Capital Report WFSU Public Media

On tonight's program: Governor DeSantis’s desk piles up with new bills this week; Technically, Florida’s new abortion restriction has exceptions. But the legal language about them is vague; Forecasters are predicting a hurricane season without precedent in recorded history; Florida’s utility companies are preparing for permanently stronger hurricane seasons; A nationally-known climate reporter has written a book on how kids can cope in a world that’s steadily warming; Saying a national human trafficking hotline is reluctant to bring police into cases, Florida sets up its own hotline. The national hotline people are still wondering….why? And another Florida shooting involving a police officer is calling into question the kind of training law enforcers receive when dealing with potential life and death situations.

On tonight’s program: Florida’s Capital City struggles to recover from the three tornadoes that slammed into it one week ago today; Hurricane season is still weeks away. But the insurance industry is already predicting rate hikes if the worst happens; Florida has issued new rules about the now-in-effect abortion restrictions. But some say those rules just muddy the water; We attend a funeral for a North Florida airman, who died at the hands of a police officer; Have you moved back to the office full-time after COVID made working from home more of an option for many employees? It seems that trend has done a number on the state’s commercial real estate market; And we hear about a commonly available substance that is questioned by many experts, but is applauded by its users.

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.