Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

A big step forward for the University of South Florida's Sarasota-Manatee campus. The ribbon gets cut Monday (19th) for a new six-story student center and residence hall. It's the biggest project since USF-Sarasota-Manatee moved into its current site in 2006. We speak with the Sarasota-Manatee chancellor, Dr. Karen Holbrook, about what it means for the campus.

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Bat maternity season in Florida ends August 15th, meaning Floridians may again use exclusion techniques to evict bats that have roosted in their houses. We speak with Dr. Shelly Johnson with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Services (IFAS) about bat removal strategies.

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Florida now authorizes local school districts to use cameras on school bus stop-arms to catch drivers violating bus safety. In Hillsborough and Miami-Dade counties, those cameras are supplied by a company called BusPatrol. We speak with company executive Steve Randazzo.

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Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks with Nate Custer from FEMA about applying for help after Hurricane Debby.  10 Florida counties, including Manatee and Sarasota, have been declared major disaster areas, and people with flood or other damage can apply for federal assistance.

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The new school year begins Monday in the Tampa Bay area and much of Florida wiith new restrictions on cellphone use by students. We speak with Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital about the impact on students and parents.

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With school opening across the Tampa Bay area August 12th, parents are scrambling to schedule back-to-school physicals for sports. We got tips from Dr. Patrick Mularoni of Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, who is medical director of sports medicine. We also talk about getting kids ready to play fall sports in the heat.

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Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks with former Tampa police officer Ruben "Butch" Delgado, now head of a Special Investigations Unit for Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance.  We're talking about things a homeowner who suffered damage from Debby needs to do---especially if they don't have "flood insurance."  We're also talking about the "predators" who scam unsuspecting homeowners out of money and do no repair work.

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Hillsborough County is taking applications for its annual Neighborhood Awards until August 14th. Neighborhood Associations are eligible to win recognition for their projects to improve their communities. The Neighborhood of the Year earns a prize worth $500. We speak with Stephanie Agliano of the county about how to get involved.

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The teacher's union and other groups are launching a campaign to pass the one-mill school property tax referendum in Hillsborough County. They say the school district needs the money to keep up with neighboring counties' salaries. But everything hinges on whether a judge orders the Hillsborough County Commission to place the tax on the ballot this November, instead of waiting until 2026. We speak with Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association president Rob Kriete.

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This past week, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody began issuing rules for the new law restricting social media accounts for kids under 16. Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein,with Johns
Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg says teens and tweens know a lot of what they interact with isn't good for their moods. We speak with her in this interview.

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