Capital Report WFSU Public Media

On tonight’s program: Florida’s Capital City takes a big hit from mother nature during the pre-dawn hours this morning; A Northwest Florida law officer’s fatal shooting of an air force airman raises many questions and plenty of grief; A big donation to Florida A&M University turns out to have more than a few possible problems connected with it; Florida’s new abortion restriction became effective just over a week ago and that issue is now prime fodder for the upcoming election; And a newly signed law about occupational hazards for firefighters has sparked yet more potential conflict between a Florida city and the state’s firefighters union.

On tonight's program: What lies ahead for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis? Another plan to search for fossil fuels in the delicate Apalachicola River basin has opponents rushing to the barricades; It’s not yet a law, but a bill allowing people who feel threatened to shoot black bears has advocates and opponents locked in verbal combat; Jobs are going begging for workers in South Florida. One of the reasons? High housing prices; And we’ll find the secret to making the so-called “Golden Years” healthier and happier is to stay involved, connected and active!

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.