At the start of the session, you heard from WUSF’s ‘Your Florida’ team. Reporters Meghan Bowman and Douglas Soule are keeping tabs on the legislature up in Tallahassee and talking with you and your neighbors across Tampa Bay about issues that you think are important. 

On this episode you'll hear from Douglas and Meghan about how the session is going. 

Lawmakers are debating things like loosening gun legislation and proposed changes to the constitutional amendment process. Meanwhile, a legislators have reversed a law passed a couple years ago that would have mandated later start times for middle and high school students. 

There’s also tug of war over taxes in the Florida legislature. Lawmakers and the governor want to cut taxes in this already low-tax state. But they disagree over what taxes to cut. 

And you'll hear the latest on whether Florida will get a new state bird. 

Tampa Bay is a pro sports town. You’ve got the Lightning for Hockey, Buccaneers for Football, and the Rays for baseball. That attracts folks for hundreds of games in the area this year.

But there’s another huge presence: the numbers are in for the first IndyCar Series broadcast of the season for the audience that watched Alex Palou and Josef Newgarden battle  on the streets of St. Petersburg’s waterfront.  1.4 million viewers watched, a steep increase from last year’s race.

And if you were anywhere near downtown St. Pete at the start of March, you probably heard it, as the streets alongside the marina were transformed into a racetrack for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. 

For this episode, Florida Matters takes you to the Grand Prix, where motor racing fans talk about what keeps them coming back. And you'll hear what drivers like Hailie Deegan and Lochie Hughes think about racing in St. Pete.

And- we talk with Chris Steinocher, President and CEO at St Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission's Claire Lessinger, Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Local Organizing Committee hosting the Women’s Final Four. 

They share insights into what it takes to bring marquee events to Tampa Bay, and how they help power the area's economy. 

Birding- or bird watching- is booming. 

The US Fish and Wildlife service estimates there are 96 million birders in the United States. That’s one in three adults in this country. And even if you aren’t one of them- you may just be birdwatching by default.

On this episode, Florida Matters executive producer Gracyn Doctor takes you on a bird walk at Lettuce Lake.

And you'll hear about the appeal of birdwatching- and why young people in particular are flocking to the hobby.

Joining the conversation- Ann Paul,  President of the Tampa Audubon and Florida Ornithological Society; Kara Cook, Suncoast Rooftop Biologist with Audubon Florida; and WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan.

Sheridan has reported on efforts by birders in Sarasota to protect a popular birdwatching site from development, and on young Floridians taking up birdwatching.

Cook and Paul also share tips on what you need to get started on birdwatching and how to get involved in monitoring bird populations and conservation efforts. 

If you experienced Hurricane Milton- or Helene or Debby- it’s something you don’t want to relive. But for some people in Tampa Bay- they’re still dealing with flooding from last year’s storms. 

WUSF's Sky Lebron visited people in Pasco and Polk County who whose homes were flooded during last year's hurricane season. Some are living in RVs because floodwaters left their homes uninhabitable. Others are still unable to get into their houses because the water never went down. 

Lebron talked with Florida Matters about how they are coping and why it's been so hard for them to get help. 

For many Floridians, getting ready for hurricane season means things like dusting off the emergency supply kit, checking flashlight batteries and making sure you know where your important documents are stashed. But for some Tampa Bay residents who lived through the 2024 hurricane season- they’re still dealing with flooding from Hurricane Milton- and worried about what the next season may bring.

WUSF's Sky Lebron explains how people in Polk and Pasco Counties are trying to put their lives back together without electricity, running water, and homes ruined by floodwaters. 

And you may know that oyster beds can help protect shorelines from the impact of powerful storms. WUSF’s Steve Newborn takes us on a tour of an artificial island in Hillsborough Bay, where oysters help protect an important bird nesting site. 

People come to Florida in droves for the beaches and warm weather. But the sunshine state also attracts its fair share of shady characters, in real life and in fiction.

There’s even a genre of crime fiction set in the Sunshine State – Florida Noir.

And even if you haven’t read them, you’ve probably heard of homegrown practitioners of Florida Noir like Carl Hiassen, the late Tampa resident, Tim Dorsey or Randy Wayne White.

On this episode of Florida Matters, we speak to three people with different perspectives on Florida Noir:

Colette Bancroft is the recently retired book editor at the Tampa Bay Times. For years, she led the Times’ annual “Festival of Reading.” She’s also the editor of Tampa Bay Noir, a collection of short stories that reveal the dark side of sunny Tampa Bay.

John Brandon is the author of five novels. He grew up in Tampa Bay, and his latest, Penalties of June, is set in Tampa.

And Andrew F. Gulli is the editor of “The Strand Magazine” - a quarterly magazine dedicated to short fiction. A recent edition featured a previously unpublished story by famed Florida crime writer John D. MacDonald.

On this episode of "Florida Matters," we discuss Gov. Ron DeSantis' State of the State address to the Legislature. Topics he covered during the half-house speech included immigration, gun laws, education and property taxes.

Florida’s 2025 legislative session is underway. Top issues Floridians can expect to hear lawmakers debate over the next two months include immigration, gun laws, housing and insurance.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis began the session with his annual speech laying out his vision for the state. The Democrat rebuttal came from House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa and Senate Minority leader Jason Pizzo of Hollywood.

In this episode, we break down the governor’s speech with veteran political journalist William March and Meghan Bowman, who is part of WUSF’s Your Florida government reporting team.

You'll also hear the voices of some of the Floridians who have been reaching out to WUSF to share what they think lawmakers should address. 

It’s Spring Training time, and for the next two months, fans of the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and other Grapefruit league teams get to experience a slightly more relaxed brand of baseball before the regular season starts.

Florida Matters takes you on a tour of Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, the Spring Training base for the Baltimore Orioles. The team's Senior VP of Communications, Jennifer Grondahl, explains some of the traditions the Orioles bring to the Tampa Bay region, including their newest mascot, Mr. Splash. You'll also meet a trio of siblings reconnecting at Spring Training over their love of baseball. 

And hear from baseball man Rick Vaughn. He led public relations for two major league teams for decades: the Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles. And he’s the author of two books about the history of baseball in the Tampa Bay region: 100 Years of Baseball on St. Petersburg’s Waterfront: how the game helped shape a city, and Tampa Spring Training Tales: Major League Memories.
 

In his first month back in the White House, President Trump has moved quickly to roll out restrictions on immigration, and stop Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives. And he’s turned to a key ally from the 2024 election campaign- billionaire Elon Musk- to slash jobs and federal spending. There’s an avalanche of news out of Washington, and you may be struggling to keep up and figure out how it might affect you and your neighbors across the Tampa Bay region.

On this episode of Florida Matters, you’ll hear from two people who have been paying close attention to US foreign and domestic policy for years.

Frank Langfitt spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent, reporting from China, the UK and Ukraine to name just a few places. Now he’s back in the US as NPR’s roving national correspondent. Langfitt sat down with Florida Matters to talk about what it’s like to come back and report on a United States that feels like a very different country.

And Jeh Johnson was the US Department of Homeland Security secretary during President Obama’s second term. He’s keenly aware of the challenge of securing the country’s borders, and he shares some insights about this new administration’s approach to immigration.