Florida Matters

The legislative session starts March 7 so we’re discussing changes that could be made to Florida laws and how it could affect you. Host Matthew Peddie talks with journalists Mitch Perry and Lynn Hatter to discuss new legislation.

We discuss diversity and inclusion in Florida schools following controversial decisions made by state leaders. In recent months, the Republican-led legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis have made sweeping changes to both public K through 12 schools and state universities. Targets include the teaching of race, gender and sexual orientation and the appropriateness of books available in schools.

We’re talking with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor about challenges facing the city, and the issues she thinks are important for Tampa — improving mass transit, building more affordable housing, what a more conservative state legislature means for the city and more.

We preview season seven of the Zest -- WUSF’s podcast celebrating the intersection of food and Florida. In this season, host Dalia Colon delves into the science of keeping produce fresh for longer, learning more about the food traditions that enrich the culture of Florida, meeting innovative culinary entrepreneurs… and more.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has picked the developer he wants to reimagine the Tropicana Field site. The big reveal came at the end of the mayor’s State of the City address on the steps of City Hall on Monday, where Welch announced the Hines-Rays development team would be the city's "partner in progress" for reimagining the site.

We explore what went wrong with Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) - and what happens next. Tampa Bay’s regional transit authority is going away. Members of the authority voted last Friday to dissolve it. The organization was formed 16 years ago to tackle mass transit needs for the region but it has ground to a halt due to lack of funding and lack of agreement between the cities an...

We’re talking about extreme heat and the impact of hotter days on the residents of Tampa Bay as a result of a warming climate. According to a recent report from the National Weather Service, Tampa just had its warmest year on record. Heat is the number one killer when it comes to weather.

We’re talking about right wing conservatism in Florida and extremist groups, two years after the January 6th uprising at the US Capitol.

A big question for Florida homeowners is how insurance reforms pushed through by lawmakers late last year will affect them. Host Matthew Peddie talks with professor Chuck Nyce, with the Florida State University College of Business, for more on whether the changes will stabilize the troubled insurance market and give homeowners some relief from spiraling rates. Plus we talk with the mayor of Saraso...

On this week's Florida Matters....

We talk with former St. Petersburg congressman David Jolly about bipartisanship in a polarized political landscape. The former U.S. representative from Tampa Bay left the Republican party and registered as NPA or no party affiliation four years ago. He's since advocated for more options for voters whose priorities don't align with those of the two major parties.

We talk with political reporters, to answer your questions about the upcoming election. The general election is two weeks away and this election season, WUSF Public Media has been doing things a bit differently from other news media — focusing on the issues rather than talking points, and listening to you.

We check in with a growing part of the electorate — young voters — three weeks out from election day. As part of WUSF’s Democracy 2022 coverage, we held a listening session a couple weeks back, where we asked you to share your thoughts on the election, the democratic process, and how it’s reported by the media. We invited some of the participants in that listening session to talk with us on Florid...

We talk with local election officials about voting in next month’s elections. Misinformation, disinformation and the aftermath of Hurricane Ian may complicate the process for voters. But Brian Corley, supervisor of elections in Pasco County, and Hillsborough County counterpart Craig Latimer say they are confident their systems will prevail.

We hear from survivors of Hurricane Ian across Central and Southwest Florida and discuss the challenges of rebuilding going forward. WUSF reporters spoke with residents and business owners from Myakka City to Bonita Springs about the storm.

We highlight a new oral history project about how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Black and Brown Floridians in the greater Tampa Bay region. We'll feature two interviews from the Florida Humanities-funded project and hear from one of its producers.

We highlight WUSF's recent series focusing on the challenges Black Americans face as they try to maintain their mental health.

We look at how workers and businesses in the greater Tampa Bay region are evolving away from the physical office space. For a lot of people, March 2020 was a crash course in remote work. More than two years later, the question of what the new normal looks like still hasn't been answered.

We look at the impact Governor Ron DeSantis has had on the state’s non-partisan elections. DeSantis endorsed many school board candidates across the state. Some are also aligned with Moms for Liberty, a conservative group advocating for parental involvement in schools. In Sarasota County, three candidates -- backed by both the governor and Moms for Liberty -- won their August elections.

We talk with a University of South Florida anthropologist and author about her recently-published book, “We Carry Their Bones.” In 2012, a team of researchers lead by Erin Kimmerle uncovered the graves of young boys buried at the notorious Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.

Primary elections are just a week away so we discuss the issues and candidates on the ballot. Although Governor Ron DeSantis has no primary opponent, he still has an influence on races across the state.

We discuss the challenges students and teachers face as a new school year begins. Schools in most counties in the greater Tampa Bay region open on Wednesday. And school districts are facing teacher shortages, with some missing hundreds.

We talk with local author and historian Gary Mormino about his latest book on the Sunshine State's influence during the early 21st century.

We dive into where abortion now stands in Florida -- a month since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

We discuss Florida's literary scene and get summer reading recommendations from a local book critic and independent bookstore owner.