The Florida Roundup - Congresswoman Kathy Castor, measles cases rise in Florida, and more

Episode Date: March 13, 2026

This week on The Florida Roundup, a second-generation gas station owner in Florida who is navigating the price hikes (00:00). Then, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor joined us for updates on the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and partial government shutdown (06:26). Plus, WUSF’s Kerry Sheridan and Dr. Shalika Katugaha with Baptist Health joined us to discuss a rise in measles cases in the state and pushback against a bill that would’ve made it easier to opt out of common vaccines (20:30). Then, ‘Your Florida’ state government reporter Douglas Soule gave us a wrap-up of the legislative session and a look ahead (33:50). And later, we looked at a few bills that will be heading to the Governor’s desk (37:32), met a man who is foraging all his meals in Florida (41:00), and shared some listeners’ notes from our mailbag (45:40).

Support for Florida Roundup comes from the Everglades Foundation, working to restore and protect Florida's $1 trillion asset that helps to bring clean water to Floridians. Learn more at Everglades Foundation.org. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. 80 cents. 80 cents a gallon. 80 cents a gallon in the past month. That's how much gasoline has gone up in Florida since mid-February. 80 cents a gallon.

It works out to a 25-1-5-1. percent jump in just a few weeks. The sharp spike alone gets your attention. After all, we have paid more for gasoline in the past, almost $5 a gallon. But a month ago, you probably spent about $45 to fill up your tank. Now it's $57. How has this sudden rise in the pump price affected your budget? Florida already was facing an affordability crisis. Now the higher gas prices. That's the impact on your household spending. Email us radio at the Florida Roundup.org. I visited a gas station in Miami-Dade County along US One on Wednesday this week to talk to Lee Ducek.

Hello. Is Lee around? Lee? Yeah. If I walk back there? Yeah. All right, thanks, man. Lee's dad started the station and Lee and his wife have run it for decades, selling tens of thousands of gallows.

gallons of gasoline every week. And Lee has seen it all at the pump. Oil prices below $20 a barrel, up to $140 a barrel. He's seen the housing collapse, the recessions, peace and wars. Tom, it's nice to see you. I am doing you too. We sat down in his office and he opened up his laptop computer. I think it's going back up today. Well, pull it up there, Lee. What do you see here? Let's see here. It goes crazy.

So tell me what you're doing right now. Right now I'm just going on my email where they send us our prices every night. So this will be an email from your wholesale supplier? Our wholesale supplier, yes. This is where you're buying all of your gasoline types as well as your diesel. Yes, all of it, yep. Mm-hmm, yep. How often do the prices come out?

They come out every night at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. And they're good for 24 hours? 24 hours. You got your inbox up there. What is the price here as you and I are talking on a Wednesday? So right now, diesel went down 25.5. That's down 25 cents per gallon. Exactly. And so we're at 420. That's your wholesale price. That's wholesale. Here, 10% ethanol gas, which is the high test at 391 a gallon, down 8 cents. I got to watch the commodities. I have to watch them.

And you're looking at the price of gasoline futures? I'm looking at the futures right now on the market. Okay? We're up 15 cents on gas. So gasoline on the futures market for delivery is 279, as you and I are talking. Your wholesale supplier is quoting you 320 a gallon. It's gone up 25 percent. on retail side in one month.

And these are rare times of the volatility like it is. Your cost isn't what the wholesaler is quoting you here, because you've got additional expenses on top of that gasoline in the ground. Before they, the prices, before they started to jump, you've got to start going up a little bit so you don't get hit with investing hugely into your inventory. There's almost 40,000 gallons in the ground. that's a lot of capital beneath your feet lee and right and when it changes and those tanks are half full so you've got 20,000 gallons out there and all of a sudden you're going to replace it at 80 cents more a gallon you're going to come up with that extra money out of your profits when you're fully loaded at these prices you've got more than $100,000 wrapped up in the tanks oh yeah easy easy

Lee says when you buy a gallon of gas, you're not paying for the gasoline going into your car or truck. You're paying for the gas that will replace the gasoline that you're putting into your car or truck. On Thursday morning, he sent me a text. Gas up point one, five, three cents. Diesel up point two eight cents. Very volatile. Just thought you'd like to know. The price at the pump this morning on this Friday morning at Lee's gas station, 460 for premium, 380 a gallon for regular. He texted me this morning as I was in the studio here saying that those prices will probably go up into the weekend. So how do those higher gas prices impact affordability here in Florida? Spring break season is here, summer driving season is coming.

Oil prices impact so much of what we buy here on the peninsula and along the panhandle. So email us radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Sarah just sent us a note writing the U.S. produces more oil than any country in the world, so if domestic production helped with gas prices, the Strait of Hormuz shouldn't affect us at all. So why do we not call Republicans on the fact that Drill Baby Drill was never the solution to anything, and corporate greed of multinational oil companies, Sarah writes, was always going to be the rule of the day? Well, Sarah, of course,

oil is a global commodity, not just an American commodity, and it trades globally, and that helps explain at least some of the price fluctuations and volatility that we all have been experiencing lately. Now, we did reach out here on the Florida Rondeup to three Republican members of the Florida delegation this week to talk about this issue. Senator Rick Scott, Representative Kat Kamik, and Representative Laura Lee. None of them responded to our inquiry. Representative Kathy Kaster of Tampa Did. She's a Democrat who represents the Tampa area in Congress, also the top Democrat on the House Energy Subcommittee. And she joins us now. Representative, welcome back to the program. Thanks for your time. Representative, are you still with us on Zoom?

Yes, hi Tom. There we go. How are you? Nice to have you again. Let's just start with the gas price issue. Federal taxes at about 18.5 cents per gallon, would you support suspending the federal gas tax in the short term to help reduce gas prices? I think what needs to happen to lower gas prices is this war in Iran needs to come to an end. I mean, the energy markets are in turmoil. That is just eye-popping volatility in price spikes here in Tampa, St. Pete this morning, regular was about 3.79. And the other factor, we're watching, we're bracing for

even higher electric bills because we are so overly reliant on gas to produce electricity in the state of Florida, too. Yeah, good point about Nat gas. But just back to oil, would a suspension of the federal tax help in the short term that price? Well, what that would do, that would undermine our ability to fund transportation projects across the country. I don't know that you want to put that off any longer. We're already grappling with higher costs due to tariffs for those kind of projects. Really, what needs to happen is this war needs to end. But we can have that debate in the Congress if Trump's war and Iran continues. I will ask you specifically about the war. because Central Command, which is directing the Warren Iran, is, of course, based in your congressional district there in Tampa.

But on the energy price piece here, it was last fall that President Trump proposed opening up areas in the Gulf, including some near Florida for more offshore energy drilling. You opposed it at the time. Do you still oppose it? You bet I do. Oil drilling in the Gulf is a direct threat to Florida's economy. our natural environment. We don't need it. The U.S. is, we are the largest oil and gas producer in the world right now. There are many places in the Gulf that have current leases that have gone untapped. It's just, it's way too risky.

I've had some sources in the petroleum industry here in Florida tell me that supply is fine, right? There's no lines at the gas station a la 1974 oil and oil. Argo era, but have noted that foggy weather in the Gulf sometimes can hold up tankers from Houston, for instance, and we're also seeing the oil refiners in Texas switch over to a summer blend, so productivity can dip just a little bit. There was a piece of legislation in November that you voted against. It would have allowed the National Petroleum industry to come up with recommendations to increase capacity to refine oil and to gasoline here in the United States. Why did you oppose that? Because we're way to rely on oil and gas. We have got to begin

to be serious about the transition to cheaper, cleaner energy. A lot of that transition was underway, helping to bring solar and wind resources, do greater conservation, actually move to electrify our car fleets, our trucks, and we would be in a whole lot better place today if we were continuing on that transition rather than doubling down on fossil fuels that are fueling the higher costs, whether it's insurance, more intense, hurricanes, pollution. I just think that that we have got to stop, we've got to stop the higher cost. fossil fuels. We're so at risk because of the volatility now. And after the oil shocks of the 1970s, you know, we made great strides in conservation and improving fuel economy. I think we've got to

go again to understand we have got to make a transition and not be at the mercy of this choke point at the Strait of Horn News. Yeah, there's been some Republican comment regarding the volatility here since the war in Iran began, that if not for policies that the president took during his first term to increase drilling and fracking of energy in the United States becoming more energy independent, the price shocks that drivers have experienced just in the past month might have been larger. What would you say to those Republican colleagues? Well, it's what we're doing now is we're exporting more of our domestic gas resources than ever ever before. That's one reason your electric bill. You know, look out. FPNL and Tico recently were

approved by for big, big rate increases. And now it's likely that that people are really going to be staring at those bills a little harder because it's going to go up because we, it's only been since 2015 that we have allowed exports of natural gas outside the country. So then we don't have enough here at home for industrial users and for other domestic users. So these oil and gas companies are making enormous profits, and we're paying the price, unfortunately. Well, to be clear, just on the natural gas supply, it's not as if supplies are dwindling for industrial users or electricity producers in the United States. There hasn't been a supply crunch, but you have seen prices certainly become volatile. Let me ask you about the war itself.

Operation Epic Fury against Iran. It's being run out of your congressional district at the U.S. Central Command. Do you support the military action by the United States and Israel against Iran at this point? I do not. I think there's been no justification made by the president for the war. There was no debate in the Congress. There was no, you know, the president gave a state of the union address where he broke the record for the longest speech given and yet didn't prepare the country for an enormous bombing campaign that commenced in the days after. And, you know, now we don't really understand the cost. We don't understand the endgame. And if we're going to spend billions and billions of taxpayer dollars, I would rather see them invested here at home.

where folks are really grappling with an affordability squeeze driven by the tariffs, the voting Congress to eliminate ACA tax credits and electric bills. The affordable care out there, yeah. Yeah, and so I think this, it's clear now this may not be making us more safe. Certainly, Iran is a malign actor in the world. I don't shed a tear. We should return to diplomacy. But no, at this point in time, without a real endgame and justification, it's very difficult to support this continuing.

We're speaking with Florida Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat representing the Tampa area. Her district includes Sentcom, which is the headquarters of the military operation happening in Iran. Representative, if you are presented with a supplemental spending bill to help pay for this military action, today, as we're speaking on this front, Would you support that? It's very difficult to support that at this time, Tom. And we're really holding our breath now because, as you know, we lost six additional service members who are flying KC-135 tankers, and that is the wing at McDill Air Force Base here in Tampa.

And I'm just hoping and praying that those are not families right here at McDill in Tampa. But now we've lost a dozen service members. Hundreds have been wounded. And yet the president that says, we want the war and it's over. And yet they're going to come and ask the Congress for a billion-dollar appropriation without really spelling out the justification. Clearly, there was not an imminent threat that permitted the president to act unilaterally under our Constitution. It's the Congress under Article 1 that has the responsibility to. you authorize a war and they simply do not want to follow the law.

So do you believe that this action is unconstitutional? I do. I do. Let's talk about another spot here in our hemisphere, and this being Cuba. Your district has an historic tie to Cuba through Yvore City. Senate Democrats have filed a resolution designed to prevent the United States military action from happening in Cuba, should there be any without congressional OK? Do you see any appetite for that in the house? You know, I think we have to keep the Cuban people at the center of all of this.

And it's been the government of the United States and the government of Cuba that has oppressed the people there. If there is a way forward for freedom in Cuba, I will support it. But I don't like what I'm hearing. And my neighbors are very concerned that they are negotiating with the Castro. family to do something like they did in Venezuela. If there is a pathway forward for freedom, for Cuba, I think that has got to come diplomatically. And I, at this point, I would not support any kind of military operation. I mean, this, we owe it to the people of Cuban of the diaspora here in Florida to have that debate out in the open. Cuba and the United States are holding

talks. Both the U.S. as well as the Cuban regime have confirmed. affirm that. Do you know anything about these talks? No, and that's the problem that this president and the administration goes it alone, and yet they're more than willing to come to the Congress to ask for billions of dollars to support these military actions. And that's not fair. The American people deserve better. They deserve to know how much taxpayer money is going to be put up at a time when they are. are just trying to get by. They're trying to pay the rent.

They're trying to afford the groceries. They hate the tariffs. And now they're grappling with higher gas prices. And that is going to have a ripple effect across transportation, grocery shipping, and travel. And it's going to make the cost of living crisis even worse for families who are stretched thin. Representative, I only have about 30 seconds here. But TSA officers have been working without pay for a month. Today is the first missed paycheck because of this partial government shutdown,

which persists for the Department of Homeland Security, any closer to coming to an agreement? We, you know, this would be very simple, and I'm co-sponsoring a bill that would pay TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard immediately, and while the negotiations over ICE reforms, immigration and customers enforcement reforms go, and the Republicans have blocked it.

We've asked for unanimous consent on the Florida Senate. That's same things happening in the House to pay them, and yet I think it's entire. irresponsible for the Republicans to block that and not move on reforms to ICE at the same time. Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat representing the Tampa era. Representative, we appreciate your time. Thank you for accepting our invitation. Thank you, Tom. We also did invite three different Republican members of the Florida delegation for conversation today on these issues. Senator Rick Scott, Representative Kat Kamik, and Representative Laura Lee. None of them responded to

our invitations. All right. Still to come here on the Florida. up we're going to tackle the issue of measles. Florida has the third largest number of measles cases this year in the United States over 100. What questions do you have about this virus? 305-995-1800, the MMR vaccine. What's the line between vaccine mandates and medical freedom? 305-995-1800 on the Florida Roundup. Support for Florida Roundup comes from the Everglades Foundation, working to restore and protect Florida's $1 trillion asset that helps to bring clean water to Floridians. Learn more at Everglades Foundation.org. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. We are pleased to have you with us this week. Next week on our program, how did you learn how to read? You remember? Alphonics have

been making a comeback in the classroom. Florida passed a law a few years ago requiring teachers to use what's called the science of reading in their lessons. It's an effort best-seller author and Florida resident James Patterson is behind. It works. We have the vaccine folks. If you can get 70% of the kids in this in Florida reading at grade level, that means that that group they all have a chance to get through high school. That means that they'll have more choices in life. Patterson is behind a new public television documentary called the Reading Reboot. So next week here from Patterson about his efforts to boost

reading skills on also what he thinks about efforts by Florida schools and others to restrict books, including one of his own from school libraries. So that'll be next week here on our program. Today, Florida is fighting the measles. 132 cases have officially been reported by the State Department of Health so far this year. It's the third highest in the nation, and that data is at least one week old. Most of the cases have been in Collier County in southwest Florida. There was an outbreak earlier this year at Avamaria University. By comparison, last year at this time, there had been one case of measles reported in Florida. So the jump in cases comes, even as Florida lawmakers had been debating a so-called medical freedom bill.

It would have made it easier for parents to opt out of common vaccines for their children. Senator Clay Yarborough from Northeast Florida sponsored the bill. The bill is not a debate about the efficacy of vaccines, but about empowering parents to make medical decisions. that they believe are best for their children. The bill would not end mandates for vaccines, as the state's surgeon general wants. Instead, it would give parents the option to say no, based on personal beliefs,

not just religious or medical reasons. Orlando Democratic State Senator Carlos Garumo Smith voted against it. Putting more medically vulnerable people in harm's way, which seriously jeopardizes the freedom, their freedom, to live healthy lives. So what do you want to know about the measles in Florida? What do you want to know about the measles vaccine?

Call us now 305-995-1800, 305-9-5-1800, or send us a quick email using this address, radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Carrie Sheridan is with us, a reporter covering health for our partner, WUSF, in the Tampa area. Carrie, welcome to the program. Nice to hear your reporting.

Thanks for joining us. Thanks, Tom. Glad to be here. What was the fate, or what is the fate of this medical freedom bill in the legislature? Well, it passed the Senate, but it did not move forward in the House. So, as you know, they have to be companion bills that move forward together, and so it's doing nothing this year. So last September, the Surgeon General proposed getting rid of all vaccine requirements. Why didn't that

effort seem to get support among Republicans in the legislature this session? It was interesting to watch the debate in the Senate. It was quite vigorous at times. Of course, many of the Democrats were against it, but several Republicans also raised. raised issues. One Senator Tom Wright asked, is it really fair to do this to children? He pointed out that kids don't get to choose their parents and some parents may not do the right thing by their own children and he felt that he himself might have been one of those kids who might not have been vaccinated or taken to their doctor's appointments unless it was mandatory to get him into school. There was another point raised that it could be quite dangerous. Gail Harrell is a senator

who said this could be dangerous for children. And there was also an element of the bill that allowed ivermectin to be given over-the-counter without a prescription. And some of the senators pointed out that could be dangerous in itself. Oh, that was the medicine that some claimed assisted in the treatment of COVID-19. Correct. And it hasn't been proven on a large scale through the FDA even says this is not really known for sure. Some people believe that it helped them. but the drug can have some serious interactions, and there was a senator who pointed that out as well. So the bill had all this protection for liability against if it were given out.

It kind of went in a different direction, I think, than it was initially supposed to. And then there was this measles outbreak in southwest Florida, and we're seeing more than 100 cases statewide so far reported officially. How did that virus figure into the debate of this bill or did it at all? Well, you certainly heard about it during the public comment on it. A lot of doctors showed up to talk about the risks of being in the midst of an outbreak like this and relaxing vaccine requirements. So although this was framed as a way to allow parents more choice, many of them said what it really would do is reduce the number of children who are vaccinated. And polls show that there is still broad support for vaccination across political parties, like eight out of ten people, even in Florida, believe that this should stay a mandate. So they ran into that as well.

Dr. Salika Kadagaha is with us now, Carrie. She's going to join our conversation, a system medical director of infectious diseases at Baptist Health in Jacksonville. Doctor, thank you for sharing your time with us. We appreciate it. Thank you for having me. We've got a couple of callers on measles that we'll get to in just a moment. First, if you could quickly just remind us what the measles is and how does it spread? Sure. So measles is a highly contagious acute viral respiratory illness caused by an RNA virus. It has a distinctive clinical presentation and can lead to serious complications. And

humans are the only natural host for measles virus, which means global eradication is theoretically possible. It spreads through airborne transmission and respiratory droplets when an infected person breeds, coughs, or sneezes or through direct contact with respiratory secretions. And how contagious is it? Yes. So measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known. It has a reproduction number of 12 to 18, meaning that a single infected person can transmit up measles to 12 to 18 who are vulnerable. And what about the severity? Who's most at risk for severe complications? So there are two ways to talk about it. One is risk for infection. One is risk for severe complications. The risk for infection is highest in unvaccinated individuals. with up to 90% of susceptible persons developing infection after exposure, and then with communities with low vaccination coverage,

having pockets of vulnerability. In terms of risks of severe complications in death, these are young children under five who have higher rates of pneumonia, diarrhea, and inflammation of the brain. Infants are particularly vulnerable. Adults over 20 who have higher complication rates compared to older children and adolescents. People with a weakened immune system,

So that's uncontrolled HIV, cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, pregnant individuals who can have complications in their pregnancy, and malnourished children, especially children with vitamin A deficiency. Okay. Dr. Hold on here. Carrie shared in also with us, Carrie, in terms of this outbreak that Florida has seen, what has been the response from the Department of Health? We know of 132 official cases. What's the validity of that data? Well, it's been difficult to keep tabs on it, frankly, because the Department of Health only posts information that's over a week old on its website.

And when you compare the Florida website to the South Carolina Department of Health's website, which South Carolina has been experiencing quite a large measles outbreak in recent weeks and months, it's vastly different. I mean, South Carolina will say, somebody who was exposed was in this restaurant between this time and that time. You can find very detailed information about where people have been because they take it seriously

and they seriously don't want people to get exposed. But in Florida, it's almost as if it's not happening. It's very hard to find out the latest. Kara Sheridan reporting with our partner, WUSF. We are also joined by Dr. Shalika Katugaha with the Baptist Health in Jacksonville. Your calls now. Stephanie is in Jacksonville. on line two, doctor. She's got a question here. Stephanie, thanks for calling. You're on the radio.

Hi, thank you taking my call. I'm calling with more of a concern, which is just I have 10-month twins, and they're not eligible for the vaccine, and a pediatrician is great, but they say that we won't be eligible until they're one unless the CDC says that there's an emergency. Great. Stephanie, thank you for sharing your concern here. Doctor, what kind of advice might you have for Stephanie, they're the mom of a 10-month-old twins? So actually in outbreak situations, infants who are aged six to 11 months can get a dose of the MMR. That doesn't count towards their series.

Typically, kids get vaccine at 12 to 15 months and 4 to 6 years of age, but certainly in outbreak situations, we can give the vaccine earlier for 6 to 11 months. So I would definitely say try to talk to the pediatrician again and speak with this knowledge. Is the process then going to the primary care physician, the pediatrician and saying, you know, we've got these cases. Here's the data from the Department of Health. Yes. We have this. Yeah, exactly.

We have this information. We understand that infants age six to 11 months can get it. Is it possible for my child to get it now? Okay. Michael is calling from Lauderdale by the sea. A beautiful place along the East Coast. Thanks for joining us. You're on the radio. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking my call.

I'm a 68-year-old male. I'm relatively sure in grade school, a thousand years ago, I was vaccinated for measles. And I'm wondering, is it necessary to get another vaccination or am I okay as I am? Yeah, great question, Michael. How about a doctor, any booster necessary for Michael at 68? A healthy 68? I'm hoping to spry 68 sounds like at least. So, yes.

So you're pretty sure you got the vaccine. is that correct? It sounds correct. Yes, he was pretty sure he remembered getting it back in elementary school. So there are two ways to go. One is if you're completely unsure, you can get the vaccine. There is no harm in getting a vaccine twice. If you're pretty sure that you have had the series,

then you are good to go. You don't need testing or anything. But the series, again, is two doses 28 days apart. And then if you're unsure, this is just to categorize, people born before 1957, they don't need a vaccine unless they're at high, high risk, because they're presumed having natural immunity. But if you're born between 1957 and 1968, you may have gotten a less effective vaccine. So then we do recommend re-vaccination with one to two doses of MMR.

Okay. And then, yeah, if you're born after 1968 with unknown status, you should get at least one dose of the MMR. Yeah, well, Michael was born before 68, given his age that he shared with that. there. Great. Eileen and St. Pete, we wanted to get to your phone call. I got about 30 seconds for you, but important point. Go ahead, Eileen. You're on the radio. Okay. Yes, I just wanted to mention, I'm curious of the measles outbreaks that are being reported. As anyone investigated how many of those children were, in fact, vaccinated with measles because I had a situation where a friend of mine who did not vaccinate her children for chickenpox, there was an outbreak in her classroom, her son's

classroom, he did not get chicken talks, but many who had been vaccinated did. So that's a question. And my second point is I take issue with the doctor's comment about ivermectin being dangerous because it won a Nobel Prize in 2015 in medicine for its efficacy and it safety. And my husband, myself and my daughter also took ivermectin during COVID. And we barely, you know, we had symptoms and we were sick. We got the ivermectin. Did you test positive for COVID, Eileen? We most certainly did. We did.

All three of us. All right. I appreciate that point. I don't think it was the doctor who mentioned Ivermectin. It was Carrie Sheridan. So, Carrie, I'll put that to you here in a second. But also that first point, do we know how many of the measles cases in Florida are in folks that had received the vaccine? So generally, the local health departments and the CDC collects data on how many people are vaccinated and unvaccinated.

It's all a process. called contract tracing. So, you know, in unvaccinated, just general knowledge, unvaccinated children with vaccine exemptions are 22 to 30 times, five times more likely to contract measles. Typically, that data isn't necessarily publicized to protect, you know, HIPAA violations and such. Understood.

Doctor, thank you for your time. We do appreciate you sharing your expertise here with us, Dr. Shalika Kataguhaha, the Systems Medical Director of Infectious Diseases at Baptist Health in Jackson Bill. Carrie Sheridan also still with us, I think, reporter covering health care and education at WUSF. Any response on the ivermectin comment there from the caller, Eileen and St. Pete, Carrie? Oh, certainly. Many people do say that it helped them. During the Senate debate, it came up, that it's an anti-parasic medication, and it can be prescribed for things like rosacea, but it can have some interactions with other medications that are also common. So that's why

the doctors say they wanted to stay prescription medication, because, of those interactions. And it's also not really shown, you know, through large trials to help against COVID. Right. The anecdotal numbers that Eileen here mentioned are identical stories, notwithstanding, right, the larger research data. Carrie, thank you for clarifying and sharing you're reporting with us. Much appreciated. Thank you. Carrie Sheridan with our partner, WUSF in Tampa. I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to the Florida Rondup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is Day 60 of the 60-day law writing session in Florida, and there is no state budget. It was already a safe bet that lawmakers would be going back to

Tallahassee this spring, maybe even this summer for a special session or two, but their first order of business is agreeing to a state spending plan for your tax dollars. Douglas Sol covers the state legislature for the Your Florida Reporting Project at our partner station WUSF. Douglas, here we are, Friday afternoon. Last week, the House and Senate were about 1% apart on their total budget spending plans. Are they any closer a week later? they are not closer a week later and i don't know if they're going to be closer in a couple of weeks later they have agreed to come back in mid-april to figure out the budget um they're saying that there's going to be a mid-april special session focused on the budget and that they have

to figure out the differences in the meantime so they got about six weeks to figure out those difference is that's one of how many special sessions do we expect this year for lawmakers? What are we up to? So there's all potentially so there's already one called for redistricting in late April and they also haven't figured out what they want to do with the property tax reduction. So they're going to have to solve that through a special session as well. All right. Well, 60 days of work here is done. I want to go back to January on the opening of this legislative session and hear from Daniel Perez, who is the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. This is what he said

in his opening address. The Florida House stands ready, ready to work with anyone who is willing to put the needs of our state first. Affordability and insurance, taxes in the economy, prescription drug prices,

and the rising cost of public benefits. Okay, so six issues right there, beginning with affordability. Douglas, 60 days later, what did the legislature do to address affordability? You know, the biggest criticism I'm hearing from some, especially Democrats, is they didn't do enough to address affordability issues. Democrats, for example, had an affordability agenda going into this session, but they also have a supermajority in the Florida legislature.

Many of their proposals, like one aimed at lowering property insurance, didn't go very far. There's even Republicans who are unhappy to be sure. I talked to Senator Don Gates in the Capitol Rotunda yesterday. He himself was Senate President once, so he's pretty informed on the process, and he's not impressed by this year's process at all. He told me the session was going to end with a whimper. Gates had a bill that would have required state utility regulators to factor in affordability when considering rate increases. That is a bill that didn't go far either. There are, of course, bills that, you know, have had traction, some that update the focus on updating the Live Local Act,

at home affordability. But the overall theme I'm hearing right now is an unhappiness at the accomplishments thus far on affordability issues. Well, they'll be back at it in mid-April, it sounds like for the budget. Douglas Sol will certainly be watching with the Your Florida Reporting Project

with our partner WUSF. Thank you, Douglas. We've got more to come here as you're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Support for Florida Roundup comes from the Everglades Foundation, working to restore and protect Florida's $1 trillion asset

that helps to bring clean water to Floridians. Learn more at Everglades Foundation.org. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. It's terrific to have you on board. With the regular law writing session ending now for lawmakers in Tallahassee, here are a few more bills that are destined for the governor's desk. One would ban local governments

from spending money or promoting any diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. DEI has to DECD.E.I. Because it's in our way. Jacksonville Republican Representative Dean Black is the bill's sponsor. It's in our way because we get this little army of paid bureaucrats now. We want to provide equal opportunities to everyone. And then we have a whole bunch of people going, well, how much are the women going to get and the men going to get?

And what about the black people and the brown people and the blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. There were five Republicans in the Florida House who joined Democratic. in voting against the ban. Angie Nixon is a Democrat representative from Jacksonville. Cruelty is the point of the Florida legislature, especially the sponsor at his bill. Opponents say the bill's language is vague and could lead local governments from ending support of all kinds of events, such as October fests and gay pride parades. Equality Florida's Charlie Croy was concerned but hopeful last week at Tallahassee's Pride Fest. We're also very confident in our community's ability to come together and overcome obstacles.

So though it would be a devastating bill to see pushed through, that's exactly what we're doing here is building community. And we will always find a way to make space and be visible. And there's this note this week. The iconic sign outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was taken down. The gay nightclub was the scene of the second deadliest mass shooting in the United States. 49 people were killed by a gunman in 2016. Joe Mario Patterson reports from our partner Central Florida Public Media. For over 20 years, the iconic Pulse Nightclub sign has seen.

stood there. Longwood resident Mary Jane East spent the night outside the former club making sure no one deface the site, which she says happens often. East doesn't want to see the sign come down. I think it brings a completeness to the space here. It is where they felt safe. It is what they saw when they came to dance that night. Last week, the city of Orlando announced plans for 30% of the memorial design and said construction would begin in September. Demolition of the building is scheduled to begin next week. Joe Mario Pedersen in Orlando. Back to the legislature now. A couple of bills designed to protect and support the more than half a million Floridians with Alzheimer's disease await the governor's signature. Here's Central Florida Public Media's Joe Byrne. He reports

that one bill creates a special memory care license for assisted living facilities. The new license is in addition to the state's ALF license. It would be required for facilities that advertise memory care services or provide care specifically for people with Alzheimer's or related dementias. By the end of next year, those ALFs would have to meet new minimum standards for memory care, including training and staffing. For example, they would have to have at least one staffer awake and on duty at all times. The Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Initiative requires the state to contract with a statewide non-profit to provide greater support and access to information. The initiative would include a website, advertising, in-person outreach,

and health care provider education. Both bills sailed through without opposition in the House and Senate. In Orlando, I'm Joe Burns. And I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to the Florida Rondup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Robin Greenfield is not someone who complains

about grocery prices. That's because he doesn't shop in the aisles of snacks and drinks and cans and boxes of food. Instead, he set a challenge for himself this year. Eat only what he forages off the land. No grocery stores or restaurants no gardens, no exceptions. All of my food and medicine from the land for an entire year.

And he started in Maine back in October. As winter settled in, he came to Florida where he has lived in the past. Gabriel Appalal, with our partner station WUSF, met him during a foraging walk in Tampa. Robin Greenfield is barefoot, wearing a floppy hat and lugging around a wild yam that he's saving for dinner. He tells us to gather around

around, a big hybiscous bush on the edge of Sweetwater Farm. So you can just pluck those flowers right off, eat them just fresh just like that. I haven't had too many of you're hungry. He tells us to dig in next and asks us what we think. So what do you all think of the flavor? Yummy? Sweeter than you thought. I just noticed there was like a lot of little ants inside of it when I put it.

I'm sure that's extra nutrition. You're right. Some people wait for those ants to crawl out. I myself, just eat those ants. Four months into his year of foraging, Greenfield says he's eaten his fair share of bugs. The last one he tried, a stink bug. It was not what I expected. It was so powerful. My eyes started watering. It helped clear out my nose. It was kind of like a Mirashino cherry, like times 10. He says foraging is about harvesting what's wild rather than plant. animals farmed for human consumption.

But there's still rules like never eat anything you can't identify. Ooh, look at this. Greenfield identifies our next meal, a bed of clover-like weeds, right under my feet. Okay, so I have just plucked what's known as Oxalis or Wood Sorrel. Let's see. Okay, okay? It's got an earthy taste to it. And there's literally a punch of lemon flavor.

Apparently, these are also nicknamed Juicies. named Juicies, and I absolutely see why. This is, I would eat this again, 10 out of 10. These small sprouts made a believer out of Kelly Grimsdale, too. She's an Ebor City realtor who's into gardening, but new to foraging. I'm very interested in Florida native plants and just nature in general, so I found this really interesting, and it's going to make me look at my weeds a little bit differently in my yard. She says what used to be prime targets for Roundup in her backyard might just end up as salad toppers now. Still, it's hard to imagine feeling full off a diet of dandelions and clovers.

That's why Greenfield says he forages protein too. I eat a lot of venison and I eat what people call roadkill. I don't say roadkill though. I say a deer that was hit by a car. Have you had any roadkill? Sorry. Have you had any recently killed animals in Florida? Car killed deer is another way to put it.

I have not in Florida. I did attempt to hunt for a wild hog here in Florida, but I'm a rookie hunter and I missed my shot. But fortunately, the fish are abundant, and I brought canned, car killed deer with me that I'm able to fall back on. He also travels with stores of fruits, veggies, nuts, and herbs in all forms, pressure-canned, dehydrated, frozen, and fermented.

In Florida, he says he's surviving off of mushrooms from Wisconsin, salt harvested from the Gulf, and citrus from public parks. He knows this can't be everyone's journey, but Greenfield says he hopes to show people it is possible, especially in places like Tampa, where food costs are so high. For people that are struggling, I would definitely like them to know that there is food and medicine growing right here, freely and abundantly around us. And a lot of it are the plants that they would consider weeds, that they would even consider spraying pesticides on, that they could actually eat instead.

That's not to say that Greenfield doesn't have any cravings. When he finishes his year of foraging, he's dreaming of a nice, warm cookie. A hippie cookie, though, with good nutritious ingredients covered in like almond butter and drizzled with honey. Something like that sounds pretty good right now. But for the foreseeable future, it's bugs, plants, and car killed deer. Greenfield wraps up the Florida leg of his tour this week. Next, he'll forage up the East Coast as he continues his year-long challenge to live off the land. I'm Gabriella Paul in Tampa.

Let's take a look at our listener inbox. We received several emails from you after our story last week on the dwindling citrus industry here in Florida. We had spent a couple of hours with Steve Crump and brought you his story. He runs Volosal Farms in Volusia County. He's a fourth-generation citrus grower who's seen the industry shrink over the past 30 years. We sold them by the semi-load, which would be 50 boxes at a time. And today it's just one sitting out there. Today it's one.

Dan wrote, I grew up in southwest Florida and recall driving through tens of thousands of acres of orange groves. When they blossomed, the sweet orange smell was wonderful. Now Dan writes, along with the loss of natural ecosystems, there are only cookie cutter single-family home developments in their place. Joan wrote, I was a young kid in the 1950s with grandparents in Miami, so we visited frequently. I remember how well-known, popular, and available Florida citrus was,

even up into the 2000s. The multi-acre screened growing areas sounds interesting, Joan writes. I'm wondering if instead of vertical supports, perhaps support structures that are more rounded and dome-shaped, might be a possibility. Frank and Orlando wrote, Orange is the Florida fruit. I lament the disease, disaster, and development that has affected the crop over the years. Legislation for development should include keeping viable citrus trees to benefit people and not destroy them. My garden, Frank writes, has seen the peril of the citrus.

My grapefruit has been declining for four years. Jeannie wrote, I have worked for the Farm Workers Association of Florida for over 25 years. Our organization was founded by citrus workers. Over the years, we have seen the drastic decline in the citrus industry across the state, including the significant change in the workforce.

She continues, citrus workers were hired locally, and some workers were migrants that traveled with the seasons, but the majority lived in Florida and had their families here. Today, the workforce is made up largely of people with H2A or guest worker visas. workers recruited from other countries who work in the United States on temporary work visas.

Without farm workers, Jeannie writes, there could be no citrus industry in the state. Farm workers are often invisible, but their labor is and has been essential to Florida's iconic crop. No farm workers, no citrus farms. And then finally, Bishop Peter Eaton wrote, I found today's coverage of the orange industry gripping. Well, thank you. Our inbox is always open to you. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org.

All criticisms, feedback, compliments, everything, welcome there in the inbox. Keep it civil, of course, but let us know what you're thinking. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. And that is our program for today. The Florida Roundup is produced by WLR Public Media in Miami and WUSF in Tampa by Bridget O'Brien and Denise Royal. WLRN's vice president of radio is Peter Merritt. The program's technical director is M.J. Smith. Engineering help each and every week from Doug Peterson, Harvey Bessard, and Ernesto J. Our theme music is provided by Miami Jazz guitarist Aaron Libos at Aaron Leibos.com. You can catch up on previous episodes, share this episode and others by just looking for the Florida Roundup podcast on the NPR app. Thanks for calling, emailing, listening, and above all, supporting public media in your slice of the Sunshine State. I'm Tom Hudson. Have a terrific. weekend.

Support for Florida Roundup comes from the Everglades Foundation, working to restore and protect Florida's $1 trillion asset that helps to bring clean water to Floridians. Learn more at everglades foundation.org.