It's hard to believe, but school is back in session. If you're a parent, that means you're already dealing with that early morning dash to school and also coping with the chaos in the car line. 

On Florida Matters we got a peek inside the backpack as another school year is underway in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties. 

School administrators are breathing a sigh of relief as millions of dollars in frozen federal grant money have been released. But there's still uncertainty. 

We spoke with Hillsborough County Public Schools' Deputy Superintendent for Academics and Transformation, Shay McRae, who discussed coping with uncertainty and finding enough bus drivers and teachers. 

We also got some overall context about vacancies and the school districts from Tampa Bay Times education reporter Jeff Solochek. 

And finally, we were joined by Shanta Teller-Montes, who is a math teacher in Lutz. 

People often own the manufactured home they live in, but rent the land it sits on. And the rent is going up. 

On this episode, you'll hear from people explaining how they’re struggling to keep pace with rising rent. Their stories are part of a special reporting project from WUSF called Not So Forever Home. The Pulitzer’s Center for local reporting supported it.

You’ll also hear from WUSF reporters Octavio Jones and Gabriella Paul. Jones spent the last year talking with people in mobile home communities about their plight, and Paul explains how one more door to home ownership is being squeezed shut. 

On this episode you’ll hear from caregivers and advocates about how they face this challenge. 

Our guests are Rachel Piltch-Loeb, author of The Millennial Caregiver: Caring for Loved Ones in the Busiest Years of Your Life. 

Viviam Sifontes, research educator at Moffit Cancer Center

Lauren Klinger, a Wesley Chapel resident and writer. She’s been a caregiver and is author of the “Learn from My Mistakes” Substack. 

Thanks to our partners in developing this show - Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa and the Alzheimer’s Association, Florida region. 

This Caregiving project was funded by a grant from WETA and Vu Haus. It’s part of a new documentary and national engagement campaign on the state and stakes of providing care in America. A feature-length documentary and accompanying short films are available on PBS.org and at Well Beings. 

When hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton menaced Tampa Bay last summer, you may have been glued to your radio for updates.

The National Weather Service is a lifeline, not just during hurricanes, but whenever there’s severe weather.

Now, hundreds of staff have left the agency in the last six months.

Could that affect the agency’s work?

You’ll hear from meteorologist Brian LaMarre, who led the forecasting office for the greater Tampa Bay region before taking early retirement in April.

Also on "Florida Matters" this week:

What does a summer without Major League Baseball mean for St Petersburg’s economy and identity?

WUSF's Lily Belchertalked with business owners in St. Pete and Tampa to see how the Rays' move across the bay is affecting them.

And Chris Steinocher with the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce explains how businesses around Tropicana Field are struggling without the home game crowds.

Plus, how do you demolish a bridge?

WUSF's Sky Lebron gets an update on the fate of the old Howard Frankland bridge.

Tampa federal prosecutor Michael Gordon was fired last month.  There are questions about why he was fired, and concerns about what happens now to the case he was leading, involving  fraud and  Clearwater businessman Leo Govoni. 

Govoni’s accused of stealing millions of dollars of medical trust fund money. Tampa Bay Times reporter Christopher O’Donnell has been covering the Leo Govoni case extensively. He shares the reaction from people who’ve watched money for their disabled loved ones vanish.

Deadly floods swept through an area of Central Texas known as flash flood alley over the July 4th holiday weekend. Rolling hills, limestone rock formations and winding rivers make the area prone to flash floods during rainstorms. 

The stories of terrified campers trying to evacuate in the dark may be eerily familiar to people in Tampa Bay who experienced last year’s hurricanes. But what about the flash flood risk here? We ask  Florida Public Radio Emergency Network meteorologist Megan Borowski  what causes flash floods and what you should do to protect yourself when there’s a flood risk. 

Fifty years ago, Jaws burst onto movie screens, and cinema has never been the same. It may be a great thriller, but half a century later, shark scientists are still pushing back against the myth of the rogue shark. Meet Florida Aquarium animal care specialist Eric Hovland. He’s been swimming with-  and studying-  sharks for years- and still has more to learn. 

Florida’s legislative session went way longer than planned, as lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis argued over proposed tax cuts.

DeSantis signed the budget — more than $115 billion — and a slate of new laws took effect on July 1.

State government reporters Meghan Bowman and Douglas Soule with the "Your Florida" team discuss what got vetoed, what survived and what it means for Tampa Bay.

On this episode of "Florida Matters," you’ll learn about The Chitlin Circuit, how it shaped the sound of jazz, blues, and rock, and how it paved the way for the music industry we see today.

We revisit a conversation brought to you last February about the network of clubs that Black performers toured in the segregated South. 

Coming up- you’ll hear how the artists who performed on the circuit shaped the sound of blues, rock n roll, jazz and pop that came after. And how contemporary artists are paying homage to those performers. 

If you watched the Grammys this year, you probably caught Beyonce’s acceptance speech, when, at long last she landed the album of the year. 

Beyonce said she hoped to keep pushing forward and opening doors. And her album- Cowboy Carter, which won the Grammy for best country album- is also a door to the past. 

The album tour, Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit tour,  evoked the network of clubs and venues that Black musicians and performers toured during segregation last Century. And she references the circuit in the track Ya Ya.

Joining the conversation on Florida Matters: Dr Michelle Scott,  professor of History at University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Dr Nashid Madyun, executive director Florida Humanities.

Scott was also part of a panel discussion presented by WUSF and Arts Axis Florida earlier this year about  the Chitlin Circuit in Tampa.

If you want to learn more about this chapter in Tampa’s history- check out jazz on arts axis florida. There’s a video of the panel moderated by NPR TV critic Eric Deggans which also included pioneering attorney, civil rights activist and former State Senator Arthenia Joyner. It’s a fascinating conversation. And you’ll find performances, oral histories, photos and much more. 

Tampa Bay has a world renowned arts scene. Chances are you’ve caught an exhibition at the Dali museum in St. Petersburg- or taken in some of the dazzling, larger than life art at the SHINE mural festival. 

But did you know Tampa is also the birthplace of death metal? 

On this episode you’ll hear from WUSF reporters who’ve been spotlighting the arts and culture of Tampa Bay.

If you feel like there’s something missing from your morning routine, Lily Belcher has a story about a cafe where you can watch kittens rough and tumble as you sip your cappuccino.

Walk around the streets of St. Petersburg- and you’ll see murals- lots of them. Visit St. Pete Clearwater says  more than 600 adorn walls throughout the city. A new gallery exhibition mashes up murals with another icon of the city’s arts scene: the  museum devoted to surrealist artist Salvador Dali.  Sue Giles Wantuck shares details about the ‘Outside In’ exhibit, and why mural artists are happy to pour hours and hours into creating enormous, complex works of art, even when they know their art won’t last forever. 

And Daylina Miller breaks down Tampa’s unique connection with extreme metal. They explain why the original site of Morrisound Recording was honored with a historic marker, and why metalheads right here in theplace it all began are some of the nicest people you’ll meet, even if the music’s a bit aggressive. 

When you hear the term ‘romance novel', does it conjure up images of Fabio’s flying hair- or maybe some bodice ripping? 

You can still find that between the covers of a romance novel, but there’s so much more. 

You’re  just as likely to read about a baseball diamond as a bodice in the new universe of romance fiction.

One thing these novels all have in common?  Two people making a connection.

On this episode, local novelist Alicia Thompson, author of novels like ‘With Love from Cold World’, ‘The Art of Catching Feelings,’ ‘Love in a time of Serial Killers and others, and Steamy Lit bookstore owner and convention founder Melissa Saavedra talk about the growing audience for Romance fiction, breaking stereotypes and what keeps readers hooked on the genre. 

There’s a lot more mystery and magic to this state than "Florida Man" headlines suggest. Take a drive around the Tampa Bay area and you may wonder about the story behind the UFO perched atop a strip club, Weeki Wachee’s mermaid show or Tampa’s obsession with pirates.

Gabrielle Calise, a culture writer who reports on offbeat Florida, nostalgia and music for the Tampa Bay Times, is an expert guide to all things wild and wonderful about the state.

Calise is the editor of “Florida, a Hyper-local Guide to the Flora, Fauna and Fantasy of the Most Far-out State in America," and she joins "Florida Matters" to share some of the stories behind the spectacle.

Gasparilla, the festival built around the mythical pirate Jose Gaspar, dates back to 1904 and is now part of the city’s DNA.

“Being the mayor of Tampa means that you're gonna participate and have to fight a bunch of pirates and give up the key to the city. No other place really has a tradition quite like that,” Calise said.

Other highlights from Calise’s conversation on "Florida Matters" include tips on where to spot manatees around Tampa Bay and where to see a mermaid show (Weeki Wachee), of course).

There’s also insights into Tampa’s take on a Cuban sandwich and Floridians’ attitudes to hurricane prep.