Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Doctors continue to monitor the status of Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who collapsed after going into cardiac arrest during a Monday night football game. We speak with Dr. Jason Wilson, chief emergency physician at Tampa General Hospital. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tampa's New Year's weekend includes a parade, an NFL game, a bowl game and a hockey game, plus fireworks. Lt. Bryan Felts with Tampa Police talks about how to stay safe and deal with crowds and traffic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We interview our second of the four development companies that submitted proposals for the Tropicana Field - Gas Plant site. We speak with master developer Dr. William Henry, Paula Rhodes and James Fogarty of the "Gas Plant District - Restoration Associates" consortium. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We could see some of our coldest Christmas temperatures since 1989, when thermometers dipped into the 20s around Tampa Bay and thousands spent the day in rolling blackouts. We speak with Cherie Jacobs of Tampa Electric, who says there'll be plenty of power this weekend in Florida. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas weekend will be the coldest Christmas in the Tampa Bay region in several years, with temperatures expected to drop to the freezing mark in some locations. The nonprofit that manages Pinellas cold-weather shelters says they'll be open the nights of Friday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 24. We speak with CEO Monika Alesnik of T he Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas . See omnystudio.com/...

AirBNB is implementing new rules to discourage unwanted New Year's Eve parties on the properties it represent. We speak with Ben Breit about the rules. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Note nature.) North Port police make an arrest in a brutal murder that happened just before Hurricane Ian ravaged the community. We speak with police spokesperson Josh Taylor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The residents of Tampa, Kansas, population about 100, are getting a free visit to Tampa, Florida, population in the hundreds of thousands with many major attractions. The local tourism agency is doing it in the holiday spirit, and to grab the attention of winter-wary Midwesterners. We speak with Visit Tampa Bay CEO Santiago Corriada. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The city of St. Petersburg announced four developers submitted proposals for redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site, also known as the historically black Gas Plant neighborhood. We speak with one of the developers, the Sugar Hill Community Partners group. (We hope to speak with the others too!) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The supply chain is in better shape than last year but China's COVID lockdowns are still causing logistical nightmares for retailers. We speak with USF Professor Seckin Ozkul about supply chain problems and whether rail troubles will affect holiday retail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How are inflation and recession fears affecting the way Americans are shopping and spending for the holidays? We put that to Michael Snipes, PhD, associate professor of economics at the University of South Florida. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Social distancing is relaxing, two and a half years into the COVID pandemic, and this may be the first time some people get to spend extended time with elderly relatives. If you see signs of cognitive decline or other issues, how should you address them? We speak with Dale Dalbey in the Destin office of Synergy Home Care. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Forecasters say this Thanksgiving travel season could set records. We speak with Emily Nipps of Tampa International Airport about what to expect. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts expect a record-breaking week of travel around Thanksgiving. St. Petersburg-Clearwater Airport (PIE) says it may run out of parking. We speak with Public Relations Director Michele Routh. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pinellas County's rental housing shortage is affecting recruitment and imposing long commutes on teachers. The school district is responding by asking developers to come up with proposals to turn an almost 100-year-old school building, Tomlinson Adult School, into apartments for teachers and staff. We speak with Clint Herbic, Associate Superintendent for Operational Services. See omnystudio.com/li...

Daylight saving time ends Sunday (6), meaning drivers will see dark afternoon commutes. A few safety tips from Mark Jenkins with AAA Auto Club Group. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida placed several cities in the latest Best Places to Retire list by US News, but the top spot went to two areas in south central Pennsylvania. Find out why with US News senior editor Emily Brandon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trick or treating can be especially challenging for children with food allergies. Shari Bresin, an extension agent in Pasco County with the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, talks about the teal pumpkin movement, with houses telling parents of children with allergies that non-food treats are available. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ghost and goblin costumes aren't real but there are real dangers for trick or treaters on Halloween. We speak with Dr. Danielle Mercurio, DO, who's a pediatric physician in the emergency room at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the November 8th midterm elections, Clearwater residents will decide on a referendum to sell the old City Hall site and other parcels to developers who promise a hotel, retail and apartments in the Bluffs area. We speak with Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, who says it offers voters a chance to overcome two lost decades in downtown revitalization. (Efforts to find organized opposition have been...

Tampa International Airport is holding a job fair Tuesday (10-25), originally postponed by Hurricane Ian. Some 400 positions are listed with the Aviation Authority and more than a dozen vendors, including FedEx, the TSA and Southwest Airlines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vincent Nowicki, a St. Petersburg real estate developer who ran for mayor in 2021, started the ball rolling that led to Lisa Wheeler-Bowman's resignation and called attention to new council appointee Brother John Muhammad's support of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Water skiing is 100 years old this year, and a major international water skiing tournament is taking place in Winter Haven this weekend. Gordon Byrd speaks with Polk County tourism and marketing director Mark Jackson about Winter Haven's history with water skiing and what's going on there this weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group pushing for a transportation sales tax in Hillsborough just released a list of the county's most dangerous intersections. They argue that passing the tax in November will provide money for safety improvements. The top three are all on U.S. 301 (Gibsonton Drive, Big Bend Road and SR 674). One (Florida and Waters) is in the city of Tampa. Five out of the other six are in the Riverview, Brand...

A dozen post offices are closed temporarily and many people in Southwest Florida have lost mail service because of Hurricane Ian. David Walton with USPS talks about how to get caught up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.