© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Capital Report: 11-29-2019

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is calling the 2020 legislative session the ‘Year of the Teacher.’ DeSantis recently rolled out his budget asks. Ryan Dailey has more on the requests, and the reaction from the statewide teachers’ union.

Governor Ron DeSantis’ proposed budget would fully fund Florida’s two affordable housing programs. He is recommending that all $387-million be used for housing needs. The Florida Legislature created the affordable housing programs in 1992 by raising the documentary stamp tax on real estate transactions.  The money is supposed to be split between the Apartment Incentive Loan Program – known as SAIL - and the Housing Initiative Partnership Program – known as SHIP. But the money often gets sent elsewhere. Gina Jordan talked with Florida Housing Finance Corporation Executive Director Trey Price about what it means to fully fund these programs.

Backers of a state constitutional amendment proposal are trying to make it harder for the document to be changed. The plan has more than half the required signatures to go before voters next year and is in the middle of a state budget review. Blaise Gainey has more.

John Kennedy, veteran capital reporter now affiliated with Gannett Newspapers, tells Tom Flanigan about some issues to keep a particularly sharp eye on during the 2020 Florida Lawmaking Session.

In Florida, thousands of children live with an extended family member rather than a biological parent. But that’s causing some issues. Robbie Gaffney reports a new proposal would give courts more power to reunify children with parents.

Forget Pilgrims, pumpkins and Plymouth. The first Thanksgiving feast took place in Florida, not Massachusetts. That’s according to historian Rodney Kite-Powell of the Tampa Bay History Center. He sat down with WUSF's Robin Sussingham, host of The Zest podcast