Reporters in the WUSF newsroom who covered the issues that had the biggest impact on the greater Tampa Bay region join "Florida Matters" to share their insights.
Steve Newborn covers politics and the environment, Nancy Guan focuses on immigration and education, Stephanie Colombini covers health care and Sky Lebron covers transportation among other things.
Colombini and Lebron reported on two closely watched constitutional amendments on the ballot: Amendment 3 which would have legalized recreational marijuana, and Amendment 4, which would have enshrined the right to an abortion in the state constitution. A majority of Florida voters voted for them, but neither got the 60% votes required to pass.
The implications of Amendment 3 passing would have been huge, said Lebron.
“It would have meant a lot more money that could have gone to different programs throughout the state because of the tax that was attached to any marijuana sale, it would have changed the amount of marijuana that can be carried by a single person before they were to face repercussions.” said Lebron, adding Gov. Ron DeSantis waged an effective campaign against the amendment.
As for Amendment 4: “The governor exerted a lot of influence to oppose amendment four, used state resources to launch a website through the health agency encouraging people to vote against the amendment and defending the current six week abortion ban — with some exceptions — that's in place right now,” said Colombini.
With the six-week ban in place for now, Colombini said she’ll continue to follow stories like that of Thea Thompson, from St. Petersburg, who had to travel out of state for medical care for a fatal fetal abnormality.
Newborn said the aftermath of the presidential election was a “post-mortem in every sense of the word for the Democratic Party,” while the Republicans strengthened their hammer lock on politics statewide. Democratic candidates failed to win votes in some closely watched races, like the Hillsborough County State Attorney’s race.
“Most polls consistently said the biggest issue was the economy, inflation that had been stoked by COVID and pocketbook issues like that, and Democrats focused on abortion, they focused on niche issues that didn't resonate with a lot of people,” said Newborn, who spent time talking with young voters and senior citizens in the run up to the election.
Immigration was another important issue for voters and Guan reported on the story of two brothers, Diego and Leo, and their experience as undocumented immigrants.
“Leo, the older brother, told me that it felt like being a part-time citizen, and now with a second Trump presidency on the horizon, there's a sense that the DACA program could be even more in jeopardy,” said Guan.
“I think one thing that most people can agree on is that the immigration system needs to be fixed. But obviously there's been a lot of rumors and misconceptions spread about the immigrant community.”
Other highlights from this reporter roundtable on 2024 include campus protests and book bans. Environmental issues got some attention too, including a widely criticized plan to develop some state parks, the return of red tide, and imperiled coral. The city of St. Petersburg continued working to curb youth gun violence, and WUSF listeners got to see — and hear — how road signs get made, and how mysterious noises got Tampa area sleuths speculating on the cause — from fish mating to loud car stereos.
And the panel reflects on their favorite stories from the year. For Lebron, that included a story about women who worked to diversify the Strawberry Queen pageant, new sports teams coming to Tampa Bay and a program to get people off the street and housed.
Guan said hearing from asylum seekers was powerful, especially because of how polarizing immigration is in the US.
And Newborn says the stories of students who are struggling to pay for food and housing sticks with him.
For Colombini, in a year covering a lot of powerful and challenging stories, a favorite was “one of the rare moments I got to do a good news story,” about the Tampa period pantry — like a little free library but stocked with free products to help people get through their periods.
“It's really special when you can tell a story that has impact,” said Colombini. “And so to help have a hand in spreading this important community effort is something I'll keep with me.”
