Joe Mario Pedersen
Health ReporterOriginally from South Florida, Joe Mario came to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida where he graduated with degrees in Radio & Television Production, Film, and Psychology. He worked several beats and covered multimedia at The Villages Daily Sun but returned to the City Beautiful as a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel where he covered crime, hurricanes, and viral news. Joe Mario has too many interests and not enough time but tries to focus on his love for strange stories in comic books and horror movies. When he's not writing he loves to run in his spare time.
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After 84 years of service, Rockledge Hospital closed its doors on Wednesday, April 23, leaving a disappointed community in its wake and a medical desert for emergency services. -
The number of cruise passengers is expected to reach a record number this year, but norovirus outbreaks on cruises are seeing yearly increases, as well. -
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General James Uthmeier explaining the city plans to follow state and federal laws regarding immigration enforcement. -
After verbal sparring the last two weeks, the Florida attorney general said Monday that the state will send prosecutors to the 9th Circuit state attorney’s office to address a backlog of 13,000 cases out of Orange and Osceola counties. -
Florida legislators are working to make Children's Medical Services more cost-efficient by transferring its operations to another agency. Critics think it could stymie care for kids. -
A Florida bill to be read by the House of Representatives this week seeks to define an unborn person as a homosapien at any stage of fetal development. It would also give families the chance to sue if the unborn child dies from negligence. -
The Florida Department of Health is once again tracking above-average numbers of travel-related cases of the mosquito-borne disease dengue. Now, control groups are working to make sure the disease doesn’t become endemic. -
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida is calling on residents for help after the federal government suspended funds critical to feeding many in the region. -
Florida legislators passed a public health insurance expansion that would help poor and disabled children get better coverage over a year ago, but it still hasn’t used the funds. -
Kicked off of Medicaid, Florida children with medically complex needs are offered a state insurance program designed for healthy kids who cannot provide the care they require.
