ACA enrollment set to begin amid government shutdown
(0:00) The federal government shutdown is now the second longest in history. If it lasts until Nov. 6, 2025, it will be the longest.
Federal funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will expire on Nov. 1, 2025. Nearly 3 million Floridians are enrolled in SNAP.
Communities across the state are responding in different ways with food drives, donations and free meals.
The Head Start Program, which helps low income children and families get ready for kindergarten, is running out of funding. Florida is one of the states with the most children enrolled in the program.
This is all happening as open enrollment is set to begin for the Affordable Care Act. Prospective enrollees will likely see higher premiums as the congressional deadlock over enhanced healthcare subsidies continues.
Guest:
- Katie Roders Turner, Executive Director of the Family Healthcare Foundation.
Property tax fact-check
(28:58) The future of property taxes for Florida homeowners will be the major focus of the upcoming legislative session for state lawmakers. Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing for a proposal to reduce or eliminate some of the property taxes for homeowners.
The Governor recently claimed that primary residences are not the main source of property tax revenue for local governments.
Guest:
- Samantha Putterman, Florida government reporter at PolitiFact.
Weekly news briefing
(37:30) Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica, then Cuba and part of the Bahamas this week.
It made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds. Florida's large Caribbean community, including those in the Tampa Bay area, has been collecting goods to send to those in need after the storm.
The Trump Administration has launched at least eight strikes on boats in the Caribbean near Venezuela that it claims were carrying drugs. These attacks are a new front in how President Trump is using the American military to fight international drug trafficking.
Copyright 2025 WLRN
