Gulf Coast Life Mike Kiniry

There are a number of factors at play when it comes to predicting how active a hurricane season will be, the most important being the surface water temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. Back in April and May temperatures in the region of the Atlantic where storms tend to develop were already what we would expect to see in early summer — and now in June temperatures are already at levels we would expect in August, which is when hurricane season peaks. We have a conversation about the 2024 season, and the various factors contribute to how active it will be, with Megan Borowski from the Florida Public Radio Network.

Kathy Kleiner Rubin was attacked by serial killer Ted Bundy while she slept in her sorority house at Florida State University. Now she has a wonderful book out that digs deep into her life and the crime.

U.S. military veterans often face challenges when transitioning to civilian employment after leaving the service. Sometimes their skills and experiences don’t directly translate to civilian jobs — and employers might not fully understand the value of military experience or how it applies to their industry. Some veterans may need to undergo additional training or education to meet the standards required for civilian jobs, which can be time-consuming and costly. To help with the transition, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and some employers offer programs to help veterans find a new career by providing training, resources, and support specifically tailored to veterans' needs. We learn about one here in Florida that began in 2016 when two employees with the University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences decided that helping veterans possibly find a path to a new career in agriculture would be a great fit, so they created the Veterans Florida Agriculture Program.

There was an effort to get an amendment to Florida's constitution onto the 2024 ballot that would have assured citizens a right to clean water but its organizers fell short of the required signatures. But FloridaRightToCleanWater.org is not giving up, and has already launched an effort to get a similar amendment onto the ballot for the 2026 election. If passed, the new proposed amendment titled “Right to Clean and Healthy Waters” would create a fundamental right to clean and healthy waters in Florida. And it would allow citizens to sue state agencies for equitable relief when an agency, by action or inaction, allows harm or threat of harm to Florida waters. We learn more about the amendment and what exactly it would do, and the issues it aims to address when it comes to regulatory agencies not doing enough to protect the environment.

Earlier this year FGCU named its new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Colin Hargis, to take over the role after the past director, Ken Kavanaugh, stepped down in December, 2023 after serving about 15 years in the role. Hargis comes to FGCU after spending about a decade at North Carolina State University, where he worked his way from associate athletics director for ticket sales and operations to senior associate athletics director for external relations. Hargis takes the helm of a young athletics program with 15 intercollegiate athletics teams and about 300 student athletes. And he brings with him his knowledge of the world of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) which he managed at North Carolina State University, and part of what he’ll focus on here at FGCU.

We sit down with Barbara Peterson, from the Florida Center for Government Accountability to talk about the crucial role of investigative journalism in keeping government accountable, and how exactly to do your own public records request here in Florida.