Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Early voting begins Saturday in Pinellas County. Expect lines, social distancing, and you might want to wear a mask. We speak with Dustin Chase, Deputy Supervisor of Elections in Pinellas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speaking with Andrew Fossa, Pasco Emergency Management Director, about the tropical system that could become TS Isaias and threaten the Florida Gulf Coast with heavy rain and storm surge this weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gordon Byrd speaks with Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan, who's recruiting people for a 10-member Community Advisory Team to share their opinions and information about policing issues one-on-one with the chief. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tour coming to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa called the "Parking Lot Social" updates driveins for the era of social distancing, with comedy nights, family movie nights, midnight movies, Silent Disco, Bingo and even "Car-a-Oke." Gordon Byrd speaks with the tour manager, who goes by "Dex." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After dealing with protests blocking traffic, the city of St Petersburg is beginning a campaign to get protesters... and anybody else on the streets... to follow traffic rules. Gordon Byrd speaks with police chief Anthony Holloway. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal finance site Wallethub says Tampa is the sixth best city in the nation, and first among large cities, for first time home buyers. We speak with Wallethub senior analyst Jill Gonzalez. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fireworks got tied to three house fires in Clearwater over the weekend. Fortunately, no one got hurt. We speak with Rob Shaw, spokesperson for Clearwater Fire and Rescue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With fireworks shows canceled in most cities, the July 3rd show at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota may be the last remaining public pyrotechnic show on Florida's West Coast. Gordon Byrd speaks with park and SANCA CEO Stephen Rodriguez about how they're setting up the show to maintain social distancing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COVID-19 is causing a shortage of garbage drivers in one part of Hillsborough County. Solid waste director Kimberly Byer explains why there are changes in the pickup schedules for 130,000 households. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak with Quinton Desamours, the 18-year-old from Lehigh Acres (Fort Myers) who quit his job at Publix after he was told to take off a Black Lives Matter face mask. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak with Tom Iovino of the state Health Department office in Pinellas County. Staffers and clients are being testing and contact tracing is underway after a worker at a health clinic that serves homeless people tested positive for COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The co-owner of a Port Richey restaurant responded to recent protests by declaring the Local Fresh Grill a "law enforcement safe haven" on Facebook and posting a sign in his window. He says business is up but those who disagree are trashing him in social media. Gordon Byrd speaks with Ron Pentaude of Local Fresh Grill. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After days of protest and some violence over the death of George Floyd, supporters of law enforcement are planning a Back the Blue march in Tampa Saturday (June 13th). Gordon Byrd speaks with one of the organizers, Cassandra Kistler of Lakeland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida's economy is the most exposed among the states to coronavirus, according to a new study by personal finance Walltehub. Gordon Byrd speaks with Wallethub senior analyst Jill Gonzalez. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The best known test for COVID-19 involves sticking a swab so far up the nose it almost literally feels like "picking your brain." Results take a long time. Fazal Fazlin, co-founder and CEO of Kaligia Biosciences, talks about clinical trials in Tampa for a new process that uses saliva, with turnaround time of just a few minutes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tampa Bay Partnership releases a dashboard tracking the factors that will influence reopening in our area. Gordon Byrd speaks with research director Dave Sobush. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vacation rentals are allowed again in Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and 23 other Florida counties. But parties of more than 10 are still banned. Airbnb's Samuel Randall joins us to talk about how they're enforcing those restrictions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of bar owners and workers staged protests in Clearwater and Tampa Wednesday, asking the governor to let them reopen. Tommy Foxhill owns Atlantis gentlemen's club in Largo and helped organize the Clearwater protest. He says bars can use the same guidelines as restaurants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wine sales in grocery stores show a big uptick after coronavirus and lockdowns took hold... while promotions, coupons and BOGOs seemed to disappear from supermarkets. We talk about retailing trends in the pandemic era with Marta Cyhan, chief marketing officer of Catalina, based in St. Petersburg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of hospitality workers have been laid off or furloughed because of COVID-19. The Tampa office of an insurance company is holding a virtual job fair to fill 240 positions. We speak with Steve Stout of TRANZACT - who says hotel and restaurant workers can make good insurance salespeople. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Restaurants are fighting for money to rehire staff and rebuild inventory after their pandemic-related closures. Celeste Deal is with ARF Financial, a company that lends to hospitality businesses and is offering a prize to a business that shows innovation and forward thinking in overcoming the effects of COVID-19 on revenues. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pinellas County is using CARES Act money from the feds to offer $5,000 grants to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and forced to shut down. Gordon Byrd talks about the requirements with Mike Meidel, Pinellas County's Economic Development Director. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is the home market affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? Big drops in sales... but what about prices? Gordon Byrd speaks with Tampa Bay Partnership research director Dave Sobush, who's been crunching numbers from local real estate organizations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of us suddenly switched to telecommuting because of coronavirus. How's that affecting the way we work, our productivity, and how are we balancing our other responsibilities? A University of South Florida study with 500 nationwide participants aims to find out. Gordon Byrd speaks with the lead on the study, USF Distinguished Professor of Psychology Tammy Allen PhD See omnystudio.com/listen...

Gordon Byrd speaks with Melissa Bernhard, conservation manager and senior biologist with Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program, about Gulf nesting season and whether human beach bans will give turtle hatchlings a break. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.