Undecided voters
Florida’s 2026 midterm elections are approaching and vote-by-mail ballots are already being returned. Statewide early voting begins next week. But there’s still a significant number of undecided voters.
To better understand this population, we looked at some of the latest polling.
Guest:
- Sean Freeder, faculty director of the Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL) at the University of North Florida (UNF).
Isaias recovery
Hurricane Isaias made landfall last week near Destin as a category 2 storm bringing widespread damage and destruction to Florida’s panhandle.
This week Governor Ron DeSantis said six people have died due to the storm.
We checked in on early recovery efforts with Sandra Averhart from our partner station WUWF in Pensacola.
ICE spending
Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE is wasting tens of millions of taxpayer dollars.
That’s according to a federal accountability review of the agency’s efforts to rapidly expand detention and operations.
Florida’s now defunct detention center dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” was highlighted in the findings.
The report also found the state operated the facility without ample authorization from federal immigration officials.
Guest:
- Meghan Bowman, Your Florida state government team reporter.
Weekly news briefing
An appeals court ruled this week that the state can enforce its ban on social media accounts for children under 14 years old.
When utilities want to raise rates or recoup costs, they have to go before the Florida Public Service Commission for approval.
Who gets to be on the commission and how does it operate? That’s explored in the final installment of WUSF’s three part series on the costs of energy.
The Tampa Bay chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen was officially recognized this week. It’s the fourth chapter to be added in Florida.