Florida Matters

It’s pride month - and Juneteenth is just around the corner. Pride celebrations take on added significance for LGBTQ+ Floridians who have been the focus of restrictive new laws in recent years. And for Black and LGBTQ + residents, June takes on extra significance. On this episode of Florida Matters, we speak with leaders in the greater Tampa Bay region’s Black LGBTQIA community about representatio...

On this episode of Florida Matters, we talk with two people involved in the Sunshine Skyway Bridge documentary, including one of the divers who helped recover the victims. The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, after it was hit by a cargo ship, has rekindled interest in the Sunshine Skyway bridge disaster that happened 44 years ago. A documentary screening this month in Tampa a...

On this episode of Florida Matters we talk with two experts about the health impacts of vaping- both on adults and youth. We discuss the role of e-cigarettes as an alternative to conventional smoking for adults who want to quit and we take a look at a new Florida law aimed to stop children from vaping. We talked with Yiota Kitsantis, professor and chair of the Department of Population Health and S...

In this episode of Florida Matters, we speak to Florida historian Raymond Arsenault about his biography of the late Congressman John Lewis. Lewis spent a lifetime fighting for equality. When the Georgia representative died in 2020, aged 80, America had changed profoundly from when Lewis fought for desegregation as a young civil rights activist. Lewis himself sometimes marveled at the remarkable jo...

Forecasters are predicting an extremely active hurricane season, with 23 named storms and 11 hurricanes, including five major hurricanes. We talk with Megan Borowski, the interim chief meteorologist and director of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network about the season ahead. Also joining the show to discuss hurricane preparedness are Tim Dudley, the Hillsborough County Emergency Management D...

When extreme weather hits Florida, the destruction can be immense. Hurricane Idalia caused $3.6 million in damage when it barreled into the Big Bend last year. That’s according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s estimates. Cleaning it up is tough, dirty and dangerous work. The workers are often left without adequate protection as they deal with toxic mold, dust and other haza...

This week, we speak to WUSF reporters about their experience covering the pro-Palestinian protests on the USF campus, along with two local historians who talk about the history of protests in Tampa and at USF. College campuses around the country are witnessing a surge of protests against the war in Gaza. Some of the demonstrations have been marred by violence as pro-Palestinian demonstrators have...

In this episode, we’re talking about Bob Graham’s environmental legacy - including his efforts to protect wild places like the Everglades and other waterways - and wildlife, like the manatee. Bob Graham knew how to rally people to a cause, no matter their political affiliation. He died this month at the age of 87. The Democrat from South Florida had a profound influence on state politics during hi...

This November, Floridians will vote yes or no on allowing adults 21 and older to use recreational marijuana. On this episode of Florida Matters, we discuss how the proposed amendment could change life in the Sunshine State. Joining the conversation: Tampa Bay Times/Tallahassee correspondent Romy Ellenbogen, who covers state government, with a focus on criminal justice and health. And Richard Blau,...

Teachers have been navigating challenging and confusing times since education laws rolled out in 2022. In this episode, we get an update on what their classrooms have been like since. For the past couple of years, public school teachers in Florida have navigated some challenging, and at times confusing, changes to what they teach and how they teach it. Legislation was rolled out in 2022 with restr...

People know Titus O’Neil as a star of WWE. But before he was a pro wrestler and Global Ambassador for WWE, Titus O’Neil was Thaddeus Bullard. He began his athletic career as a promising football player - a University of Florida Gator who played under legendary coach Steve Spurrier, and later in the Arena Football League. Bullard's path to athletic fame and fortune wasn’t an easy one. He writes abo...

The Florida Supreme Court released opinions on two proposed constitutional amendments Monday afternoon. One would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and the other would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. At the same time, the court released a ruling on a challenge to Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. The court upheld the 15-week ban, which in turn means a more...

The issue of a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays been debated for decades. And in the next few months, make-or-break decisions will be made on the redevelopment plans. This week marks the start of another season of baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ll face the Toronto Blue Jays in their first home series at Tropicana Field, the stadium that’s nearing the end of its residency in downtown St....

This week, we speak with two women veterans about their military experiences and opportunities and challenges for women veterans. The number of women in the military is rapidly growing. A 2022 Defense Department report shows that in 2021, there was an 18% increase in women in active duty and a 22% increase in women in the reserves. That’s even as the overall number of service members dropped, acco...

One of the most controversial bills to come out of this year’s legislative session restricts the use of social media sites for teenagers. The bill had bipartisan support- but there are questions about whether it violates the first amendment rights of these young people. And it’s not clear which social media platforms will be affected. An earlier version of the bill was vetoed by Governor DeSantis....

Florida lawmakers wrapped up the 60-day legislative session last Friday, passing a $117.46 billion budget and a slate of new bills. Among them are new restrictions on social media use by teenagers, limits to where people experiencing homelessness are allowed to sleep and some tweaks to the troubled homeowners insurance market. Political journalist William March and Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald Ta...

An increasing number of people in Florida are experiencing homelessness. The surge in homelessness comes as state lawmakers are considering legislation that some advocates see as punitive: a law that would make it illegal to sleep on public property. Florida’s council on Homelessness reported 30,809 individuals experiencing “literal homelessness” last year. That means not having a fixed, regular o...

Dalia Colón talks with Florida Matters about hosting The Zest podcast and releasing her new cookbook, "The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook." In the introduction to her new book, "The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook," Dalia Colón writes about her first impressions of the Sunshine State: “By the time I’d unpacked my car, I’d came to a conclusion: In Florida, it’s too hot to eat.” For the first months in the...

As Florida changed its Black history curriculum and removed books from public schools… first-time Tampa city councilwoman Gwen Henderson pushed back and opened a bookstore. Florida Matters visited Henderson at the bookstore she runs in Tampa Heights with her daughter Ariel. It’s called “Black English.” Henderson, who wears a ball cap covered in buttons- Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Florida A&M...

Arthenia Joyner was first elected to the Florida legislature in 2000, taking office amid the legal turmoil of the presidential election between George Bush and Al Gore. Her sixteen year career as a state lawmaker included two years as senate minority leader, and she was the first Black woman elected to that post. We sat down to talk with Joyner about her trailblazing career and an upbringing that...

This week, we talk with two Black women who are leaders in the community and who have each taken a different approach to politics. Former State Senator Arthenia Joyner was the first Black woman to serve as Senate Minority leader in the Florida legislature. We’ll hear from her later in the program. And long time educator Gwen Henderson is a first time Tampa City Council member and owner of Black En...

Black nerds, or Blerds, are mainstream these days. From comic book superheroes on the big screen, like Black Panther or Storm, to hip-hop artists celebrating their affinity for anime, Blerds are a growing part of pop culture. But it wasn’t always like this. For a lot of Black kids growing up before the 2000s, there weren’t many people on screens or in comic books that looked like them.

Legislative priorities for lawmakers in Tallahassee this year include increasing the number of health care providers in Florida and clamping down on children's social media use. Although the state legislative session is almost half over, there’s still more work ahead for lawmakers before they can pass a budget. On this episode, we get a progress report on some of the biggest proposals from politic...

Supervisors of elections have a lot on their plate this year. Florida’s presidential preference primary will be held in March, but there’s also a slew of municipal elections all the way up until November. In the meantime, election officials are preparing to deal with a flood of new voters and changes to voting rules since the last presidential election. They are also dealing with security, making...

The choice of candidates for Republican voters in the presidential preference primary has dwindled to just two- former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, and former president Donald Trump, the front runner in the race. That was not what Florida voters- and especially supporters of Governor Ron DeSantis- would have expected eight months ago when he launched his presidential campaign. DeSantis had...