Former Orlando Rep. Reflects on President Carter
Orlando resident and former Florida House Representative Dick Batchelor was a student at UCF when he first met then Georgia Governor Jimmy Carter. When Carter announced his Presidential bid, Batchelor was serving in the Florida House and endorsed the democratic candidate’s campaign. It gradually gained momentum, and Carter went on to beat Republican incumbent Gerald Ford to serve as President from 1977 to 1981. Batchelor spent time at the White House during the Carter Administration. In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at 100 years old and funeral services begin on Saturday. Dick Batchelor joins Engage to reflect on his friendship with the 39th President.
Safer Central Florida Roads
Driving through Central Florida’s isn’t known as a stress-free experience. Local law enforcement increased patrols this busy holiday week to catch and stop reckless drivers. Central Florida Public Media Health Reporter Joe Mario Pedersen found some potentially promising trends on the roads. He explains, Florida wrapped up 2024 with a seven-year low in vehicle crashes and a 4-year low in fatalities.
Elected Democrats Switch Party
In the weeks following the 2024 general election, many Florida Democrats were flummoxed to learn that two different state representatives had left the party to join Republicans in the Tallahassee statehouse. Last week, Broward County Representative Hillary Cassel announced she is switching her affiliation to Republican, posting, “I can no longer remain in a party that doesn’t represent my values.” Cassel made this announcement just a few weeks after Tampa area Representative Susan Valdes made the same switch, saying that she is, “tired of being the party of protesting.” Florida’s legislature enjoys a Republican supermajority, and following November's election, a stronger majority. Steve Schale is a Democratic operative in Florida who managed Obama’s 2008 campaign in the state. He joins Engage to parse out the political implications of these defections.
Talking Politics Civilly
Central Florida Public Media’s Building Bridges Together One Small Step at a Time event at the Orlando Ballet in December was the culmination of the partnership with StoryCorps on the One Small Step project where we bring together strangers with differing political views to sit down and talk about life and find common ground. As part of that event, we set up a mini One Small Step recording booth. Hidden behind a makeshift, somewhat soundproof audio booth, we asked people at the event to sit down with a stranger and chat for about 15 minutes. People took us up on the concept. Engage Senior Producer Richard Copeland manned the booth for this event and explains the process and results.
