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July 2, 2021

Governor Ron DeSantis had a busy week as nearly one-hundred remaining bills from this year’s lawmaking session wound up on his desk. Some he signed and there were also vetoes. One of these involved a bill that would’ve allowed children who complete post-arrest diversionary programs for suspected felony offenses to have their records sealed and wiped clean or expunged. As Valerie Crowder reports, the veto came as a surprise to stakeholders who successfully lobbied the bill through the Florida Legislature.

Four billion dollars in loan forgiveness meant to aid minority farmers is tied up in a legal battle. On one side is the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It’s trying to remedy its own long history of discriminating against farmers of color. On the other side of the tussle is a white farmer from Jennings, Florida. He argues the loan forgiveness program violates his rights. We get that story from Robbie Gaffney.

After the Champlain Towers South building collapsed last week, people across Miami-Dade County and the rest of South Florida have been worried about the safety of their own condo buildings. WLRN, the Public Radio outlet in Miami, has been talking with condo residents and looking into how local governments are stepping in. They bring us this report, starting with WLRN’s Danny Rivero.

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act on Tuesday of this week. It’s considered a milestone in efforts to preserve migration paths for animals, such as the endangered Florida Panther, keeping them from become isolated and inbred. Mallory Lykes Dimmit (DIM-it) is one of the founding members of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition, which went on 2 one-thousand-mile treks across the state to publicize the need to protect migration paths. WUSF’s Steve Newborn asked Dimmit if she’s surprised the act was passed unanimously by state lawmakers.

A new Florida law lets college and university athletes profit from the use of their name, image or likeness. Regan McCarthy reports the day the new rule went into effect, Florida’s college athletes were already inking new deals.