Mike Kiniry

As hurricane season approaches, storm weary gulf coasters may remember the aftermath of last year’s hurricane season, when nonprofit organizations helped fill the gaps created by delayed federal response. We sit down with Greg Luberecki, Director of Communications and Public Relations for the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which activated its Disaster Fund last year in the wake of Hurricane Irma, to discuss the roles nonprofits can play in disaster recovery. And, we get a report from WGCU's Rachel Iacovone who checked back in with a Hurricane Irma survivor in Everglades City.

We sit down with Richard Conrath, who recently self-published his first book, Cooper's Moon. It tells the story of a college professor turned homicide detective who finds his way into the world of human trafficking of children.

We explore the writing process with him, but also the world of self-publishing, which has changed in recent years. What was once considered an outlier in the publishing world -- think the term ‘vanity press’ -- has evolved to become a way for authors to maintain control over their content, process and distribution. As technology has made it easier to both print, and disseminate written works, more and more authors are choosing the self-publishing route to get their words in the hands of people around the world.

Unless you’re a boater, or love to fish, or maybe just love fresh seafood, you might not give the Gulf of Mexico all that much thought -- we’re going to try to change that today. We’re joined by the author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea, which won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for History. Jack E. Davis’s epic narrative brings readers through the gulf’s history, from its formation in prehistoric times all the way through today -- exploring the countless ways humans have both revered, and exploited the great body of water.

A group of Sarasota County residents and solar power advocates gathered today at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota to announce another new solar co-op. There are now more than 20 such co-ops here in the sunshine state. We’re joined by Julia Herbst, she’s a coordinator with the St. Pete Co-op, to learn more about the benefits of belonging to a solar co-op. We’re also joined by Ron Susi, who is a participant in another solar co-op that was launched earlier this year in Sarasota County.

According to the statewide organization Florida Realtors, Florida’s housing market reported higher median prices again in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same quarter last year. The median sales price of single family existing homes rose 9.7 percent. The statewide median price for condos and townhomes rose 7.8 percent over last year. While prices of existing homes continues to increase, so does the rate of new home building, especially here in southwest Florida. New communities continue to spring up, and new commercial development is on the rise. So, we’re bringing back in our panel of real estate experts to get their sense of where the market is currently, and where we’re heading going into the summer months.