Since it was founded in 2023 the nonpartisan nonprofit Floridians for Democracy has grown to nearly 3000 members in Florida and beyond, and they’ve held many online events and have reached out across the political spectrum to provide educational programs, including some that featured traditionally conservative attorneys and leaders who share their concerns. With the third national No Kings Day protests coming up on Saturday, March 28 we invited two of the founding members back for an update on the work they’re doing, and to get their take on what’s unfolded over the past three years.

As Southwest Florida’s population has grown in recent decades, there have been efforts to find ways to diversify our regional economy beyond the staples of tourism & hospitality, healthcare and financial services, construction, and agriculture. The volunteer-driven nonprofit SWFL Tech recently released their first Tech Pulse report that breaks down the data and it shows that between 2019 and 2024 the tech industry here grew faster than other parts of our economy. The tech sector grew almost 39% over those five years. We break down the report and talk about the challenges this region faces in growing a tech sector.

State lawmakers closed Florida’s regular legislative session, March 13, without passing a budget and with several priority bills going down in defeat. We talk with UCF Political Science Professor Aubrey Jewett, Ph.D., and FGCU Political Science Professor Sandra Pavekla, Ph.D. about what, passed, what didn’t, and what it all means for Florida going forward.

Dr. Martínez-Fernández has published at least eight books, including “Key to the New World: A History of Early Colonial Cuba” in 2019, and “Revolutionary Cuba: A History” in 2014. He was also a nationally syndicated columnist for Creators Syndicate — it’s an independent media and syndication company. He was on the FGCU campus last week to give a talk titled “Chiseled out of stone and cast out of bronze: a history of the Caribbean as told by its statues.” But, because of recent events in South & Central America and the Caribbean — and in Iran and the Middle East and other parts of the world and how it’s all connected — we didn’t talk about statues, but instead began our wide-ranging conversation with his most recent book, “When the World Turned Upside Down: Politics, Culture, and the Unimaginable Events of 2019-2022."

Drs. Angelica Ahrens and Eric Triplett are both microbiology researchers at the University of Florida in Gainesville. They recently published new research that found markers in the umbilical cords of children who were later diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Their research may lead to more effective treatment of the common condition.

The Center for Inquiry was founded in 1976 by the likes of Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov to investigate what they called ‘extraordinary claims’ being made about things like paranormal activity and UFO abductions — things that fall into the category of pseudoscience. We talk with the center's Director of Education, Bertha Vazquez, about the work she does and the role of science in our lives, and the crucial need for a skeptical mind in the face of information overload.

Every year hundreds of thousands of students in dozens of countries act as delegates in a simulation of the United Nations. The 33rd annual Southwest Florida Model UN was held on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University last week. This year’s keynote speaker was Andrea Bedoya. She’s a 2020 graduate of Florida Gulf Coast University, and since leaving FGCU with her Political Science degree her career has already spanned four continents and a wide range of global service experiences. She stopped by the studio while she was back on campus to chat.

Collier County contains innovation, growth and plenty of wealth. A lot of the community’s innerworkings go unseen by most residents, but there is a podcast looking to change that. We sit down with Amanda Pearson, founder and host of Community Matters, to learn how the podcast came to be and explore the show’s growing impact.

When confronted with a difficult conversation – or person – it's often hard to contain our emotions and respond to the moment, rather than have a kneejerk reaction to it. But our guest today, legendary sports agent and negotiator Ron Shapiro, says it’s possible to learn. He was on the Florida Gulf Coast University campus last week to give a talk so stopped by our studio for a chat about his civil approach to difficult conversations.

Dr. Karen Tang is the author of the new book It’s Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (But Were Never Told). It’s a comprehensive guide to treatment options and common conditions, many of which are under-discussed and misunderstood.