After Florida’s Surgeon General announces plans to roll back vaccine mandates, the state health department clarifies the policies that will change. Mable Butler, the woman known as the matriarch of African American politics in Orlando, has died. On this day of remembrance, we take you to the Orlando Fire Department’s tribute to honor those who died on September 11 , 2001, and hear from the veteran volunteers giving back by building a better future for students.

Republican leaders in Florida say it’s only fair to redraw the congressional maps now. Critics call it a power play. We explore how it impacts your representation in Central Florida. Orlando restores the four-faced clock in Parramore as a symbol of the neighborhood’s past and future.

As part of our Engage in the community initiative, we assembled a panel of professional caregivers, elderly care organizations, and caregivers with personal experience assisting their parents while juggling their own families. We present that discussion, called “Caring Across Generations.”

Florida’s Attorney General bans the 7-OH concentrate derived from kratom that’s found in many smoke shops and vape stores. Advocates argue responsible use is therapeutic. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office launched a new program using an artificial intelligence assistant to answer non-emergency calls and decrease response times. Rising costs and dwindling time threaten the future of a long-awaited restoration project to save the historic schoolhouse built nearly a century ago to educate Black children during segregation in Lake County.

The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office has a new team ensuring the safety of students. A report questions the efficacy of active shooter drills in American schools. New research points to positive approaches to reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer’s. An Orlando based bandleader brings the sounds of Puerto Rico to Central Florida.

A battle is brewing over protecting rural land in Orange County after the state determined the long-term plan for managing growth is against the law. A local swim instructor tackles racial inequities around swimming safety to help students survive and thrive. Punk bands unite for a benefit concert to support Central Florida Public Media following major funding cuts.

Engage dives into how a slowdown in international visitors is being felt in a region fueled by its tourism economy, and whether shifts in political policies play a part. A race against time to preserve overlooked Black cemeteries in the state. A local chef and therapist serves up healing in more ways than one.

The passage of the federal spending reduction bill is predicted to result in the loss of healthcare for millions of Americans. Also, the state is scheduled to carry out the most executions in 45 years and a class in the Milk District is teaching women how to man the DJ decks.

Central Floridians are being taken to the new, remote ICE detention center in the Everglades. Supporters say it’s a necessary part of illegal immigration enforcement, but critics call it inhumane. Also, after years of planning, Winter Park has erected a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. as a memorial that also calls for civility and kindness.

A new law went into effect that allows houses of worship to circumvent local zoning codes to create on-site affordable housing. Public broadcasting entities are facing a major clawback of funding. The general managers of two of Central Florida’s public media stations discuss the impact on our communities. The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is reopening after more than two years of renovations.