Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

The Florida chapter of a group called the HOA Reform League is rallying at the state Capitol Tuesday (18th) to call on state lawmakers to change laws and enforcement of governance of Homeowner's Associations. Paul and Brandy Miller of Pasco County founded the group and they join Gordon Byrd to talk about what they see as the issues with HOA's that need addressing. 

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The city of Tampa is taking applications for a second round of hurricane assistance to homeowners. The Homeowner Hurricane Assistance program is for city homeowners who didn't qualify for a previous round of help with repair costs earlier this year. We speak with Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera about the program, which takes applications starting November 17th. 

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Monday (3rd) Governor DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis announced $30 million in grants to four Florida children's hospitals, to improve research and care for pediatric cancer patients in the state. One goal is to make sure children and families don't need to leave the state to access care. Targets include encouraging collaboration among researchers and creating a portal to help parents navigate clinical trials. We speak with Dr. Cassandra Josephson, the Hawkins Family Endowed Chair director of the Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. 

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Many people are motivated to support relief for survivors of Hurricane Melisssa, which stormed through Jamaica as a Category 5 and has also impacted Cuba, the Bahamas and Haiti. We speak with Bryan Oglesby of the West Florida Better Business Bureau on giving wisely and avoiding scams. 

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The Hillsborough County Fair opens Thursday evening (October 30th). We speak with fair manager Suzanne Holcomb about what's new and returning this year. 

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Along with the eerie and the spooky, there are real life safety issues as children's trick or treating coincides with adults going to costume parties and high school football games. We get some Halloween 2025 safety tips from Dr. Patrick Mularoni at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg. 

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Florida and other states face the loss of November SNAP benefits if the federal government shutdown drags on. Food banks may be called on to help, but they depend on USDA for some of their food. We speak with State Senator Nick DeCeglie, who is also CEO of Hope Villages of America. That nonprofit also runs and works with food banks and food pantries. 

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Hillsborough County's Pet Resource Center is 600 percent over capacity for cats. We talk with the center's Chelsea Waldeck about the causes of the cat population explosion and how they're working to adopt those cats out (adoption fees are waived). 

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Registration is open for the annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot in Clearwater, an event made up of a timed race and two fun run/strolls. It's been around since 1979 and one of the charities it supports helps to empower those who are homeless. Achieva credit union is a sponsor and we speak with Teresa Hibbard of the Achieva Foundation about the event. 

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Hillsborough County government is holding a workshop to get input on its Post Disaster Redevelopment Plan. The idea is to have a plan ready to go in case another disaster such as Hurricanes Helene or Milton strikes the Tampa Bay area. We speak with CK Moore, the Section Chief for Planning of Hillsborough County Emergency Management. 

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