Florida Roundup

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.

Voters will decide a stack of proposed changes to the state constitution. That’s in this week’s Florida Roundup podcast along with a look at how schools could put more people with guns on campuses to protect students.

On this week's Roundup: The matchup between Gov. Rick Scott and Senator Bill Nelson is expected to be the most expensive U.S. Senate race in history and we look at how a new law might impact your trip to the beach.

On the statewide Roundup this week:  Two former Florida congressmen – one a Democrat and the other a Republican – joined us for a wide ranging discussion.

A judge has ordered Gov. Rick Scott to find a new system for restoring voting rights for felons in Florida.

On this week’s Roundup: In the wake of the Parkland mass shooting, billionaire donor Tom Steyer has pledged a million dollars to register young Florida residents to vote.

Across the state, students walked out of class this week in protest of guns and school violence - one month after the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The state budget and public schools were the focus of this week’s The Florida Roundup.

Hosts Melissa Ross and Tom Hudson were joined by WFSU News Director Lynn Hatter and WJCT reporter Ryan Benk to talk about how the legislature was finally able to agree to a budget deal and some of the things the legislature did and didn’t pass before the end of the session.