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Margo Snipe - Health Equity Reporter
Margo Snipe

Health Equity Reporter

It is a passion of mine to report stories that give a voice to under-served and underrepresented communities. As a health equity reporter, I get to do just that — tell stories that make you feel something, spark dialogue, inspire deep thinking and reflection. I’m not a Florida native. In fact, I’m not really a native anywhere. I’ve lived in a handful of cities across the country and even spent 3.5 years living in Rome. When I’m not reporting, I’m chugging coffee, listening to music or figuring how to work out now that my days of playing collegiate volleyball are over. Reach out to me if you want to share your story or just chat.

  1. Overdose deaths in Tampa Bay’s Black community are skyrocketing
    Oct. 7• Health
    Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Keith McCants poses for a portrait on June 2 at Coffee Pot Park in St. Petersburg. He died at the age of 53 on Sept. 2.
  2. Children face racial disparities as COVID-19 infections rise
    Sep. 22• Health
    Mha’siyah Blake, 12, prepares to receive a COVID-19 vaccine administered by first year USF physician’s assistant student Caroline Cubero at a back to school health clinic at Middleton High School in Tampa on July 31.
  3. St. Pete gun violence may break records this year. Can this father end it?
    Sep. 21• St. Petersburg
    A 7-year-old boy reads the Black St. Pete Pledge during an August event at Lake Vista Recreation Center in St. Petersburg. The anti-gun violence pledge was created by Maress Scott, the father of Marquis Scott, who was shot and killed in the fall of 2019. The father has been asking community members to sign the pledge, which states: "I pledge not to murder another black person for the rest of this year. Instead of using a gun (or any other weapon), I will use my mind, my heart, and my mouth to solve any issues."
  5. Health care for U.S. mothers shows little improvement, new report says
    Sep. 15• Health
    Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, data shows.
  6. Is Florida vaccinating racial groups equitably? It’s hard to tell
    Sep. 13• Health
    Mha’siyah Blake, 12, waits to receive a COVID-19 vaccination while his father Tshambe Blake, 44, of Tampa, fills out paperwork at a back-to-school health clinic at Middleton High School in Tampa on Saturday, July 31, 2021.
  7. In Tampa Bay, it takes three minimum wage jobs to make rent, report says
    Sep. 7• Real Estate
    Bridget Cunningham stands in front of the Tampa duplex she's been renting on Tuesday, August 31, 2021. Her landlord is raising her rent by $1,000, she said. The lack of affordable rent options are motivating her to buy a property instead.
  8. Florida averages 250 COVID deaths a day; children top infections, positivity rates
    Aug. 27• Health
    Frontline workers at AdventHealth Daytona Beach hospital work in the COVID care unit. Many coronavirus patients there are surrounded by a tangle of machines and tubing that help keep them alive.
  9. Climate change will make heat even deadlier for outdoor workers, study says
    Aug. 19• News
    Carpenter Steven Miller, of Brooksville, takes a moment to clear the sweat from his face while framing interior walls at the Sutherland Trails development Thursday in Palm Harbor.
  10. Got questions about the contagious delta variant? Here’s some answers.
    Aug. 16• Health
    County health department nurse Orlyn Grace prepares a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Guatemalan Maya Center in Lake Worth, Florida on August 13, 2021.
  11. Florida to receive $10.6 million to help curb HIV crisis
    Jul. 28• Health
    A new, one-minute HIV test being demonstrated at Metro Inclusive Health in 2019. Florida will receive $10.61 million in funding to expand HIV infection prevention and treatment efforts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  12. As Florida hits 10,000 cases a day, experts seek more COVID data from state
    Jul. 24• Health
    Jennifer Loyless, holds her daughter, Avery, 12, as she prepares to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a mobile site in West Palm Beach on May 14.
  13. Florida leads nation in coronavirus infections in 2020-like surge
    Jul. 17• Health
    Early July 2021 saw a week-to-week growth rate that's the highest Florida has seen since the first wave of COVID-19 infections in June 2020, around when Daniela St. Gerard (above) was conducting COVID-19 tests in St. Petersburg.
  14. How four Tampa Bay ZIP codes explain Florida’s vaccine divide
    Jul. 4• Health
    Steven Rossi cuts Rodney Sesler's hair at Rossi's Barbershop on U.S. 41 S in Gibsonton. Both live live in ZIP code 33534, where only 31 percent of the residents have received a coronavirus vaccine shot. Ross said he has not been vaccinated, and wasn't surprised to hear that Gibsonton is one of the least vaccinated areas in Hillsborough County. Rossi said he is a fundamentalist Christian and they're "on the fence about it." Sesler said he's see how the vaccine affects people before he gets it.
  15. Nikki Fried launches statewide energy equity study
    Jun. 22• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, cetner, announced plans to launch Florida’s first statewide energy equity study at a Tuesday, June 22, 2020 news conference in Tampa's Robles Park neighborhood.
  16. Big Tobacco targeted Black Floridians. Menthol ban aims to reverse the damage.
    Jun. 21• Health
    Briana Brooks, 21, is a pre-law student who is organizing anti-tobacco efforts in St. Petersburg as a national ambassador with the Truth Initiative, the nation’s largest nonprofit anti-tobacco organization. She's focusing on predominantly Black neighborhoods, where she has family. The tobacco industry targets the Black community to sell menthol-flavored cigarettes, which are easier to start smoking and harder to stop.
  17. Crist, Demings urge Congress to pass maternal health legislation
    Jun. 18• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, left, the St. Petersburg Democrat running for Florida governor. U.S. Rep Val Demings, right, the Orlando Democrat running for U.S. Senate.
  18. State Rep. Michele Rayner jumps into congressional race to replace Crist
    Jun. 14• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Michele Rayner makes an announcement that she is running for Florida’s 13th Congressional District in Largo June 14, 2021. Photo by: Bob Croslin
  19. St. Petersburg leaders to go door-to-door to curb gun violence
    Jun. 9• St. Petersburg
    Matt Byrd, talks about a new initiative supported by St. Petersburg leaders who plan to go door-to-door to curb gun violence. The "Hidden Voices Project" will assemble a street team to bring resources like mental health support and job programs to those impacted by the recent surge in violence. The project is a collaboration between the city of St. Petersburg's Urban Affairs department and People Empowering & Restoring Communities, or PERC, a nonprofit aimed at supporting ex-offenders with education and resources.
  20. ‘Pride still goes on’ for trans Floridians after sports law, budget cuts
    Jun. 5• Florida
    Smiling faces and bright colors are seen behind a wall of bubbles and foam being sprayed to the crowd during the Tampa Pride Diversity Parade, on Saturday, May 22, 2021 in Ybor City
  21. George Floyd was murdered a year ago. Many Black Floridians still can’t watch.
    May 25• Health
    Charlie Jenkins, seen here during a recent visit to Tampa's Lykes Gaslight Park, asks why it takes such dehumanizing images to move the needle on racial justice.
  22. New rules boost health for transgender patients. ‘We’re just human beings.’
    May 14• Health
    When 76-year-old Geri Russo, of Pinellas Park, began her transition from male to female two years ago, a doctor told her she was too old. Russo is among those who stand to benefit from the Biden administration's decision, announced this week, to restore protections against discrimination in health care for gay and transgender patients.
  23. Democrats express optimism at Tampa fundraiser despite GOP victories
    May 2• The Buzz on Florida Politics
    Congressman Charlie Crist, seen here on Election Day on Nov. 3, 2020, spoke Saturday at a Democratic fundraiser in Tampa. He expressed optimism about the party despite the GOP's dominance, and is days away from making a big political announcement.
  24. Tampa Bay steps up effort to get COVID vaccines into minority communities
    Apr. 30• Health
    Tho Huu Vo, 58, receives a COVID-19 vaccine at the Lealman and Asian Neighborhood Family Center on April 3. Vo came to the United States from Vietnam seven years ago. Tampa Bay area health officials are looking for ways to reach further into minority communities as they work to expand the vaccination effort.