Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

School starts in Florida the week of August 11th. But if you have school aged children or teens, the time to get their body clocks back on track is right now. We speak with Dr. Luis Ortiz, a sleep specialist at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, about how to fight summer sleep patterns, games, phones and other distractions to get your kids back on time.

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A Hernando County waterfront park wiped out by Hurricane Helene's storm surge is reopening, with some changes. We speak with Community Services Director Chris LInsbeck about Alfred McKethan Pine Island Park.

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Water skiing doesn't always require skis. We talk with champion barefoot waterskier and coach Ben Groen about the Barefoot Waterski Nationals taking place July 30 - August 2nd in Auburndale, FL.

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Hillsborough County is asking the public to share experiences recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year. The county is using a federal grant to find ways to make disaster recovery smarter and faster. Emergency management Planning section chief C.K. Moore says they want to hear about recovery from last year's hurricanes, to improve the county's post-disaster redevelopment plan. There's a hearing Tuesday (15) at Feeding Tampa Bay, as well as a way to contribute online. Find out more by listening to this podcast.

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Preparing for the before, during and after of a hurricane: Read Shepherd speaks with Jim Stiner of Home Depot about sandbags, plywood, and generators.

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The Independence Day holiday week is expected to produce new travel records. We speak with Mark Jenkins of AAA Auto Club Group, about what to prepare for, whether you're traveling by land, air, or sea.

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The air conditioning and refrigeration industries are asking Congress to chill an EPA initiative started under the Biden administration to change refrigerants used in AC units. The EPA move seeks to respond to climate change by changing to refrigerants such as propane, which is highly flammable. To further complicate matters, there's a phase-in period with transitional coolants. We speak with Bob Cochell, owner of Gulf Coast Air Systems, former president of the Florida Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Contractors Association, and longtime advocate for the HVAC industry.

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David Jolly, a former Republican Congressman from Pinellas County, is running for Florida Governor as a Democrat. We ask him about his stances on the state's issues and whether a Democrat stands a chance in a state where Republicans have a million vote edge.

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Last year's hurricanes could mean more mosquitoes this year, or perhaps years in the future, for Pasco County. We speak with Pasco Mosquito Control Director Adriane Rogers.

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As another hurricane season approaches, residents of one part of Tampa are still dealing with damage in the aftermath of flooding during Hurricane Milton. They live in the section of the city that's actually farthest away from the water, and many didn't have flood insurance. We speak with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera about what led to the unexpcted floodwaters, and how residents are moving forward.

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