The Florida Roundup - 'Hot' and 'cold' states, Florida lawmakers pass $115 B budget and weekly news briefing 

Episode Date: June 20, 2025

This week on The Florida Roundup, we looked at the demonstrations that took place across the state Saturday as part of the national “No Kings” protest (00:00). Then, we spoke with Shankar Vedantum of NPR’s Hidden Brain about our hot and cold emotional states (11:02). And after weeks of delay, state lawmakers passed a budget — POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard joined us for an update (28:14). Plus, some higher education (37:12) and environmental news from the week (39:54).

This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. Great to have you along. Joy Bridwell lives in LaBelle. That's a town of about 5,000 people. It calls itself the Belle of the Caloosahatchee. It also calls itself the City Under the Oaks. It's about halfway between Lake Okeechobee and Fort Myers. Bridwell made the trip to Fort Myers Saturday to do something she'd never done before, take part in a political march. I used to not have to really pay attention to the news, but now every day I wake up it's something scarier and something more worrisome. And you know, I hope to have grandchildren one day and I want them to be raised in a

country that is safe and is democratic and where everybody has a place. Redwell was just one of thousands of Floridians gathered at dozens of protests across the state. The marches brought out a lot of different voices. Most joined to protest against President Donald Trump and many of his policies. And there were others who wanted to support and celebrate the president and his birthday on Flag Day. Today let's talk about how we talk about politics, how we avoid talking about tough issues maybe with those who disagree with us, how we make quick judgments and spout off hot takes instead of keeping our cool. You know a record high 80% of Americans believe the country is greatly divided on important

values. Now the divide is not unusual, but the proportion of people who agree that we simply cannot agree on key values is as high as it's ever been in the three decades it's been measured by the Gallup poll. How can we hope to address our challenges if we can't even talk with one another without attacking, dismissing, or disparaging each other? What have you said or posted on social media that you've come to regret? Coming up, we'll speak with Shankar Vaidantam of NPR's Hidden Brain about our hot and cold emotional states.

And he has a tip on how we can approach these moments when we get hot tempered, talking about immigration, education, Israel, and other issues. So email us now, radio at thefloridaroundup.org, radio at thefloridaroundup.org. What have you said or posted online that maybe you've come to regret? 305-995-1800. The marches and counter protests last weekend came after some ominous comments from Governor

Ron DeSantis on a conservative podcast. If you're driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety. And so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that's their fault for impinging on you. A day later, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey echoed the governor's warning. If you try to mob rule a car in Brevard County, gathering around it, refusing to let the driver leave, in our county you're most

likely going to get run over and dragged across the street. And then Sheriff Ivey added his own warning for folks planning to attend protests. If you throw a brick, a firebomb, or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains at because we will kill you graveyard dead. Now the Florida Department of Law Enforcement says a half dozen people were arrested and the agency bragged in a Facebook post quote, zero blocked roads, zero property damage. Now at least three of the arrests were of counter protesters. All this talk, all the warnings, the rhetoric, the protest chants, the songs, the counter slogans, it all got us thinking.

Do you lose your cool or keep your emotions in check with immigration, education, the economy, or just politics in general? Have you ever said something or maybe posted something online on social media about politics that you then came to regret or at least rethink? Do you recognize yourself when your political emotions run hot? Email us now radio at the Florida Roundup dot org radio at the Florida Roundup dot org. We want to talk about how we talk about politics. 305-995-1800, 305-995-1800. Your phone calls and emails coming up in just a few minutes. But first, what Saturday sounded like across Florida. Rene Amaya was in Miami protesting the president's immigration enforcement actions.

He's a second generation Salvadoran American. I voted for Trump and I don't regret it. It's not about politics man. I believe it's what's right for human beings and I'm glad my dad fought to be here because if not we'd be suffering in El Salvador our whole life. I really believe immigrants do make up America and we are all immigrants. Alodia Castillo was there too. She's a second generation Guatemalan American who did not bring her mom who does not have U.S. citizenship.

I just want to be clear, my mom was afraid to come here, just a simple fact of the raids. It was very emotional. My mom gave me a very big hug and she said speak for me. So that right there is fire in my heart that I have no choice but to stand up as a second generation here in the United States. One of those in Miami supporting President Trump was Enrique Terrio. You may recognize that name. He's a leader of the right-wing white supremacist hate group Proud Boys. He was convicted for his role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, but was pardoned by President Trump earlier this year. He's now suing the federal government over his prosecution.

Tim Padgett with our partner station WLRN in Miami spoke with Tario during the march in Miami, and Tim begins our tour of marches around the state. Tario was provocatively promoting his new app called Ice Raid, which pays people in cryptocurrency to report crimes committed by undocumented migrants. I asked him about those who call ICE raid a vigilante stunt. I'm going to be very blunt. I think those people are idiots. What we're seeing in Los Angeles, these rioters, is wrong. Somebody with an iPhone could have made a crap ton of money by taking pictures of illegal immigrants that are committing crimes.

There were few, if any, arrests made during the Miami No Kings protest, which suggests ICE raid didn't pay out a crap ton of money in Tario's hometown either. I'm Tim Padgett in Miami. I'm Regan McCarthy in Tallahassee. Andrew Falls brought their ukulele to, as they say, add to the noise with protest songs. I mean, there's so many reasons to protest here today. For Falls, that list includes policies that have targeted members of the transgender community, as well as the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and deportation efforts. Then there's the president's musings about potentially seeking a third term.

And now a military parade that's estimated to cost between $25 million and $45 million. The fact that Trump is spending so much money on a military parade when there's so many people out there who are dying because they can't afford health care, can't afford food, can't afford housing, it's messed up. The government's spending and its funding cuts are also a concern for Brianna Stamper, a Tallahassee local who was among the crowd Saturday.

What's going on is not right and I feel like we need to use our rights before we lose them and that's why I'm here advocating. Across the street, Josh Iven is standing with a small group of counter-protesters. He says he's here because he supports the Trump administration's immigration policy. And he's worried undocumented immigrants are filling jobs that could otherwise be taken by American citizens. They don't want to hire somebody $14 an hour to do a job that they can hire an illegal immigrant $9 to do.

So that's what they're going to do. And that hurts the people that are in line waiting for those jobs. Ibane says he came to the protest to show his support for the president. He says he doesn't believe the protest will have much of an impact. I've come to the realization that the average Joe really doesn't have a huge impact or any impact on huge national policies like this. But the No Kings protesters disagree. We're not gonna take it anymore.

I'm Regan McCarthy. In Orlando, I'm Molly Durig. The area right outside Orlando's city hall wasn't large enough to contain all the people who flocked downtown to protest Saturday. Crowds of hundreds spilled onto nearby sidewalks, and at several different points, police officers blocked cars from driving on the street. This is what democracy looks like! Many people held signs calling for the support of immigrant communities. Orlando resident Anna Pepper says,

for her, the most frustrating part is how many people seemingly voted for a second Trump presidency without understanding what the consequences would be. They were warned. This isn't a surprise. There's no one that can say, oh, I'll sit this one out. This might really be it for the U.S. if we don't get this under control. I'm Molly Durig in Orlando.

And I'm Joe Burns in the villages. Hundreds of villages' residents joined the national No Kings Day protest Saturday. They lined Morse Boulevard near Lake Sumter Landing. Many drivers honked their horns as protesters waved signs. 77-year-old Mary Ann Reigns held one saying, Democracy, not Oligarchy. She says Trump's federal firings cost her daughter her job with USAID. So I'm out here supporting her and because of the corruption in the government. I mean he's out there making money off being president. Jill Totten

held a poster topped with upside-down American flags. There's money for a parade then there's money for Medicaid. A couple of hours later and just around the corner, dozens of golf carts festooned with patriotic bunting and pro-Trump posters were getting set for a parade through the retirement community. They planned to join golf carts from two other parts of the villages to celebrate Trump's 79th birthday. Here's Diana Hammond with the Republican Federated Women of the Villages. We're here as patriots to celebrate Flag Day and President Trump's birthday. It's an exciting

day for us and we're looking forward to celebrating with others. Yay, President Trump, happy birthday to you. Debbie Fleming clapped her hands and sang in honor of Trump's birthday. President Trump, happy birthday to you. In the Villages, I'm Joe Burns. In the Villages, I'm Joe Burns. So how do you talk about protests or post on social media about politics? 305-995-1800. What's the rhetoric that you use or you try to avoid when making your point about politics? 305-995-1800. Shankar Vaidantam is the host and creator of Hidden Brain,

heard on most public radio stations. He will be appearing live Saturday night in Clearwater and Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale. Shankar, thank you for joining us here on the Florida Roundup. How does our emotional state govern how we are approaching some of these very divisive, oftentimes conflict-oriented conversations or moments within ourselves or even with others trying to kind of navigate this hyper-politicized world that we've created?

You know, Tom, our emotions in some ways act like a lens. They basically shape our perceptions of the world. They shape what we see. And emotions in some ways are designed to drive us towards some kind of action. So the emotion of sadness, for example, might cause us to withdraw. The emotion of anger might cause us to approach something.

All emotions in some ways are designed to both give us signals about what the world is telling us, but also signals about how we should behave, their triggers for action. And so when we are in a certain hot emotional state, it's not surprising that when we look at the world, the world looks different than it would be if we were in a different emotional state. Describe that gap. Researchers refer to it as the empathy gap between kind of what I'll call logic and reason and some other heightened emotional state. Yeah I'm going to be talking about this in my upcoming visit to Florida

for the Perceptions Tour of Hidden Brain this weekend. It goes back to the work of a researcher named George Lowenstein at Carnegie Mellon University. Many years ago he noticed that the way he felt when he was in a hot state felt very surprising to him when he was in a cold state. So for example, let's say you're very angry or you're feeling very upset about something. It's very difficult for you to imagine how you yourself will feel six hours later or six weeks later when you're in a cold state, when you're much calmer. And similarly when you're in a calm state,

when you are not agitated, it's very difficult for you to put yourself in your own shoes when you're in a hot state. And so this idea has come to be called the hot-cold empathy gap, which is just as we have problems sometimes empathizing with others, it turns out we also have problems empathizing with ourselves, that we don't fully understand how we will behave when we are in a different emotional state. Yeah, what role does the willingness to be self-reflective play to recognize maybe that wasn't

behavior or a social media post that I'm particularly proud of now. When we're in a self-reflective state, it usually means we're in a cold state. We're basically thinking, we're reflecting, we're open to ideas, we're taking in information. We're not in the hot emotional state where we might fire off a social media post that we might later come to regret. So I think the answer to the hot-cold empathy gap is certainly to be more reflective, to be more mindful, to be more aware of what we're doing. But really that's another way of saying, try and get in a cold state if you really want

to think about what you do before you do it. And I'm also thinking of just more simple, I suppose, everyday pedestrian examples of being able to fire off that social media post, the hot take. It's literally called a hot take, right, Shankar? For a reason, I suppose. Finding the value in being more reflective versus getting your voice in there and to get that hot take out there into social media on the platform. Exactly.

I think there are mechanisms to use technology to help us now, to basically say when you fire off an email, some email platforms will will say we will delay sending this message even though you have hit send for two minutes So that you have a chance to think about whether it's a message you actually want to send You can do this on some social media platforms. Let's say you're very angry and you want to fire off a social media post One thing you can do is write the social media post, but don't send it right away. Send it 20 minutes from now. I appreciate that. And I know I have a draft folder full of hot takes that I do not send to folks.

I will admit to that. But I also know that, candidly, the algorithm of our social media footprints don't reward our cold states, do they? Yes. No, they don't. And I think this is one of the problems, I think, with our technology here. So many social media platforms reward hot takes, they reward outrage, they reward sort of very short-tempered outbursts with people. But I think that's what so much of social media has become. It's become sort of an ongoing spectacle. And it's really not something that lends itself to the kind of reason, conversation, debate, reflection that you often hear especially on a public radio station. Indeed, right? We

know conflict is the source of good drama but civility is where understanding lies. So how do we think as journalists, Shankar, as media folks, you and I, but also audience members who may be listening to this and folks we'll talk to and who are calling or emailing. How do we encourage that return or embrace of cold state as opposed to running toward the hot state and wanting normals to stay in that agitated state? You know, one thing that I think is actually very helpful is that many listeners have heard the term intellectual humility, which is to say

that I remind myself from time to time that I don't know everything, that other people in fact might know more about a subject than I do. Fewer people I think have heard about the term moral humility and the idea of moral humility is that even though people who disagree with me might have very different moral concerns Moral humility says my moral concerns and preferences Should not take priority or precedence over your moral concerns and considerations So if something upsets you if you feel something has

Moral valence, but I don't really think it has moral valence, humility in terms of moral humility tells me even though I don't feel what you're feeling, I need to respect the fact that what you feel might be authentic. So many of the disagreements and the passionate quarrels that we have stem from the fact that we are unable to recognize or acknowledge that the concerns of other people are valid, right? So we basically feel that our concerns are extremely valid and we are outraged that other people don't recognize the intensity and fervor with which we feel our concerns. But we don't extend that to others. We don't basically say, okay,

if you care about a different issue, an issue that I don't care much about, but you're saying that this is important to you, I'm willing to concede that this is important to you. I'm willing to concede that this is something that matters to you. And I think when you do this, it takes some of the sting out of the conflicts that we have with each other because we recognize when we exercise moral humility that the people who disagree with us are not disagreeing with us because they're bad people or because they're stupid people or because they're stupid people or because they're uninformed,

but just because they have different moral criteria for how to judge the world. Now, this is easier said than done. Just like intellectual humility, it's one thing to know that it's a good thing to practice, not always easy to practice moral humility. Shankar, really fascinating, and thank you for the conversation

and for what you do each week on Hidden Brain. Thank you so much, Tom. It's been a pleasure. Shankar Vaidantam is the host and creator of Hidden Brain. He will be live on stage in Clearwater Saturday night and Sunday night in Fort Lauderdale. So how about it? Moral humility? Have you ever shown moral humility in a very tense conversation or debate with someone you disagree with?

How do you validate concerns of someone else? What political talk triggers your hot and cold states? And have you ever posted anything online that you would never say to someone's face? 305-995-1800. 305-995-1800. Those calls coming up. I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to The Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio station. This is The Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. Wonderful to have you along for the ride in this company here and as the conversation,

how can we keep our cool in civility when we talk about big issues like immigration, government spending, taxes, the economy. That's what we're talking about right now here on the Florida Roundup. And Brett has been awfully patient listening in from Sarasota online too. Go ahead, Brett, you are soon to be on the radio. Brett, go ahead. Hey, guys. Hey, guys.

Yeah, I mean, there's a lot of things that you could say in hindsight when you post something on social media. I'm glad now they have those kind of time delays where you can edit or fix a post. That's great, but that didn't exist 10 years ago, you know? Yeah. What's your thought on that? Well, I mean, listen, all of us hope to keep a cool head when we're in conversations, but it can be awfully difficult. And certainly when we do it through the anonymity that social media offers, that layer gives

us a sense of somehow separate from our own personality, I think. Tell me how you've operated online and social media. Yeah, I mean, when I was younger, usually firing stuff off a little bit quicker without really thinking about it was something that did happen, but I do like to do my research before making a few comments and shooting that off, but

I am a little bit less apt to go onto any type of socials these days. Just go on them in general because it's toxic, but much less than posting something erratic or crazy at this point. Yeah, I'm a plus one on that, Brett. I appreciate the conversation there from Sarasota and listening and joining here. Martina sent us this email. She writes, keeping my cool in this current political climate, a tall order indeed. I've always had a zero tolerance for mean people.

I used to try to have a conversation, but once you realize some people don't want to understand, they're just committed to being unreasonable, problematic, and ignorant. And I don't mean ignorant in an assaulting way. Martina continues once I realize what I'm dealing with, I don't waste my energy. I've now gone on a blocking spree. If someone pops up on my socials being divisive and awful, I block. I pay the phone bill, so I get to decide what I see on it. Martina, that's a good point there. Randy in DeBerry, north of Orlando, has been patient on line three. Go ahead, Randy. Great to have you on the radio.

Yes, thanks. And I listen to Hidden Brain every week. Great show. Terrific show, yeah. Absolutely. To me, it's a very fundamental question that frustrates me simply. Do we want to be a democracy or an autocracy slash dictatorship? It seems so obvious to me that the real hidden agenda, which is coming forth, is that Mr.

Trump wants to be the king. He wants to be the answer to everything. He wants to be above the laws. And that is not a democracy. And it's very frustrating to have people focus on the little issues instead of the fundamental one which our country's all about. So Randy, if you're out with coffee with the fellas, I don't know, poker game or a bridge game, maybe book club, whatever you may have there, Randy. How do you discuss it with your friends? Very carefully. I have coffee with a group of guys.

I'm 73 every morning and a couple of them are sad that they voted the way they did. But one in particular is as hard as a brick saying anything. And I just have gotten to avoidings anything at all because there's other people there. I just go through the roof. I don't want our country to be a dictatorship, and yet that's the pattern that I think is obvious to everyone. Shankar would say you're going into your hot state pretty quickly there, Randy, right? You want to be careful of that with your friends. I go there right away because it's just so fundamental to me.

Maybe an iced decaf coffee next time around, Randy. All right, stay cool and stay decaffeinated. We appreciate you listening in DeBerry there in Volusia County. We got this note from Rudy, who sent us an email with the subject political anxiety. Rudy wrote us saying, today you requested feedback from people with political anxiety and how it's affected friendships and families. I have 12 friends since childhood for 50 years. Half of them are Democrats, the others are Republicans.

The Republican side of my friends call those who are Democrats stupid idiots morons and even communists for their political views. This has resulted Rudy writes in 50 year relationships that have caused a high level of toxic environment and anxiety and now my Democratic friends are not speaking to my Republican friends. Rudy says I'm the only independent in this group and would like to know what your recommendations are to address this issue. Wow. Let's help Rudy out if you can. 305-995-1800.

Sad to see 50 year relationships perhaps ruined over politics in the hot state that we get in. Annabella has been listening in Miami. Annabella, thank you for calling. You're on the radio. Hi. How are you? I'm terrific. Wonderful toelle, thank you for calling. You're on the radio. Hi, how are you? I'm terrific. Wonderful to speak with you. Go ahead.

Well, I was telling you before that, honestly, I feel as if I feel like people in 1930 felt watching their friends and family in horror. Annabelle, you're breaking up a little bit. Let's try one more. You're breaking up on your cell phone, Annabelle. Try one more time. Oh, I'm sorry. My apologies.

What I was saying was, right now, the last thing I was saying was that I agree with one of the last callers that was saying that they don't want to live in a dictatorship and that it's obvious that Trump is trying to usher that in. That's definitely something I'm feeling and I feel as though- In a quarter mile, use the second for the right lane. I feel- Miami Beach.

Uh-oh. I know, I'm like driving. Don't miss your turn there, Annabella, but make your last point for us. I'm sorry about that. And I feel as though I feel like I in a parallel universe and relating to people in 1930s Germany. Yeah. I'll let you focus on the highway there because South Florida drivers can be unforgiving sometimes, Annabella, but we appreciate you listening while you're moving around Miami Beach. We'll go to another beach. This one's St. Pete Beach in the Gulf Coast. Alex, go ahead.

Alex, you are on the radio. Thanks for calling. Hi. Thanks for taking my call. Just, yeah, what I kind of wanted to say was the conversations have become so personal, and I think we identify with all these viewpoints more and more, and I feel like we need to defend them as if I'm being personally attacked.

So it's really hard to have an objective conversation about issues and policies, which I think that's what we really should be spending our time on, but it becomes this real personal interchange, especially on social media. It doesn't lend itself to that kind of deep dive and exploration of ideas. So, it just becomes these one-liners that we then take personal and feel like we have to defend. Yeah. You know, Shankar's point about what do you call it, moral humility, right? The idea that your values and say, for instance, my values have equal weight, but I want my values to overwhelm you somehow, right? And trying to make some point about some social issue or a foreign policy issue that we're discussing.

Yeah. Alex, what would you say to Rudy, who emailed us earlier saying these 12 friends, half Republican, half Democrat, have kind of broken apart after 50 years of friendship? What would you say to Rudy? Yeah, have you experienced anything like that? I have, and it's become more and more challenging. I've seen that with friends where we used to be able to have even challenging conversations about issues, and they've just become harder and harder because some of them, they just seem to be firing off lines that aren't really well thought through, and I'm like, where did you even get this information?

It just feels like they're just getting it from social media and it's not really their view anymore. I'm not actually talking to that person. I'm just kind of, you know, we're talking on this surface level. Yeah. That's not us anymore. And it's especially-

If we go back to values, we can maybe reconnect there. Yeah, yeah. Alex, thanks for lending your voice. Folks keep sending us the emails radio at the Florida roundup.org and the conversation will continue. Well, the state plan to spend $115 billion of taxpayer money now awaits Governor Ron DeSantis. Lawmakers this week finally approved a state budget. It's three billion dollars less than what the state is spending this year. Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez says it was a long and winding path to get a

budget deal among Republicans, but they made it, accomplishing one of his goals. To curb the reckless spending that has characterized our recent state budgets. In my wildest imagination, I never foresaw the twists, the turns, and the detours we would travel together in pursuit of these common sense ideas. House Budget Chair Lawrence McClure says the final spending plan was worth the wait. What this budget represents is a recalibration of spending practices to a place that we believe is sustainable for the long haul in the future success of the state. Kimberly Leonard is politics editor and writes Politico's Florida Playbook. Kimberly, welcome back to the program.

So how big of a deal is it that the state budget that is likely to begin on July 1st is actually smaller than the current state spending plan? It's a very big deal. You know, DeSantis loved every year to talk about how much he'd cut from each budget in order to get it down and to be fiscally conservative. But what happened this year is that the state government has less money from the federal government than it did in past years. And part of that was because of COVID stimulus money and other funds that came from the federal government that basically made the state government flush with cash. So now they were not only staring down the possibility of a

shortfall next year and the year after that, but they also didn't have that extra cushion. So it really reflects the reality that they're in and how they're starting to think about the future. So where do the budget cutbacks come from in this spending plan that begins in July? One of the biggest cutbacks actually had to do with eliminating a bunch of state government positions that had been left unfilled for a while. And they really wanted to cut back on that. They also cut back on a lot of the sales tax holidays that they had done in past years. They're still doing some of them or making some permanent. For example, a lot of hurricane supplies to

prepare for the season will now be tax-free, but they have significantly cut back in a lot of other areas. And it could get cut even more if DeSantis makes his way through the budget and does line item vetoes of particular programs that he doesn't agree with or particular projects he doesn't want to fund. The final number may actually end up being lower than the $115 billion that has just been passed. Yeah, so the next step for this budget for the spreadsheet is the governor's desk where he's able to get out that red pen, so to speak, and line item, cut things out of there.

The governor in years past has been pretty aggressive in some of his line item cuts, and in some years has kind of been hands off. How is he expected to approach this spending plan? Oh my goodness. Well as a French would say, bonne question. De Santis is in Paris right now on a trade mission and he has not spoken out about the budget but before he left he was really going around the state talking but before he left he was really going around the state talking a lot about how he really insisted something be done on property taxes. He wanted people to receive a property tax rebate, an average of a thousand dollars per household, homestead household, and he

didn't get that in the budget. So he hasn't talked about it, he hasn't posted about it recently. I'm not sure how aggressive he'll be, honestly. We haven't heard much. His office doesn't like to get ahead of the governor on this, but there were a lot of programs that he had called for, such as the HOPE Florida initiative that Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis does. A lot of those navigators and new positions that they wanted to create within the governor's office were not funded.

So that comes across, I think, as pretty aggressive, even though the leaders deny that that's the case. And so I think he's likely to be aggressive. I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to the Florida Rondo from your Florida Public Radio station. We're speaking with the author of Politico's Florida Playbook, politics reporter Kimberly Leonard. You're referring to some of the tension within the Republican Party in Tallahassee amongst the leadership of the House of Representatives, Danny Perez from Miami-Dade and the governor. That tension has been illustrated by their different approach to tax cuts, right?

Speaker Perez talked about an across-the-board sales tax cut that he wanted. The governor, as you mentioned, had talked about a property tax cut or a property tax rebate. Is the art of politics the compromise that these two guys got neither of what they had wanted to put into the budget? Yeah, and I'll add to that actually that Senate President Ben Albritton, he didn't get a rural renaissance package that he really wanted either so everyone basically was we had to give something major up that

was a priority will that be enough for the governor I don't know I don't I don't know what he'll do I don't know he he has the power if he wants to call legislators back to Tallahassee in a special session they have the power to go and then gavel in and gavel out. So it could be a long aggressive battle or it could not. I mean, the governor could go around the state just banging the drum about it and hoping that it comes up

next year. We're two weeks out from this budget having to take effect. And with the process being what it is with the 72 hour cooling off period and the line item budget review. Nobody wants a state government partial shutdown or do they? I mean, is there some kind of end game if there's a face off here? No, I don't think that. I don't necessarily think that the governor will veto the budget. I think he'll be aggressive in what he chooses to eliminate within the budget, just because there's probably a lot of projects that have to do with folks who stood up to him in the legislature that

can be eliminated. But that doesn't mean that separate from that he may not call them back to come up with some way to provide relief on property taxes. Kimberly, let me end kind of where we began, which is that big picture, that this spending plan does represent less money in the state of Florida than the current spending plan. Government budgets are rare to go down. And while the Republicans in Tallahassee

are very vocal about their support of the federal government and the so-called Department of Government Efficiency efforts to find government spending that perhaps is wasteful or abusive. This budget has got to be an admission that federal spending in Florida is going to decrease in the years ahead, isn't it? Yeah, it is. If the big beautiful bill passes, there will be reductions in spending from the federal government on Medicaid and on food assistance programs. Very few people up in Tallahassee are willing to directly state that that is a variable that is going

into their thinking. But if this passes, this is what's going to happen and there's some trepidation as well about potential, you know economic downturn What the tariff fight might? where that might land and so But that doesn't mean that the lawmakers Republican lawmakers are willing to state that directly Republican lawmakers are willing to state that directly. There was a time when lawmakers would never cross to Santos. Trump is the new king and he is the one

that nobody is willing to cross at this point. Everyone wants to say that they are fully in line with President Trump and not bring up any potential, you know, qualms with the way that he's running the country, even though it will affect state budgets. Again, this is if things pass. This is all contingent on what happens with the economy. But yes, there is a lot of uncertainty.

And time is ticking away. It moves in one direction at one speed toward July 1st for the state government and toward the end of the federal fiscal year at the end of September. Kimberly Leonard watching all things politics as the reporter for Politico's Florida Playbook. A must read, Kimberly. Always a pleasure. Thank you for sharing your Reporter's Notebook with us. Thank you for having me.

Some news on education and the environment from around the state and a visitor in Florida will be staying another year. That's all ahead. I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to The Florida Rhup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Tom Hudson. Great to have you here this week. Some education and environmental stories from this week to get you caught up on now. It may cost more for out of state students to attend Florida's

public universities. This week, the State Board of Governors okay to measure allowing the schools to increase what they charge out of state students for the first time in over a decade. Daniel Pryor from our partner Central Florida Public Media reports out of state students in Florida don't just pay higher tuition, but also a special fee. With the board of governors vote, the state's public universities are allowed to increase that fee up to 10% this fall and up to 15% by the fall of 2026. Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee, Alan Levine says the change is meant to be

gradual. We want to make sure we don't create sticker shock for students that are here currently. You know, while there's no contract, there certainly was an understanding when they came to make sure we don't create sticker shock for students that are here currently. You know, while there's no contract, there certainly was an understanding when they came here what it was going to cost them. The board of trustees at each school will set their own fees and if universities increase out-of-state enrollment, they must increase in-state enrollment as well. In Orlando, I'm Danielle Pryor.

Now the state board that governs higher education also approved a trio of new school leaders. All of them have connections to Governor Ron DeSantis. Former Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nunez was officially installed as the President of Florida International University. Former Education Commissioner Manny Diaz became the interim president at University of West Florida and former chair of the State Board of Education, Marva Johnson is now officially the president of Florida A&M University. In Sarasota, a deal that would have New College taking over the Sarasota

Manatee campus of the University of South Florida may not be dead. But if there's some kind of merger, just which school takes the lead remains an open question. Now the schools had been privately discussing a transfer of USF's Sarasota campus to new college since at least last September. A week ago, University of South Florida president Rhea Law broke her silence. Here's reporter Carrie Sheridan with our partner station WUSF. For months, she and other leaders declined to comment as rumors swirled that the Sarasota

Manatee campus of USF was about to be given to New College. New College, now led by allies of Governor Ron DeSantis, wants to expand and had its eye on taking over the Ringling Museum of Art too. An outpouring of community support appears to have halted the deals. Board members agreed to talk publicly at meetings about the issue in the coming year. Some said if any university is to take the lead in a future merger, it should be USF. I'm Kari Sheridan in Sarasota.

Environmental news now. The State Department of Environmental Protection denied a permit this week to drill for oil near the Apalachicola River Basin. Environmental activists see the move as a victory but say it may not be enough to protect the fragile ecosystem. They want Governor Andres Santos to sign a bill making all such drilling in the area illegal. Otis Omason is a Franklin County Commissioner and owner of Omason Seafood.

Any type of exploratory drilling or any drilling up there in the river basin is going to have an adverse effect south of the river basin where the flows are going to come down. The bill would ban drilling, exploration or production of petroleum products within 10 miles of a national estuarine research reserve such as the Appalachicola River Basin. Every member of the legislature except one voted for the bill. Democrat Rosalind Osgood from Broward County was against it. The bill was sent to the governor on Wednesday. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency is giving water utilities two additional years to comply with federal regulations for two

of the most pervasive types of PFAS chemicals. Those are also known as forever chemicals. They're linked to human health issues. A University of Florida study found the chemicals are in water systems of 23 Florida counties at levels exceeding the federal limit. Molly Durig reports now from Central Florida Public Media. The EPA's expected rule change gives utilities until 2031 instead of 2029 to prove their water has lower concentrations of PFOS and PFOA than the federal limit of four parts per trillion. That level, while small, is significantly higher

than advisory health guidelines for the chemicals set by the environmental working group. Suzanne Shiber, who runs the environmental advocacy group Dream Green Volusia, says she hopes extending the deadline will make it easier for utilities to comply. But she's also concerned the EPA now won't regulate four types of harmful chemicals. I think the public is going to suffer the consequences medically and physically.

The EPA's announcement comes amid an ongoing lawsuit the agency is facing from the American Water Works Association, arguing the PFAS rules are unreasonable and would make water unaffordable. Molly Durig, Central Florida Public Media. And I'm Tom Hudson. You're listening to the Florida Ronda from your Florida Public Radio station. Plenty of visitors come here sink their toes in the sand soak up the sun and wonder, could I stay here? Well, the Stanley Cup is staying for at least another year. The Florida Panthers this week won hockey's ultimate prize for the second year in a row beating the Edmonton Oilers four games to two. It was a decisive five one win Tuesday night at

home in Broward County and by Wednesday morning the cup was already beachside in Fort Lauderdale at a bar and fans like Ed Jimenez were outside and thirsty to celebrate. I'm soaked, I'm soaked in champagne and beer and whatever they put in the cup. Let's go Panthers! Let's go Panthers! The Stanley Cup has made a home here in Florida in four of the past six NHL seasons, two of them thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning and now two in a row by the Panthers. So how did such a sunny, warm place like South Florida become a hockey haven? Here's Carlton Gillespie from our partner station WLRN. Some

Florida Panther fans have been here longer than others. About maybe 10 years? Oh about five years my whole life. Like 24 hours. But Panthers fans haven't always been this loud or this numerous. The team was founded in 1993. In 1996, they made a Stanley Cup run but came up short against the Colorado Avalanche. After that, they didn't win another playoff series until 2022. They were the laughing stock of the league for a quarter century. It was a wasteland.

That's Sun Sentinel sports columnist Dave Hyde. He says the team has transformed from sideshow to main event. They used to give tickets away for free. They put them in some coffee shop or restaurant near the arena. Fans know they could just go get them. Now the team is all the rage. Stanley Cup final tickets are almost $500 a pop. But what made the team catch on with South Florida fans? According to Hyde, it's all the winning. I think it's about 97% of it. South Florida fans, they're discerning, we could put it that way. They're only going to make teams win before they come out." Whatever the reason, the National Hockey League is investing in growing the fan base here. They've announced that next January, the Panthers will host a winter classic game

outdoors at Lone Depot Park, where the Marlins play. It's an attempt to capitalize on what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called, the golden age of hockey in Florida. It remains to be seen how effective that strategy will be. But for a team founded just over 30 years ago, there's evidence that a new generation of fans is already here. Can you say Go Cats Go? Go Cats Go! I'm Carlton Gillespie in Sunrise. And finally on the Roundup, Thursday was Juneteenth,

marking the effective end of slavery in the United States. A few years ago, we asked historians to share with us stories of Black history in Florida. Hi, I'm Nathan Connolly. I teach history at Johns Hopkins University and wrote the book, A World More Concrete, Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida. Jim Crow was a system of legalized segregation that was implemented throughout southern states and was largely used to dehumanize African Americans and create separate spheres of American life for so-called colored and white people. But Jim Crow also included extraordinary complexity and really modes of survival and celebration that came to shape the country in profound ways

that we're still appreciating. One of these ways had to do with the arena of sports. The Orange Blossom Classic. The black college football game considered by most to be the national championship game for HBCUs was established in 1938 and came to Miami in 1947. The classic featured Florida A&M University, a longtime powerhouse in college football,

and other competitors from across the landscape of black college football. One of the things that was so incredible about the classic in Miami was how popular it was across the color line. You had tens of thousands of people, tourists and locals, descend on the Orange Bowl to enjoy the game every year. And as was true in this period, the seating in the stadium was segregated. Blacks sat on the north side of the

stadium, as many as 13 to 15,000 in the classics early years. And whites, sometimes numbering over 7,000 sat on the south side of the stadium. As the years went on, the classic became more and more popular, generating revenue for the city and in many ways, providing African-Americans and black immigrants, the ability to showcase the strength of colored Miami. immigrants the ability to showcase the strength of colored Miami. Black police officers serving as color guard during the national anthem, black businesses sponsoring parades that were also themselves theaters of black culture. It was also true though that Florida A&M was not allowed to play any white teams

at this time and so in respects, there was always a question about just how good FAMU was. Well, this question was answered in 1979, when Florida A&M finally got the chance to play the University of Miami. The historian Derek White writes about the game in his book, Blood, Sweat, and Tears. And on that day in 1979 in Tallahassee, in fact,

Florida A&M University beat the University of Miami 16 to 13, in some ways settling for good and for all who the best college football team was in the state of Florida. Historian Nathan Connolly is a history professor at Johns Hopkins University. He wrote the book, a world more concrete real estate and the remaking of Jim Crow South Florida. Our inbox is always open waiting to hear from you radio at the Florida roundup dot org radio at the Florida roundup dot org. Let us know what you're thinking about our conversations here on the program each week. Is there

something that you'd like us to talk about? Let us know radio at the FloridaRoundup.org. And that's the program for this week. It is produced by WLRN Public Media in Miami and WSF in Tampa by Bridgette O'Brien with assistance from Denise Royal. WLRN's Vice President of Radio is Peter Merz. The program's technical director is MJ Smith. Engineering help each and every week from Doug Peterson, Ernesto J, and Jackson Hart. Our theme music is provided by Miami Jazz guitarist Aaron Leibos at aaronleibos.com. If you missed any of today's program, you can listen to it, download it, subscribe and share it by searching the Florida Roundup on the NPR app.

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