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Capital Report: February 3, 2023

Florida lawmakers head back to Tallahassee this coming Monday (Feb. 6) for a special session that has multiple matters on the agenda. Tom Flanigan has a rundown.

Governor Ron DeSantis is acknowledging that a plan to remove income caps from the state’s school voucher program could result in some public schools losing that revenue. Lynn Hatter reports, one state policy group has put the cost of the expansion at around 4 billion dollars in the first year.

This week, Republicans in the Florida legislature unveiled a bill that would allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit. But that’s out of step with public opinion on the matter. Democrats are raising alarms about what this could mean for public safety, but with a super-minority in the legislature, their hands are largely tied. Valerie Crowder has more.

Governor Ron DeSantis’s proposed state budget will continue to include federal stimulus money, even though his predecessor – current U.S. Senator Rick Scott – would like it sent back to the feds. Tom Flanigan has that.

Suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren sued Governor Ron DeSantis for removing him from office. Warren had signed a pledge to avoid enforcing a state law that bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Last month, a judge decided the governor broke the law when he suspended the prosecutor, but the court lacked the power to reinstate Warren. In the Deeper Dive with Dara (DARE-uh) Kam (cam) podcast from City and State Florida, Warren breaks down the judge’s ruling and why he feels “vindicated.” Here’s an excerpt. That was suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in an excerpt from the Deeper Dive with Dara Kam Podcast, a product of City and State Florida. Hear the full episode wherever you get your podcasts.

A new report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration finds climate change helped fuel $18 billion worth of weather related disasters last year. The most expensive was Hurricane Ian, which made landfall near Fort Myers in September. The annual Florida Climate Conference will be held February 9th, and the main topic will highlight how climate change impacts Florida’s waterways. WUSF's Cathy Carter got a preview with Bob Bunting, CEO of Sarasota’s Climate Adaptation Center.

A controversy over an Advanced Placement African-American History Course from the College Board continues.

February is Black History month, and our partners at WUSF in Tampa are featuring the voices of educators, historians and others in Florida who have been moved by learning a piece of Black history. Today we hear from a middle school teacher near Tampa, who says teaching Black history should take place all year, with all children. That was Larre [lah-RAY] Davis, a middle school teacher in Apollo Beach. That audio postcard was produced by WUSF's Kerry Sheridan.