Tropical Storm Helene
A tropical storm developing in the Gulf could strengthen into a major hurricane. Megan Borowski, Senior Meteorologist for the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, joins Engage to discuss the latest track of Helene and potential impacts to Central Florida.
Representatives Darren Soto and Bill Posey
House members on the Hill will vote for a government funding bill tomorrow. It is supposed to be an annual routine vote, however this one is a stopgap to fund government operations until the end of the year. Republicans had tied the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, also called the SAVE Act, to the funding bill to reinforce an existing law making it illegal for noncitizen residents to vote. Democrats said it was a redundant non-starter, and they successfully pressured House Speaker Mike Johnson to drop the provision.
We asked representatives from both sides of the aisle to talk with us about the funding vote as well as housing costs in Central Florida and the spike in threats of violence against area schools. Democratic U.S. Congressman Darren Soto represents Florida’s Ninth Congressional District that primarily covers Osceola and parts of Orange County. We spoke with him before the SAVE Act was dropped from the funding bill. Republican U.S. Congressman Bill Posey represents Florida’s Eighth Congressional District that includes Brevard and Indian River Counties in addition to part of east Orange. We spoke with Posey yesterday after the SAVE Act was stripped from the funding bill.
Sexual Health Emergency Preparedness
Several groups are giving out sexual health kits to demonstrate the importance of preparing for reproductive health disruptions during extreme weather. They have stops planned in Jacksonville, Tampa, and Miami and are scheduled to be in Orlando Sunday. Rachel Kinbar is an organizer with Central Florida Mutual Aid, one of the organizations involved in the sexual health kit distributions. She joins Engage to discuss the free give-away happening in Orlando this weekend to support vulnerable communities.
