Thursday June 12, 2025, marks a solemn time of reflection as communities across Central Florida remember the friends and family lost at the Pulse Nightclub nine years ago. Engage speaks with survivors about how that night changed the rest of their lives. We hear the voices of a first responder and a grief counselor about the continuing efforts to provide healing for a scarred community. Zebra Youth’s Pride Prom provides a safe space for LGBTQ+ youth.

One in five Florida children is food insecure, and the school cafeteria is closed for summer. Big money is backing the Orlando Dreamers proposal to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida. Engage producer Richard Copeland visits Yalaha Bootlegging Company.

Deportations are affecting the everyday lives of Central Floridians and the immigrant community. Epic Universe, the first major theme park to open in Orlando in 25 years, raises the stakes for the theme park industry. We speak to a Central Floridian who designed the sounds at Super Nintendo World. We visit the lounge in Oviedo that is using pinball to create a sense of community.

Forecasters at NOAA predict above-normal hurricane activity in their outlook released today. Engage speaks to local emergency managers, fired NOAA employees, and others about impacts to Central Florida and how the region is readying for what could lie ahead. Engage visits the Orlando Cricket Club and the 22 Yards club for a league match.

Whether you’re driving, biking, or taking the bus or train, we are all investing our time, energy, and money in Central Florida’s transportation system. A panel of experts in shaping the future of transit in our region joins Engage for a live panel discussion about creating an accessible and equitable public transportation system.

While some celebrate the expansion of school choice as personalized learning, others say it comes at the expense of public schools. Understanding why severe drought conditions remain despite recent rain in Central Florida and the impact on those fighting an increase in brushfires. During commencement week at Bethune Cookman University, new grads tell us about the program that allowed them to overcome financial obstacles.

The 2025 State Legislative Session will not end by Friday's deadline. We’ll break down policy and politics that could shape Central Florida and the reason lawmakers aren’t ending on time. Seminole County is looking at the rideshare model and micro-transit as a transportation alternative to the Lynx bus system. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. We hear some of the voices in attendance at an Orlando ceremony marking the solemn occasion.

Rockledge Hospital closed this week leaving the community without its emergency department. While ICE enforcement and immigration reform are at the forefront of Florida policies, we visit classes where thousands of Central Floridians prep for their high-stakes U.S. citizenship test and interview. Two former members of Congress, Democrat Val Demings and Republican Ted Yoho, sit down for a One Small Step conversation. We learn how a group of Black artists known for their depictions of Florida landscapes in the 1950s is inspiring artwork being done by students across Central Florida today.

UCF signed a cooperative agreement with ICE for campus police to enforce immigration policies. Orange County suspends DEI and sustainability committees and their grants to protect other arts funding. Behind the scenes at SeaWorld Orlando’s manatee rescue program.

Central Florida businesses reliant on imported goods are dealing with the uncertainty of future tariffs. Florida lawmakers moved a measure forward to extend personal injury laws to unborn fetuses and allow family members to sue for damages. Jim McFarland is running a fourth-generation shoe repair shop in Lakeland using some 21st century marketing methods.

Two bills are advancing in the Florida Legislature that would roll back state regulations regarding the scheduling of teen workers. The Trans Doe Project aids the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in identifying the remains of a transgender woman found outside of Clermont in 1988. The Orlando Valkyries are fighting their way to the top of the Professional Volleyball Federation – we’ll meet head coach Amy Pauly.

The Tourist Development Tax puts the primary financial burden on visitors to Florida compared to the people who live here. We discuss the debate over the “bed tax” and where that money goes. A federal funding freeze threatens to disrupt the distribution of food to vulnerable communities and Central Florida families. We travel to Audubon Park to visit Orlando’s romance-only bookstore.