Florida Matters

Full story: https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/show/florida-matters/2020-09-02/with-eviction-relief-extended-the-future-is-again-on-hold-for-renters-and-landlords

Full story: https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/show/florida-matters/2020-08-26/uncertainty-remains-as-k-12-schools-and-colleges-open-for-class

Full story: https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/show/florida-matters/2020-08-18/florida-faces-census-challenges-ahead-of-september-deadline

Brancaccio, a longtime public media journalist, has been with Marketplace since it was created in 1989 by American Public Media. As host of the Marketplace Morning Report, he’s heard every weekday morning on WUSF 89.7.

Host Bradley George spoke with Alsace Walentine, co-owner of Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg and Eileen Rodriguez of the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida.

Host Bradley George talks with WUSF news director Mary Shedden, WUSF political reporter Steve Newborn and WMFE reporter Abe Aboraya about what they learned in the process.

Host Mark Schreiner spoke with Dave Meltzer, editor of the Wrestling Observer newsletter and Jody Simon, a former pro wrestler and son of wrestling legend Boris Malenko.

Canter Brown details Plant's friendship with fellow Florida pioneer Henry Flagler, and why he felt compelled to build a railroad in the late 19th Century from St. Augustine to the backwater hamlet of Tampa.

Author  Marcia Jo Zerivitz  told Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham that many early settlers in Florida came from Europe, where their religion prohibited them from owning land.

The tale of how the panther was led back on the road to recovery has several twists and turns, including a "happy ending" that has taken 20 years to materialize.   The story is told by environmental reporter Craig Pittman in his new book, "Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle To Save The Florida Panther." He talks about the book with WUSF's Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham.

Our nation's democratic elections are being threatened like never before. Florida Matters this week takes a look at how our ballots are being protected - both nationally and around the state. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed some of the “bold” steps the state took in 2019 around such areas as education, the environment, health care and public safety, and stressed that “we have much more to do.” This show features highlights from the Governor's annual speech, as well as the Democratic Party response.

Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham spoke with longtime political journalist William March and Lynn Hatter, news director at WFSU, a Florida Public Media partner station, to preview the upcoming session. Hatter told Sussingham that the issue of raising teacher pay is one of the most crucial facing legislators. “Governor Ron DeSantis wants a pretty hefty teacher pay raise. He wants to boost salar...

We look back at the state of bees, the role of invasive species, endangered sea turtles and efforts to save Florida Coral Reefs. We start our final look back at 2019 with Dr. Jamie Ellis, a professor of entomology and director of honey bee research at the University of Florida. We talk with Ellis about how honey bee populations are faring, and why beekeepers are having to work harder to maintain h...

There were so many great stories we feature on Florida Matters it was hard to choose which ones to highlight in our year in review.   Our Host, Robin Sussingham talked with then newly elected Tampa Mayor, Jane Castor. Mayor Castor served on Tampa's police force for 31 years, and became the first female police chief in 2009. In 2019 Tampa voters chose her to to become their mayor in a run-off elect...

Red-nosed reindeer cookies We start by hearing from Dalia Colon, the producer of our Zest podcast. She takes us into her home as her family prepares, bakes and delivers their traditional reindeer cookies. Fishing With Dad Florida Matters host Robin Sussingham shares her day fishing with her father. His smoked mullet is a favorite among their friends and family. Remembering "Tia Pepy" As soon as we...

Host Robin Sussingham has a one-on-one conversation with Rex Jensen, president and CEO of Schroeder -Manatee Ranch. Jensen discusses the patience, planning and strategy it took to develop and finance the top-ranked multi-generational community in the nation, according to one study. "If you want look at the success in Lakewood Ranch, that lies in how it has been financed.  We have weathered a lot o...

We speak with historian Rodney Kite-Powell of the Tampa Bay History Center who explains that the first Thanksgiving feast took place here in Florida not in Plymouth Massachusetts. Dan Bavaro the owner of Bavaro's Pizza talks with Dalia Colon, our Zest producer and tells us how he and his family went from New Jersey to Florida and started his Neapolitan-style business of pizza. Emmanuel Roux a long...

Guests include: Gabrielle Russon, Tourism Reporter with the Orlando Sentinel. Amanda Norcross, Senior editor of Trip Advisors' Family site FamilyVacationCritic.com With Disney experiencing its own struggles with long lines and rising ticket prices.  They discuss how the theme parks are trying to help minimize the long lines by adjusting ticket prices to the demand of the park goer. Gabrielle Russo...

This program originally aired August 6, 2019. How can this hot, humid, fungus-friendly state support successful wine production? And how does the reputation of Florida wines stand up to wines grown elsewhere like California or New York? We talk about whether Florida’s wine industry is economically viable on this week’s Florida Matters.

In a conversation with the ACPL director, former Congressman Dennis Ross and with former State Senator Rick Dantzler, former Senator Bill Nelson spoke candidly about his political and civic life,  and the changes he’s seen in his long life in public service.  

This week on Florida Matters we discuss the concerns of more than 28 hundred cases of hepatitis A being diagnosed in Florida so far this year, it has become one of the worst outbreaks of the liver disease in the country. We talk about how some counties in Florida have managed to keep their numbers from growing.  We also learn why vaccinations and even something as simple as washing your hands are...

Mass transit in Tampa Bay's densely populated big cities grabs the headlines. But there's a case to be made that transportation has even more of an impact on people living in rural areas. This week on Florida Matters, Ron Pianta, planning and zoning director for Hernando County -- along with Dave Hutchinson, MPO executive director of Manatee and Sarasota -- joins Tom Phillips, executive director o...

With the population in the Tampa Bay area growing so has the traffic. Transportation leaders have proposed many ideas about how to help people get around faster in the region, but residents are waiting on results. This week on Florida Matters we discuss urban transportation issues including funding problems, pedestrian safety and proposed  Bus Rapid Transit systems.   Our guests this week: David G...

Projects are underway in Tampa and Orlando to reduce traffic congestion at airports, security screenings are becoming more high-tech, and Tampa even has a new policy that lets people hang out in airside terminals without a boarding pass. Our guests are Al Illustrato, Executive Vice President at Tampa International Airport, and Bill Brooks, Southeast Aviation Leader at HNTB Corporation, an infrastr...