Government Shutdown Hits Paychecks and Food Banks
When the federal government shuts down because lawmakers fail to pass a budget in time, some of the impacts are immediate while others take a bit longer to be felt. The longer the shutdown, the deeper the impacts. Central Floridians who have endured shutdowns before, are getting ready because they know first-hand what’s coming if no deal is reached. AFGE Local 556 First Vice President Joseph Groover joins Engage. He is an Army veteran who joined the TSA in Orlando in 2019, and as an essential employee, he’s still showing up for work at Orlando International Airport. This week those TSA employees will receive a partial paycheck for work done before the shutdown, but he says the next pay period will be the most difficult.
When the pay suddenly stops, the demand for food assistance increases. A prolonged government shutdown can impact nutrition programs. SNAP for low-income families or WIC for mothers, pregnant women, and their children can run out of funding or be disrupted by benefit processing delays. Instead of heading to the grocery store, some people will have to turn to their local food bank.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida distributes to more than 870 feeding partners across Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties. Even before the shutdown, a government program they relied on for food was ended early, and they lost about 11 tractor trailer loads of food worth over a million dollars. Greg Higgerson, Chief Development Officer at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, joins Engage from their hub in Orlando where they are preparing for impacts of the federal funding lapse.
Recovery One Year After Hurricane Milton
Today marks one year since Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida October 9, 2024. It approached the state as a category five before it weakened to a three at landfall, crossed over Florida toward the Atlantic spawning deadly tornadoes, and dumped more than a foot of rain in Volusia County that flooded homes and overwhelmed stormwater systems. Local governments passed emergency moratoriums on development to keep drainage issues from getting worse.
Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 180 to speed up hurricane recovery by making it easier to rebuild faster. However, the law blocks local governments from changing their own growth and development plans, and opponents say that local leaders can’t protect residents from their own unique issues like flooding or dated stormwater systems.
Florida Shores resident Kimberly Penny lost everything to flooding twice and says the pauses on development are needed to figure out how to fix the infrastructure. She shares how she’s still recovering from Hurricane Milton today.
Central Florida Public Media Environment reporter Molly Duerig went to Volusia County to speak to the Venables family still struggling to recover one year later.
October can bring changes to the Atlantic Hurricane season. Rob Eicher, Associate Professor of Meteorology at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, joins Engage to discuss the risks of late-season storms and what made Milton so destructive.
October Storm Season, Florida’s Juried Art Festival
The 52nd annual Winter Park Autumn Art Festival is this weekend. It’s a free community event featuring nearly 200 Florida artists, live music, and a plethora of food stands and trucks. The festival began in 1973 and has grown to draw more than 150,000 attendees over two days. Every artist featured in the festival is from Florida and selected by a panel of judges. Ivan Lys-Dobradin, Committee Chair for the Autumn Art Festival, discusses why the festival is a source of pride for the community. Winter Park-based artist Robert Ross joins Engage to discuss the festival, his work, and the honor of designing this year’s official poster.
Central Florida Public Media will also be at the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival in Central Park on Saturday October 11, and Sunday October 12, 2025. Stop by our booth and meet our team and some of the people behind the voices you hear every day.
