Florida Matters WUSF

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 Director, Mary Burrell, Whole Community Engagement Program Lead for Pinellas County, and David DeCarlo, the emergency manager for Hernando County.

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 hazardous environments.
On this episode of Florida Matters we talk with journalist María Inés Zamudio about her reporting on the dangerous conditions facing immigrant workers doing disaster restoration work.
We also talk with WUSF's Jessica Meszaros about another group of workers in Florida: people whose jobs are outside, like farmworkers and construction workers. With the summer heat approaching, we look at the potential impact of a new law that bans local governments from mandating heat protections like shade and water breaks for outdoor workers.

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 clashed with counter-protesters and faced off against police.
WUSF’s Nancy Guan and Meghan Bowman join Florida Matters to discuss how demonstrations at the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus unfolded over three tense days.
And we revisit protests on campus and around the greater Tampa Bay region, from the Civil Rights era and Vietnam War, up until the present day with Andy Huse, curator of Florida studies at Special Collections at the University of South Florida Library, and Rodney Kite-Powell, director of the Touchton Map Library and Hillsborough County historian at the Tampa Bay History Center.

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 his two terms as governor, and later as a U.S. senator.
As governor, Bob Graham helped usher in the Save Our Rivers program, the Wetlands Protection Act, the Growth Management Act, and the Save Our Everglades program.

In this episode we talk with Jake Varn and Victoria Tschinkel, who both served as secretary of the Department of Environmental Regulation when Bob Graham was governor of Florida. We also hear from the executive director of the Save the Manatee Club, Pat Rose. Graham formed the club- initially as the Save the Manatee Committee- in 1981 with singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett.

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, an attorney with GrayRobinson. He's chair of the regulated products division, where he oversees the firm’s legal guidance, compliance, and support services for the alcohol beverage, cannabis, food, and tobacco products industries.

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 restrictions on classroom instruction on race, gender identity and sexual orientation. Transgender students have faced restrictions on what bathrooms they’re allowed access to. Teachers are now required to convey that under enslavement, some African Americans gained skills that later benefited them, a change heavily criticized by teachers and some state officials. And there’s been increased scrutiny, and in some cases removal, of books on teachers’ shelves and in school libraries.
WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan, who covers K-12 education and has been reporting on how teachers have been dealing with the new laws over the last couple of years, joins Florida Matters along with Gail Foreman who teaches social studies, history, and AICE psychology at Booker High in Sarasota, and Brandt Robinson, a history teacher at Dunedin High School.