Pinellas County schools face declining enrollment. And like other districts facing dwindling rolls, Pinellas may have to close a number of campuses and merge others.
District officials have difficult choices confronting them amid concerns for students, staff and teachers.
Plus, an update on a case involving Florida wildlife officials’ surveillance of activists and a conversation with the outgoing president of The Ringling Museum.
And “The Zest” makes a return visit to the kitchen table of Sarasota chef Giuliano Hazan.
Weighing closures, consolidations
(0:00) Seven Pinellas County schools could close as the district looks for ways to address declining enrollment and save money. A school board member explains the recommendations, the concerns from parents and teachers, and what happens next before final decisions are made.
GUEST:
- Laura Hine, Pinellas County School Board member
How much surveillance is too much?
(12:01) Environmental activists and a state senator are questioning why the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission accessed their personal information through a law enforcement database. We’ll discuss the concerns over those searches, threats against FWC employees and the broader debate over government surveillance.
GUESTS:
- Katrina Shadix, Bear Warriors United
- State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando
Ringling in a new chapter
(21:49) After more than a decade leading the Ringling Museum of Art, executive director Steven High is retiring. He joins host Matthew Peddie to reflect on the museum’s growth, the legacy of John and Mabel Ringling, bringing challenging contemporary art to Sarasota and what he hopes comes next.
GUEST:
- Steven High, Ringling Museum of Art executive director
We're gonna speak Italian cuisine
(36:02) This summer, our Dalia Colón has been revisiting some past guests on her “Zest” podcast. It’s been two years since she sat down with chef Giuliano Hazan, a cookbook author, culinary instructor and the only child of the late Marcella Hazan, who helped popularize Italian cuisine in the U.S. They caught up in June at his kitchen table in Sarasota.
GUESTS:
- Guiliano Hazan, chef
- Dalia Colon, host of WUSF’s “The Zest” podcast
