This November, Floridians will vote yes or no on allowing adults 21 and older to use recreational marijuana.On this episode of Florida Matters, we discuss how the proposed amendment could change life in the Sunshine State. Joining the conversation: Tampa Bay Times/Tallahassee correspondent Romy Ellenbogen, who covers state government, with a focus on criminal justice and health. And Richard Blau, an attorney with GrayRobinson. He's chair of the regulated products division, where he oversees the firm’s legal guidance, compliance, and support services for the alcohol beverage, cannabis, food, and tobacco products industries.

Teachers have been navigating challenging and confusing times since education laws rolled out in 2022. In this episode, we get an update on what their classrooms have been like since. For the past couple of years, public school teachers in Florida have navigated some challenging, and at times confusing, changes to what they teach and how they teach it. Legislation was rolled out in 2022 with restrictions on classroom instruction on race, gender identity and sexual orientation. Transgender students have faced restrictions on what bathrooms they’re allowed access to. Teachers are now required to convey that under enslavement, some African Americans gained skills that later benefited them, a change heavily criticized by teachers and some state officials. And there’s been increased scrutiny, and in some cases removal, of books on teachers’ shelves and in school libraries. WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan, who covers K-12 education and has been reporting on how teachers have been dealing with the new laws over the last couple of years, joins Florida Matters along with Gail Foreman who teaches social studies, history, and AICE psychology at Booker High in Sarasota, and Brandt Robinson, a history teacher at Dunedin High School.

People know Titus O’Neil as a star of WWE. But before he was a pro wrestler and Global Ambassador for WWE, Titus O’Neil was Thaddeus Bullard. He began his athletic career as a promising football player - a University of Florida Gator who played under legendary coach Steve Spurrier, and later in the Arena Football League. Bullard's path to athletic fame and fortune wasn’t an easy one. He writes about his upbringing to a single mother who struggled to make ends meet in his book, "There's No Such Thing as a Bad Kid." But along the way, Bullard built a reputation as someone who’s worked to give back to his community. Through the Bullard Family Foundation, he's helped kids who face the same kind of challenges he did growing up. Over the last decade Bullard, who lives in Tampa, has given out more than 15,000 gifts every year to underprivileged kids through his "Joy of Giving" event. And in partnership with Hillsborough County Public Schools - he’s worked to transform Sligh Middle Magnet School into an educational innovation hub. On this episode of Florida Matters, Bullard talks about overcoming poverty, finding fame as professional wrestler Titus O'Neil, and helping the next generation.

The Florida Supreme Court released opinions on two proposed constitutional amendments Monday afternoon. One would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and the other would legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older. At the same time, the court released a ruling on a challenge to Florida’s 15-week abortion ban. The court upheld the 15-week ban, which in turn means a more restrictive six-week ban will soon take effect. Stetson University College of Law professor Louis Virelli spoke to Florida Matters about the legal context of the court's decisions. Also joining the program to discuss the impact of these court opinions on health care are WUSF reporter and host Cathy Carter, WUSF health care reporter Stephanie Colombini and political analyst and retired political science professor Susan MacManus.

The issue of a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays been debated for decades. And in the next few months, make-or-break decisions will be made on the redevelopment plans. This week marks the start of another season of baseball for the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ll face the Toronto Blue Jays in their first home series at Tropicana Field, the stadium that’s nearing the end of its residency in downtown St. Petersburg. A world-class development that will “fuel our economy” for decades to come is how St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch described the multibillion-dollar plan to transform Tropicana Field and the sea of asphalt parking lots surrounding it. "If you look out over the next 10, 15, 20 years, we have so much more confidence that this is going to be a great place for a ballpark, and for a neighborhood that fits that ballpark," said Rays co-president Matt Silverman, who spoke recently on the team's podcast about the redevelopment, "Here to Stay." But it’s not a done deal just yet. The heart of the current debate isn’t so much about sports, it’s about money. Specifically how much the city and Pinellas County and the Rays ownership will invest. Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright joined Florida Matters to explain the next steps in the long process of building a new stadium for the Rays and redeveloping the land around it. And Ron Diner from No Home Run, a group of Pinellas County residents who oppose the stadium deal, explains why he thinks the deal is wrong for St. Pete

This week, we speak with two women veterans about their military experiences and opportunities and challenges for women veterans. The number of women in the military is rapidly growing. A 2022 Defense Department report shows that in 2021, there was an 18% increase in women in active duty and a 22% increase in women in the reserves. That’s even as the overall number of service members dropped, according to the same study. Holley Harris is the president of the Greater Tampa Bay chapter of the Women in Defense organization, a national organization that brings the Department of Defense together with all the industries that support it to create and enhance opportunities for women, and increase the diversity in the defense community. Vanessa Thomas works as the women veteran’s coordinator at the Florida Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

One of the most controversial bills to come out of this year’s legislative session restricts the use of social media sites for teenagers. The bill had bipartisan support- but there are questions about whether it violates the first amendment rights of these young people. And it’s not clear which social media platforms will be affected. An earlier version of the bill was vetoed by Governor DeSantis. Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times - Miami Herald Tallahassee bureau and political journalist William March talk with Florida Matters host Matthew Peddie about what’s likely to happen next with this bill.

Florida lawmakers wrapped up the 60-day legislative session last Friday, passing a $117.46 billion budget and a slate of new bills. Among them are new restrictions on social media use by teenagers, limits to where people experiencing homelessness are allowed to sleep and some tweaks to the troubled homeowners insurance market. Political journalist William March and Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald Tallahassee correspondent Lawrence Mower join host Matthew Peddie to discuss the highlights from the legislative session and what it means for residents of the greater Tampa Bay region.

An increasing number of people in Florida are experiencing homelessness. The surge in homelessness comes as state lawmakers are considering legislation that some advocates see as punitive: a law that would make it illegal to sleep on public property. Florida’s council on Homelessness reported 30,809 individuals experiencing “literal homelessness” last year. That means not having a fixed, regular or adequate place to stay, and includes people living in shelters. That’s a 9 percent increase since 2019. The number of students experiencing homelessness in Florida is even higher. On this episode we speak with Anne Ray, the Florida Housing Data Clearinghouse Manager at the University of Florida’s Shimberg Center for Housing Studies, about the rising number of homeless students and the support that's available for them. We also discuss a specific group of students who experience homelessness: kids who are separated from their families because of abuse or neglect, but who aren’t part of the foster care system. We talk with a Tampa non-profit leader, Vicki Sokolik, who works to support those students, and we hear from Jamal, an alumnus of her program.

Dalia Colón talks with Florida Matters about hosting The Zest podcast and releasing her new cookbook, "The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook." In the introduction to her new book, "The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook," Dalia Colón writes about her first impressions of the Sunshine State: “By the time I’d unpacked my car, I’d came to a conclusion: In Florida, it’s too hot to eat.” For the first months in the state, she subsisted on smoothies and cheese toast. The last two decades have been a culinary journey for Colón. She became a vegetarian in 2013, and she hosts The Zest, WUSF’s podcast showcasing Florida’s food, foodies, restaurants, and recipes. After moving to Florida from Cleveland in 2005, Colón says it took her a while to appreciate the fruits, vegetables and herbs that the Sunshine State has to offer. We sat down with Colón for this week’s episode to discuss The Zest and the release of her new cookbook.