Beyond the News WFLA Interviews

It's Girl Scout cookie season again. Some flavors are being retired but others are still strong. We speak with West Central Florida Council CEO Mary Pat King about how to buy cookies, how cookie sales help the Girl Scouts, and how best to help your child sell and market her product.

Newsradio WFLA's Read Shepherd talks to LaurenGomez, an Environmental Specialist at TECO's Manatee Viewing Center about the impact of our cold snap on the manatees in the discharge canal.

The Tampa Bay area is home to much of the nation's tropical fish farm industry. Farmers are rushing to protect their fish ponds by covering them in plastic. We speak with Sandy Moore, President of New Business Development for Segrest Farms, a tropical fish wholesaler based in Gibsonton, Florida.

A firm that's been part of Florida's citrus industry for the better part of a century, ALICO, says it's going to "wind down" citrus operations. Crop output has been devastated by greening disease and hurricanes. We speak with Dr. Robert Kryger, Ph D, with Florida Polytechnic University in Lakeland, about the impact of that move.

The annual commemoration of Epiphany takes place Monday (January 6) in Tarpon Springs. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, the day commemorates the baptism of Jesus, and features more than 60 divers hoping to retrieve a cross from Spring Bayou. We speak with Johanna Gatzoulis with St. Nicholas' Cathedral, which organizes the event.

Tuesday (January 7th) is the deadline to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance if you suffered losses in Hurricanes Helene or Milton. We speak with Troy York of FEMA about what you need to know to apply.

In New York, they drop the ball. In Atlanta, they drop the beach. In Las Cruces, New Mexico, they drop a chili pepper. Plant City is starting its own New Year's Eve tradition to welcome in 2025 and can you guess what they're using as a symbol? We speak with Dawn Hyatt, executive director of Plant City Main Street.

Once the holidays are finished, we deal with all that post-holiday waste, perhaps including a tree. Danny Gallagher with Hillsborough County Solid Waste talks about how to dispose of trees, tinsel and other trash of the season.

Holiday celebrations are a lot harder for Floridians who've suffered losses in this year's hurricanes. For example, preparing a Christmas dinner is nearly impossible if your kitchen got wiped out by flooding. We speak with University of South Florida management professor Lisa Penney about how to deal with holiday stress, especially if you suffered property or personal losses from events such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

The holidays are stressful for most people. But they can be especially difficult for those with existing mental health issues, including conditional anxiety and depression. We speak with the head of the University of South Florida's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Dr. Ryan Wagoner, about how to get through the holidays and support those who might be struggling.

Kid-themed Legoland park in Winter Haven says it's discontinuing water ski shows, which go back to the site's history as Cypress Gardens. About 1500 people have signed a petition asking the park to change its mind. We speak with Daniel Conrod, a former competitive water skier who signed the petition at change.org.

December 3rd is Giving Tuesday, the global day for supporting the work of charities and nonprofits. But how do you make sure yo're giving to a charity that actually works on its cause and doesn't burn money on bloated administrative costs? We speak with Bryan Oglesby of the Better Business Bureau in West Florida.

The Florida Statewide Drone Expo is being hosted Saturday (12/7) at Azalea Middle School in St.Petersburg. We speak with Willis Reese, who heads the school's magnet aerospace program, about the expo and about their aerospace program as well as the Civil Air Patrol, which has a campus chapter.

Florida's Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, declared in Winter Haven that the state of Florida will recommend cities and counties stop water fluoridation. He pointed to studies related to a lawsuit involving gthe EPA, that tie fluoride to conditions such as ADHD and low IQ in children. We get a response from Dr. Jeff Ottley of the Florida Dental Association.

Bradenton police arrest the 56-year-old owner of a pressure washing company. They say he convinced an elderly woman from Frisco, Texas to send him $250,000 by claiming he was Elon Musk. We speak with police spokesperson Meredith Censullo.

The deadline for people and businesses to apply for Small Business Administration loans for damage suffered in Hurricane Helene is coming up soon. We speak with SBA's Joseph Davis about who's eligible and how to apply.

We speak with U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Clearwater) about the testimony of FEMA's director about the Trump signs incident, as well as the confirmation process for President-elect Trump's nominees, including attorney general pick Matt Gaetz.

Thousands of city officials from around the nation are gathering in Tampa for a City Summit hosted by the National League of Cities. They're networking and also looking at some of the ways that Tampa has addressed challenges with affordable housing, transportation, infrastructure, and finding money to address those issues. We speak with the league's CEO, Clarence Anthony, who's also the former mayor of South Bay, Florida and father of former Florida Gator and retired Buccaneers wide receiver Riedel Anthony.

Friday (Nov. 8), the University of South Florida holds the official groundbreaking for its new on-campus football stadium. We speak with USF VP of Athletics Michael Kelly about how this will change the university, the athletic program and the fan experience. Photo: USF Athletics

Sarasota's Lido Beach reopens Saturday (2nd) for the first time since Hurricane Milton. Parking will be limited because of sandpiles and visitors are urged to use the free trolley service from downtown Sarasota. We speak with City of Sarasota Parks and Recreation Director Jerry Fogle to find out what they had to do to get Lido Beach ready, and what visitors need to know.