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.

We hear from local food entrepreneurs who started their small businesses. Host Matthew Peddie talks with Zach Correa of lemonGRAFT, Sam Meyers of Tampa Bay Rum Company and Shayla Daniels of Chez Shay’s Sweets.

We explore suggestions for local summer "staycations" with Tampa-based author and journalist Kristen Hare. Since 2014, she's written the "100 Things to do in Tampa Bay Before You Die" series.

We get an update on water quality in the Tampa Bay region from WUSF reporter Steve Newborn. He's reported on incidents like last year's toxic wastewater spill from the former Piney Point phosphate plant threatened the region's estuaries and marine life.

We talk with St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch about his priorities for his first term. We visited Welch at his office in City Hall for a conversation about the Tropicana redevelopment, affordable housing, transportation and other challenges facing the city.

We hear from Tampa Bay regional residents about what needs to change to stem the tide of gun violence. Later in the show — with the special session on property insurance in the rear view mirror — can homeowners expect some relief from skyrocketing premiums?

We talk with Kerry Sheridan and Bailey LeFever, the reporters behind a series of audio postcards featuring the voices of Tampa Bay area teachers. Over the course of the show, you’ll also hear three of the postcards they produced on topics such as teacher morale and parental involvement.

Hurricane season starts next week and we learn about what to expect this season — and how to get ready. Forecasters are expecting another busier than average storm season, with as many as nine hurricanes.

The state’s property insurance market is in big trouble. Homeowners are paying more for less coverage as insurance companies shed customers. Some companies have gone under. Lawmakers return to Tallahassee next week for a special session to deal with the crisis.

We talk with Health News Florida reporter Stephanie Colombini about her reporting on Florida’s “No Patient Left Alone” act. The new law lets family members visit patients in health care facilities — even during an emergency like a pandemic.

We discuss the leadership style of Governor Ron DeSantis, leading up to the November mid-term elections. His priorities during the latest legislative session have put him at the leading edge of the country’s “culture war.”