Capital Report WFSU Public Media

On tonight’s program: Florida colleges and universities are – so far – experiencing only modest protests in support of Gaza as the war with Israel goes on; Florida’s six-week abortion ban takes effect in days. We’ll see how it will impact those on both sides; On this Confederate Memorial Day – and yes, it’s still an official observance in Florida – we’ll talk about other monuments to the “lost cause”; Florida’s unhoused population keeps growing and there are those who are using this fact to political advantage; President Biden still has a lead over former President Trump among young people. Florida Democrats hope those young people will give the incumbent the winning edge in November; And Florida expands its DNA sampling to include everybody who’s arrested

On tonight's program: A looming six-week abortion ban in Florida has advocates scrambling to ensure some kind of care will remain accessible; Florida dives into a voucher program that advocates hope will drown-proof more kids; With a voter referendum on recreational marijuana coming in November, some people are still sounding bells of alarm; While pot opponents – like Governor DeSantis – believe loosening the state’s marijuana laws would be catastrophic, not everyone is so sure; A young Florida mom struggles to keep her opioid addiction at bay; And Florida bids goodbye to a statesman. Perhaps one of the last in our modern era.

On tonight’s program: An organization supporting transgender people in Tallahassee has gotten national attention; Governor DeSantis signs a bill into law ramping up penalties for interfering with law officers; Florida has a new law imposing harsher penalties on those convicted of retail theft; More and more Florida seniors are finding a place to live less and less affordable; The opioid crisis remains a crisis, although a Medicaid expansion in places like Florida is being touted as a powerful tool to help the fight; And some ancient Native American wisdom may be the best way to deal with some very modern problems.

On tonight’s program: Florida voters will decide the legality of abortion during the upcoming election; A recreational marijuana initiative likewise makes it to this November’s ballot, much to the delight of proponents; We talk with a third-party candidate for president who isn’t happy with the difficulty of qualifying to get on the Florida ballot; Florida’s new education commissioner is making sure that charter schools in one county are getting their share of funding. Even if that share was originally intended for traditional public schools; And while Florida is trying to lure more new manufacturing jobs to the state, some long-time production jobs in a rural North Florida county are disappearing forever.

On tonight’s program: A federal court says Florida’s redrawn North Florida congressional district is okay. But that doesn’t mean the matter is closed; Governor DeSantis signs the bill banning younger teens from accessing social media. And it looks like that’s not a done deal either; Disney and the State of Florida resolve at least one issue in their ongoing battle; Florida acts to ban synthesized meat. That battle is continuing; One of Florida’s U.S. Senators returns from Israel with strong criticism for the Biden administration; The state is helping businesses recruit employees amid an ongoing worker shortage; And some advocacy groups are pushing Florida to rejoin a system that is supposed to ensure no voters cast ballots in more than one state.

On tonight’s program: Governor DeSantis signs into law a bill forcing local governments to make sure the unhoused don’t wind up sleeping in public places; Floridians stuck in a health insurance coverage gap are turning to voters for help; A new Florida law pulls the plug on local bodies that deal with ethics violations by government officials; As debate continues about a ban on the social media site TikTok, it seems not everyone – even among young people – is necessarily a big fan; Is synthetic meat a powerful tool in the fight against hunger, or is it a threat to our traditional way of life?; And Certain Florida destinations love tourists EXCEPT for the ones who come during spring break.