Florida’s Fourth Estate

Doug Williams says the tide is turning in the NFL. “I feel like in the next five to 10 years, we’re gonna have over half of the quarterbacks in the league playing football as a Black quarterback, and it’s not about the color of their skin. It’s about what they can do and how well they can play,” he said. Williams was the first Black quarterback to play in and win a Super Bowl in 1988. But with the...

Most of us have been there: You have a dream and you wake up struck by how real it felt. But why did you have that dream? An Orlando-based mental health counselor says he is helping people figure it out all, while at the same time improving their mental and physical health. Jesse Lyon describes himself as a Clinical Hypnotherapist and Dream Interpreter who helps people work through the trauma they...

Usually, when you think of surfing, you don’t think of dogs. Well, that’s about to change. Flagler Beach is preparing to welcome back the Hang 8 Dog Surfing event. The city’s mayor said it all “came about because of Wednesday,” her 8-pound chihuahua. Mayor Suzie Johnston told Florida’s Fourth Estate hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden her pup has no fear of the water. Learn more about your ad cho...

Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden share their thoughts on recent headlines, including a scandal at the Orlando Museum of Art, where works were falsely attributed to artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many people going to work means driving to the office and logging into their computer, but for News 6 Maintenance Supervisor Ben Vaughn the day starts 1,300 feet up in the air. Vaughn has worked as an engineer at News 6 in Orlando since 2018. When he first accepted the gig, he said he didn’t know it would involve going hundreds of feet up into the air to make repairs to a TV news tower. Vaughn...

Matt Picarelli has a long road to recovery. He said he was only in the water for about 15 minutes when a shark chomped down on his foot while surfing in Fort Pierce. “Something grabbed my foot and right when it bit me I saw the shark, it kind of flailed in the water and swam away from me really quick,” he said. Right after that, he said he told a friend he was with that he had been bitten. “We got...

When many people think of wildlife experts in Central Florida, they think of Savannah Boan. She is the Park Director and Crocodilian Enrichment Coordinator at Gatorland. But, if you ask her, what brought her to Central Florida was the allure of Disney World. “(I) ran away to Florida when I was 16 years old because I wanted to be Cinderella,” she said. “Of course, Disney doesn’t hire 16-year-old ru...

Do you feel like you are being nickeled and dimed every time you get behind the wheel? If you use toll roads in Florida, you might be right. Trucker Employment site, TransForce states Florida has “over 719 miles of toll roads crisscrossing the state”. Researchers say Orange County has the most, with 150+ miles of toll roads. UCF History Professor Jim Clark joined Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on ...

The war in Ukraine has been raging for over a year now. For people here in Florida, it can feel like it is a world away. But for one University of Central Florida student, it has been her reality daily. Mia Willard lives in Kyiv and attends classes virtually. Her dad lives in Lake Nona. Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine began, Willard has focused on humanitarian efforts and helping those who have l...

Nobody goes to Tallahassee wanting to get elected thinking, “You know what my goals are? It’s not schools, it’s not education, it’s not better roads: I want homeowners to get less credit for the clean energy that they generate.” But Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell said lawmakers can get pulled into some pretty strange positions by Florida’s special interest groups. The Cambridge Dictionar...

She is used to bringing stories to people in Central Florida on the radio and TV, but now Sandra Osborne is using her voice in a new way. After stepping away from journalism, Osborne took up voice acting and is getting her son involved in the fun, too. The former newscaster recently sat down with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the Florida’s Fourth Estate podcast to talk about her new career. Le...

On this episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate, hosts Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin speak with Dr. Abigail Disney, whose grandfather was Roy Disney and great-uncle was Walt Disney. They are the two men who built Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At age 16, most kids are thinking about getting their driver’s license or making TikToks, except for Tiffani Gay, who is focused on changing the world with her award-winning invention. By combining two technologies used in everyday life, Gay is striving to get results for the over 2.2 billion people worldwide with visual impairments. The Orlando Science Schools sophomore joined Matt Austin and Gin...

Russ Rollins has been the voice behind ‘Monsters in the Morning’ for decades, but he says the radio show was almost snuffed out before it ever became a true staple in Central Florida. He told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate he didn’t understand the weight of his words when he first began his career. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victoria Triece is suing Orange County Public Schools because, she claims, the district banned her from volunteering in her child’s classroom due to her participation on adult websites. Triece and her attorney Mark Nejame joined Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida's Fourth Estate to talk more about the case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feed a cheetah, take a selfie with an ostrich, and see native African animals without leaving Central Florida. The Safari Wilderness Ranch lets guests feel like they are in the motherland while skipping the expensive price tag. “We have a lot of endangered species here, animals that are extinct in the wild, animals that need a place,” said owner Lex Salisbury. “And this is, I think the next evolut...

So many transitions are happening for kids as they go from elementary to middle and high school. It’s not just changing schools, there is also a lot of brain development involved. The experiences during that time can have a lasting impact. Neurologist and mental health expert Dr. Romie Mushtaq joined Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate to talk more about kids and their mental...

Instead of looking at a screen and answering questions via chat, Shannon Hayes is attending class at Lake Nona High School with a little help from a robot called Vgo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get ready to dive down the warp pipe at Universal Studios Hollywood all-new land, Super Nintendo World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have lived in Florida long enough, you have likely seen them flying around or stuck to your car. Lovebugs often fly in tandem and can make for some uncomfortable conversations. “It caused me to have a very awkward conversation with my daughter, who when she was very tiny, she caught the little lovebug and she goes, ‘Dad, why does this bug have two heads?’ And I stumbled around and bumbled a...

It takes center stage at the Super Bowl. It graces the 50-yard line and determines who will get the kick-off in the championship game. But, before it ever travels to Arizona the Super Bowl coin is expertly crafted in Central Florida. The Highland Mint in Melbourne etches the heads and tails into the decision-making coin. It’s a job Vince Bohbot said the company has been doing for nearly three deca...

If going out for dinner and a movie for Valentine’s Day doesn’t get you excited, don’t lose hope. There are a lot of great places to enjoy a unique date with your loved one this Valentine’s Day. Dani Meyering, the Managing Editor for the Orlando Date Night Guide teamed up with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate to talk about some out-of-the-box ideas. Learn more about your a...

Florida gets a bad rap for being a crazy state, but it turns out the sunshine state has a lot to offer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a new option for getting your dog off the couch and outside for some exercise this summer. Linden Hollow Sheep Farm in St. Cloud lets dogs tap into their wild side. Natalie Cole said her grandma started the unique business with shelties. “We used to show Shetland sheepdogs in confirmation and we wanted to compete with them in herding as well. So, my grandma got a few sheep for herself to...

Is it fast, filled with epic twists and turns, sport an epic storyline, all while still taking you on a smooth ride that doesn’t make you want to puke? If so, it likely made Florida’s Fourth Estate’s top roller coaster list. Hosts Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden invited In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops producer Landon McReynolds on the show to break down the best of the best. “If he’s off for two sec...