Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Can we expect long lines at the polls in Florida? Gordon Byrd speaks with Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren speaks about plans to work on issues including disparities in sentencing, releasing information to the public when police draw their guns, recruiting more minority prosecutors and creating a working group to review the racial impacts of prosecution patterns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are some new rules as stone crab harvesting season begins in Florida October 15th. Gordon Byrd speaks with Amanda Nalley of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There haven't been many polls on how Floridians feel about the four constitutional amendments on the ballot this fall. Gordon Byrd speaks with pollster Frank Orlando of St Leo University. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Category 5 Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida panhandle two years ago this weekend and devastated Panama City and nearby areas, including Tyndall Air Force Base. We speak with Panama City city manager Mark McQueen about how his city's recovery and rebuilding process is going. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manatee County (Florida) deputies say a 62-year-old man named Larry Wiggins tried to get a vote by mail ballot for his dead wife. Now he faces a voter fraud charge. Gordon Byrd speaks with Manatee Supervisor of Elections Michael Bennett. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No surprise... people are still buying more masks, disinfectant and toilet paper six months into the pandemic, but would you believe yeast and turkey bacon are flying off the shelves? We speak with Marta Cyhan, CMO of St. Petersburg-based Catalina, on grocery trends during COVID-19. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day. Joe Guido with the group Headcount talks about the event they're holding in St Petersburg, and how the pandemic has affected registration efforts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People around Pensacola are recovering from Hurricane Sally and many are in no position to adopt a pet. SPCA Tampa Bay, based in Largo, is sending 30 dogs and 15 cats to the SPCA Tampa Bay shelter in Largo, where people are more able to adopt. Gordon Byrd speaks with CEO Martha Boden. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Florida climate change group and the foundation that supports it are putting up wax sculptures to send a message about climate change. As they melt in the Florida sun, they're supposed to communicate that nothing will remain the same after climate change, for animals or people. Gordon Byrd speaks with Thais Lopez Vogel, co-founder of the VOLO Foundation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

Governor DeSantis has vetoed a bill that would have banned flavored E-cigarettes until they received FDA approval and raised the state's tobacco age to 21. We speak with Tampa Republican State Representative Jackie Toledo, who says she's "disappointed" by the news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every year, September 7th is Save the Manatee Day. Gordon Byrd interviews Ally Greco of the Save the Manatee Club. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once again, a survey ranking the states for manufacturing gives Florida a D, even as the state touts its low taxes to get businesses to relocate. Florida's only "A" is for taxes. We speak with Dr. Michael Hicks PhD of Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time since the pandemic began in March, Florida electric utilties are starting to cut off customers. We ask Ana Gibbs of Duke Energy how to avoid getting power disconnected if you're having trouble paying bills. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 24th is the first day of school in Pinellas. Samantha Young, a third-grade teacher at Ponce De Leon Elementary School in Clearwater talks about the challenges of welcoming students back to classrooms during the pandemic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part 2 of a new USF survey on COVID-19 finds people are less willing to evacuate or go to shelters because of the pandemic. BTN speaks with Dr Christa Remington of the USF School of Public Affairs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

USF's College of Public Affairs surveyed 600 Floridians on various COVID-19 related issues. We speak with Associate Professor Stephen Neely. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Pinellas County, mosquito control officials say the population is at or below average... but complaints have skyrocketed. Maybe it's because COVID-19 has kept more people homebound and doing back yard barbecues or gardening. We speak with Alissa Berro of the county's mosquito control agency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.