bird nesting site.

People come to Florida in droves for the beaches and warm weather. But the sunshine state also attracts its fair share of shady characters, in real life and in fiction.There’s even a genre of crime fiction set in the Sunshine State – Florida Noir.And even if you haven’t read them, you’ve probably heard of homegrown practitioners of Florida Noir like Carl Hiassen, the late Tampa resident, Tim Dorsey or Randy Wayne White.On this episode of Florida Matters, we speak to three people with different perspectives on Florida Noir:Colette Bancroft is the recently retired book editor at the Tampa Bay Times. For years, she led the Times’ annual “Festival of Reading.” She’s also the editor of Tampa Bay Noir, a collection of short stories that reveal the dark side of sunny Tampa Bay.John Brandon is the author of five novels. He grew up in Tampa Bay, and his latest, Penalties of June, is set in Tampa.And Andrew F. Gulli is the editor of “The Strand Magazine” - a quarterly magazine dedicated to short fiction. A recent edition featured a previously unpublished story by famed Florida crime writer John D. MacDonald.