Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

We interview our second of the four development companies that submitted proposals for the Tropicana Field - Gas Plant site. We speak with master developer Dr. William Henry, Paula Rhodes and James Fogarty of the "Gas Plant District - Restoration Associates" consortium.

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We could see some of our coldest Christmas temperatures since 1989, when thermometers dipped into the 20s around Tampa Bay and thousands spent the day in rolling blackouts. We speak with Cherie Jacobs of Tampa Electric, who says there'll be plenty of power this weekend in Florida.

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Christmas weekend will be the coldest Christmas in the Tampa Bay region in several years, with temperatures expected to drop to the freezing mark in some locations. The nonprofit that manages Pinellas cold-weather shelters says they'll be open the nights of Friday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 24. We speak with CEO Monika Alesnik of The Homeless Leadership Alliance of Pinellas.

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AirBNB is implementing new rules to discourage unwanted New Year's Eve parties on the properties it represent. We speak with Ben Breit about the rules.

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(Note nature.) North Port police make an arrest in a brutal murder that happened just before Hurricane Ian ravaged the community. We speak with police spokesperson Josh Taylor.

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The residents of Tampa, Kansas, population about 100, are getting a free visit to Tampa, Florida, population in the hundreds of thousands with many major attractions. The local tourism agency is doing it in the holiday spirit, and to grab the attention of winter-wary Midwesterners. We speak with Visit Tampa Bay CEO Santiago Corriada.

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The city of St. Petersburg announced four developers submitted proposals for redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site, also known as the historically black Gas Plant neighborhood. We speak with one of the developers, the Sugar Hill Community Partners group. (We hope to speak with the others too!)

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The supply chain is in better shape than last year but China's COVID lockdowns are still causing logistical nightmares for retailers. We speak with USF Professor Seckin Ozkul about supply chain problems and whether rail troubles will affect holiday retail.

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How are inflation and recession fears affecting the way Americans are shopping and spending for the holidays? We put that to Michael Snipes, PhD, associate professor of economics at the University of South Florida.

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Social distancing is relaxing, two and a half years into the COVID pandemic, and this may be the first time some people get to spend extended time with elderly relatives. If you see signs of cognitive decline or other issues, how should you address them? We speak with Dale Dalbey in the Destin office of Synergy Home Care.

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