Beyond the News WFLA Interviews
Interviews conducted by the WFLA Radio newsroom in Tampa Florida, with local and national newsmakers. Be sure to follow us!
Episodes
Sunday (Nov 1st) Florida and most of the nation go back to standard time, setting clocks one hour earlier. For years, safety experts and fire departments have reminded us to "Change Your Clock, Change Your Battery" in your smoke and carbon monoxide alarm. But the message is different now, as newer smoke alarms hit the market. We speak with Public Safety Chief Rob Herrin of Hillsborough Fire Rescue.
See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland burnishes its reputation on the cutting edge of technology. Florida Poly's university police department says it's the first in the nation to use an electric vertical takeoff and landing (E-VTOL) patrol vehicle. Flying car technology is already being tested nearby at the SunTrax site in Auburndale. We speak with University Police Chief Aaron Murray about how the aircraft will be used in law...
Pinellas County is the latest Tampa Bay area to go to helicopter spraying targeting larvae of the mosquito species implicated in the recent outbreak of locally transmitted dengue fever. Spraying could begin as soon as Friday (10-23), depending on aviation and weather factors, using a helicopter from Lee County. County public information officer Brian Pellerin explains why they use that type of helicopter, how to find out if your ne...
Early voting begins Monday (19th) in many Florida counties. Others begin on the 22ndand by law they could start as late as the 24th. Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer has advice for those voting early in person, by mail, or on Election Day.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pope Leo XIV is recovering after surgery to remove a tumor from his lung. What's the outlook for the 71-year-old American-born pontiff? We speak with Dr. Lary Robinson, who heads the Lung Cancer Early Detection Center at Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
An important finding as Florida and the Tampa Bay area deal with a locally transmitted dengue fever outbreak. Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) used an app to track mosquito bites in a part of Indian River County. They found that a type of mosquito that spreads dengue was more common in a suburban area than they assumed. Items collecting standing water may be the reason. W...
Forecasters say a strong El Niño could bring much more rain and even some severe weather this winter, which is normally Florida's dry season. Local officials are preparing for unusual events such as winter flooding. We speak with CK Moore, Planning Section Chief for the Hillsborough County Office of Emergency Management.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A very strong El Niño weather pattern is forecast through the winter. El Niño keeps hurricanes away in the Atlantic during summer, but it also brings the winter jet stream over Florida, meaning more storms. We speak with National Weather Service Tampa Bay office senior forecaster Paul Close about what to expect.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Tampa Bay area, especially Hillsborough County, is facing one of its biggest dengue fever outbreaks in years - with 90 cases reported in Hillsborough alone, along with several in Pinellas and Pasco. How does dengue spread, and how do you know you have it and what should you do if you get it? We get answers from Dr Evelyn Huang, MD, an emergency physician with Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Petersburg.
See omnystud...
There's a three thousand mile bicycle relay, from Oregon to New Jersey, to raise funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research. C2C4C United States is taking place from September 10th to October 7th. About a hundred Bristol Myers Squibb employees are taking part. One of them is Stephen White, who works in the company's Tampa office. He explains why the cause is personal for him and his family. He also talks about his fir...
Point Park University in Pittsburgh is exploring the possibility of placing satellite programs in downtown Bradenton. Officials have been visiting and looking at potential sites. The two cities have been tied together for decades by Pittsburgh Pirates spring training. The university has a number of programs and schools focused on the performing arts, which can tie together with local employers including Feld Entertainment and IMG. ...
Two locally spread cases of dengue fever have turned up in Pinellas County, along with eight in Hillsborough County. Local mosquito control agencies are stepping up efforts to fight the particular species that spread the illness. We speak with Alissa Berro of Pinellas County Mosquito Control about how to fight dengue fever by stopping the bugs that carry it.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Students go back to school across Florida beginning August 10th. Undiagnosed hearing problems can cause problems for kids that manifest as behavorial issues in class. We speak with audiologist Dr. Courtney North with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg (FL).
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Back to school means getting back into a routine after summer slacking for kids and parents. That also means a meal routine. We speak to Mallory Carteaux with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg about keeping children well-fueled for the new school year.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
With school resuming across Florida next week, parents are wrapping up back-to-school routines including checkups. Dr. Kelly Henchel MD with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg talks about the essentials.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Back-to-school shopping includes shopping for backpacks. But what parents buy and how kids use them could contribute to problems including back pain. Gordon Byrd speaks with Dr. Brian Piazza, an orthopedic surgeon with Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Schools open the week of August 10th across most of Florida. That means getting kids back on a sleep schedule after the long summer break. We speak with pediatric sleep expert Dr. Luis Ortiz of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg about dealing with kids and the alarm clock.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Monday (20th), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared the Rim Rock crowned snake, the Key ringneck snake, and the Florida Keys mole skink as eligible for protection under the Endangered Species Act -- the first species added under the second Trump administration. That followed a long legal battle. Ragan Whitlock is a Florida-based staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity and talks about how it got here.
Bradenton and Palmetto are joining forces to put on fireworks over the Manatee River Saturday, capping the Independence Day celebrations of each city. We speak with Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Florida has been embracing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, putting up statues of many of the Founding Fathers ahead of July 4th. But in 1776, those same Founders likely would have been hanged if they had shown up in Florida. St. Augustine hung several of them in effigy when word of the Declaration arrived. What is now the Sunshine State made up the British colonies of East and West Florida. But unlike the ...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
DISGRACELAND is an award-winning music and true crime podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. Jerry Lee Lewis's 5th wife? Dead. Sid and Nancy? Both dead. Why? Because musicians are insane, and insane things happen to them. Why did we lose Amy Winehouse at 27? Was Debbie Harry really abducted by Ted Bundy as she claims? Is Patti Smith not just the "Godmother of Punk", but also the "Original True Crime Girl"? What really happened the night of the Jay Z nightclub stabbing? What do the Diddy indictments truly reveal? All these stories and more, on artists from every genre and their true crimes, in our massive 260-plus story archive. The Dead, the Stones, Johnny, Willie, Frank, Kurt, Courtney, Gaga, Lana, Taylor, and too many to name. DISGRACELAND is music history come to life through audio storytelling as you've never heard it before, with revealing facts: yes, assassins are the real reason the Beatles quit touring—reclaimed myths: no, Mama Cass didn't die from choking on a ham sandwich––and constant reckoning between art and artist––all told through the lens of true crime. This is the podcast for the self-proclaimed "Disgos", the musically obsessed and the true crime heads; the outsiders, the independent thinkers who know that the best history is the history that gets buried. DISGRACELAND is where host Jake Brennan tells the stories they didn't want told. The kind you'll end up telling someone else. Get ready to uncover hidden truths and buckle up for truly edge-of-your-seat storytelling. New, fully scripted, sound-designed episodes are released every Tuesday. Bonus chat-style episodes where Jake responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from Disgos hit on Thursdays, and "Rewind" episodes from our archive drop on Sundays. DISGRACELAND is not a journalistic podcast. It's an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. Certain dialogue and scenes are dramatized, as is common in scripted entertainment based on real stories. Sources and credits for each episode are available at www.disgracelandpod.com. To unlock ad-free listening, exclusive content, and connect with your fellow Disgos, go to www.disgracelandpod.com to become an All Access member. Rocka Rolla.