At the end of each episode of Fluent in Floridian, we ask our guests four questions, including “What in Florida deserves more attention?” This episode presents the answers given by our first ten guests.

Over the course of his career as FEMA Administrator, Craig Fugate oversaw more than 500 presidentially-declared major disasters and emergencies, including Florida’s first back-to-back major hurricanes since the 1950s. Coming from a long background in emergency management, after updating Alachua County’s disaster plan in February 1987 shortly after being promoted to Lieutenant in Fire Rescue, Fugate’s focus during his tenure as FEMA Administrator was preparedness.

Miami Herald Capital Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas is a celebrated journalist within the sunshine state. She notes that her interest in journalism was sparked at a young age. “I got into journalism because, as a little kid, I was really interested in writing. […] Florida as a state was growing fast and every newcomer who was engaged didn’t think twice about subscribing to a newspaper. So it was a really exciting time to be a journalist.”

Martha Barnett is one of the Sunshine State’s most influential lawyers. A graduate of both Tulane University and the University of Florida, Barnett was a member of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission in 1997 through 1998 and previously served as President of the American Bar Association from 2000 to 2001. Currently, Barnett is a retired senior partner at the Holland & Knight Law firm.

Orange County Sheriff Jerry L. Demings is dedicated to serving and protecting his Florida community. A former Chief of the Orlando Police Department and Director of Public Safety for Orange County, Demings’s interest in law enforcement was sparked from his childhood experiences watching television shows such as Hawaii Five-0 and Mannix. After joining the Orlando Police Department in 1981, Demings moved up the leadership ranks to become the department’s first African-American chief in 1998.In 2008, Demings became the department’s first African-American sheriff.