While there’s still about a year until the elections, Florida’s capital city is already abuzz about who will run for statewide office in 2026. President Donald Trump has already endorsed Byron Donalds for governor, and questions remain about whether Trump will endorse candidates for other statewide offices. Meanwhile, Governor Ron DeSantis seemingly has tapped his preferred heir apparent as well as his pick for state CFO and Attorney General. And former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner has thrown his hat in for governor. Capitol Reporter Tristan Wood sat down with the Florida Phoenix’s Liv Caputo to talk about what to expect for the upcoming elections.
More than half a million students in Florida are using taxpayer dollars to pay for private school tuition or other educational services. The nonprofit organization tasked with distributing these state-funded vouchers to families mismanaged the money. That’s according to a recent report by the State Auditor General. Among the findings were delayed distribution of funds and some over-payments. An influential Republican state senator offers one explanation: Florida expanded its voucher program too quickly. WLRN Natalie La Roche Pietri looked into it.
Polio, mumps, and whooping cough—Florida kids have to be vaccinated against those diseases before they can attend school. But that rule could change. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo says he wants to end all vaccine mandates in Florida. The health department can roll back some requirements on its own. But dropping school vaccines requires action from state lawmakers. On the Florida Roundup, WLRN’s Tom Hudson spoke about what this push could mean for Florida families with Dr. Jason Goldman, a Broward County primary care physician and president of the American College of Physicians.
In these dog days of summer in Florida the heat continues to rise. This means that children, seniors and people who work outdoors can be subjected to temperatures that can lead to heat related health risks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, extreme heat causes more deaths each year than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods combined. WGCU’s Jennifer Crawford reports on how understanding the heat could be crucial to saving your life.
The Florida Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg reopened this week (Tuesday) following an $8 million renovation. WUSF's Steve Newborn takes us on a tour of some of the artifacts from one of the darkest chapters in history.