The Rotunda
Episode 162: Changing Course Featured
THE ROTUNDA – former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez said Florida’s environment has been neglected for eight years and he's excited about the swift change of course with Gov. Ron DeSantis. Martinez also shares his concerns with seeing Florida’s public education system being starved of resources in favor of competition and suggests ways for more equitable reforms.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A major South Florida landowner will be back in court on Tuesday asking a judge to override a final order by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection against their request to drill an exploratory oil well in the environmentally sensitive Everglades.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – President Donald Trump's partial government shutdown to secure a southern border wall has increased the strain on the U.S. immigration system – including in Florida. More than 60,000 immigration cases are in limbo in Florida, part of a record-high backlog that tops 800,000 cases nationally. Judges have been forced to indefinitely postpone hearings that were scheduled months and years in advance, since most immigration courts are closed in the shutdown.
Episode 161: Power Shift Featured
THE ROTUNDA – We preview inaugural events celebrating Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and Florida’s next Cabinet members. Also, Senator Lauren Book, D-Plantation, discusses policy changes in the Florida Senate to prohibit sexual harassment of employees. Book also talks about her efforts to shift oversight of the state’s concealed firearms program to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. With the automatic restoration of voting rights for some of Florida’s convicted felons expected to go into effect Tuesday, a recent study from Cornell University shows nearly 1 in 2 adults in the United States has seen an immediate family member go to jail or in prison. Gomes talks with Zoe Towns, senior director of criminal justice reform at Fwd.us, a nonprofit advocating for immigration and criminal justice reform.
Episode 160: The Tallahassee Welcome Featured
THE ROTUNDA – Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey pledges to bend over backward to make sure Gov.-elect Ron Desantis will have one of the most successful inaugurations in the history of the state of Florida. Dailey reveals to Gomes why technically this is his second time being sworn in as mayor and his plans to transform the office. Also, some Floridians still sleeping in tents since Hurricane Michael are being pressured to relocate their tent cities. Concerned volunteers claim Panama City officials are rushing to attract tourists with an "open for business mantra," although city officials claim health and safety reasons for forcing the displaced to evacuate. Gomes talks with Steve Lowe, a volunteer doing post-hurricane relief work in the Panama City area.
Hurricane Michael Relief Effort List:
