Florida Roundup

As the NFL preseason gets underway, the controversy over players kneeling or raising their fists during the national anthem is back.

First off in Friday’s Florida Roundup, it was a Trumpian spectacle in Tampa earlier this week as the president came to town.

Early voting can proceed at Florida’s college and university campuses.

Five Democrats and two Republicans are racing ahead toward the August 28 primary, hoping to become the state’s next governor. Normally midterm elections are sleepy - but voters are paying closer attention this political season.

The green, algae infested water is flowing out of Lake Okeechobee again.

On this week’s Florida Roundup podcast we find that Florida’s inland sea is a mess of algae.

President Donald Trump has backed down on his controversial “zero tolerance” policy separating kids from their families at the southern border.

Disney may be the next company facing public pressure over its political contributions in Florida.

This week on The Florida Roundup we discussed nine symbols of the Confederacy that have been removed in Florida over the past three years. Dozens more remain. We also looked at the increasingly crowded field of Democrats vying for governor.

Florida’s hurricane season officially got underway Friday but the storm season actually got an early start when Alberto formed just off the Yucatán Peninsula a week ago.

Publix SuperMarkets is known more for its subs than its political activism, but the grocery chain’s support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam is generating controversy. And one candidate says Puerto Ricans shouldn’t be allowed to vote in Florida- even though they’re U.S. citizens.

Opioid Lawsuit

The state of Florida is going after major opioid manufacturers and distributors.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on Tuesday at a recovery center in Tampa announced the state is seeking to recover all damages allowable. She predicted a likely settlement in the billions.

Bondi said 15 people die every day in Florida from opioid abuse. More than 10,000 Floridians have died from what Bondi calls the state’s “opioid crisis.”

Medical Marijuana

We begin The Florida Roundup statewide edition this week with a closer look at an incident at the University of Florida caught on video, that’s highlighted the divide over race in America.

Florida Politics

The Sunshine Summit is an annual conference for Florida Republicans, and this summer one of the invited speakers is Dinesh D’Souza, is a convicted felon and conservative firebrand who mocked Marjory Stoneman Douglas students on Twitter. He later apologized.

Gov. Rick Scott and incoming Senate President Bill Galvano have criticized the GOP invitation to D’Souza.

The Republican Party has responded to the criticism by adding a speaker who’s been critical of D’Souza. Matt Schlapp is chair of the American Conservative Union.

Florida does not have to change its system for restoring the voting rights of felons -- for now.