DEP employee dismissed after leaked parks plan
Last week, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) withdrew its plans to bring golfing, lodges and many pickleball courts to a handful of state parks across the state. This came after the plans were leaked in a memo, drawing protests and massive public backlash. Now, the former DEP employee who says he’s behind the leak has been fired. We spoke with the Tampa Bay Times reporter who broke the story.
Guest:
- Max Chesnes, environmental reporter for the Tampa Bay Times.
Political polling
The 2024 presidential election cycle is in its last two months and the opinion polls are ramping up.
What do these kinds of surveys really tell us about voters? And how can we judge the reliability of them? Two polling experts weighed in and shared their advice for voters.
Guests:
- Michael Binder, faculty director at the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida.
- Kevin Wagner, co-director of the Florida Atlantic University Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab.
Swing voters
Undecided voters could determine who wins the 2024 presidential election and, therefore, are a coveted group for pollsters and politicians. How to appeal to the swing voter is the focus group for a new bipartisan nonprofit advocating for political cooperation and policy-driven conversations. We had a conversation with two former Florida members of Congress behind that effort.
Guests:
- Carlos Curbelo, former U.S. Representative (R-FL-26th).
- Stephanie Murphy, former U.S. Representative (D-FL-7th).
Fact-check
We turned to our partner PolitiFact to fact-check some recent claims including Sen. Rick Scott’s assertion about the removal of thousands of noncitizens from voter rolls.
Guest:
- Sam Putterman, Florida government reporter at PolitiFact.
Weekly briefing
More than 63,000 public employees across Florida have had their labor unions fully decertified and shuttered by the state since a new law went into effect last year, according to a WLRN report.
Among its changes, the new law prevents dues from being deducted from workers’ paychecks, forcing union members to make separate payments.
Contract negotiations are again underway for Tallahassee firefighters after a contentious local primary.
Thousands of AT&T workers are on strike across the southeast U-S, including about 14 hundred line workers in South Florida. At issue is a dispute over a new labor contract.
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