Stephanie Colombini
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.
Stephanie was born and raised just outside New York City. She graduated from Fordham University in the Bronx, where she got her start in radio at NPR member station WFUV in 2012. In addition to reporting and anchoring, Stephanie helped launch the news department’s first podcast series,
Issues Tank.
Prior to joining the WUSF family, Stephanie spent a year reporting for CBS Radio’s flagship station WCBS Newsradio 880 in Manhattan. Her assignments included breaking news stories such as the 2016 bombings in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood and Seaside Park, NJ and political campaigns. As part of her job there, she was forced to – and survived – a night of reporting on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.
Her work in feature reporting and podcast production has earned her awards from the Public Radio News Directors, Inc. and the Alliance for Women in Media.
While off-the-clock, you might catch Stephanie at a rock concert, on a fishing boat or anywhere that serves delicious food.
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The state's four FEMA sites and select pharmacies are some of the places where school staff of all ages can get their shots. -
Only about 1 percent of people vaccinated in Sarasota County are Black. Advocates say the distribution process puts underserved communities at a disadvantage. They're fighting to change that. -
State health officials reported 7,087 new COVID-19 cases, Wednesday and 127 deaths. Governor Ron DeSantis says he’s expecting a surge in vaccine doses coming to Florida in the coming weeks and that teachers, firefighters and law enforcement officers 50 and older could be next in line to receive the vaccine. DeSantis says he’s also targeting rural counties with relatively low rates of seniors vaccinated such as DeSoto and Hardy and Glades Counties in Southwest Florida. Advocates in Sarasota are fighting to get more vaccine doses to people of color as just 1% of Blacks and 1.5% of Hispanics in the County have received the vaccine. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a complaint filed against Manatee County Commission Chairwoman Vanessa Baugh over alleged misuse of her position in cherry-picking who would receive vaccine doses at a state-run pop-up clinic last week in Lakewood Ranch. The Venice Fire Rescue Department is looking to expand its outreach through a state pilot program aimed at getting vaccines to eligible homebound residents. -
State health officials reported 7,788 new COVID-19 cases, Sunday and 119 new deaths. Florida launched a new state-run website, Friday, for people to register for COVID-19 vaccination appointments at myvaccine.fl.gov. It remains unclear how Florida residents under 65 years old who are deemed “extremely vulnerable” can sign up to receive a vaccine dose. The more contagious COVID-19 variant called B.1.1.7 continues to spread in Florida. The CDC reports, Florida now leads the nation with 147 cases of the variant identified so far. After giving Publix exclusive vaccine rights in Palm Beach County, the state is now planning to open a vaccine clinic in Belle Glade to serve the predominantly Black agricultural towns that surround Lake Okeechobee and that are more than 25 miles away from the nearest Publix location. A USF survey focused on misinformation, social media, and the politicization of the pandemic explores varying degrees of trust people have in information they’re getting about the coronavirus through social media platforms. -
The Florida Department of Health reported 11,423 COVID-19 cases, Thursday and 202 coronavirus-related deaths. In an address to a state legislative committee, Thursday, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said the burden is on the federal government to provide more vaccine to Florida, but says President Biden “inherited a mess.” Democratic members of Congress from South Florida held a media conference Thursday to critique Governor Ron DeSantis’ vaccine rollout efforts and messaging. The Sarasota County School District is facilitating COVID-19 vaccine doses for eligible staff 65 and older this coming Sunday. The more contagious strain of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK continues to spread throughout Florida, which is now tied with California with the most number of cases of the variant identified. Despite Black Floridians getting COVID-19 at a higher rate than white Floridians, whites people in Florida are getting vaccinated at nearly three times the rate of Blacks. -
Hospitals are allowed to vaccinate high-risk patients who aren't seniors or health workers, but most don't have enough supplies to do so. -
State health officials reported 7,884 COVID-19 cases, Monday, for a total of 1,579,281 infections.The Florida Department of Health also reported 137 coronavirus-related deaths, Monday, increasing the statewide death toll to 24,657 fatalities since the beginning of the pandemic. -
Schools typically mandate vaccines that prevent highly contagious diseases. The coronavirus spreads easily, but experts say we need to learn more about whether new vaccines can protect kids from it safely. -
As the first round of vaccines for the coronavirus are delivered, officials in cities and counties around the state are preparing for what will be a massive effort to vaccinate the general population. -
State health officials reported 8,452 new COVID-19 cases, Wednesday, for a total of 1,134,383 cases.The Florida Department of Health also reported 137 new coronavirus-related deaths, Dec. 14, increasing the statewide death toll to 20,271 fatalities since the start of the pandemic. Florida surpassed the 20,000-death mark on Saturday.
