The Florida Roundup - Book removals; Speaker of the House ousted; Florida wildlife stories

Episode Date: October 6, 2023

Florida schools have removed more books from public school libraries than any other state. Plus, a Florida Republican leads the charge to bring down the Republican U.S. Speaker of the House (19:11). Wandering bears, a livestream of eagles and hazy skies from wildfires: we present some wildlife stories throughout the state (37:11).

This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. Thanks for listening this week. Katie Lyons' second-grade daughter brought home a book from her school library last spring. It was a biography written by a best-selling author that had been published a few years earlier. In April, Lyons asked the school district to review the book. She asked for the book to be removed from the school library. In her request, she wrote, quote, I do not believe it is suitable for elementary students. Now, more books have been pulled from public school libraries in Florida than any other state, according to Penn America. That's a free expression advocacy group. Dozens of school districts have taken action against hundreds of books. New Florida Law is championed by Governor Ron DeSantis have empowered parents and activists to file more reviews.

One of those reviews was from Katie Lyons, which the Leon County School Board tackled in late June. As I was reading the book, I had no issue with the book at all until it got to the one page in question. This is Leon County School Board member Lori Lawson Cox. The page in question was in the book I Am Billie Jean King. We all know that she was gay and don't have a problem with that. Don't even have a problem with it saying that. But then when I read that it goes on to describe what gay is, that if you're a girl that you love and have romantic feelings for another girl, and if you're a girl, that you love and have romantic feelings for another girl. And if you're a boy, that you love and have romantic feelings for another boy. That appears on one page of the book.

The parent who challenged the book said that one page breaks Florida law, banning school instruction about sexual orientation. Here's how the book starts. Fair play. Such a simple idea in sports and in life. It means you respect the rules and treat everyone equally. And sometimes people don't want to play fair. And other times they don't want to even let you play. But that never stopped me.

When I was little, people called me a tomboy, but it's a word I still don't like. Girls can enjoy sports just as much as boys. This is Leon County School Board member Roseanne Wood. This book is not about the theme is not that she's gay the theme is about championing equality and this is so important for our young people to be able to read and hear. The board voted ultimately to keep the book in the library since it was not used in classroom instruction. Is there a book you think does not belong in a public school library or one

that should be there but isn't or has been banned? What's appropriate for a school library book in a public school in Florida? Email us radio at thefloridarup.org, radio at thefloridaroundup.org, or call us 305-995-1800. We're talking about school book bands today on the Florida Roundup. Call 305-995-1800. Your emails and phone calls coming up in a moment. Brad Meltzer is the author of I Am Billie Jean King. Brad, welcome to the Florida Roundup. Thanks for your time. What did you think about the debate this past spring and summer over your book in Tallahassee

schools? You know, for me, I was heartbroken because I can't believe that we're fighting book bans in 2023. And I thought what was more heartbreaking than anything was, you know, we've seen some of our books challenged before, but I'd never seen I Am Billie Jean King challenged. And it was clearly just because a person didn't like that we said someone was gay. I mean, and for all the talk that we hear in our state of, oh, it's not a book ban, it's not really a don't say gay bill. It was truly just a mention that Billie Jean King was gay that set this mother off and suddenly had all these resources being diverted from our students

to weighing in on whether this book is appropriate or not. And to me, that's a giant waste of resources for our kids. Yeah. You made the point on Twitter, what's called X Now in May, you wrote that, what our kids are learning from this process is the exact opposite of what our books are intended to teach. The world needs more tolerance, not less. Our kids are smarter than people think. They're watching us right now and seeing how we react. What do you think they took away from this experience of the Tallahassee School District looking at Billie Jean King? Listen, they're not stupid. They know this is a joke. I am Rosa Parks and I am Martin Luther King Jr. books were put on a list that was a freeze that became a ban in Pennsylvania last year. And it was the students, you know, they had me come in and speak at the school board,

but it was the students who started speaking and they just gave it to them. They were like, how dare you pull books from the shelves about people who look and act like me? And these kids were giving speeches like it was the final scene from Braveheart. And that's what I think happens here is they watch this. And I have friends who are teachers. I'm a Miami-Dade public school student myself. I grew up here. I have my friends who teach in the schools here who say, I'm afraid to teach these books, certain books, because I'm worried I'm going to be arrested and lose my job.

I have students who have said to me, I can't believe that I can't find these books or I've seen empty bookshelves in my schools. And they all know when they see all the resources wasted by the schools, and then they don't have art classes, they don't have classes that are banned as being cut. The arts are being cut. All these things are being cut. And all the money is going to having hearings on whether you can say that Billie Jean King is gay or not in a popular book.

The students have to be embarrassed. And my only hope is, and we see this over and over again through history, it happened during the Reagan administration. There was a high increase in book bans at the time too. And one of the leaders at the time, one of the major reading organizations said, if you don't like it, you vote them out. That's the solution. You vote them out. So how do you engage with those who think your books don't belong in school libraries? What would you like to tell the parents or the activists that are bringing these books up for review to school districts in Florida? I always tell them the same thing. I don't

meet them with anger. I actually meet them open-handed and open-hearted. And I always tell them, I fully respect you for not wanting your child to read a certain book. I respect you for that. You should be able to control what your child reads. You don't get to control what my child reads. And they'll always yell at me. They'll always say, oh, so you want porn in schools? And I'm like, nobody wants porn for kids in schools. Nobody's arguing that point. That's a ridiculous statement that's thrown out on social media just to kind of get everyone fighting. But I don't look for a fight.

What I look for are solutions. So I always say to them, fine, okay, I respect what you're saying. Is Mouse by Art Spiegelman porn? Is the Diary of Anne Frank graphic novel considered porn? Because right now, that's the side you're standing on. That's what you're banning. And it's so fascinating to watch people calm down when you show them the actual books that are being pulled. Because don't forget all over from the media to social media, we're seeing those extreme examples of the most graphic thing that gets everyone wrong.

How could you give this to first graders? And it's like, nobody's giving that book to first graders. Nobody is. So I always show people what they're actually standing for, and it's amazing how quickly they calm down. So there is a line. You don't disagree that there is some judgment involved about what books are on school libraries and accessible to certain students and what books perhaps aren't appropriate for public school libraries. Is that accurate, Brad? Of course. You can't, I mean, it's the same way, you know, you can take your kid to a rated R movie. I wouldn't, right? Depending on their age and if it's appropriate for them. But, you know, my nephew, when he was really little, when he was like eight, nine years old, used to read Stephen King. And I remember at the time, you know, and Steve is a friend of mine, like I know him. And I remember

laughing and being like, a lot of people are like, you can't read Stephen King that young, but he loved it and he was mature enough for it and he got it. And so he read it. Another kid would be horrified and send to therapy if he read that same book at that same age, right? And you have to know your kid. But what I don't like is the policing of everybody's kids. And everyone suddenly feels like they have a sheriff's badge on. So what role should parents play in deciding what books students have access to in school libraries?

Listen, I think you should be talking to your teacher rather than screaming at your teacher. I think you should be talking to your teacher rather than screaming at your teacher. I think you should be talking to your librarian rather than screaming at your librarian. There's not a teacher and a librarian that I know who says, I want to give your kid inappropriate stuff. That's just how it goes. Can any student wander into any part of the library and find something that you as a parent may not like? Sure. If you're in a library where you agree with everything in that library, you're in a bad library, however.

That's a terrible library. So that's part of being a student of the world is sometimes you're going to encounter things you don't like. It's not going to ruin your child. And I think we just have to encounter things you don't like, it's not going to ruin your child. And I think we just have to kind of be a little more calm headed about it and educate people more about it rather than just immediately jumping into the instant fistfight. You have teamed up with more than a dozen bestselling authors, including many like yourself who have direct connections to Florida to fight book bans here in this state and elsewhere. What are you working toward? Yeah. So we're working with PEN America, who obviously is first on the forefront of First Amendment rights and standing up against book bans. And we've teamed together because what we

found is that Florida, our home state of Florida, has recently surpassed Texas in terms of book bans. Book bans are up 33% in this school year, and 42% of all book bans in the United States occurred in Florida. And it's time to push back. It really is. It's time to fight back. And so what we're doing is helping PEN America establish an office and a center here in Florida that they can, when that book ban happens, when that book is pulled from the shelf, that we can have a quicker response and make sure. Because you can't win. What people are doing right now is some of these super conservative organizations are just giving local parents entire lists of books and saying, challenge them all. That's just bad policy.

It's bad for the kids. It's bad for the teachers. It's bad for educators. Helping Pan America fight back against it. And listen, that just takes funding and it takes a great organization. So we're picking one of America's best and hopefully we'll allow Florida to be a little more open-minded than closed-minded these days. Do you anticipate this effort to have a political angle to it as we move into an election cycle for school boards and for state legislators?

I can say this. It's only going to get worse as the election approaches. Meaning what will get worse? The fight over book bans is only going to get worse as the election approaches. Meaning what will get worse? The fight over book bans is only going to get worse as the election approaches. And because why? Because it's a great wedge issue. It gets people really angry really fast. You know why your politicians want you angry? Because angry people vote. There should not be a conservative versus a liberal side in book bans. What it should be is let's show the sensibility of this, educate people on what we're really talking about, and hopefully get to a better spot. But just getting people angry is going to get us nowhere. Brad Meltzer is the author of I Am Billy

Gene King and dozens of other books and historical TV programs as well. He's a Florida native and writes from South Florida. Brad, always a pleasure to speak with you. Thanks so much for your time. Thank you. So what is appropriate for a school library book in Florida? 305-995-1800. More than 40% of the books in school libraries that have been challenged here in Florida have been challenged in Clay County. That's near Jacksonville.

And almost all of them have been challenged by Bruce Friedman. Here he is speaking to the Clay County School Board in June. I delivered nine new requests for an appeal, 25 new book challenges. Thirteen of them are blatant violations of Statute 847, easy wins. Statute 847 that he's referring to there in Florida law is entitled obscenity. It deals with child pornography. Jamie's been listening in and joins us from Tampa. Jamie, thanks for joining us here on the Florida Roundup. Go ahead. You're on the radio. Hey, Tom, how are you doing today? Good. Go ahead.

Well, Tom, I mean, one thing I will say is this. There needs to be a cutoff on age limit, at least on these kinds of books. I mean, I don't think you want to reach out porn to a four-year-old, but I do think rather than, oh, my God, my kid's going to be scarred for life because he read this book, there are kids who are more mature than others. And, Tom, you probably know as well, but I do. Probably some kids can take it and some kids can't. It's not like your kid read Freddy Krueger and all of a sudden they're having nightmares about it. They're probably going to ask you questions

about what it means and you had to do your job as a parent to answer them. But banning books from school libraries that may contain homosexual themes is really just jumping the gun because there are kids who can read that

there are probably children who can read it and be just fine. Yeah. But I think what needs to—go ahead. Jamie, I just want to thank you for the call and adding to the conversation. Age-appropriate is a key phrase in all of this. It's a key phrase, certainly, in the Florida law. Jeff Solichek is with us now, education reporter for the Tampa Bay Times. Jeff, welcome back to the program.

Always great to rely on your reporting. What legislation are school boards and parents using to remove some of these library books? Well, they are using that law 847. They refer to it frequently. It is the law that defines or points to pornography as being prohibited, and it's been in law for a long time. And now it's being referred to in other portions of law that the legislature has worked on regarding book selection, book review, sex education. They're also using the portion of the law that relates to the instruction on gender identity, sexual orientation, and even race. Some of those of which even the state attorney general's office

has pointed out is not intended to be for library books. It's supposed to be out instruction, and library books are not instruction. Right. The books that are in the classroom used for classroom instruction versus books that are in what are now called media centers in schools or what we used to call libraries, at least when we were in school. What is the review process? When a parent does want to challenge the presence of a book in a library? What is that process? And is it uniform? Well, every school district is supposed to have one, according to state law, but they can be different. Generally speaking, though, parents are supposed to have the ability, school districts are supposed to provide a way to file a form that explains exactly what your objection is to a book or other material and to ask for a review.

The review then could either go to a school-based committee or some districts are skipping school based committees and going to district level committees. Some are just going straight to the school board. But the point is that parents are supposed to have the ability and community residents as well to take books and say, I have questions about these and I challenge this. Debbie is listening in from Port Charlotte. Debbie, great to have you along. You are on the radio. Go ahead. Hi, thank you for taking my call. Of course. Go ahead. You're on the radio, Debbie. Can you hear me?

Loud and clear. Oh, Debbie, we unfortunately got disconnected there. Jeff, let me ask you, what has been the guidance that's been provided to these different types of review groups by the State Board of Education? As they look through these challenges, what are they guided by? Board of Education. As they look through these challenges, what are they guided by? Well, there is a training that was provided back early this year that told school districts, among other things, to do things like err on the side of caution. If you wouldn't read this book aloud in a public place, then maybe it doesn't belong in your school. They gave a lengthy review of all of the laws that are out there. And even with all of that, school districts

still feel like it's kind of vague, that there's a lot of mushy language in there. And so the state board is prepared, excuse me, is prepared to again next week, no, the 18th, that would be two weeks from now, to take up another stab at this by putting forth even more guidance and a form for districts to be able to follow as they try and really firm up what it is that they do want. Let's hear from Rob listening in from Jensen Beach. Go ahead, Rob, you're on the radio. Yes, thank you for taking my call, and I appreciate your guest. Moms for Liberty is an oxymoron. They wear their t-shirts, wrap themselves in the flag, and practice tyranny of the minority. What they stand for is not

freedom, but rather censorship and fascism. So this is a group that many people who have been challenging some of these books proclaim to belong to, this Moms for Liberty group. Go ahead, Rob, make your point. Yes, sir. The idea that libraries are under attack in this country is reprehensible. People are complaining about certain books without reading a single page. Right-wing commissioners in Michigan are closing the library, and there's talk by politicians about burning books. Mind you, these are local politicians, not necessarily in Florida. mind you, these are local politicians, not necessarily in Florida. Nazi Germany started out the same way,

and I think censorship and intimidation are now the primary drivers behind the teacher shortage in Florida. And Florida has now become the national laboratory for bad government. Rob, we appreciate you adding your voice there from Jensen Beach in all of this. Jeff, we've got to go here on the clock, but great for you to share some of your reporting with us. And we'll certainly look forward to that School Board of Education meeting

that's coming up in a couple of weeks. Jeff Solichek, an education reporter from the Tampa Bay Times with us from Tampa. Thank you so much. Thank you, Jeff. Appreciate it. We got plenty more to come, including how one Florida Republican led the charge to remove the U.S. House Speaker this week.

This is the Florida Roundup. Thanks for listening this week. I'm Tom Hudson. Next week on our program, believe it or not, one year from now, you may be voting already in the 2024 elections. Yeah, a year from now, vote by mail ballots will probably be in your mailbox if you've requested it. Early voting will be just weeks away. Regardless, if you're a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent, you know the issues for this election. The economy, abortion, immigration, among them. Three major bills changing election laws in Florida have been put in place since the last presidential election, changing how you may vote. The process. Supporters say election security has been tightened up. Opponents worry that voter access has been tightened to the ballot. So let's talk about how voting is changing in Florida as the 2024 election

approaches. This is next week. You may not be casting a ballot for still another year, but how do you plan on voting? Meaning the process by mail, early, in person on Election Day. And why? What do you think about election security in Florida? Do you need a candidate to commit to accepting election results before you vote? Email us now, radio at thefloridaroundup.org. You can also email us a voice memo radio at the Florida roundup and you may be included on next week's program this week. Well, this week saw a Florida Republican almost sing it handedly take down the person third in line for the Oval Office. Congressman Matt Gates followed through with his threat to kick Kevin McCarthy out as the speaker of the House. It happened in less than 24 hours. The legislative effort began Monday when Gates made his motion to vote McCarthy out. Kevin McCarthy believes in nothing. And when you believe in nothing, everything is negotiable. Right. If you have no core principles and all you care about is holding on to the job and the power, you'll make a deal with anybody.

That was Monday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. On Tuesday, Gates defended his effort from the House floor. I don't think voting against Kevin McCarthy is chaos. I think $33 trillion in debt is chaos. I think that facing a $2.2 trillion annual deficit is chaos. I think that not passing single-subject spending bills is chaos. I think the fact that we have been governed in this country since the mid-'90s by continuing resolution and omnibus is chaos. I think the fact that we have been governed in this country since the mid-90s by continuing resolution and omnibus is chaos. And then by Tuesday afternoon, Gaetz and seven other Republicans voted with House Democrats to remove McCarthy from the

top position in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kevin McCarthy is a feature of the swamp. He has risen to power by collecting special interest money and redistributing that money in exchange for favors. We are breaking the fever now, and we should elect a speaker who's better. NPR's Greg Allen is now with us here on the Florida Roundup from Gates's congressional district in Florida's Panhandle. Greg, you're in Pensacola. Welcome back to the Roundup. What are his constituents telling you over the past few days? Well, hi, Tom. I spent some time last night in Santa Rosa County, which is right in the heart of Matt Gaetz's district here in the first district. And as you know, this is a very red district, one of the most Republican-leaning districts in Florida. Voters voted, 65 percent of

them voted for Donald trump in the last election um but at i went to a republican club meeting last night and and almost to a person that people were just very happy with gates in fact i didn't talk to anyone who wasn't happy with gates what was interesting is that i talked to a number of people who said they had questions about gates up until now because they would they thought he was all talk and no action and then he finally did this motion to uh to replace uh kevin mccarthy this week and follow through on it they thought he was all talk and no action. And then when he finally did this motion to replace Kevin McCarthy this week and follow through on it, they thought he finally made good on his words. And so people were very, very pleased by that.

And, you know, they're ready to support him in whatever he wants to do going forward. We'll talk about all that speculation coming up in a moment, Greg, and there's plenty of that around Gates. But he has insisted, Gates has insisted that these efforts really over the past six months leading up to this week were not personal against Kevin McCarthy from California. Gates argued it was principled positions about promises and spending discipline. How do voters see it? Do they see it as principle over politics? I think so, yes. Everyone I spoke to kind of went back to the same talking points. They're concerned about the national debt, things that Gates has talked about. They're concerned about continued aid to Ukraine. A lot of the people I spoke to last night don't want to see continued aid to Ukraine.

Also, they're concerned about migration over the southern border. They think not enough is being done there. There's a sense, though, that I think that these very, very conservative members of the Republican Party feel that their views are not being taken seriously by the House leadership and aren't being heard in Washington. They feel like we've got to take back our government is what they're saying to me. And they felt that Kevin McCarthy wasn't doing it. So they I've talked to at least I remember one person said that that actually had no choice. That Kevin McCarthy forced him into this position. That's an interesting angle on this. Gates has faced and does face House ethics investigation over allegations of sexual misconduct,

allegations of drug use, allegations of misuse of campaign funds. Are voters that you spoke with concerned or even curious about these allegations? Did they dismiss them? Yeah, I think they dismissed them. You know, as you know, the government's not, the FBI's not pursuing those, but these are still open questions with the Ethics Committee there in Congress. Voters there, the voters I talked to believe that President Trump won the election, you know, in 2020. So you're talking about people who feel that the prosecution of President Trump is unlawful, or at least uncalled for. And so that's the way they view, there's a lot of suspicion of government, suspicion of institutions, and they

don't believe that these investigations really amount to anything. And so yeah, that they didn't really come up in their concerns. NPR's Greg Allen is with us from Pensacola in the heart of the first congressional district in Florida in the far western reaches of the Panhandle. It is home to Congressman Matt Gaetz. Greg, stick with us. Ledge King is joining us now. Ledge is the managing editor in Washington at National Journal. Ledge has done a lot of reporting in Florida through the years, covered Congressman Gaetz in his early campaigns. Ledge, welcome to the Florida Roundup. Thanks for sharing your time with us. Do you think that Gaetz's congressional colleagues see this effort this week that culminated this week as principle over personality? Hey, Tom, and welcome from Washington, where history is made every week. Indeed, it is.

In fact, I covered Gates when I was a Washington correspondent for the Pensacola News Journal, and I covered Gates his very first day. And he's always been kind of a bombastic, bombastic fellow. To your point, clearly they see it as personality over principle. There were plenty of ultra conservatives, members of the Freedom Caucus, even some from Florida, like Bill Posey, for example, on the Space Coast, who voted with McCarthy, who've always been sort of with McCarthy. But Gates has always had this this itch to be the center of attention and he has developed what seems to be an animus towards uh mccarthy that has festered and uh so many of his colleagues the ones that i've heard from say uh are just i mean the words i can't use on on uh you know on family radio yeah Yeah, we approve.

Exactly, right. Even in Florida. Even in Florida. And they see this as clearly a battle of personality. So, Ledge, it's interesting, right? You just heard Greg, and he's still with us from Pensacola, talk about the voters he spoke to last night in Santa Rosa County in Gates' district see this as a principled position.

But yet in Washington, inside that beltway ledge, right, like the colleagues on the floor are swirled around was about principle, is about principle, about spending money, how much can the government afford, things like border security, all these things that they think that McCarthy caved to the Democrats on. But it's, you know, what I think the most important factor that mccarthy was to most of the of the caucus most of the republican conference is a a measure of stability uh and b a hell of a fundraiser and uh you know part of their loyalty to him is the fact that he was very supportive uh of fundraising and uh he had built this very loyal battalion behind him. Ledge, as you pointed out, no other Florida Republican voted with Matt Gaetz.

Gaetz and seven Republicans voted with the Democrats against McCarthy. How did Gaetz gather enough Republican support in order to lead this effort against McCarthy this week? Well, that's a good question. And because the majority is so thin, basically, if you get five members to flip on something, you can stop anything and you can even guess what? Ouse the speaker for the first time in history. You know, he he, like I said earlier, this was kind of an itch waiting to be scratched as far as this issue that he'd had with McCarthy. And he'd convinced enough of his cohorts nationally to get behind him.

And all he needed was a small handful. I mean, you mentioned Florida. Florida, I mean, for example, Kat Kamek from North Florida, she is the with the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is the campaign arm. You know, she's a the head of that. And she has raised McCarthy has raised a lot of money for the NRC. Yeah. Twenty million dollars in this cycle alone. Yeah. I mean, there are very conservative members of Congress from Florida. Congressman Greg Stubbe from the Gulf Coast. Congressman Buchanan. Congresswoman Lee.

Congressman Mills from. Byron Donald. Byron Donald. Right. But but but none of them supported their their their colleague from the panhandle. I mean, I think I think, you know, they're they're they're trying to. Let me take a step back. their colleague from the panhandle? I mean, I think, you know, they're trying to, let me take a step back.

Matt Gaetz is not a well-liked individual within the conference to begin with. That doesn't mean he can't make good points. That doesn't mean he can't be effective at what he's done. And he obviously has done this successfully. But I think, you know, there's a sense that, hey, we have bigger battles to fight. The last thing we want to do going into an important cycle is look like we're dysfunctional and can't govern. And something like this only adds to the Democratic narrative that the Republicans are just a circus.

Ledge King is with us, managing editor at National Journal in Washington. Ledge spent a good number of years in Florida reporting on Florida politics. NPR's Greg Allen is with us. Greg is based in Florida, and he's actually joining us from Pensacola in the heart of the Congressional First District in Florida, which is the district represented by Matt Gates. Greg, let me ask you about spending and budget deficits and budget debt. This was a key part that Congressman Gaetz pointed to in terms of what he thought

and what you have reported is seen on the congressional district as the principled stand that he took this week. The countdown to the end of the current continuing resolution that's keeping the government open is on, right? I mean, it's mid-November when that runs out. The military presence is pretty dominant in the Pensacola area, where you're joining us from. Any concerns, Greg, about federal government spending as we approach that continuing resolution in November? Right, right. One would think that. I mean, there's so many active military here and military veterans who were sympathetic that the fact that pay could be stopped would be an issue for them. One veteran I spoke to last night said that he felt that people in this district are willing to make the sacrifice. And in fact, he said, you know, these government shutdowns are not really real because Congress always votes afterwards to restore the lost pay.

I mean, that that has been largely true. It has been true that that pay has been restored after these government shutdowns. But but no one wants to see their pay stop for an indeterminate amount of time. So but, you know, it's if you're an active duty military, are you that involved politically? You know, veterans much more so. And I think they're hit less by this. So, you know, I just don't think it plays big here. I mean, it's a conservative area, and, you know, you've got this vast majority of people who always vote Republican. And unless Matt Gaetz gets a Democratic challenge, I mean, a primary challenger, and I'm not sure where that could come from, you know, he's pretty much in a safe seat.

Yeah. You are listening to the Florida Roundup here from your Florida public radio station. We're talking about Matt Gaetz leading the effort to kick out Kevin McCarthy from the speakership of the United States House of Representatives this week. First time that has happened. Greg Allen is NPR's national correspondent based in Florida. Ledge King is along with this managing editor at the National Journal. Ledge, you mentioned money. You mentioned how Kevin McCarthy had endeared himself, using quotes around that, endeared himself to fellow Republicans because of his ability to raise money for campaigns. How do you think this maneuver plays for national political donors now? plays for national political donors now. Well, and to sort of put the cherry on top here,

seven of the eight members who voted against him had received tens of thousands of dollars from him collectively over the past few years. So, you know, money only buys you so much. I mean, you know, the Democrats that I've talked to are, I was talking to a Democratic strategist who is absolutely giddy over the fact that Kevin McCarthy is no longer speaker because he is such a was a maybe still will be a force when it comes to fundraising. I mentioned the $20 million. The question is how long he stays in the game. You know, he's not leaving Congress. Right. And he has pledged to keep raising money.

You know, he's not leaving Congress. Right. And he has pledged to keep raising money. I think he's going to give another two and a half million dollars to the NRCC. By the way, one correction. Kat Kamak is not the head of the NRCC, but she's the recruitment chair. So clearly in a key, key place. But there's a dinner that was for the NRCC that was just canceled. And a lot of vulnerable Republicans need the money to, you know, New York, California, especially, and that's going to well determine who's going to control the house. So to be determined. Yeah. And with, with such a tight margin of majority of Republicans,

of course, there's lots riding on the 2024 election beyond just the white house, control of Congress being another one ledge talking about some of the national donors. Greg, how about more kind of grassroots? How could this maneuver play for Floridians making campaign donations and contributions? And even as Matt Gaetz looks to his political future in 2026 and beyond? Well, you know, Matt Gaetz has made many Republicans mad for a lot of reasons in Congress. But one of the things we've heard a lot of talk about is his fundraising around this effort. You know, he's taking, basically bragging in his fundraising outreach that he's been able to lead the charge to oust McCarthy.

And, you know, he's been raising money off that. We don't know how much. We'll have to wait for the campaign reports. But he's bragged about his ability to raise from small donors. Now his national profile has gotten any larger, has gotten even larger. So for people around the country who like this kind of politics and in some ways he's taking a page from, you know, the lead Republican right now, Donald Trump, you know, this in your face, take no prisoners policies, you know, his style style really has I think been been kind

of pioneered by Trump he's in the same way that Trump has broken norms in the presidential presidential world the norms that you would actually work with your party within and the conference within closed doors inside who the leader is he's thrown that out he's you know and by doing that, he's had a lot of success. So I think Gates is actually, has raised his name recognition into a point where suddenly everyone in Florida knows who this congressman from the first district is. How many congressmen can you name? People can name him. Right. Out of the 28 in Florida, go ahead, try to name all. Although with the two of you, you'd probably pass with flying scores.

But let me ask about that. The chair of the Florida Republican Party sent out a tweet after this and said, quote, No one can deny that Florida once again is at the center of the political universe. Greg, you're in that congressional first district. I've got about 30 seconds. Do those voters feel that they're in the center of the political universe? Well, I think that's one reason why people are happy. You know, someone says to me, you know, we have so many talented people here in North Florida. Now we have a talented person in Congress as well, you know.

So I think they like the attention they're getting, you know, from Matt Gaetz. Greg Allen is reporting there from the Congressional First District of Florida in Pensacola. Greg, NPR national correspondent based in South Florida. Greg, always great to have you on the program. Appreciate you sharing your reporting with us. Thanks, Tom. Ledge King is with us from Washington.

Ledge is a former reporter in Florida, now managing editor at the National Journal. Ledge, great to have your D.C. perspective. Thanks for joining us as well. Thanks. Appreciate it, Tom. We've got plenty more to come here on our program, Wildlife, this week in Florida, as you're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio station. This is the Florida Roundup. Thanks again for

listening this week. I'm Tom Hudson. Bears, panthers, eagles, and turtles all call Florida home. Some wildlife stories for you now. Let's start with the story of a sea turtle found not in the picturesque sands of the Gulf Coast, but in a common retention pond of fresh water, not the salty water of the Gulf of Mexico. WGCU senior environment reporter Tom Bayliss has the tale. A very young green sea turtle meant to be growing up hidden in the brown algae of the Sargasso Sea was instead found living in a pond down by an RV park in Fort Myers. The discovery of a marine sea turtle in the freshwater pond last week matched the one-year mark since Hurricane Ian made landfall in Lee County.

The thinking is that Ian's storm surge washed the then hatchling inland and it somehow found the pond, where it has been marooned ever since as one of Ian's smallest survivors. Providing the green turtle spent its entire first year toughing it out in the freshwater retention pond, it would be a rare feat indeed, because the species is physiologically adapted to live in saltwater. Marine turtle experts examined the green turtle, now the size of an adult's hand, determined it was doing just fine and let it go in a saltwater cove. In Fort Myers, I'm Tom Bayless. That reptile is back in its native environment thanks to a little human assistance. Federal environmental officials want to help other animals move about around southwest Florida,

including the elusive Florida panther. The idea is to create a conservation area and stitch together a wildlife corridor. Steve Newborn reports from our partner station WUSF in Tampa. It's called the Everglades to Gulf Conservation Area. It would include parts of 12 counties from Polk, Manatee and Sarasota south to Hendry and Collier. The land would be protected either by purchasing it from willing sellers or by conservation easements which pay ranchers and farmers to not develop their properties. Mallory Lakes-Dimmitt is CEO of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation.

She says this could be another tool in the effort to create a wildlife corridor. It's a total opportunity for federal investment now to be able to be used in this protection boundary. It just gives more flexibility and another opportunity to say this is important. It ranks highly in the scores for programs that are out there. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking comment from the public on the project through the end of October. I'm Steve Newborn in Tampa. In other parts of Florida, bears are finding themselves in places where people are. A sheriff in Franklin County, that's southwest of Tallahassee, said his county is, quote, inundated and overrun by the bear population. Last month, maybe you saw the video footage of a black bear that wandered into a wooded area near Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Well, the executive director of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says the agency is trying to address concerns about more human bear encounters. is trying to address concerns about more human bear encounters. Speaking at the commission meeting this week, Executive Director Roger Young said the state will increase bear surveillance and set traps where needed. We are currently working to increase our surveillance response and that includes setting traps and we want everyone to know that we take public safety seriously when we go through these issues. Legislation was filed last week for the 2024 law writing session that would allow people to hunt and kill bears without permits or authorization when they feel threatened or believe such force is necessary for protection. Now there has not been a state-approved bear hunt in Florida since 2015. The Humane Society of the United States says the

focus instead should be on improved management of garbage, which can attract bears, and education instead of killing the animals. Tens of thousands of us have watched a family of eagles through the years in North Fort Myers. Thanks to the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam livestream on YouTube, with no fewer than three separate cameras this season, to watch the nest and surrounding branches high above Bayshore Road. It's not far from a Publix at a shopping mall named, appropriately, Eagle Landing. This was Thursday afternoon when an eagle with a rather clinical name of F-23 landed on what's called the attic and called out.

name of F-23 landed on what's called the attic and called out. By the way, that name, F-23, it means it's a female eagle spotted for the first time in 2023. Now, the stars of the Eagle Cam have been Harriet and her partner M-15, a male first seen in 2015, M15. But Harriet disappeared back in February, and M15, nicknamed just M, may have found a new partner. Here's WGCU's Mike Braun in Fort Myers. Eagle Cam co-founder Jenny Pritchett McSpadden told WGCU on Sunday some of what was in store for the new season. Today we started streaming live season 12 of the Southwest Florida Eagle Cam and we could not be more excited just because we have three new amazing cameras that have never been used before. We have M returning to the nest and we have a potential new mate. It's just an exciting day. The revamped site, which was under maintenance and repair most of the summer,

is streaming 4k for the first time and could be among the first Eagle cams to do so. For McSpadden, the possibilities are endless. We can't wait to see what unfolds. Mother nature knows best, but we're excited and we can't wait for everyone to watch and hopefully like everything that we have in store for them. And then we'll see what happens. We'll see some hopeful courtship and some mating rituals between M and this potential new mate. And then hopefully time will tell if we'll have eggs in the nest. Last year had some unexpected drama as Hurricane Ian forced the then breeding couple of Harriet and M15 to repair the nest before they produced two eggs. Tragedy befell the couple in February as Harriet vanished and M15 had to raise the eaglets himself.

In Southwest Florida, this is Mike Braun. You are listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio station. Florida had some Canadian guests this week. No, not snowbirds. Too early for them. Air pollution. Yeah, air quality across a large part of the peninsula and parts of the Panhandle on Tuesday was considered unhealthy for people with asthma or breathing problems, thanks to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting this far south. Environment reporter Molly Duregg reports from our partner station in Orlando, WMFE.

Canada's government says already this year, wildfires destroyed more of the country's trees than in any other year on record. And tiny smoke particles from those wildfires can travel thousands of miles, including here to central Florida. If they absorb into people's bloodstreams, those tiny particles can cause health problems, like cancer. According to local arborists, smoke and ash from Canada's wildfires can also harm our trees, blocking them from necessary sunlight and creating stress that can make trees more susceptible to disease. According to the CDC, wildfire smoke can make air quality too unhealthy for sensitive groups, like children, people who are pregnant, and people with respiratory issues. I'm Molly Duregg in Orlando. Megan Borowski is a meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network in Gainesville.

Megan, welcome back to the Florida Roundup. What happened with these hazy skies and this smoke? Well, Tom, it's kind of a combination of environmental conditions way up north and then also the weather pattern that we had going on earlier in the week. So as we know, a hot topic over the summer was Canadian wildfires. And there are still some spots in Canada that are burning over the province of Quebec. And so we had that in place. But on top of that, we had high pressure that was building over the northeastern United States. And it was centered such that circulation around it drew

the smoky air from the wildfires in Quebec and circulated it into Florida. It was quite the alignment of conditions, but that's what happened. I mean, what's that got to be? 1,500 miles, 2,000 miles away, something like that? Yeah, I mean, it's in southern Quebec, but the track that it took was kind of a partial circumference around a circle, if you think about circulation around high pressure. So it tracked pretty darn far. Does the smoke stay aloft at high altitudes and then looks for a spot to come down, and it just so happened it was around the peninsula of Florida this time?

So it depends on how much upward vertical motion we have from those fires. Of course, the fires create hot air and that hot air rises. And so it can get deep into the column of the atmosphere. And then we just had high pressure building nearby where the prevailing wind flow was from the northwest over, you know, Quebec and New York. And then it steered it over the Atlantic Ocean and then into Florida. And so how unusual are these conditions to bring Canadian wildfire smoke all the way down here to the Sunshine State? That's a good question. I will say over the summertime, I mean, that the smoke did travel a long way. I mean, it got as far south as South Carolina, I remember, earlier on in

the summer. So as long as you have the winds coming from the right direction and moving to the bright direction, you can get smoke traveling long ways. I mean, there's plenty of instances in the past where, you know, you'll have volcanoes erupt and, you know, that ash will get deep enough into the atmosphere where it can get lofted around the globe and impact weather patterns. Yeah. How bad was the air quality in Florida this week? We did have air quality warnings, especially over the East Coast, up toward Jacksonville. There were alerts issued for those sensitive groups. I know at one point I looked at it for the Gainesville area, which is where our studios are. And the parts per million got pretty elevated.

The air quality index was around 71. So that was considered unhealthy. And then what changed to help the smoke literally clear? It's all about wind patterns. So high pressure sank a little bit farther southward. The center was then over the Carolinas, so we didn't get that direct pull from Canada southward. So we had a less direct pull and the winds kind of helped to, you know, push the haze out of here, which is quite nice. Cleared out and along with it was a little bit of humidity, at least from down here in South Florida.

We're starting to get a hint of what passes for wintertime here in Florida. Well, get ready because there's a front coming in. A good portion of the peninsula is really going to feel it by the time we get to the end of the weekend and the start of next week. Oh, no, it may be socks and sandals for us. I know. Can you imagine? Megan Borowski, meteorologist with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network in Gainesville. Thanks, Tom.

And that is our program for today. The Florida Roundup is produced by WLRN Public Media in Miami and WUSF Public Media in Tampa. Amy Sanchez produced the show with help from Polly Landis. WLRN's vice president of radio and the program's technical director is Peter Mears, engineering help each and every week from Doug Peterson and Charles Michaels. Richard Ives answers the phones. Our theme music is provided by Miami jazz guitarist Aaron Leibos at aaronleibos.com. If you missed any of today's program, you can download it and listen to past programs by going to wlrn.org slash podcasts.

Thanks for calling, listening, and supporting public radio in your community. I'm Tom Hudson. Have a terrific weekend.