Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

This is Florida's Severe Weather Awareness Week. The idea is to get Floridians up to speed on how to deal with various hazards, including lightning, tornadoes and hurricanes. There's also a tornado drill happening Wednesday (4). We speak with Trey Lawson of Hillsborough County Emergency Management. 

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The city of Clearwater is asking residents to adopt some of its thousands of miles of storm drains to keep them clear of debris. We speak with the city's Cassie Cordova about the Adopt-a-Drain program. 

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The Citrus Festival was an annual tradition in Winter Haven until about 15 years ago. Now a new group is trying to get a new tradition started with Florida's Citrus Festival, happening Saturday at several downtown Winter Haven parks. Gordon Byrd speaks with Lyndsey Venrick about the festival. 

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A cold, rainy Gasparilla is in the forecast for Saturday. The day after, the Tampa Bay Lightning will host Boston in the Stadium Series at RJS under genuinely hockey-friendly weather. Freezing conditions are likely inland and some forecasters are even calling for snow flurries. Dr. Paul Nanda, chief medical officer for TGH's Urgent Care network (powered by Fastrack) will share tips for staying warm while outdoors on the chilliest weekend in years. 

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The American Lung Association's annual Tobacco Control Report gives Florida poor grades for its tobacco laws and public policy. We speak with the association's nationwide policy director, Thomas Carr. 

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After decades of encouraging budding young scientists, Tampa's Museum of Science and Industry is changing its name. But you'll still be able to call it MOSI. CEO John Graydon Smith explains that and many of MOSI's new initiatives. 

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Tampa International Airport and its onsite contractors and concessionaires want to fill more than two hundred jobs ahead of Spring Break, which is the busiest time of year at TPA. Those jobs range from airport police officers to maintenance and concessions. We speak with TPA spokesperson Josh Gillin about Wednesday morning's (28th) job fair. 

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National School Choice Awareness Week begins Sunday (Jan. 25). Florida is widely considered the leader in school choice. We speak with Andrew Campanella of the National School Choice Foundation about helping parents navigate the array of options with their children. Starting early is key!

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The city of Tampa is proud of its tree canopy, But age, disease, development and hurricanes have taken their toll. The city is hosting a Tree Town Hall Saturday morning (17th) to present results of a canopy analysis and help city residents do their part to keep the city greener and cooler. We speak with Tampa's Sustainability and Resilience Officer, Kayla Caselli. 

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Pinellas County is holding a virtual meeting Tuesday to present the results of its flood assessment. The document is part of a statewide grant program to receive resiliency funding to harden bridges, community centers and other public infrastructure against future flooding from rainfall, storm surge or hurricanes. It also includes the city of Pinellas Park and several beach municipalities. We speak with the county's Josie Benwell. 

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