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Florida Matters Preview: How Wildfires Impact Our State

A Chinook helicopter battles an 1100-acre water tower brush fire in Hernando County on April 9th. The cause was lightning.
Florida Forest Service
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Florida is alight with wildfires right now, with over 125 burning across the state. This week on Florida Matters we’re talking about the impact these wildfires have on the state’s environment and economy, and whether there’s an end in sight to this dry season.

In this preview, Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham talks about what might be in store in the coming weeks and the role humans play in wildfires with Judi Tear, spokesperson with the Florida Forest Service, Dr. Chris Jones, environmental economics instructor at the University of South Florida and Jeff Huffman, meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.

Be sure to check out the full program online after its first broadcast on WUSF 89.7 tonight at 6:30. We’ll have photos of some of the fires that have been raging across the state as well as a map to track ongoing blazes. 

Copyright 2017 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7

Stephanie Colombini joined WUSF Public Media in December 2016 as Producer of Florida Matters, WUSF’s public affairs show. She’s also a reporter for WUSF’s Health News Florida project.
Robin is Senior Editor at WUSF, spearheading the station's podcasting initiatives and helping to guide the vision for special reporting projects and creative storytelling. She hosts the weekly current affairs program, Florida Matters, on WUSF and also created The Zest, the station's podcast that's all about food, which she continues to host and serve as senior producer.