In this episode: A top aide to Ron DeSantis admits that the administration interfered in the 2024 elections. Another of the governor’s appointee refuses to answer basic questions about the “Hope Florida” scandal. The Florida Legislature can fix this. An update from Day 42 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes:

The bills discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 1334 — Elections

House Bill 593 — Government Agencies and Personnel

Senate Bill 802 — Public Officers and Employees

House Bill 1445 (2025) — Public Officers and Employees

House Bill 437 — Public Records

Senate Bill 770 — Public Records

Senate Bill 1120 — Water Management Districts

House Bill 701 — Water Management Districts

Senate Bill 1442 — Long-range Program Plans

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Hidden consultants and hurried payments: Records reveal details of DeSantis’ campaign against abortion and marijuana amendments

Here’s the reason a top Florida health department attorney gave for leaving

DeSantis officials tied to Hope Florida saga try again for Senate confirmation

DeSantis official says she wouldn’t have approved $67M Hope Florida settlement

The best and worst of Florida’s 2025 session (so far)

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: A bill pushed by a New York investment firm that would make it much easier to develop vast tracts of rural land is inching closer to passing in Tallahassee. But opposition is growing among Republican lawmakers who represent parts of the state that would be most impacted by the bill. Plus: Money for the nonprofit that was part of a scheme to build a golf course in a beloved state park. And an elections bill that combines voter suppression with rent-seeking. An update from Day 37 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes

The bills discussed in today’s show:

House Bill 299 — Blue Ribbon Projects

Passed the House Commerce Committee by an 18-3 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 2500 — Appropriations

Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee by an 18-0 vote (vote sheet not yet available)

Senate Bill 1334 — Elections

Passed the Senate Transportation, Tourism & Economic Development Appropriations Committee by a 9-5 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1632 — Ideologies Inconsistent with American Principles

Temporarily postponed by the Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee

The stories mentioned in today’s show:

A New York investment firm with vast land holdings across north Florida wants state lawmakers to greenlight giant developments

Amid debate in Congress, Florida’s Republican Legislature pushes election law changes

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: On a frenzied day in Florida’s Capitol, lawmakers advance bills that would help Donald Trump and a gun manufacturer that makes allegedly “ghost-firing” guns — but hurt laid-off workers and college kids who want to vote. An update from Day 36 of the Florida Legislature’s 2026 session.

Show notes

The bills discussed in today’s show:

House Bill 191 — Reemployment Assistance Benefit Eligibility

Passed the House of Representatives by an 81-31 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 919 — Commercial Service Airports

Passed the House of Representatives by an 81-30 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 706 — Commercial Service Airports

Passed the Senate Rules Committee by a 17-6 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1551 — Products Liability for Firearms

Passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 13-5 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 455 — Protection of Historic Monuments and Memorials

Passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 14-5 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 641 — Gender Identity Employment Practices

Passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 13-6 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 743 — Prohibited Sex-reassignment Prescriptions and Procedures

Passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 14-5 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 991 — Election Integrity

Passed the House State Affairs Committee by a 17-6 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 173 — Parental Rights

Passed the House Education & Employment Committee by a 12-4 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1506 — Civil Litigation

Rejected by the Senate Rules Committee by an 11-13 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 164 — Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child

Note: This bill was referred to by the wrong bill number during the show

House Bill 1421 — Cattle Grazing on State Land

Passed the House State Affairs Committee by a 20-3 vote (vote sheet)

Stories discussed in today’s show:

A billionaire-backed think tank keeps sabotaging Florida workers. More attacks are coming.

Prodded by business lobbyists, lawmakers may cut more Floridians off from unemployment insurance

Buried in the budget: Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Newsmax

A gun company gave lots of money to Florida lawmakers. Now it’s lobbying for legal immunity.

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: Republican leaders in the Florida Legislature unveil new state budgets with big funding gaps over everything from affordable housing and AIDS medication to a new baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. At the same time, the state House wants to impose serious spending guardrails and transparency rules on Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Florida Senate does not. Plus: New College of Florida, money sink. An update from Day 35 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes

The bill’s discussed in today’s show:

House Bill 5001 — General Appropriations Act

Passed the House Budget Committee by 26-1 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 2500 — Appropriations

House Bill 5503 — Trust Funds/Re-creation/Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/EOG

Passed the House Transportation & Economic Development Subcommittee by a 12-0 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 5601 — Higher Education

Passed the House Higher Education Budget Subcommittee by a 9-4 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 437 — Public Records

Passed the House Justice Budget Subcommittee by a 13-0 vote (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Buried in the budget: Mike Huckabee, Donald Trump and Newsmax

Corporations could get a $3.5 billion tax break in Florida unless state lawmakers step in to stop it

Florida DOGE Details Disproportionate Spending at New College

Finding more room for New College is a state priority, USF board chair says

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is about to get cut off from an emergency-response fund he raided to rush construction of an immigrant detention facility in the Everglades. There’s a showdown brewing between Republican leaders in the state House and Senate over whether he should get to keep it. Plus: The DeSantis administration admits spending opioid settlement money on anti-marijuana TV ads; car dealers are once again using the Legislature to keep themselves between consumers and new cars; and Uber and Lyft want to spend less money insuring their drivers. An update from Day 30 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes

The bills discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 7040 — Emergency Preparedness and Response Fund/Executive Office of the Governor

Passed the Florida Senate by a 29-10 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 7040 amendment

Failed in the Florida Senate by a 12-27 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1562 — Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Importers, and Distributors and Franchised Motor Vehicle Dealers

Passed the Senate Transportation Committee by a 7-0 vote (vote sheet)

Passed the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee by a 9-1 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 989 — Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, Importers, and Distributors and Franchised Motor Vehicle Dealers

Passed the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee by a 16-1 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 632 — Transportation Network Company, Driver, and Vehicle Owner Insurance

Passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee by a 6-3 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1296 — Public Employees Relations Commission

Passed the Senate Governmental and Oversight Accountability Committee by a 6-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1119 — Materials Harmful to Minors

Passed the Florida House of Representatives by an 84-28 vote (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Florida emergency agency ran up $405 million immigration tab in six months

An immigrant detention camp in the Everglades, financed with hurricane-response funds

Florida state official acknowledges opioid money funded anti-weed campaign

Florida’s top cop uses his power to prop up car dealers

The billionaires financing union-busting in Florida

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: After fierce opposition from activists on both the right and the left, Florida senators backed down from a plan that would help the state’s sugar industry threaten defamation litigation against Everglades activists, wellness influencers, and news outlets. Senators also softened — very slightly — a bill to protect a gun manufacturer that has been making enormous campaign contributions from lawsuits over company-made guns that allegedly fire without anyone ever pulling the trigger. But both battles are still far from over. An update from Day 29 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes

The bill’s discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 290 — Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Passed the Senate Rules Committee by a 24-0 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1748 — Evidence in Civil Actions Relating to Firearms

Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by an 8-3 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1566 — Local Government Spending

Passed the Senate Community Affairs Committee by a 7-1 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1177 — Space Florida

Passed the House Ways & Means Committee by an 18-1 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1471 — Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations

Passed the House Education & Employment Committee by a 16-4 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1279 — Education

Passed the House Budget Committee by a 20-7 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1071 — Education

Passed the House Education & Employment Committee by a 15-4 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 173 — Parental Rights

Passed the House Judiciary Committee by a 15-4 (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Florida politicians may give Big Sugar legal power to go after activists and silence critics

They said they wanted to help farmers. They really wanted to hurt environmentalists.

Could Florida’s conservation lands soon be sold for agriculture?

A gun company gave lots of money to Florida lawmakers. Now it’s lobbying for legal immunity.

Williams Celebrates Groundbreaking of Florida Facility

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: An unlikely alliance of MAHA activists, fishing guides, evangelicals and environmentalists has formed to fight a bill that would make it easier for agricultural corporations to sue people who “disparage” the industry. But the idea is still moving through Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature. Plus: General Motors wants to charge “processing fees” on car loans, a national conservative think tank wants to force more companies to fight unions, and Ron DeSantis wants to publish his own textbooks. An update from day 23 of the Florida Legislature’s 2026 session.

Show notes

The bills discussed in today’s show:

House Bill 433 — Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Passed the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee by a 14-0 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1236 — Employers Receiving Economic Development Incentives from State Agencies

Passed the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee by a 6-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1217 — Prohibited Governmental Policies Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Passed the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee by a 12-3 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 838 — Electronic Payments of Retail Installment Contracts

Passed the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee by a 10-0 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 221 — Minimum Wage Requirements

Passed the House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee by an 11-5 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 7036 — Education

Passed the Senate Education PreK-12 Committee by a 5-2 vote (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Florida politicians may give Big Sugar legal power to go after activists and silence critics

They said they wanted to help farmers. They really wanted to hurt environmentalists.

Florida’s Education Department could get into the textbook publishing game

Companies linked to a Trump appointee are seeking money from Florida taxpayers — and giving money to Florida lawmakers

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: Sig Sauer, one of the country’s biggest gun manufacturers, is facing dozens of lawsuits from police officers and other firearm owners who suffered gunshot wounds when a company-made pistol allegedly fired without anyone ever pulling the trigger. The company is now lobbying Florida lawmakers for protection from so-called “ghost firing” suits — and it is handing out giant campaign contributions while it does so. On a more promising front: Top Florida senators want to put an end to predatory fees charged by homebuilding giant Lennar and some other housing developers. Those were among the bills on the move during day 22 of the Florida Legislature’s 2026 session.

Show notes

The bills discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 530 — State Lotteries

Passed the Senate Regulated Industries Committee by a 9-0 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1498 — Community Associations

Passed the Senate Regulated Industries Committee by a 7-0 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1551 — Products Liability for Firearms

Passed the House Civil Justice Subcommittee by a 13-4 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1632 — Ideologies Inconsistent with American Principles

Passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by an 8-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 485 — Petitions for Injunction for Protection Against Domestic Violence Containing Allegations of Marriage Fraud

Passed the House Civil Justice & Claims Committee by a 14-0 vote (see votes)

Senate Bill 1220 — Transportation

Passed the Senate Transportation Committee by a 9-0 vote (vote sheet)

Stories discussed in today’s show:

A homebuilding giant is lobbying for the power to collect endless profits from homeowners

Avatar v. Gundel (2023)

A gun company gave lots of money to Florida lawmakers. Now it’s lobbying for legal immunity.

A Walmart-backed startup doesn’t like local government rules. It wants Tallahassee to overturn them.

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is quickly coalescing around a plan to cut spending on health insurance and food stamps by using bureaucratic hurdles and red tape to block people from accessing the programs. They’re doing it at the same time as they consider billions in tax cuts for corporations. Plus: Some Republicans in Tallahassee are ready to go union-busting again.

Show notes

The bill’s discussed in today’s show:

Senate Bill 1758 — Public Assistance

Passed the Senate Health Policy Committee by a 8-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 693 — Health and Human Services

Passed the House Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee by a 12-4 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 1296 — Public Employees Relations Commission

Temporarily postponed by the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee.

House Bill 995 — Public Employees Relations Commission

Passed the House Government Operations Subcommittee by a 12-5 vote (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Medicaid: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

The Uncertain Hour: The Welfare-to-Work Industrial Complex

A billionaire-backed think tank keeps sabotaging Florida workers. More attacks are coming.

How conservative billionaires shape decisions inside the DeSantis administration

The billionaires financing union-busting in Florida

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube

In this episode: Republicans in the Florida state House just rolled out a “Florida Students First” plan that would force the state’s top universities — including the University of Florida and Florida State University — to sharply reduce the number of out-of-state students they serve, in order to open more seats for in-state students. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s latest corporate tax cuts could rip an enormous hole in Florida’s new state budget. And the developer lobby is trying once again to undo protections for rural land around Orlando. An update from Day 16 of Florida’s 2026 legislative session.

Show notes

The bill’s discussed in today’s show:

House Bill 1279 — Education

Passed the House Careers & Workforce Subcommittee by a 12-5 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 399 — Land Use and Development Regulations

Passed the House Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee by a 10-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 221 — Minimum Wage Requirements

Passed the House Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee by an 11-6 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 1071 — Education

Passed the House PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee by a 12-3 vote (vote sheet)

Senate Bill 164 — Civil Liability for the Wrongful Death of an Unborn Child

Passed by the Senate Civil and Criminal Justice Appropriations Committee by a 5-3 vote (vote sheet)

House Bill 919 — Commercial Service Airports

Passed the House Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee by a 12-3 vote (vote sheet)

The stories discussed in today’s show:

Florida is building a higher education Trojan Horse

Florida leaders hid money for controversial higher education project

Corporations could get a $3.5 billion tax break in Florida unless state lawmakers step in to stop it

Questions or comments? Send ‘em to [email protected]

Listen to the show: Apple | Spotify

Watch the show: YouTube