Climate change is a hot-button topic for so many people, especially those who are in, or follow, politics. It's a divisive issue, so much so that at one point, Gov. Rick Scott famously mandated that nobody under him could even say "climate change" out loud.

However, in this week's Central Florida Beyond the Soundbite, we are cutting through the clutter and debunking the top five myths about climate change with Spectrum News 13 certified meteorologist Maureen McCann.

IN THIS EPISODE

Spectrum News 13 certified meteorologist Maureen McCann's Twitter: @MaureenMcCann13

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

In 2020, Florida voters passed Amendment 2, the minimum wage amendment. Touted as the $15 per hour minimum wage, it is a gradual increase over the next five years.

This year, it will jump to $10 per hour, then next year $11 per hour, and so on and so forth, until 2026 when it reaches $15 per hour.

However, Republican State Sen. Jeff Brandes wants a constitutional amendment that would limit the starting wage for former convicted felons, teenagers and "hard to hire" employees.

He explains why he wants to give these groups of people a temporary training wage, which he says that they will eventually get to minimum wage.

Plus, he also explains why he supports legalizing marijuana in Florida.

IN THIS EPISODE

State Sen. Jeff Brandes' Twitter: @JeffreyBrandes

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

The year of COVID. It has impacted people from all walks of life. Special-guest host Rick Elmhorst of Spectrum Bay News 9's To The Point Already podcast joins Ybeth Bruzual in this touching show that looks at how it has impacted Floridians.

Both Rick and Ybeth hold conversations with people who were affected by the deadly virus. Each person shared a personal story that touched on misfortune, ingenuity, and hope.

Hear how Ana Rubenstein has been using paint therapy to help her deal with the grief of her mother's death and not being able to attend her mother's funeral in Brazil.

Both Ybeth and Rick spoke to various small-business owners who had to be creative and reinvent themselves in order to survive as COVID chipped away at their livelihoods.

Then hear the heartbreaking story of Kim Bailey, who was diagnosed with stage IV terminal lung cancer during the coronavirus pandemic.

He decided against medical intervention because he does not want to prolong his pain and suffering. He has outlived the life expectancy he was given by one of his doctors. But hear how he has spent the last year visiting his family, friends, and loved ones to tell them goodbye.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Let's turn the clock back a bit. Last April, you'll remember that, because of COVID-19, just about everything got shut down as officials grappled with the exploding pandemic, and that list of places shut down by county officials included Florida beaches in their jurisdictions, including private beaches, by the way.

By the end of the month, Gov. Ron DeSantis put out the word: the beaches can be open, and you would think that everybody would wear masks and social distance and do everything that health officials were recommending, but no. Plenty of people just resumed regular beach-going habits. That prompted one person into action.

Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder dressed up as the Grim Reaper and headed out to Florida beaches to try and educate people about the dangers of the coronavirus and why masks and social distancing were necessary.

Now, he's on a different mission in 2022, establishing the RemoveRon PAC to help his fight to make DeSantis a one-term governor.

IN THIS EPISODE

Attorney Daniel Uhlfelder's Twitter: @DWUhlfelderLaw

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

If you've turned your gaze toward the space coast recently, you've probably seen a lot more activity than in years past. SpaceX leading the charge as they are launching rockets at a pace that would have been unthinkable years ago, not to mention the fact that we are again launching American astronauts from American soil after a nearly 10-year drought following the retirement of the Space Shuttle program. So what's in store next for the Space Coast and the space industry? For that, we turn to our resident space expert for Spectrum News 13, Greg Pallone.

IN THIS EPISODE

Spectrum News 13 reporter Greg Pallone's Twitter: @gpallone13

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Two words: Government oversight. It's a concept in place to make sure that businesses are, quote, "doing the right thing" and being good members of the community, but here in Central Florida, there's a region that, in some cases, notoriously falls outside of those parameters.

We're talking about the theme parks, the bread and butter for our local economy. So what's really going on?

Spectrum News 13 Digital Producer and Attractions Insider expert Ashley Carter will talk about government oversight, the state report that lists injuries from theme park guests, and more on the latest Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

IN THIS EPISODE

Spectrum News 13 Digital Producer and Attractions Insider expert Ashley Carter's Twitter: @AshleyLCarter1

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

After you're fully vaccinated, can you stop wearing your mask? Can the vaccine have an impact on a woman's fertility?

Central Florida pulmonologist Dr. Faisal Fakih joins Ybeth and Greg in this week's special edition of our Beyond the Soundbite podcast to separate fact from fiction.

IN THIS EPISODE

Dr. Faisal Fakih' Twitter: @OrlandoLungDoc

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Después de estar completamente vacunado, ¿Se puede dejar de usar la mascarilla? ¿Puede la vacuna tener un impacto en la fertilidad de la mujer? ¿Pueden vacunarse los inmigrantes indocumentados y qué ocurrirá con ellos en los centros de vacunación?

El Dr. Faisal Fakih es un neumólogo de Winter Park, Florida, con casi 50 años de experiencia en el campo de la medicina. El doctor Fakih se une a la presentadora Ybeth Bruzual en un episodio especial en español de nuestro podcast, Beyond the Soundbite, para separar la realidad de la ficción en lo que respecta a las vacunas COVID-19.

The coronavirus pandemic has been with Florida for just about eleven months now, and while the crucial numbers early were about cases and hospitalizations and slowing the spread, now the attention has been shifted to the vaccine rollout, and it's not been without its share of problems. So many of you have asked why? Why does it feel like it's not a smooth process? And did officials drop the ball in their distribution planning? Alan Harris, the chief administrator and emergency manager for the Office of Emergency Management in Seminole County, discusses that on this week's Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

IN THIS EPISODE

Chief Administrator and Emergency Manager for the Office of Emergency Management in Seminole County Alan Harris' Twitter: @SeminoleCounty

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

The last tax collector was brought up on charges of child sex-trafficking, fraud, and identity theft.

Now the new Seminole County Tax Collector, J. R. Kroll, has a lot of work ahead of him as he explains the purpose of the tax collector's office and why the Bitcoin machines that his predecessor brought in were taken away in the latest Beyond the Soundbite.

ABOUT THE SHOW

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don't capture the context of the whole story. "Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite" expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.