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Capital Report

Capital Report: September 5, 2025

Published September 5, 2025 at 6:12 PM EDT

Doctors, medical experts and politicians on both sides of the aisle are pushing back on a plan from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo to end all vaccine requirements in the state. Tristan Wood reports the effort has raised questions about who has the power to make that change.

A pair of Florida lawmakers is pushing to give the state control of two rural water and sewer systems following a months-long emergency that left Apalachicola residents with stinking, unusable water. Margie Menzel reports.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (UTH-MYER) hasn't slowed down since being appointed in February.In the latest Deeper Dive with Dara Kam podcast, Uthmeier (UTH-my-er) delves into many topics, including immigration. He talks about the creation of Alligator Alcatraz and says the detention center is needed for public safety.Here’s an excerpt.
That was Attorney General James Uthmeier on the Deeper Dive with Dara Kam Podcast, a product of The News Service of Florida. Hear the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Florida is home to about one point six million undocumented immigrants… the third largest share in the country.While the Trump administration often portrays them as criminals, Jeannie Economos [JEE-nee eh-COH-noh-mos] of the Farm Workers Association of Florida says most are hardworking, taxpaying members of their communities.She spoke with WLRN’s Tim Padgett about the challenges migrant workers face, especially those without legal status.

A Florida lawmaker wants to explore the possibility of creating a Florida Springs National Park.But some environmental stakeholders in the Sunshine State have concerns.Central Florida Public Media’s Molly Duerig [[DURR-igh]] has more.

Florida offer more than a hundred specialty license plates. Residents pay extra for them, and the money goes to a particular cause.The second most popular plate in the state is titled "Helping Sea Turtles Survive."The artwork is blue and sand colored with a loggerhead hatchling crawling toward the surf. The state has issued more than 100,000 of these plates supporting sea turtle conservation and research.WUSF’s Douglas Soule tells us how one organization uses the money.

Capital Report

Capital Report: September 19, 2025

On tonight's program: There are mass outpourings of grief for influencer Charlie Kirk on Florida’s college and university campuses, State education officials tell school districts to send special memos to teachers; While Florida’s current surgeon general is pushing to do away with vaccine mandates for school kids, his predecessor is urging caution; We hear about some plans that could reduce – or even do away with – Florida property taxes; Dave Aronberg helped shut down the state’s pill mills. Now he’s trying to chase the scammers out of the addiction recovery business; And the good news is that Florida’s most iconic oyster beds are reopening. But the bad news is that things are not as they once were.
Capital Report: September 12, 2025

On tonight’s program: The race for Florida governor is underway. We’ll hear what to expect in the upcoming gubernatorial and other statewide elections, which are about a year away; Florida rapidly expanded publicly-funded school vouchers. Two years later, money isn't always reaching students; Doctors are raising concerns as State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Governor Ron DeSantis say they want to remove state childhood vaccine requirements; As hot summer temperatures continue, health professionals are warning about the impacts of extreme heat and heat stroke..; And The Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg has reopened with what some hope will be lasting lessons.
Capital Report: August 29, 2025

On tonight's program: For many, many school kids, what happens after the regular class day is as critical as what happens during. And many of those after school programs have now been cut; Florida is growing its tech sector faster than almost anywhere. Although the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s head guy says the state could be growing a whole lot faster; If you drive a big rig and get pulled over in Florida, you’ll want to have your proof of citizenship or immigration documents close at hand along with your license, registration and insurance card; Somewhere between wide open borders and mass deportation, there has to be asolution to America’s immigration conundrum. One expert suggests the dysfunction is a matter of choice; The Trump administration said one of its goals is to have more migrants take it upon themselves to leave the United States. It seems that strategy is working; It used to be that those applying for U.S. citizenship needed character references from neighbors and colleagues. That requirement is back; And we catch the happy vibes as a now-recovered sea turtle is released back into the briny deep.
Capital Report: August 22, 2025

On tonight’s program: A federal judge puts the kibosh on Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz, but the state plans to appeal that ruling as the facility’s opponents gear up for battle; It seems a growing number of migrants are taking it upon themselves to leave the U.S. for good; A relatively harmless energy boost, or a dangerous substance? When it comes to 7-OH, it depends on who you ask; How hot has it been this summer? Hot enough to get some medical experts thinking; We meet the owner of a small town Florida newspaper who is as much a worker bee as anyone else on his tiny staff; And a memorial this week honored a former State House Speaker and university president who won the admiration and affection of nearly everyone he encountered.
Capital Report: August 15, 2025

On tonight’s program: If the feds drop tax credits connected to Obamacare coverage, millions of Floridians may be facing higher health care costs; If you want to spark a big controversy, just propose a black bear hunt in Florida; Governor DeSantis proposes a second immigrant detention facility location; Military vets ask Governor DeSantis to revisit the death penalty cases of their fellow vets who’ve been traumatized by their service; A Florida Public Media member talks about what recent federal and state budget cuts will mean for his operation and many others around the state; We find out why Tampa has been named the best U.S. city for international business; Florida’s unemployment rate remains stalled at 3.7%; And we meet some of Florida’s original official marine mammals.
Capital Report: August 8, 2025

On tonight’s program: The build out of Alligator Alcatraz is on hold. At least for the time being; It seems Texas and California aren’t the only states thinking about redrawing congressional district maps; Pill mills used to be a big problem in Florida. Now, it appears that problem may be emerging again; More state money is on its way to battling Sickle Cell Disease in Florida; Despite protests, it looks like some colorful street art that flies in the face of official state policy in Florida may be disappearing; A federal plan to lower the sugar requirement for orange juice may help Florida’s struggling citrus industry; A green sea turtle, rescued earlier this year and nursed back to health, is helping researchers find out more about her species; And we’ll be among the first to hear the sound of a stingray eating lunch, and learn why these unique sea creatures are perhaps more important than we realized.
Capital Report: August 1, 2025

On tonight's program: If you think unaffordable housing is just in the buyers’ market, you obviously haven’t checked the prices of rental properties recently; We also discover that manufactured home rentals are just as – if not more – unaffordable as conventional housing; As Florida temperatures soar, there’s growing concern about what that means for thestate’s large population of those being held in prisons without air conditioning; Governor DeSantis wants Florida to re-do its political districts with an exclusion for those without legal status; Florida’s month-long back-to-school tax holiday is underway. We look at its impact on customers, businesses and government; And across North Florida, one man’s mission is helping Black men break the silence—and the stigma—around mental health through real access, connection, and care.
Capital Report: July 25, 2025

On tonight’s program: At first, it looked like Florida’s DOGE efforts would apply just to state government. Now local governments are also on the examination table; We’ll have reaction to claims that Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz leaves a lot to be desired as a lockup; State education officials say Florida public school funding is getting a big boost this year. At least one county school superintendent is taking issue with that; Florida considers tougher rules when it comes to securing construction sites when a storm is on the way; After many years of defending Florida’s closed primary system, one highly partisan individual is now advocating for an open primary; And there may finally be a reason to be optimistic about the future of Florida’s coral reef colonies.
Capital Report: July 18, 2025

On tonight’s program: Florida has a new state budget. But it appears public school districts still aren’t sure how much money they’ll have as the first day of classes draws nigh; We’ll take a behind-the-scenes look at how some statewide political races are shaping up WAY in advance of next year’s election and what factors are still important; We hear from someone who knows more than a little bit about the area now occupied by the detention facility called “Alligator Alcatraz”; The State of Florida goes its own way when it comes to accreditation for public colleges and universities; The death of a high school football player inspires new Florida laws aimed at prevention as those who knew Chance Gainer still mourn his loss; Some Florida school kids find that giving up screen-time cold turkey maybe has an upside or two; And when emergencies happen, your nearest public radio station is now offering a new way to connect you with potentially life-saving information.
Capital Report: July 11, 2025

On this week's program: One of Florida’s most savvy public revenue hawks thinks the president’s tariff-o-rama is bad. At least in the near term; The State of Florida seems destined to be a major lockup point for immigrants taken into custody for whatever reason; For the time being at least, there will be no changes to how Florida citizens can propose changes to the state’s constitution; There’s good news in Florida’s new budget for advocates of more affordable housing; With federal clean energy incentives soon to be history, the question is can renewable energy enterprise survive in the Sunshine State? A new law allowing privately-operated charter schools to share space with traditional public schools is already causing some controversy; Florida boaters – and motorists – are being urged to slow it down if they have to travel on flooded streets. The impact on nearby properties can be huge; And it seems life just gets tougher and tougher for what used to be a vibrant variety of fish in the seas around Florida.

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