Questions are growing, and there are calls for an investigation after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis claimed credit for flying two planeloads of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The incident became news on the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The flights originated in San Antonio, Texas, and stopped in Florida on their way to New England. The migrants were being cared for by the island’s residents and today, news emerged that they have been moved to Joint Base Cape Cod.
Some of this group of mostly Venezuelan migrants fleeing a dictatorship in their home country say they were duped about their destination and lured onto the flights with false promises about shelter and work permits.
In taking credit for the flights, DeSantis joins Republican governors from Texas and Arizona in sending migrants north. The governors have sought to highlight the two parties' differences on immigration policy and shift the burden of caring for immigrants to Democratic areas.
DeSantis’ opponent, Democratic former congressman Charlie Crist, says the Department of Justice needs to investigate what he calls a politically motivated and inhumane stunt.
Details of how the flights were arranged and paid for are still emerging, as well as an explanation as to why Florida was moving migrants from Texas to begin with. The Florida Legislature has appropriated $12 million to transport migrants from this state to other locations.
Guest: Jim Rosica, editor, City and State Florida.
Hate in the Sunshine State
A new report says hate in the Sunshine State is on the rise.
The Anti-Defamation League has released new data showing a significant increase in extremist-related incidents both nationwide and in the state of Florida. They say these incidents have been driven, in part, by widespread disinformation and conspiracy theories that have animated extremists and fueled antisemitism.
Guest: Claire Goforth, TheDaily Dot.
Sea turtles’ plight
As intense heat becomes more common around the world, the potential threat to biodiversity increases. Sea turtles in particular are threatened by the warming climate.
The Sunshine State loves its sea turtles. In fact, we’ve got the largest population of loggerhead sea turtle nests in the world.
Thousands of marine reptiles lay their eggs across Florida’s beaches each year. Scientists then study and tag these endangered and threatened species to help protect their future. Their biggest threat right now is coastal development and beachfront lighting, which disorients the baby turtles, causing them to wander inland.
Scientists say a fast-developing risk to the species is our warming planet. That's because the gender of sea turtles is determined by the temperature in which their eggs incubate.
Guest: Cathy Carter, WUSF.
