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Statewide year in review; from Barabicu to barbecue; only-in-Florida food stories

Teresa Elder walks through a flooded Sandy Cove Drive from Hurricane Helene, Sept. 27, 2024, in Morganton, North Carolina.
Kathy Kmonicek
/
AP
Teresa Elder walks through a flooded Sandy Cove Drive from Hurricane Helene, Sept. 27, 2024, in Morganton, North Carolina.

Statewide year in review 

From the battle over Florida’s failed abortion amendment to the governor’s ill-fated presidential campaign, it’s been yet another busy year for the Sunshine State.

We checked in with reporters from our member stations across the state for a roundup of the biggest stories over the past year in Florida.

Guests:

  • Stephanie Columbini, health care reporter for WUSF 89.7. 
  • Wilkine Brutus, Palm Beach County correspondent for WLRN Public Media. 
  • Tristan Wood, senior reporter and host for WFSU Public Media. 
  • John Davis, reporter, producer and host for WGCU Public Media. 
  • Megan Mallicoat, education reporter for Jacksonville Today/WJCT Public Media. 
  • Áine’s Penello, reporter and host for WUFT News. 
  • Lillian Hernández Caraballo, reporter Central Florida Public Media. 

From Barabicu to barbecue 

Most Floridians are from somewhere else. About 1 of every 3 people living in Florida was born here. And those transplants bring their own culinary tastes and traditions.

This goes back centuries to the first Spanish settlers who were the first to bring pigs to Florida and helped start America’s barbecue craze.

For more on the fusion of Spanish with indigenous cooking techniques, we share this excerpt of Zest, a podcast from our partner station WUSF 89.7.

Plus, we take a look back at what the holidays were like when Florida was still the frontier.

Only-in-Florida food stories  

What’s on your Florida holiday menu? How about something from the Caribbean with the Florida flare?

Holiday cooking can be about creating new traditions, but often it's about making recipes that have been handed down. Sometimes, it’s about mixing dishes from different families and cultures as we join together at the same table.

Plus, we hear what it’s like to prepare meals for astronauts before they leave Earth.

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