Gulf Coast Life

Ahead of the 2023 regular session of the Florida legislature kicks off March 7, we get a preview of top legislative proposals, and what they could mean for Florida residents in a conversation with FGCU Political Science professors Roger Green, Ph.D., and Peter Bergerson, Ph.D.

Dr. Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera was born in Mexico and has spent her career focusing on U.S.-Mexico Relations and issues around the border. She lived along the border in Brownsville, Texas for eight years, and over the past decade has traveled along its length three times from Brownsville to San Diego collecting stories for a book she’s working on about life along the border. We talk with her about the current state of U.S.-Mexico relations.

According to the U.S Census Bureau, seniors are expected to make up over 20% of the country’s population by that year, and that percentage will be considerably higher here in Florida where 21.3% of the population is already over 65. This means considerably more seniors are going to require assistance from senior living communities, and there is already a shortage of staff in this country to handle the current levels at existing facilities. Our guest says technology is going to have to be the key to making sure the system can handle the growth.

Southwest Florida Eagle Cam has been livestreaming an intimate view of a North Fort Myers eagle’s nest since 2012. But with female eagle Harriet missing since February 2 after her two chicks hatched, the future of the eagle family is uncertain. Southwest Florida Eagle Cam co-founder Ginny Pritchett McSpadden joins us with an update on the the nest.

When developer Syd Kitson purchased the 91,000-acre Babcock Ranch in northeast Lee & southeast Charlotte counties in 2005 he said he was going to create a sustainable community and preserve most of the land. While many people were skeptical at the time, Kitson has gone on to build pretty much exactly what he said he would. About 67,000-acres became the Babcock Ranch Preserve, and more than half of the rest of the land has been preserved amidst the growing number of smart homes with high speed internet built to Florida Green Building Coalition standards. Mr. Kitson joined us on this show quite a few times during the early days of its development, long before groundbreaking and the first homes were built. We look back on the picture he painted back then, and how well it aligns with what's there today.

The idea that Ukraine is an independent nation with its own national identity is one that Russian President Vladimir Putin has openly disputed since long before the invasion, and he’s not alone and this is not a modern idea but one that dates far back into history. Our guest today strongly disputes this claim, and his recent books offer direct evidence of a decades-long effort by the Soviet Union and then Russian to stoke divisions among the Ukrainian diaspora and people around the world, and cast doubt on the very idea of an independent Ukraine.

A conversation with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Psychiatrist Dr. Ray DePaulo, M.D., ahead of his recent talk through the FGCU Provost Lecture Series and the Naples Discussion Group titled, “Depression: The Invisible Pandemic.”

It’s becoming increasingly common for conservative political leaders in the United States — including here in Florida — to use language and put forward policies that conflate American identity with religious identity. Many are focusing on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and trans rights — and critics say this trend represents a rise in what’s called Christian Nationalism. Christian Nationalism is best summarized as the belief that the history and character of the United States is defined by Christianity, and that the government should take active steps to keep it that way. Our guest counts himself among its critics, and says that while supporters of Christian Nationalism portray it as a social movement, it’s actually a well-organized political movement that seeks to gain political power and to impose its vision on all of society. Rev. Paul Raushenbush is an ordained Baptist minister, and he is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, a national nonprofit founded in 1994 to advocate for religious freedom and pluralism in the U.S.

We get a first-hand account of the storm’s impact on Estero Island, and the Town of Fort Myers Beach and its residents and business owners, from Bill Veach. He is a member of the FMB Town Council and a resident of Estero Island. He has lived there with his wife in an old beachfront cottage for thirteen years — it was one of many structures on the island completely washed away by Hurricane Ian. We talk with Mr. Veach about his storm experience, how the rebuilding process is going so far, and how this storm is invariably going to change the character of the island.

In her latest book, “The Promise of Whiteness: Its Past and Its Future” Dr. Martha Bireda explores the psychological underpinnings of the mentality of white superiority in the U.S. and its roots beginning with the early history of European settlers on the North American continent, dating all the way back to the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. Dr. Bireda has more than 30 years of experience as a lecturer, consultant and trainer for issues related to race, class, and gender, working with educators, law enforcement, and business, and civic leaders.