Tom Bayles

About

Southwest Florida is among the richest regions in the country for environmental news, which I quickly discovered when I began covering the lower Gulf Coast of Florida more than 20 years ago. The Everglades restoration, water quality and quantity, the Florida panther and other endangered species, Lake Okeechobee's myriad challenges, beach renourishment, invasive species, and harmful algae blooms are a mere sliver of the vast and diverse ecosystem of Southwest Florida that warrants vigilant, consistent, and balanced coverage. My research style includes finding those directly involved or affected for discussions, site visits to experience all the senses, scholarly research, social media, and AI-assisted database reporting. I write and voice web and broadcast versions of nearly every story for WGCU, our sister stations throughout the state, and occasionally for NPR in Washington. That depth and breadth of journalism, as well as a painstaking commitment to ethical, detailed, fair, and authoritative telling of the most important developments within South Florida's environment, helps WGCU's ratings remain at or near the top of all broadcast outlets in Southwest Florida for trusted content online, on-air, and on television. I'm blessed to be able to do what I do.