Florida’s primaries on Tuesday feature a crowded Republican gubernatorial field with a clear frontrunner, and contests between moderate and progressive Democrats across the state. WFSU’s Tristan Wood and Tampa Bay Times Tallahassee Bureau reporter Liv Caputo break down those races.
While there are plenty of local races to vote on in the primary election, some voters are realizing after receiving their mail-in ballot that for state races, Florida has a closed primary system. In recent years, Florida has seen an influx of residents from states with less restrictive systems determining who can vote in primary elections. They may find Florida's system a bit confusing. WGCU’s Teddy Byrne and John Davis discuss the difference between a closed and an open primary election.
Speaking of the primaries, early voting is underway. Floridians are headed to the polls while elections supervisors across the state are focused on ensuring elections can go off without a hitch. Leon County Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley joined the Between the Lines with Dara Kam podcast from State Affairs to explain why combating distrust in the voting process is the greatest challenge facing today's supervisors.
Florida lawmakers passed a bill last year allowing public school classrooms to use secondary locks in the event of a shooting. WUSF's Douglas Soule reports a lock company is accusing state education officials of using regulations to restrict what lawmakers allowed.
We’re a few months into what’s been a quiet hurricane season. Normally, we would be entering the peak of the season, and many Floridians might be thinking about flooding. And not just on the coast. Inland communities have faced catastrophic floods in recent years. But an eight-month investigation by WUFT’s Rose Schnabel found that a state flood resilience program spends almost all of its dollars on the coast.
For the first time, Florida high schoolers can satisfy both their physical education AND arts requirements through marching band. That’s after a new law went into effect in July. WLRN’s Sofia Zarran takes us to Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, where the award-winning marching band is grateful that their hard work is being recognized in their academics.