Florida Matters

By WUSF Public Media

Your spot for real, daily conversations. Where neighbors become storytellers, newsmakers explain why and how changes happen and where locals — natives to the area and newcomers — discover and delig

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FAQs about Florida Matters:

How many episodes does Florida Matters have?

The podcast currently has 427 episodes available.

Florida Matters episodes:

November 21, 2023 How consumer confidence could affect holiday shopping
Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, is just days away. The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend a record amount this holiday season: between 3% and 4% higher than last November and December, or up to $966 billion.
Still, the Retail Federation notes holiday spending is not growing as fast as it did the past three years. Many residents in the greater Tampa Bay region, and statewide, are feeling the pinch of inflation, the high cost of homeowners insurance and rent, and other financial pressures.
On this episode of Florida Matters, we discuss consumer confidence and the economic challenges facing Floridians as retailers gear up for their busy season.
And, it’s been called the "Super Bowl of shopping." Shopapalooza happens the weekend after Thanksgiving along the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg. It's a place where people can get their in-person shopping fix, and this year there are more than 350 vendors. We talk about what this event means for small businesses, and where it fits into the holiday shopping environment, where big box and online retailers are competing fiercely for people’s attention and dollars.
Joining the conversation are Michael Snipes, economics instructor at the University of South Florida, and Pat Largo with Shopapalooza.
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35min
November 15, 2023 How Medicaid unwinding affects the health care of Floridians, and how to navigate Medicare enrollment
It’s open enrollment for Medicare. For people who are eligible for the federal health insurance program, picking a plan and making sure it’s affordable can be a challenge, especially paying for medication when you’re on a fixed income.
On this episode, we sit down with a volunteer who’s spent the last six years guiding people through the process of signing up for Medicare.
And we explore how Medicaid unwinding has dropped hundreds of thousands of Floridians from their health insurance.
Joining Florida Matters: Stephanie Colombini, who has been reporting on Medicaid unwinding for Health News Florida. And Fran Oberne is a volunteer for SHINE, which stands for Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders. That is a program offered by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, which provides health insurance information for Medicare beneficiaries.
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28min
November 08, 2023 Southwest Florida's Babcock Ranch offers lessons in resilience and sustainability
Lawmakers are back in Tallahassee this week for a special session. Up for discussion among other bills are measures to provide relief for ranchers affected by Hurricane Idalia and help homeowners struggling with high insurance premiums.
A precarious insurance market, combined with hurricanes, the looming threat of climate change and our booming population, is creating a perfect storm of challenges for our state.
But in Southwest Florida, a solar powered town offers a vision of how to build a sustainable community in the face of these challenges.
In this episode of Florida Matters, we sit down with Babcock Ranch developer Syd Kitson and talk about planning a resilient town and building for an uncertain future.
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28min
November 01, 2023 A look at Ybor City's history in the midst of urban renewal
While a recent shooting in Ybor City may put the Tampa neighborhood in the spotlight, Ybor has a long and rich history and was instrumental in shaping the city of Tampa. The cigar industry was lured from revolutionary Cuba and became home to the city's economic and power base. In this episode of Florida Matters, we talk with Sarah McNamara, the author of a new book called "Ybor City, Crucible of the Latina South." She's an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University.
In the book, McNamara explores how cross-border exchanges over three generations influenced what Ybor and Tampa would become. It's also personal to McNamara, whose family is from Ybor City.
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28min
October 24, 2023 Why Halloween has been scaring up some serious business
Halloween has become one of the biggest single-day holidays of the year. Amid other festive fall celebrations, Halloween is a chance to get spooky, scary, and maybe a little weird. Just as kids enjoy dressing up in costumes and going trick-or-treating, adults get into the spirit of Halloween too, trying to outdo their neighbors with over the top decorations and heading to haunted houses and other spooky attractions.
And buying candy, lots and lots of candy. Overall, Americans are on track to spend more than ever on Halloween this year: $12.2 billion according to the National Retail Federation.On this episode of Florida Matters, we talk about the business of Halloween and how it got so big, with Carol Osborne, director of the Zimmerman Advertising Program at the University of South Florida, and journalist and author of '100 things to do in Tampa Bay before you die', Kristen Hare. And- WUSF's Steve Newborn takes a ghost tour of the Tampa Theatre
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29min
October 18, 2023 Changes are swirling around Florida's public schools
There’s an upheaval in public education in Florida - from books being challenged and removed from classrooms to restrictions on what can be taught and rules around bathroom use, and a massive expansion in school vouchers which families can use to pay for private education.

The voucher expansion has been rocky - delays to the disbursement of voucher money have disrupted some students’ education, while the funding delay caused financial problems for some private schools.

Curriculum changes are shaking up schools too. In Pasco County, parents and teachers are protesting the school district’s selection of a textbook by personal finance guru and radio host Dave Ramsey - whose advice includes mottos like "debt is dumb, cash is king," and is peppered with biblical references.
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29min
October 12, 2023 Tampa Bay region's Hispanic-owned businesses face challenges - and opportunities
More than 600 thousand Hispanic-owned businesses contribute in excess of $90 billion to the state’s economy, according to the Florida State Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. On this episode of Florida Matters, we explore what that means for the greater Tampa Bay region and the impact of Florida's new immigration laws on the business community.
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28min
October 06, 2023 The race to protect Florida's Wildlife Corridor
The Florida Wildlife corridor allows animals freedom to roam between areas of protected conservation land. It’s also important for fishing, ranching, recreational activities - and the state’s drinking water. More than half of the Florida Wildlife Corridor's 18 million acres is protected conservation land. But that leaves a lot of land vulnerable to development. And that’s the focus of a documentary series called "Protect Our Paradise" which is streaming on the Discover Florida Channel this fall.
On this episode, we discuss the threats facing Florida’s wild lands and wildlife, what it costs to preserve conservation land, and who’s going to pay for it. Joining the conversation are Traci Deen, CEO of Conservation Florida, Chad Crawford, host of the Protect Our Paradise documentary series and state Rep. Keith Truenow, a Republican from Lake County who was one of the authors of the bill that led to the creation of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act in 2021.
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28min
September 28, 2023 Assessing the impact of Hurricane Ian, one year later; Hernando County recovers from Idalia
Florida Matters revisits parts of the greater Tampa Bay region that are still rebuilding one year after Hurricane Ian. WUSF journalists report on the lingering aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which made landfall on Sept. 28 last year, carving a destructive path through Southwest Florida and dumping flooding rain on a wide swath of the state.
Stephanie Colombini talks with health care advocates in Sarasota about Hurricane Ian’s impact and lessons for the future. Cathy Carter takes us inside the historic Venice Theater as the theater company works to restore the community landmark. And Kerry Sheridan explores what Ian revealed about communicating the risk posed by hurricanes and why evacuation warnings are sometimes ignored.
We also check in on one community that was affected by Hurricane Idalia nearly a month ago. Some Hernando County residents were faced with a big cleanup after their homes and businesses flooded in the hours after the storm passed. We speak with county administrator Jeff Rogers about how the county is coping.
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28min
September 20, 2023 A closer look at pro sports in the Tampa Bay region as Rays seal the deal on a new stadium
As the Tampa Bay Rays finalize the deal on a new stadium and head to the MLB playoffs, and the Bucs start their season in winning form, could our region be 'Champa Bay' once more? The deal has been a long time in the making, and as owner Stu Sternberg noted, the road to remain in Tampa Bay has been bumpy. The Rays talked of building a stadium in Tampa. Then they wanted to play one-half of the season in Montreal before that got shot down by Major League Baseball. Joining Florida Matters host Matthew Peddie to discuss the new stadium and what it means for the Rays are Spectrum Bay News 9 sports reporter Mike Cairns, long time Tampa Bay sports journalist Joey Johnston, and JoeBucsFan.com columnist and podcast host Ira Kaufman.
They also discuss the Rays heading into the MLB playoffs, the Buccaneers in the post-Tom Brady era and the Lightning preparing for the start of the 2023-24 NHL season.
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29min

FAQs about Florida Matters:

How many episodes does Florida Matters have?

The podcast currently has 427 episodes available.