Tropical Depression

Tropical Depression is back, baby! And with a doozy for you: Florida Politics publisher Peter Schorsch on the titanic legacy of former Sen. Jack Latvala — the Dark Star of the Florida Senate.

The irascible combination journalist offers his takes on forg. Listen to the end for perhaps the most Tropically Depressed Florida gubernatorial politics stories of all time. S/o to Bill Nelson for Governor 1990 🚀

Deep-cut link for the perversely curious via Saint PetersBlog.

Thanks for listening!

Friend of the show and Florida historian Kartik Krishnaiyer makes his return to the show to talk about Florida Republicans' gerrymandering power grab.

We already knew the GOP were rigging districts to benefit their own party, but Kartik breaks it down further and shows how Republicans from rural areas are attacking the very concept of having urban voters represented in government. Kartik and Ryan explore how gerrymandering combined with urban planning can influence not just the state's political landscape, but its community life.

You can keep in touch with Kartik at the Florida History Podcast and the Florida Squeeze.

Spring has sprung, and love is in the air. This week, we welcomed the iconic duo of Lawrence Mower with the Tampa Bay Times and Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald to the show. They were gracious enough to take our call live from their car, and on their anniversary no less! As the saying goes, the couple that reports together stays together.

The all-star duo has been at the forefront of the ongoing Hope Florida scandal. Millions of Medicaid dollars were allegedly misused for a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign against popular citizen-led amendments in 2024 to legalize marijuana and limit government interference with abortion. On top of that, we talk about Florida's new anti-free speech law that gives the governor the power to designate groups as "domestic terrorists." No way that could ever be abused!

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On today's episode, Gainesville City Commissioner Bryan Eastman makes his Trop Dep debut! You already know Ryan's itching to talk to the Commish about the state hijacking the city's public utilities -- but did you know Republicans are also trying to carve out a district in ocean blue G-Ville for themselves? Along the way, we talk about what makes Gainesville a truly unique city in Florida, and how the nationalization of local politics has made everyone worse off.

To learn more about Bryan and get involved, visit bryaneastman.com.

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Fan of the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

Ryan links up with Tampa Bay media legend, WMNF and Florida Phoenix reporter Mitch Perry to make sense of what exactly is going on in the Capitol with just two weeks left in legislative session. The fast-paced conversation ranges from Ron DeSantis's attempt to get Florida into the redistricting wars, the Tampa mayor race, and the GOP race for governor.

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Fan of the show? ⁠⁠⁠⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

On today's episode, Ryan is joined by Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow, who launched his campaign for Mayor last year. Jeremy shares his thoughts on the Democratic Party's message to voters, the rise of economic populism among the far-right, and lays out his vision for the future of Florida's capital city.

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Fan of the show? ⁠⁠⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

Veteran journalist William 'Windy' March joins the show and gives a short history of the year that Tampa's annual pirate-themed Gasparilla was canceled rather than admit Black members into its fold. While the ill-fated Bamboleo ended up being a one-hit wonder, its memory lives on. Windy and Ryan also talk about the rise of nonprofit journalism, as well as Florida Republicans' half-baked idea to abolish property taxes and starve local governments of funding.

You can check out some of Windy's work at the Florida Trident.

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The landscape of Florida's 2026 election just changed, and State Rep. Angie Nixon joins Ryan to drop some big news. The DUUUUUVAL native tells us about her legislation filed to unmask ICE and why she believes she's the right person at the right time to be Florida's next U.S. Senator. We're thankful to Angie for sharing how her experiences shaped the call of duty to public service, and her vision for a state where everyone can truly thrive.

You can follow Angie Nixon on social media at @AngieForFL

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Fan of the show? ⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

On this week's episode, Ryan is joined by the founder of FloridaPolitics.com (and former boss) Peter Schorsch. It's their first real conversation in years, and they get right into it. Peter offers his thoughts on the current state of Florida journalism and its shortcomings. After years of tense silence, their conversation represents a détente between the two old collaborators.

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This week, Jamil Davis joins the show to talk Black voting power in North Florida. He and Ryan go through some of the biggest issues facing Jacksonville, and how Florida's following the gerrymandering lead of Texas. And on the cusp of John Cena's retirement, producer Abdelilah hops on to ask the burning question of our time: is politics just professional wrestling?

Huge thanks to Jamil for coming on! Check out BLKFLA: The Podcast, the cultural archive for the Black political movement in Florida. You can follow on IG at @blkflathepodcast.

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Fan of the show? Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!