2026 Florida Governor's race
(0:00) With less than a year until Florida's 2026 gubernatorial race, we spoke with two of the most prominent candidates representing both major parties.
Guests:
- David Jolly, former Republican congressman representing Florida's 13th district.
- Paul Renner, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.
Floridians consider leaving over rising costs
(20:30) The rising cost of living has over half of Floridians considering leaving the state. That's according to a poll released this week by Florida Atlantic University.
Though the survey also found that almost eight out of 10 are at least somewhat confident their household finances will get better in the next five years.
We opened the phone lines and inbox to hear from listeners on issues of affordability in the Sunshine state.
NCF's spending and campus free speech
(28:14) New College of Florida's transition has been expensive. The Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), released its report on university spending this week that shows a sharp jump in spending at NCF as Gov. Ron DeSantis and allies transformed the school's leadership.
NCF, once considered to be a center of progressive liberal arts, has said it is ready to sign an agreement with colleges and universities from the Trump administration. It could be the first to do so.
Critics of the compact call it a threat to freedom speech on campus.
Guest:
- Amy Reid, Interim Program Director for PEN America's Freedom to Learn Program.
Weekly news briefing
(37:48) The longest federal government shutdown in history stretched into its six week with no signs of a compromise. It was the first full week without federal money for food benefits or for a program to help low income children and families get ready for kindergarten.
There are efforts across the state to help feed families. In Central Florida, Neighborhood Center of South Lake is a food pantry serving South Lake County.
Another consequence of the ongoing government shutdown will be a lot more flight delays and cancellations just weeks before Thanksgiving and the beginning of Florida's tourist season.
The FAA has ordered to reduce air traffic by 10% at 40 major airports including four in Florida: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and Miami.
These airports can issue IOUs to help pay for improvements. Interest is paid by fees generated by the airports. Cities and counties do the same thing to pay for libraries, stormwater drains and arts centers. And they use local property taxes to pay back the loans.
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