Beyond the News WFLA Interviews
Interviews conducted by the WFLA Radio newsroom in Tampa Florida, with local and national newsmakers. Be sure to follow us!
Episodes
The St. Petersburg Science Center closed in 2014 after educating, entertaining and inspiring generations of St. Pete students. Now construction is underway on a new Science Center to serve communities that include students, workers and seniors. That includes preparing people for the impact of AI. We speak with Joe Hamilton, co-founder of the St. Pete STEAM Group that bought the property from the city and is redeveloping and renovat...
Florida is one of the states reporting a very high level of influenza activity, according to the CDC. That means more crowded hospitals and doctors' offices. We talk with USF microbiology professor Jill Roberts PhD about this outbreak and how to deal with it.
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The holidays are fun, but once the presents are unwrapped, there's a lot of trash to deal with, as well as the Christmas tree that dries out and needs to go to the curb. There's another year-round issue... many of those toys have lithium-ion batteries that can't simply be thrown in the trash. We speak with Daniel Gallagher, project manager with Hillsborough County's Solid Waste Department, on both of these issues.
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It's no secret that the holidays involve a lot of eating. That can also mean picking up a pound or two -- literally. Lauri Wright is a registered dietitian and nutritionist. She's an associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at the University of South Florida in Tampa and she joins Gordon Byrd to talk about healthy holiday meals.
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The holidays can be good, and bad, for your heart. The vibes are good, the stress and food, not always. Hear more as Gordon Byrd speaks to University of South Florida cardiologist Dr. Bibhu Mohanty.
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We got through Thanksgiving, and now Christmas brings another round of big holiday meals. With large meals and numerous dishes, the risk of food poisoning increases at this time of year. Not to mention the seasonal bugs being spread by guests. Gordon Byrd speaks with University of South Florida environmental health microbiology professor Jill Roberts about keeping food safe during holiday meals.
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A drone expo held since 2021 at a St. Petersburg middle school is getting bigger every year. The 2025 Sunshine State Drone Expo includes exhibits by business and first responders, and courses for people looking to get certified on drones. We speak with the organizer, Capt. Willis Reese, who's also a teacher at Azalea Middle School and runs the on-campus chapter of the Civil Air Patrol.
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Tuesday (Dec 2nd) is Giving Tuesday. Bryan Oglesby with the Better Business Bureau in West Florida joins to help you avoid being scammed when looking for a nonprofit or charity to support the things you believe in.
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Florida's citrus industry has been decimated by the citrus greening disease. A farm family in Polk County sees an agritourism opportunity in reviving U-pick citrus ... with protection to keep out the bugs that spread the disease. We speak with Katie and Shane Bevilacqua of Golden Ridge Groves and Market in Alturas, which holds its grand opening Thursday (20th).
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Pasco County will start taking applications December 1st for grants to homeowners who suffered damage in Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton in 2023 and 2024. No area of the county escaped impact from recent storms. Owners of traditional, manufactured or mobile homes can apply for relief.
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The Florida chapter of a group called the HOA Reform League is rallying at the state Capitol Tuesday (18th) to call on state lawmakers to change laws and enforcement of governance of Homeowner's Associations. Paul and Brandy Miller of Pasco County founded the group and they join Gordon Byrd to talk about what they see as the issues with HOA's that need addressing.
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The city of Tampa is taking applications for a second round of hurricane assistance to homeowners. The Homeowner Hurricane Assistance program is for city homeowners who didn't qualify for a previous round of help with repair costs earlier this year. We speak with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera about the program, which takes applications starting November 17th.
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Monday (3rd) Governor DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced $30 million in grants to four Florida children's hospitals, to improve research and care for pediatric cancer patients in the state. One goal is to make sure children and families don't need to leave the state to access care. Targets include encouraging collaboration among researchers and creating a portal to help parents navigate clinical trials. We speak with ...
Many people are motivated to support relief for survivors of Hurricane Melisssa, which stormed through Jamaica as a Category 5 and has also impacted Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti. We speak with Bryan Oglesby of the West Florida Better Business Bureau on giving wisely and avoiding scams.
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The Hillsborough County Fair opens Thursday evening (October 30th). We speak with fair manager Suzanne Holcomb about what's new and returning this year.
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Along with the eerie and the spooky, there are real life safety issues as children's trick or treating coincides with adults going to costume parties and high school football games. We get some Halloween 2025 safety tips from Dr. Patrick Mularoni at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
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Florida and other states face the loss of November SNAP benefits if the federal government shutdown drags on. Food banks may be called on to help, but they depend on USDA for some of their food. We speak with State Senator Nick DeCeglie, who is also CEO of Hope Villages of America. That nonprofit also runs and works with food banks and food pantries.
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Hillsborough County's Pet Resource Center is 600 percent over capacity for cats. We talk with the center's Chelsea Waldeck about the causes of the cat population explosion and how they're working to adopt those cats out (adoption fees are waived).
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Registration is open for the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in Clearwater, an event made up of a timed race and two fun run/strolls. It's been around since 1979 and one of the charities it supports helps to empower those who are homeless. Achieva credit union is a sponsor and we speak with Teresa Hibbard of the Achieva Foundation about the event.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hillsborough County government is holding a workshop to get input on its Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan. The idea is to have a plan ready to go in case another disaster such as Hurricanes Helene or Milton strikes the Tampa Bay area. We speak with CK Moore, the Section Chief for Planning of Hillsborough County Emergency Management.
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