Florida Matters

Red-nosed reindeer cookies We start by hearing from Dalia Colon, the producer of our Zest podcast. She takes us into her home as her family prepares, bakes and delivers their traditional reindeer cookies. Fishing With Dad Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham shares her day fishing with her father. His smoked mullet is a favorite among their friends and family. Remembering "Tia Pepy" As soon as we...

Host Robin Sussingham has a one-on-one conversation with Rex Jensen, president and CEO of Schroeder -Manatee Ranch. Jensen discusses the patience, planning and strategy it took to develop and finance the top-ranked multi-generational community in the nation, according to one study. "If you want look at the success in Lakewood Ranch, that lies in how it has been financed.  We have weathered a lot o...

We speak with historian Rodney Kite-Powell of the Tampa Bay History Center who explains that the first Thanksgiving feast took place here in Florida not in Plymouth Massachusetts. Dan Bavaro the owner of Bavaro's Pizza talks with Dalia Colon, our Zest producer and tells us how he and his family went from New Jersey to Florida and started his Neapolitan-style business of pizza. Emmanuel Roux a long...

Guests include: Gabrielle Russon, Tourism Reporter with the Orlando Sentinel. Amanda Norcross, Senior editor of Trip Advisors' Family site FamilyVacationCritic.com With Disney experiencing its own struggles with long lines and rising ticket prices.  They discuss how the theme parks are trying to help minimize the long lines by adjusting ticket prices to the demand of the park goer. Gabrielle Russo...

This program originally aired August 6, 2019. How can this hot, humid, fungus-friendly state support successful wine production? And how does the reputation of Florida wines stand up to wines grown elsewhere like California or New York? We talk about whether Florida’s wine industry is economically viable on this week’s Florida Matters.

In a conversation with the ACPL director, former Congressman Dennis Ross and with former State Senator Rick Dantzler, former Senator Bill Nelson spoke candidly about his political and civic life,  and the changes he’s seen in his long life in public service.  

This week on Florida Matters we discuss the concerns of more than 28 hundred cases of hepatitis A being diagnosed in Florida so far this year, it has become one of the worst outbreaks of the liver disease in the country. We talk about how some counties in Florida have managed to keep their numbers from growing.  We also learn why vaccinations and even something as simple as washing your hands are...

Mass transit in Tampa Bay's densely populated big cities grabs the headlines. But there's a case to be made that transportation has even more of an impact on people living in rural areas. This week on Florida Matters, Ron Pianta, planning and zoning director for Hernando County -- along with Dave Hutchinson, MPO executive director of Manatee and Sarasota -- joins Tom Phillips, executive director o...

With the population in the Tampa Bay area growing so has the traffic. Transportation leaders have proposed many ideas about how to help people get around faster in the region, but residents are waiting on results. This week on Florida Matters we discuss urban transportation issues including funding problems, pedestrian safety and proposed  Bus Rapid Transit systems.   Our guests this week: David G...

Projects are underway in Tampa and Orlando to reduce traffic congestion at airports, security screenings are becoming more high-tech, and Tampa even has a new policy that lets people hang out in airside terminals without a boarding pass. Our guests are Al Illustrato, Executive Vice President at Tampa International Airport, and Bill Brooks, Southeast Aviation Leader at HNTB Corporation, an infrastr...

Florida is one of the top states in the country in honey production, with some of the finest quality honey you can find. It's also an important wintering ground for commercial beekeepers up north, with their "snow bees." In a special reporting collaboration between WUSF News and The Zest Podcast, we're taking a closer look at honey bees over the next several weeks. You can find photos and videos a...

Over the next few weeks, WUSF will be sharing stories produced for One Small Step, the latest project from StoryCorps. Each segment features two strangers, with differing political beliefs, sitting down together and having a conversation. The idea is to take "one small step" toward getting people to emphasize with one another and to bring down the cultural temperature. This week on Florida Matters...

Florida's coral reefs are in trouble. Scientists say they've been declining for decades. But researchers have very recently come up with some exciting results that they say show promise in restoring these beautiful and important marine communities. On this week's show, host Robin Sussingham speaks with Erinn Muller, Science Director of the Mote Marine Laboratory's Elizabeth Moore International Cen...

Historians and local old-timers say that once, Tampa Bay was overflowing with delicious oysters. And that some rivers, like the Manatee River, were once so full of mullet that they roiled the water and their noise would keep nearby residents awake at night. We're talking about seafood this week on Florida Matters.

Leaky pipes, broken water mains, sewage spills. Tampa Bay's storm water infrastructure is aging, and it will be very expensive to fix it. Host Robin Sussingham discusses the state of our sewage system with Josh Salman, investigative reporter for Gatehouse Media based at the Sarasota Herald Tribune; and Claude Tankersley, public works administrator for the city of St. Petersburg.

It might be one of the state's best kept secrets, but Florida wine making is a billion dollar industry! There are dozens of wineries across the state, employing nearly a hundred thousand people, with university research departments dedicated to viticulture. How can this hot, humid , fungus-friendly state support successful wine production? Host Robin Sussingham talks to Vince Shook, president of F...

You see it being sold everywhere now. You saw it everywhere even before it became legal on July 1st.  Is it regulated? Is it safe? What does it do? If you're confused about CBD oil, you're not alone.   Today on Florida Matters, we're going to try to get some clarity, with our guests: Pediatrician David Berger, owner of Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care, and Jonathan Solomon, President of Prol...

They've had to battle shark attacks, pollution, massive beach developments and confusing light sources -- but sea turtles are bouncing back. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, green sea turtle nests, which numbered less than 300 in 1989, were up to 39,000 in 2017! Other populations have experienced similar success. We're talking to two people who have been closely...

July 20th marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, one of the most significant achievements in U.S. history. To mark the event, PBS stations will be airing a six-hour documentary "Chasing the Moon," which chronicles America's space race leading up to the first lunar landing and beyond.  Host Robin Sussingham sits down with filmmaker Robert Stone who wrote, directed and produced "C...

Summer is the time when we dream we'll have the leisure to sit down with a good book, or several. Maybe you want to use that time to read the Russian novel you never got to in college, or maybe it's a light-hearted romance that you can page through at the beach. This week on Florida Matters, we're getting recommendations for summer reads from a local expert, Tampa Bay Times Book Editor Colette Ban...

After 19 years as President of the University of South Florida, Judy Genshaft is stepping down at the end of this month.  This week on Florida Matters we talk about the highs and lows of her tenure, with WUSF assistant news directors Mark Schreiner and Steve Newborn.  

Look up "keto cookbooks" and you find a plethora of options: Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking, Southern Keto, Ketogenic Cleanse, Keto Comfort Foods … It’s fair to say this is a diet craze. But does it really work? This week on Florida Matters we talk with nutrition experts about the keto diet and how it can affect your health, from weight loss to possibly treating cancer. Florida Matters host Robi...

Whether you’re interested in politics, music, crime, technology or just about anything, there is likely a podcast for you. But while millions of people enjoy listening to podcasts every day, others still don’t understand this relatively new form of media. This week on Florida Matters: Podcasting 101. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks to Kenny Malone of the Planet Money podcast; and Dalia...

Lovebugs, termites, mosquitoes, cockroaches – there is no doubt that Florida is home to many insects, and they seem to thrive in the state's hot, humid conditions. You can’t avoid them, so this week on Florida Matters we’re talking about how to deal with them.  Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sits down with Steve Fuhs, service coordinator with the pest control company Truly Nolen's Port Rich...

This week on Florida Matters, host Robin Sussingham talks with Jack E. Davis, whose book  The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History, about how the environmental history of the Gulf of Mexico shaped the lives of the people along its shores.