Capital Report

On tonight’s program: The first of what could be several special sessions of the Florida Legislature is over. This one focused on redistricting. Another, to pass a state budget, is next; A powerful member of the Florida Senate reacts to the speed with which the congressional redistricting took place; Governor DeSantis signs two education bills, although many teachers wish he hadn’t; Despite some state ordered pay increases for starting teachers, the bulk of Florida’s public school educators continue to lag behind most other states; Despite all of our connective technology, more people are now feeling more disconnected than ever. How do we get back to feeling like communities again? And as a drought continues in much of Florida, lakes and rivers are starting to dry up. Fixing that will require some heavy rainfall.

On tonight’s program: Florida lawmakers approve a new congressional district map for the state. Not everyone is convinced this is a good thing; And Florida, especially the state’s northern region, remains in the grip of a near historic drought. Even though some rain may be sweeping through the state this weekend, experts in the field warn that far more rainfall will be needed to mitigate the threat of wildfires that are already ravaging parts of the state. We have two pieces. The first describes the current wildfire situation and the second delves into the climactic circumstances that are making the fires more likely.

On tonight’s program: Florida lawmakers will be back in Tallahassee for a special session to draw up new congressional districts. Even though the state constitution specifically bans partisan purposes; Governor DeSantis signs more measures that opponents say further restrict the authority of local governments; Florida’s new SAVE Act is the law and is already drawing criticism; People who vote “NPA” or “No Party Affiliation” in Florida are more than a little tough to figure out when it comes to predicting how they’ll vote. It appears money from some foreign sources to U.S. universities are definitely gift horses that should be looked in the mouth; Don’t be in such a hurry to drain the swamp. Evidence keeps mounting that protecting more of the state’s natural wetlands also protects people from catastrophe; And we attend the investiture ceremony of Florida A&M University’s 13th president and hear from some of those who know Marva Johnson best.

On tonight’s program: The Florida Legislature originally planned to be back in Tallahassee around this time to work on a new state budget. But so far, NOTHING seems to be working; There still may be a chance that lawmakers may be back at the Capitol to redraw the state’s congressional districts to favor the GOP; One year after the mass shooting at Florida State University, we check in with a student who was barricaded as the situation unfolded; The campus shooting tragedy also led to state lawmakers trying to increase security without impinging freedom; Memorials to the shooting victims remain on the FSU campus one year later; And during the Civil Rights battles of the 1950s and 60s, Jewish and Black people often found common cause in the oppression historically visited on them. Now an effort is underway to reforge those ties.

On tonight’s program: Advocates worry a new law that lets the state declare groups domestic terrorist organizations unfairly targets minorities; Lawmakers are set to return to Tallahassee later this month to draw new congressional district maps, but not everyone is convinced it’s a good idea; Most of Florida is in a drought, and experts say the earliest it could let up may be this summer; One Florida couple is waiting for a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court on birthright citizenship before they decide whether to grow their family; Getting access to medical care is increasingly difficult for kids from low-income families as some pediatricians opt out of accepting government-sponsored health insurance; And, we’ll meet a musician honing her craft in South Florida

On tonight’s program: Governor DeSantis signs the SAVE Act into law, saying it will discourage any kind of chicanery when it comes to the state’s elections; We dive a bit deeper into the SAVE Act legislation and ask the big money question: was it really something that was critically needed?; What happened to the anti-vaccine push in Florida?; It seems the battle against cancer works better when patients have a whole team of doctors fighting in their corner; Florida’s best-dressed teachers are wearing panic buttons.Under force of law; One of the last mostly-male bastions – the construction industry – is finally becoming more inclusive; And after half-a-century, astronauts blast off – from Florida – and head for the moon.

On tonight’s program: Even though Florida lawmakers are out of session, the back and forth over plans to cut property taxes goes on; A new affordable housing project in Southwest Florida gives some prospective homeowners reason for hope; Florida has been an overwhelmingly Republican state for quite a while. But a noted political expert says this week’s special election may have signaled something of a turning point; It seems some Republicans are determined to shoot their own party in the foot; Americans are still having kids. They’re just having fewer of them than they used to and that’s having some wide-ranging impacts; And years after a devastating hurricane, natural recovery is still taking place in a large swath of Mangrove swamp, hopefully before another storm arrives.

Some law enforcers want a path to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants – and the governor responds; It’s no secret many prices keep going up: Especially when it comes to energy; The re-engineering of Florida’s New College prompts a new film documentary: We’ll hear from the producer; An American flotilla is headed to Cuba: But the purpose of that fleet is humanitarian aid, not military invasion; And finally, the growth of private sector space launches at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center has meant only good things for the program, says the astronaut in residence there:

On tonight's program: It’s the last official day of the Florida Legislative Session: But lawmakers will have to return soon to tackle unfinished business: We’ll discuss why: Changes are coming to Florida's primary food insecurity program – known as SNAP: Drones aren’t always a deadly war weapon, as we’re hearing in regards the Iran War: It seems they also have some very useful civilian functions, like finding lost people; And the negative messages some kids receive in traditional schools has helped jump-start the new trend of what are called micro-schools:

On tonight’s program: The House Speaker explains why some priority bills in the Senate won’t be heard in his chamber; The ongoing campaign against DEI continues in the Florida Senate, although some supporters insist that’s not what’s going on at all; Governor DeSantis’ push to regulate AI providers seems to be losing steam; It seems some of the worst misinformation doesn’t only appear on English language talk radio; It’s not only obtaining the product that challenges Florida’s food banks. It’s also keeping the product safe and wholesome once it’s obtained; After years of bad news, there may finally be a bit of positive news about Florida’s iconic citrus products; Special congressional elections may be moving from April to June; And fifth grade may seem awfully early to start teaching kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, but those who deal with these issues everyday say, wrong!

On tonight’s program: We delve into the reasons behind changes to degree programs at Florida universities; The push to regulate big AI data centers in Florida gains traction in the state Senate; A newcomer to the Florida Senate is fronting a package of bills aimed at making home ownership easier and more affordable in Florida; E-bikes are showing up everywhere around Florida; And some Florida lawmakers say more regulations are needed for safety; And finally there’s some good news coming out of the bay that’s been the source of Florida’s most famous oysters.

On tonight’s program: The Florida Legislature puts a halt – at least for now – on Governor DeSantis’s using a disaster emergency fund for immigration enforcement; With so many folks now eager to fight for their rights, a legal expert opines there are times and places where that response may not be the best course of action; With a few weeks left in the session, the two chambers are far apart when it comes to spending and communicating; And even though Florida is not yet awash in data centers, it seems that might be changing.

On tonight’s program: Some Florida lawmakers and the governor really want to cut or even do away with the state’s property taxes.But are they shooting in the dark?; With so many critical issues facing state lawmakers, you might think culture war stuff might be taking a back seat this session.And you’d be wrong; The old saying was, “Everybody wants to move to Florida.”But maybe the new saying is, “Fewer people now want to move to Florida.”And experts say that’s not a good thing; A growing number of immigrants who came to Florida are choosing to leave voluntarily; In an emergency, you may call the police, the fire department, an ambulance….you can even call an emergency chaplain; And an effort to make the flamingo the state bird is back, and the discussion this week in the Florida House was rife with puns….

On tonight’s program: Florida has been helping the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown.But it seems compensation for that support has been slow in coming; Environmental lawsuits are stacking up against Alligator Alcatraz in the Everglades; A Senate committee has approved the extension of a fund Governor DeSantis has used for hurricane recovery, as well as immigration enforcement; At least for now, a court order has stopped President Trump’s order to protect Haitian immigrants from immediate deportation.Florida driver license exams are no longer multi-lingual.That reverses the former policy of accommodating applicants whose English skills are lacking; After a freezing cold weekend for much of Florida, can we expect more of this kind of weather? ; And here’s one affordable housing option:build a so-called “Granny Flat” on your existing property and rent it out.

In Florida, those who sympathize with certain causes or ideologies may soon be guiltyof the crime of “domestic terrorism.”Political disagreements are becoming really problematic when it comes to relationships.Amidst multi-million dollar outlays, Florida’s school voucher system seems to have a raft of accounting problems; Something that lawmakers are now trying to fix; After all the horror stories about AI, many educators now think it might help more students gain literacy. If they have access to it; And Florida’s Brightline trains are running in the red; maybe because those train trips have been too much of a bargain?

On tonight’s program: Republicans are pushing an annual day to honor the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk; While President Trump is urging states to not regulate AI, Florida is moving forward with some attempt at putting guardrails on the technology; What happens when tax credits run out for folks on the Affordable Care Act marketplace?; Some mainstream religious groups have been trying to persuade Florida lawmakers to back off the state’s support for what they consider federal overreach on immigration; It’s hard to make good decisions if good information isn’t available to guide them. That pretty much sums up the current situation with how many people really need the food provided by SNAP benefits; And despite the best efforts of conservationists and others, the Florida Panther is in worse shape than ever.

On tonight's program: As this year’s Florida lawmaking session begins, Governor DeSantis has just one ask of lawmakers; Despite some tiffs and occasional hard feelings, most Florida lawmakers seem determined to smooth out the lingering rough spots with their colleagues this year; Florida may not be Cuba, but the two lands are now and forever linked as Cubans in Florida struggle to reclaim their homeland; Changes in Florida law as well as federal immigration policy has placed a growing number of immigrant laborers in mortal danger; And your airport chauffeur could soon be a pilot instead of a driver.

On tonight's program: Governor DeSantis faces his final legislative session as governor starting next week. And there could be some serious headwinds for the governor and his agenda; A once greatly-respected advocate against domestic violence pleads no contest to multiple felony charges; Governor DeSantis has some thoughts about state regulation of AI; While AI platforms like ChapGPT can have many positive aspects, there are also dangers; And environmental advocates say there are solid reasons why there are regulations regarding fragile places like Florida’s Everglades.

On tonight’s program: Florida lawmakers hadn’t originally planned for 2026 to be a congressional redistricting year. But then President Donald Trump called; A priority of Florida’s senate president to funnel more state resources into rural counties didn’t make it in 2025.But it’s make a return appearance in 2026; A move to allow younger Floridians to own long guns is attracting some pushback ahead of the lawmaking session; Florida law requires rental property owners to take reasonable steps to protect their tenants from things like gun violence. Although that law was watered down a few years back; If you’re whipsawed by inflation at the grocery store, you might want to consider growing more of that food yourself; And we go back in time a quarter-of-a-century to a political meltdown that was very unlike today when all politics is taken very personally by everybody.

On tonight’s program: We remember the tragic shooting on FSU’s campus and the resilience of the university’s students; As Florida starts dumping public health mandates in favor of personal choice, it seems viruses don’t really respond all that well to political arguments; Florida brings back its controversial black bear hunt, although state officials insist everything will be done “humanely” and “by the book.”; During the year nearly passed, it seemed a growing number of people joined the campaign to persuade more bio-dads to become actual loving, supportive and present fathers; And this year has been one of citizens making their voices heard. We visit one of the No Kings Protests that took place on the Florida Capitol lawn.

On tonight's program: In Florida, the battle lines are being drawn In the upcoming fight over who will pay for all the infrastructure the AI industry needs; We get a look ahead to how Florida property taxes may change, now that Governor DeSantis has weighed in on the matter; The present wave of anti-Semitic violence has Jewish congregations on high alert; An investigative report by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times suggests theDeSantis administration diverted more than $35 million in taxpayer money to fight two ballot initiatives. Money that should have gone somewhere else; It’s the old city vs country debate, but with untold millions of dollars-worth of development hanging in the balance, politics is playing an even bigger role; Florida’s official public health policy is moving away from required vaccinations. But that hasn’t stopped many in the medical community from citing worrisome data; Florida signs on to a multi-state lawsuit against the popular weed killer Roundup; and the old saying about “music having charms to soothe the savage beast” is being amended to say: “music has charms to soothe the saddened soul.”

On tonight’s program: What’s the connection between free speech and violence? There’s some new research on that subject and the results are a bit disturbing; Is Florida’s electorate swinging back in a Democratic direction? The state’s Republican Party leader thinks not; Certified Public Accountants may seem an unassuming lot. But it seems they have some critical superpowers; And it’s been said you can recycle just about anything nowadays. And it seems that includes already used water in Central Florida.