Yes in God's Backyard for Affordable Housing
Florida’s new Yes in God’s Backyard law puts faith in religious institutions to help ease the state’s affordable housing crisis. The law went into effect July 1st as an amendment to Florida’s 2023 Live Local Act. Live Local changed several programs and policies to increase available affordable housing. It includes funding for construction, an override of zoning rules to allow more building, and tax breaks as incentives for developers to make more homes accessible to working families.
The law also allows communities to opt-out of the Live Local tax incentives, and many have in Central Florida. Seminole, Orange, and Lake counties are not participating, citing concerns over the effectiveness of the program. Under the Yes In God’s Backyard provision, churches and religious institutions can build affordable housing on their land they own even if it means ignoring local zoning regulations. Yes in God’s Backyard, got unanimous support in the state House. Orlando area Representative Anna Eskamani joins Engage to explain why she voted in favor of it and whether this policy could actually make a dent in the problem.
As Executive Director of the Christian Service Center for the Homeless, Eric Gray works with struggling families in Central Florida to prevent homelessness and combat poverty. He’s also a member of the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission. He joins Engage to share why he says Yes in God’s Backyard is a positive development but he remains a bit skeptical.
Threats to Public Media Services
We are here to share your stories, to lead community conversations, and provide fact-based trustworthy journalism grounded in listening. We don’t normally make ourselves the story, but there are things happening to public media right now that impact not only us but potentially the services we’re able to provide for you. Central Florida Public Media is a member of the public media system of local radio and tv stations. The current affairs shows, educational programming for kids, and emergency alerts the stations provide in addition to many other offerings are paid for, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
CPB was created by Congress to shield stations from political influence and distribute federal funds to make sure every person has free access to public media. That funding is at risk. Congress is considering taking back CPB funding that was previously approved. Locally, Governor Ron DeSantis last week, line-item vetoed community service grants for public media stations. Two people in charge of managing two of our local public media outlets join Engage. Jennifer Cook is the Executive Director at WUCF, the PBS station serving Central Florida. Judith Smelser is President and General manager of Central Florida Public Media. They discuss the services at stake for our communities.
In recent years, we’ve seen the news media landscape shift away from local, independently owned entities like newspapers and TV and radio stations towards corporate conglomerates. While the internet was able to broaden the spectrum of news outlets available to the public, corporate consolidation reduced the number of sources of independent news gathering. This gap is frequently filled by public broadcasters. William Kinnally, an Associate Professor at UCF’s Nicholson School of Communication and Media, joins Engage to discuss the evolution and role of public media in America.
Mary McLeod Bethune Home Reopens
In 1904, Mary McLeod Bethune created the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. In its first year, the school enrolled six students and charged 50 cents for tuition. McLeod Bethune put together desks from scrap wood, and she raised funds for the school by selling ice cream and sweet potato pies to local laborers. Two years later, the school had 250 students. In 1941, the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls had evolved into Bethune Cookman University.
In 1913, McLeod-Bethune moved into a spacious two-story arts-and-crafts home on the school grounds. It was a house she called home until her death in 1955. The house, which became known as the “Mary McLeod Bethune Home,” became a nexus of activity, with academics, politicians, writers and artists using the space to share ideas and establish networks across communities. In 1974, the home was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark, preserving the legacy of Mary McLeod Bethune and serving as a record of her life and contributions to education and civil rights. On Thursday, the house re-opened for tours after a two-and-a-half-year renovation. It coincides with the celebration of Mary McLeod-Bethune's 150th birthday. Tasha Lucas-Youmans, Dean of the Bethune Cookman University’s Carl S. Swisher Memorial Library and Chief Librarian, joins Engage to discuss the re-opening of the home.
