Florida Matters

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.

Citrus has shaped the state's identity for a hundred years. But it's been a rough ten years, with freezes, hurricanes, development pressure...and worst of all, the disease Huanglongbing, otherwise known as citrus greening. And when the industry needs help the most, Tallahassee doesn't seem to be that interested. There's nobody with a powerful political position right now that has a citrus backgrou...

Jane Castor is in her first weeks as the new mayor of Tampa. Her position as the first gay mayor in the Southeast didn't come up much during the campaign, but she made national news the day after her victory. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham asks Castor about whether she considers herself a role model - and why she likes certain breeds of chihuahuas and schnauzers - but is not so crazy about...

The 2019 state legislative session ended Saturday. The budget includes hundreds of millions of dollars for Everglades and freshwater springs restoration, and for affordable housing; a large increase in education funding; and help for the hurricane-ravaged panhandle. Governor Ron DeSantis says, "We have put people over politics." There was still quite a lot of political theater to be found, though....

With Florida’s population on the rise, we're taking a look at how we’re adapting. "Zoning" may sound mundane but in reality, it's anything but! Zoning and building regulations affect us intimately -- because they hit us where we live. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sits down with Peter Belmont, Vice President of Preserve the ‘Burg, the non-profit that promotes historic preservation in St. P...

These are exciting times for eating out in Tampa Bay. Our cuisine is getting better and more varied and starting to draw national attention. Florida Matters hosted a taping in front of a live audience earlier this year at the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs at USF St. Petersburg. The topic: Tampa Bay as an international dining destination.  Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sat down...

Florida is home to more than 500 invasive species. Not all of these plants and animals are big and scary like pythons, but they can still harm the state’s native wildlife, and a lot of time and money is spent fighting them.  Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham spoke with John Humphrey, wildlife biologist with the USDA Natural Wildlife Research Center’s Florida Field Station in Gainesville; and T...

A new mayor of Tampa will be elected on April 23rd. The two remaining candidates, Jane Castor and David Straz, debated at the WEDU PBS studio, and we're bringing that debate to you.  Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham also spoke with WUSF reporter Steve Newborn, who's been following the contentious race.

Alternative kinds of housing like shipping containers or tiny houses are quickly growing in popularity. We discuss whether they could help relieve some of the pressure from the affordable housing crunch.  WUSF's Robin Sussingham speaks with Robert Cox, CEO of Sundog Structures; Mickey Jacob, an architect and Chairman of the Tampa Downtown Partnership; and Elizabeth Strom, an Associate Professor at...

Florida’s legislative session has been underway for almost a month and there have already been some big changes. We talk with reporters about key issues lawmakers are considering and how their actions could affect our lives on this week’s Florida Matters.  Host Robin Sussingham talks to William March, a veteran political writer and analyst; and Zac Anderson, the political editor of the Sarasota He...

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. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks with food historian Gary Mormino and res...