Environment Archives - WMNF 88.5 FM

WMNF’s Leah Burdick reports on what Pinellas County says will happen if they don’t receive the money.

The deal would have built a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays, as well as redeveloped the surrounding Historic Gas Plant District.

Gov. Ron DeSantis could ask lawmakers to redraw congressional boundary lines after the Florida Supreme Court last week upheld a 2022 map that gave Republicans control of a North Florida district.

The University of West Florida Board of Trustees unanimously approved hiring Clifford Humphrey to serve as a top aide to Interim President Manny Díaz Jr.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Fri. July 25, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

If approved, it would terminate an agreement between the city, the Rays and development partner, Hines, ultimately dissolving plans tied to the project.

WMNF’s Chris Young reports, the blocked funds mean a loss of $396 million for Florida schools and cuts to important programs for all students.

WMNF’s Madison Overmier reports, two of them exceeded EPA limits.

Bay Area Dream Defenders will hold a press conference today outside of St. Pete City Hall, calling on Mayor Ken Welch to provide funding for the “Save Our Streets Campaign” in the 2026 budget.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Thur. July 24, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

WMNF’s Madison Overmier reports on the findings of the University of Florida’s research team and their strides towards a universal cancer vaccine.

WMNF’s Chris Young reports that environmental and port leaders are trying to create a balance between wildlife and industry.

Meteorologist Megan Borowski from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network says that low will move from east to west into the Gulf, and increase the potential for heavy rain across the state of Florida today.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Wed. July 23, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

Thousands of shorebirds gather off dredge disposal islands – islands around the Tampa Bay area created when material is dredged to make water deeper for ships.

Environmental and port leaders are trying to create a balance between wildlife and industry. 

Jeff Lietchy is the sanctuary manager for the Florida Coastal Island Sanctuaries with Audubon Florida.  

“These have become really important features in the landscape that, really help sustain threatened bird species as well as some of the more common bird species that we see around Tampa Bay,” Lietchy told WMNF.

The islands can be found throughout Tampa Bay, and are a prime nesting habitat for the birds, including the American oystercatcher and the roseate spoonbill, due to a dwindling number of available coastal wetlands in the area.   

Lietchy highlights two small islands in the middle of Port Tampa Bay called 2D and 3D that see black skimmers, which are classified as “climate endangered” by Audubon.

Christopher Cooley, Director of Environmental Affairs for Port Tampa Bay said the port has partnered with wildlife agencies and the F lorida Audubon to create a balance between industry and wildlife.

“If you’re out near St. Pete Beach or Dunedin, you’ll see all these little plop islands. Those are basically dredge disposal islands. And over time, those islands have become prime bird nesting habitat.” Cooley told WMNF.

But the balance hasn’t come without challenges. 

“Tampa Bay was the second port in the country to have a dedicated environmental department. LA-Long Beach beat us by a couple months. But for Florida to have that, that’s pretty progressive.”

He said a major dredging project starting in the next couple years will likely continue into bird nesting season.

“There’s a balance between industry and the environment. And we try every day to, to make that a good balance,” Cooley said.

Cooley said they may put out sound deterrents and vegetation to prevent birds from nesting during construction.

The post Tampa Bay man-made islands serve as a refuge for shorebirds appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

WMNF’s Chris Young reports that the teacher says she will no longer return for the upcoming school year.

WMNF’s Zoe Sax reports that the discovery of the disease in Florida, which affects starfish, was shocking.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has appealed a federal judge’s ruling that found him in civil contempt because of a letter he sent in April.

Strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible across the Florida peninsula, including our area, today.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Tues. July 22, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

WMNF’s Josh Holton reports that friends, family and coworkers are demanding justice for Sayfollah Musallet.                

WMNF’s Chris Young reports, Republican Representative Susan Valdes faced heat for her decision to switch parties last year after losing a bid to chair the Hillsborough County Democratic Party. 

A man who abducted a woman from a Bay County, Florida insurance office and killed her is scheduled for execution in Florida under a death warrant signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. 

On Saturday, WMNF held a one-day fund drive to help make up for about $230,000 in cuts. According to WMNF’s development director, the station raised $280,000 through nearly 1,300 donations that day.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Mon. July 21, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

WMNF’s Leah Burdick shares how one Florida location participated in Good Trouble Lives on.

WMNF’s Chris Young reports that Tampa is one of 3 Florida cities which has one of the highest percentages of students in urban heat zones nationwide.

WMNF’s Sarah Goebel reports a team of students and mechanical engineers from Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland have come up with a creative solution.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Fri. July 18, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

On July 16, 2025, MidPoint’s guest host Gary Gibbons welcomed St. Petersburg’s Democratic Florida Rep. Lindsay Cross, former Hillsborough County Commissioner Mariella Smith, and Anders Croy of the Florida Watch Accountability Project to discuss how the State was able to use Florida tax payers’ money to create”Alligator Alcatraz,” and how State budget cuts will impact our Tampa Bay area community, and more.  Listen to the entire show here, on the WMNF app, or as a WMNF MidPoint podcast on Spotify or Apple Music.

The post “Alligator Alcatraz” & the Florida Government’s Budget Cuts Act Against Tampa Bay Communities appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

The cuts include programs that assist foreign countries stricken by disease, war and natural disasters, but they also eliminate over $1 billion for Public Broadcasting.

WMNF’s Zoe Sax reports, these gay pride symbols are at risk because the Florida Department of Transportation has banned pavement art.

WMNF’s Chris Young reports Senator Rick Scott filed a bill Tuesday to instill protections for the part of the river in Sarasota County.

Organized by groups behind previous anti-Trump demonstrations, the protests coincide with the fifth anniversary of Rep. John Lewis’s death.

The Scoop producer Zoe Sax

WMNF anchors Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Josh Holton, Seán Kinane
WMNF News Director Seán Kinane
WMNF reporters Chris Young, Lisa Marzilli, Seán Kinane, Maddie Overmier, Sarah Goebel, Julia Ferrara, Zoe Sax.
Special thanks to Taylor Lovejoy and Corey Beltran

Theme music, Fresh06, by Stian via archive.org – CC-BY-NC-SA 2.5
The Scoop logo by Robin Milcowitz / Greener Pixels / greenerpixels.com /

The post The Scoop: Thur. July 17, 2025, Tampa Bay and Florida headlines by WMNF appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.

A portion of the Myakka River may become the third in the state to receive federal protections under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 

Senator Rick Scott filed a bill Tuesday to instill protections for the part of the river in Sarasota County. 

The protections would ensure the river is not dammed, protect riverfront public lands from oil, gas, and mineral development, and provide other restrictions.

Environmental advocate and Democratic State Representative Lindsay Cross hopes the bill can get across the finish line in Washington. 

“This would really be a show of recognition that the wildness of that river is more important than our insatiable desire to develop every square mile of our state in Florida,” Cross told WMNF.

Representatives for Senator Rick Scott told WMNF he was unavailable for an interview, but said in a statement that the bill “honors local, state, and community support for protecting the river’s pristine waters.”

The Myakka River would join the Loxahatchee and Wekiva Rivers as the only other two rivers in the state with those protections.

 The House version of the bill, sponsored by Florida Republican Congress member Greg Steube, was introduced in January but has not moved forward since. 

The post New bill to designate Myakka River as National Wild and Scenic River in US Senate appeared first on WMNF 88.5 FM.