Florida Matters 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. Join us each week as we journey across the state to explore the issues important to Floridians and cover the important challenges facing our community and our state.
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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 Radio
People arrested for drug crimes often face jail time and perhaps court-ordered rehabilitation or treatment. In drug court, that’s flipped around: outpatient or residential treatment, regular check-ins with a judge, and jail time as a last resort. The program mixes criminal justice and social services in an effort to help nonviolent offenders -- and save the system money -- by keeping them from relapsing. This week, we’ll visit the drug court in Florida’s Sixth Circuit to see what happens and why it’s making a difference in participants’ lives.
Recent Florida Matters episodes
Stimulus and Jobs (January 29, 2010)
Last February, Congress passed a $787 billion bill designed to create (and save) jobs and jump-start the economy. Nearly a year later -- with President Obama making jobs the centerpiece of his State of the Union and his visit to Tampa -- we look...
Balancing Water Uses (January 22, 2010)
When the rare overnight freeze moves into the Bay area, farmers typically turn on the sprinklers and blanket their crops with an insulating layer of ice. In the short term, that doesn’t usually cause significant problems. But after 11 days of...
Disaster in Haiti (January 15, 2010)
Estimates put the number of dead in the tens of thousands as recovery continues from a devastating earthquake in Haiti. The quake is being felt well beyond Haiti’s borders, including in Florida, which is home to more than 200,000 Haitians. We’ll...
Florida's 2010 Political Landscape (January 8, 2010)
It’s the first week of 2010 and Florida’s election season has already begun. The state’s Chief Financial Officer and Attorney General are battling for the governor’s job. And what once seemed an inevitable victory for Gov. Charlie Crist in the U....
2009 Year in Review (Rebroadcast) (January 1, 2010)
As the saying goes, “It’s the economy, stupid.” That was the big story of 2009, touching all of our lives and driving much of the national conversation. Fittingly, it’s also the story we start with as we look back at the last year in Florida with...
Listening to Our Past (Rebroadcast) (December 25, 2009)
Meet a man who joined the circus as a teen, another who was part of Tampa’s first day of integrated dining in the 1960s, and a woman whose family went to meetings and picnics in Ybor City supporting the Spanish Republic during that country’s...
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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.
