Valerie Crowder
Valerie Crowder is a freelance reporter based in Panama City, Florida. Before moving to Florida, she covered politics and education for Public Radio East in New Bern, North Carolina. While at PRE, she was also a fill-in host during All Things Considered. She got her start in public radio at WAER-FM in Syracuse, New York, where she was a part-time reporter, assistant producer and host. She has a B.A. in newspaper online journalism and political science from Syracuse University. When she’s not reporting the news, she enjoys reading classic fiction and thrillers, hiking with members of the Florida Trail Association and doing yoga.
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Some Democrats on the committee argued stretching Blue Senate District 19 across Tampa Bay to pick up African-American voters in southern St. Petersburg wasn’t necessary to achieve equal representation. -
Though it was a public building, the governor’s press conference with state health officials was open only to members of the press. -
Members of Gov. Ron DeSantis' staff told him that the governor's press conferences aren't open to the general public unless they've been screened. -
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced more Hurricane Michael recovery assistance is coming to rural communities across the Panhandle on Thursday. -
State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo explained the state plans to expand access to testing and treatment. -
The president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association says the tax cut won't address supply and demand issues. -
Gov. Ron DeSantis wants lawmakers to spend $1 billion in surplus revenue next year to give Floridians a six-month break from paying state gas taxes. DeSantis says the proposal won’t take away funding for transportation projects.
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The rally took place on the second day of a special legislative session to pass a package of bills that push back on federal vaccine and mask nadates. -
During the legislature's special session, House Speaker Chris Sprowls said businesses “are under no obligation to follow the OSHA rule” as long as a federal injunction remains in place. -
The infrastructure package includes broadband dollars for Florida, but implementation will be a testThe federal infrastructure package includes at least $100 million for Florida to connect more people to high-speed internet. Though the state has an office to distribute the funds, getting that money to rural communities could prove challenging.
