Florida Matters More

After 19 years as President of the University of South Florida, Judy Genshaft is stepping down at the end of this month. This week on Florida Matters we talk about the highs and lows of her tenure, with WUSF assistant news directors Mark Schreiner and Steve Newborn. 

Look up "keto cookbooks" and you find a plethora of options: Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking, Southern Keto, Ketogenic Cleanse, Keto Comfort Foods… It’s fair to say this is a diet craze. But does it really work? This week on Florida Matters we talk with nutrition experts about the keto diet and how it can affect your health, from weight loss to possibly treating cancer. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks to guests Dom D’Agostino, widely-known keto expert and Associate Professor of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida; Angela Poff, Research Associate with USF’s Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology; and Jenna Bell, Registered Dietitian, triathlete and Senior Vice President at Pollock Communications

Whether you’re interested in politics, music, crime, technology or just about anything, there is likely a podcast for you. But while millions of people enjoy listening to podcasts every day, others still don’t understand this relatively new form of media. This week on Florida Matters: Podcasting 101. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks to Kenny Malone of the Planet Money podcast; and Dalia Colón, producer of WUSF's The Zest podcast.

Lovebugs, termites, mosquitoes, cockroaches – there is no doubt that Florida is home to many insects, and they seem to thrive in the state's hot, humid conditions.You can’t avoid them, so this week on Florida Matters we’re talking about how to deal with them. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sits down with Steve Fuhs, service coordinator with the pest control company Truly Nolen's Port Richey Service Office; and Phil Koehler, endowed professor at the University of Florida who specializes in urban entomology.

This week on Florida Matters, host Robin Sussingham talks with Jack E. Davis, whose book The Gulf: The Making of An American Sea won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History, about how the environmental history of the Gulf of Mexico shaped the lives of the people along its shores.

Citrus has shaped the state's identity for a hundred years. But it's been a rough ten years, with freezes, hurricanes, development pressure...and worst of all, the disease Huanglongbing, otherwise known as citrus greening. And when the industry needs help the most, Tallahassee doesn't seem to be that interested. There's nobody with a powerful political position right now that has a citrus background. And legislators just cut the budget to the Florida Citrus Commission by about 80 percent. Citrus is at a crossroads. Host Robin Sussingham talks to Kevin Bouffard, senior reporter at The Ledger; Mike Sparks,  CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual; and Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus.

Jane Castor is in her first weeks as the new mayor of Tampa. Her position as the first gay mayor in the Southeast didn't come up much during the campaign, but she made national news the day after her victory. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham asks Castor about whether she considers herself a role model - and why she likes certain breeds of chihuahuas and schnauzers - but is not so crazy about cats.

The 2019 state legislative session ended Saturday. The budget includes hundreds of millions of dollars for Everglades and freshwater springs restoration, and for affordable housing; a large increase in education funding; and help for the hurricane-ravaged panhandle. Governor Ron DeSantis says, "We have put people over politics." There was still quite a lot of political theater to be found, though. Host Robin Sussingham talks to political reporter Janelle Irwin of Florida Politics; and columnist Steve Bousquet of the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel.

With Florida’s population on the rise, we're taking a look at how we’re adapting. "Zoning" may sound mundane but in reality, it's anything but! Zoning and building regulations affect us intimately -- because they hit us where we live. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sits down with Peter Belmont, Vice President of Preserve the ‘Burg, the non-profit that promotes historic preservation in St. Petersburg; Tyler Hudson, a land use and real estate attorney, and a member of the Urban Land Institute who served as the Chairman of All for Transportation, the referendum to raise the  sales tax in order to fund county transportation; and Evangeline "Van"  Linkous, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of South Florida.

These are exciting times for eating out in Tampa Bay. Our cuisine is getting better and more varied and starting to draw national attention. Florida Matters hosted a taping in front of a live audience earlier this year at the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs at USF St. Petersburg. The topic: Tampa Bay as an international dining destination. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham sat down with Laura Reiley, former restaurant critic with the Tampa Bay Times, who recently started a new position with the Washington Post; Janet Keeler, journalism instructor at USF St. Petersburg and former Tampa Bay Times food editor; and Emmanuel Roux, owner of Gateau O'Chocolat Bakery and the 15th Street Agri-hood/Eco Village, an organic, educational farm in downtown St. Petersburg. Roux has owned several restaurants in the Tampa Bay Area over the years.

Florida is home to more than 500 invasive species. Not all of these plants and animals are big and scary like pythons, but they can still harm the state’s native wildlife, and a lot of time and money is spent fighting them. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham spoke with John Humphrey, wildlife biologist with the USDA Natural Wildlife Research Center’s Florida Field Station in Gainesville; and Todd Campbell, Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Tampa, about their efforts to combat these non-native species.

A new mayor of Tampa will be elected on April 23rd. The two remaining candidates, Jane Castor and David Straz, debated at the WEDU PBS studio, and we're bringing that debate to you. Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham also spoke with WUSF reporter Steve Newborn, who's been following the contentious race.

Alternative kinds of housing like shipping containers or tiny houses are quickly growing in popularity. We discuss whether they could help relieve some of the pressure from the affordable housing crunch. WUSF's Robin Sussingham speaks with Robert Cox, CEO of Sundog Structures; Mickey Jacob, an architect and Chairman of the Tampa Downtown Partnership; and Elizabeth Strom, an Associate Professor at USF's School of Public Affairs.

Florida’s legislative session has been underway for almost a month and there have already been some big changes. We talk with reporters about key issues lawmakers are considering and how their actions could affect our lives on this week’s Florida Matters. Host Robin Sussingham talks to William March, a veteran political writer and analyst; and Zac Anderson, the political editor of the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

Historians and local old-timers say that once, Tampa Bay was overflowing with delicious oysters. And that some rivers, like the Manatee River, were once so full of mullet that they roiled the water and their noise would keep nearby residents awake at night. We're talking about seafood this week on Florida Matters.Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks with food historian Gary Mormino and restaurant owner Ed Chiles about changes in the state's seafood industry.

Tourism is a vital industry for our state, and Florida Matters is taking a look at how businesses fared in the wake of red tide, what's new with our theme parks, and where tourism is heading after another record-breaking year. Host Robin Sussingham spoke to Erin Duggan of Visit Sarasota County; reporter Veronica Brezina of the Tampa Bay Business Journal; and Alan Fyall, Visit Orlando Endowed Chair of Tourism Marketing and Graduate Programs’ Director at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicked off the 2019 legislative session with his first State of the State address. He asked lawmakers to "be bold" as they address issues like education, the environment and health care. We hear highlights from his speech and the Democratic response, which was delivered by Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson.

Florida ranks third in the nation for the number of calls placed to the national human trafficking hotline. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a summit on the topic during a luncheon for local business owners. The panel was moderated by Dottie Groover-Skipper, who fights human trafficking with the Salvation Army's Florida division. The panel also included Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister; Assistant Statewide Prosecutor with the Florida Attorney General's Office Julie Sercus; Dr. Dion Samerson, Medical Director for St. Joseph's Hospital's Emergency Department; and Elizabeth Melendez-Fisher, CEO and Co-Founder of Saleh Freedom, a Sarasota-based nonprofit that helps sex trafficking victims.

These are very exciting times for eating out in the Tampa Bay area! Our cuisine is getting better and more varied, and it's starting to draw national attention. Host Robin Sussingham recently moderated a panel on international dining at the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, held at USF St. Pete,  where she was joined by Laura Reiley, restaurant critic for the Tampa Bay Times; Janet Keeler, who teaches journalism at USF St. Pete and is the former food editor at the Tampa Bay Times;  and Emmanuel Roux, who has owned several restaurants in St. Petersburg and now owns Gateau O Chocolat, a  flourless chocolate cake bakery. Roux also runs the 15th St Agrihood, an organic educational farm in downtown St. Petersburg.

This week's Florida Matters highlights some of the places and events that make Plant City special, like the Plant City Photo Archives and History Center, which houses more than 120,000 images and countless other items that capture the town's legacy.