Florida Matters

About Florida Matters

Florida Matters is a weekly television and radio program for Floridians.

The program tackles tough issues, highlights little-known stories from our part of the world and provides a greater perspective of what it means to live in the Sunshine State. Leveraging all our platforms: Web, radio and television, Florida Matters covers the important challenges facing our community and our state. Join us each week as we journey across the state to explore the issues important to Floridians. Along the way, we'll stop to seek out some of the fascinating untold Florida Stories that may be happening right in your backyard. Support for Florida Matters is provide by The Mosaic Company.

Broadcast Schedule

Television - Friday at 8:00 PM | Sunday at 9:30 AM on WUSF DT/TV

Radio - Friday at 6:00 PM | Sunday at 10:00 AM on WUSF 89.7
Friday at 6:00 PM | Saturday at 6:30 AM | Sunday 11:30 AM on WUSF 89.7²

This Week on TV

Facing the Mortgage Crisis

Meet four sets of homeowners living right here in the Bay Area that have experienced what it's like to go through a foreclosure. They could be your best friend, or co-worker, a family member, or your neighbor. None of them expected to lose their homes. With so many homeowners falling into foreclosure because of lost jobs or reduced hours, we'll also introduce you to an organization around the state that can help the unemployed find work. Last but not least, we tackle the topic of foreclosure scams and teach you the warning signs to look out for so you don't fall victim yourself.

This Week on Radio

The Future of Billboards

St. Petersburg is working on a deal with two major billboard companies to take down 100 old signs in the city and replace them with 10 new digital ones. In Tampa, city officials are finalizing an agreement with the companies to end years of lawsuits over the number and placement of billboards, and the City Council will start work on a policy for digital boards next month. This week, we look at the issue of billboards in the Bay area, digital and otherwise.

Recent Florida Matters episodes

The Push for Drilling - Part 2 (November 13, 2009)

Radio: The Push for Drilling - Part 2

Last week, we focused on oil and natural gas drilling off Florida’s Gulf Coast. We wrap up that conversation by looking in more detail at the potential for new jobs and royalty payments to the state if the moratorium on drilling in state waters...

TV: Facing the Mortgage Crisis - Radio: The Push for Drilling (November 6, 2009)

TV: Facing the Mortgage Crisis

Radio: The Push for Drilling - Part 1

The debate over allowing oil and natural gas drilling as close as a few miles from Florida’s Gulf coast has heated up in recent weeks and figures to be a key issue during the spring legislative session. On this week’s show, we’ll hear why...

Testing and Education Quality (October 30, 2009)

TV: Innovation

This week, we take a journey through Florida’s relationship with innovation, from past well-known inventions all the way to cutting-edge research and developments going on today. Host Irene Maher introduces us to Peter Lefferson, an inventor who...

Radio: Testing and Education Quality

A national conference this week in Jacksonville focused on quality education. In Florida, that quality is often measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, and teacher bonuses, school funding and more are tied to the results. A few...

Facing the Mortgage Crisis (October 23, 2009)

TV: Civic Engagement

This week we're going through the many levels of civic engagement that you can find in Florida. Carson Cooper introduces us to the up-and-coming political &new-wave," and describes how the use of high-tech social networking is becoming the...

Radio: Facing the Mortgage Crisis

The number of foreclosures in Florida has quadrupled since 2006. In Bradenton and Sarasota alone, foreclosures rose 600 percent between 2006 and 2008. This week on Florida Matters, we’re examining the impact of foreclosure on our community. We’ll...

WUSF 89.7 Fall Membership Campaign - Best of 2009 (October 16, 2009)

TV: Best of Florida Stories Part 2

This week Larry Elliston shares the stories of Floridians who have helped others move to Florida from overseas and "Dr. Bob" who volunteers his time to offer better healthcare. Plus, we'll meet a man who used his experience in prison to turn his...

Radio: WUSF 89.7 Fall Membership Campaign - Best of 2009

This week on Florida Matters, we’re revisiting some of the interesting conversations you’ve made possible with your support. Explore bullying in our schools – how big is the problem and what are schools doing about it? Learn about the master plan...

A New Lakeland Mayor (October 9, 2009)

TV: Best of Florida Stories Part 1

What does a paintbrush, a park and a bicycle all have in common? Find out this week on Florida Matters as co-host Larry Elliston brings us a collection of Florida Stories that will inspire you to look at things in a new way.

Radio: A New Lakeland Mayor

After 17 years with Buddy Fletcher at the helm, a new mayor will take over in Lakeland. Those who want the job include two long-time city officials and a young newcomer to city politics. The new leader will face a deep recession in Florida and...

Production support by

Hosted By

Irene Maher, Host

Irene Maher is well known in Tampa as a medical reporter for WFLA-TV News Channel 8, and she's an award-winning broadcast journalist. Irene is the recipient of numerous awards for reporting, from such groups as the American...

Carson Cooper, Host

Carson Cooper is a familiar voice. He has become a favorite of WUSF listeners as the host of "Morning Edition" on WUSF 89.7 since he took the job in 2000. Carson has worked in Tampa Bay radio for more than two decades. He has...

Produced By

Tara Slusher, Producer

Tara Slusher, a seventh generation Floridian, began her career in Knoxville, TN and went on to RIVR Media as an associate producer for programs airing on the DIY Network and other cable outlets. Tara is happy to call Tampa...

Larry Elliston, Producer

Larry Elliston is a fourth generation native Floridian; grandson of an old-time railroad engineer; veteran writer-producer-broadcaster and world traveler. Above all, Larry Elliston is a storyteller. He has teamed with WUSF TV/...

Joshua Stewart, Producer

Joshua Stewart came to the Tampa Bay area to join the WUSF news team in 2008. Previously, he worked at the University of North Florida, and WJCT Public Broadcasting in Jacksonville, as a reporter and regular on-air host. Josh...

Contact Info

Florida Matters isn’t just one-way communication. We want you to get involved in the conversation each week and tell us what you think about the topics we’re discussing. All you have to do is sign up for a free account on our Web site -- it’s free, easy, and we promise we won’t share your information! We welcome your input as we continue to find new stories to share in the Bay area.

And if you have an idea for a show or want to contact the producers, send an e-mail to floridamatters@wusfmail.org.