Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

Bat maternity season begins Tuesday (April 16th), which means some restrictions in the way you can deal with bats that get into your house or business property. We speak with Jayne Johnston, a senior wildlife biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, about how to deal with bats during bat baby time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsborough County is updating its vulnerability assessment for the first time since 2020. They hope to get information on challenges facing neighborhoods and areas within the county to help residents stay safe and deal with potential impacts of flooding and other climate-related issues. The county is holding a public meeting April 16th that can also be accessed virtually. We speak with Hazard Mi...

A private nonprofit that describes itself as the eyes and ears of the Florida taxpayer takes a look at the proposed deal to build a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays and redevelop the Gas Plant, and offers some suggestions. We speak with Bob Nave, senior VP of research at Florida Taxwatch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The solar eclipse is Monday, April 8. It's not total in any part of Florida but the Tampa-Hillsborough library system is holding watch parties nonetheless. We speak with the system's Cheryl Wolfe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new hurricane forecast coming out, from a Sarasota-based climate group. The Climate Adaptation Center will focus its outlook on Florida's west coast. We speak with Center CEO Bob Bunting See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks with Elliott Falcione, the Executive Director of the Bradenton Convention and Visitors Bureau about the expansion of the Gulf Islands Ferry from Bradenton to Anna Maria Island See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to Vietnam Veteran Col. (ret.) Rolfe Arnyhm about this week's "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans and War Dogs" remembrance event.  Col. Arnhym will be the keynote speaker at the event---at Veterans Memorial Park on US 301 in Tampa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

St. Petersburg - Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is holding a job fair Tuesday (26th). The airport has a number of employers on-site using the fair, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the TSA, concessionaires, vendors and general aviation suppliers. We speak with the airport's Michele Routh about the fair and available jobs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Venice-based charity that supports Christian missions in Haiti is able to fly supplies into the country again, after a three-week hiatus forced by violence around Port-au-Prince. Agape Flights has received clearance from Haitian aviation authorities to enter and leave the country. It's working through a backlog as it flies in and out twice a week. We speak with the organization's Tim Kenny. See...

Local food is fastest and freshest, but red tape in federal school lunch programs has sometimes forced schools to source out-of-state. After years of building relationships with Florida farmers and processors, the Hillsborough School District is serving its students an All-Florida lunch on Thursday, March 21st. We speak with Shani Hall, the district's Director of Nutrition Services. See omnystudio...

St. Patrick's Day is Sunday and many people will be going out to celebrate over the weekend. We talk with Mark Jenkins of AAA Auto Club Group about their Tow-2-Go service and other ways to avoid driving under the influence, getting a ticket or an accident this weekend. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tampa dyes the Hillsborough River green on St. Patrick's Day. This year the city does it one day early, on Saturday (16), as part of an Irish-themed festival that includes Irish music, dance, food and a parade by the Rough Riders. We speak with Rachel Radawec of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sarasota police bring animal abuse and cruelty charges against the owner of a dog grooming franchise on South Tamiami Trail. We speak with Police public information officer Cynthia McLsughlin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Firestone Grand Prix returns to St. Petersburg Friday through Sunday (8-10). So do thousands of fans. We speak with Visit St. Pete - Clearwater CEO Brian Lowack about the economic impact. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to Brandie Miklus from the non-profit group "Friends of Tampa Union Station" about a federal plan to create two new Amtrak routes to Florida. However, those routes would bypass Tampa. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The collection of the late Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, author, professor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will be housed at the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, in a collaboration with USF and Eckerd College. We speak with the museum's board chair, Michael Igel, about Wiesel and the impact of housing his collection. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsborough County is offering residents a chance to shred documents and destroy hard drives that could be a goldmine to identity thieves. Gordon Byrd speaks with the county's Eric Olsen about Shredest, happening Saturday (March 2nd) from 9 to 11 a.m. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A professor seen on 'SharkFest' and other nature shows has been arrested and accused of putting the bite on a shark research nonprofit. Police in Bradenton say Georgia Southern professor Christine Bedore ripped off the American Elasmobranch Society for at least $300,000, using the organization's money to pay for a car, medical procedures, entertainment, travel and pet insurance among other persona...

At least ten cases of measles have been reported around Florida since the beginning of the year. We speak with Dr. Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petesburg, about what's driving these cases and how to respond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 89th Florida Strawberry Festival opens Thursday in Plant City. More than 600,000 showed up during the 2023 run and those numbers are expected to be met or exceeded this year. We speak with one of the festival's associate directors, James Scott. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The clock in the tower at Tampa's Hillsborough High School was dedicated in 1949. Students of the classes of 1946 through '48 raised thousands of dollars to build the clock in honor of those alumni who died in combat in World War Two. The clock stopped keeping time and chiming the hours several years ago. But it's being rededicated Saturday (2/24) after an alumni fundraising campaign. We speak wit...

If you're one of the 4,500 signed up for special needs shelters with Pinellas County, expect a phone call, or two, before the end of February. Nick Morrow with Pinellas Emergency Management explains how they're updating their list for the 2024 hurricane season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Federal Aviation Administration is giving almost $120 million in grants to airports across Florida for terminal improvements. We speak with Public Relations Director Michele Routh about how St. Petersburg-Clearwater Internationa Airport plans to use its $6 million grant in a planned terminal upgrade. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Largo police department was founded 100 years ago, in 1924. There's a celebration (moved to Saturday February 24th) at police headquarters, with tours and demonstrations by the SWAT and K-9 teams. We speak with Largo Police Chief Mike Loux about the changes in policing over the past hundred years, and in his 33 years with the department. NOTE: The event has been moved back to Feb. 24 because o...

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to Jay Recher from 620/95.3 WDAE about the spring training experience, and how it's evolved over the past 20 years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.