Gulf Coast Life

Cary Barbor talks to the authors of Becoming Duchess Goldblatt and The Son of Good Fortune.

We explore what it's like being a pediatrician during this time of COVID-19 with Dr. Angela D’Alessandro from Physicians’ Primary Care in Fort Myers.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently issued an Emergency Use Authorization for convalescent plasma in part based on studies like one that Lee Health has been participating in. This local trial has been part of Mayo Clinic’s national COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Study. The FDA approval means the use of convalescent plasma is now on hold at Lee Health.

Public schools are back open today in Charlotte, Lee, and Collier Counties. School districts have been working on plans for how best to safely reopen since in-school learning abruptly ended back in mid-March. To get an overview of what’s happening in Collier County, and what plans are in place to protect students, teachers, and school staff we spoke with Dr. Kamela Patton, superintendent of Collier County Public Schools.

A team of UF researchers is embarking on a 3 year project that will study the symbiotic relationship happening between the small Hawaiian bobtail squid, and a bioluminescent bacteria that lives inside of it, which provide the squid with a way to camouflage itself. They will be developing new tools allowing them to track what’s happening with that relationship at the cellular and even molecular level.

We explore why this season is so active with Jeff Huffman, Chief Meteorologist and Director of the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network. We also discuss hurricane preparedness, and get some shelter advice during the time of COVID-19 with Jennifer Trammell, Board Chair for the Florida Gulf Coast to Heartland Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Public schools across Florida closed down back in mid March as the new coronavirus began spreading. Schools districts quickly developed remote learning programs, and students finished out the school year from home. These plans were created on the fly out of necessity. The School District of Lee County has been working on its reopening plans for the fall semester for months. We get details from superintendent, Dr. Greg Adkins.

Coral reefs continue to face serious threats all over the world, and are dying at alarming rates because of things like coral bleaching, various diseases, and environmental stressors like warming water temperatures and increased acidification. In response, there are many efforts around the world to find ways to restore corals, and we’re going to learn about two ongoing research programs doing just that.

FGCU resumes on campus instruction today as the fall semester begins. About 15,000 students are enrolled to start classes — about the same as last year. Classes will include a mixture of in-person and virtual models. The university has embarked on an extensive, campus-wide education campaign to “Protect the Nest.” We’re joined by FGCU President, Dr. Mike Martin, to get an overview of reopening plans.

Next Tuesday, August 18 a hearing at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will be the next step in the process of determining the constitutionality of Senate Bill 7066, and the future of Amendment 4. We're going over the Amendment 4 story up to now, and get a sense of what the outcome of the upcoming hearing will mean, and what will likely happen next.