Gulf Coast Life

Gov. Ron DeSantis has floated the idea of Florida following Texas and California in drawing new Congressional districts mid-decade, breaking with norms. But what do the 2010 Fair Districts Amendments to Florida’s constitution have to say about mid-decade redistricting being done for openly partisan reasons? We talk with the leader of the Fair Districts Coalition when it helped to create and advocated for the passage of the Fair Districts Amendments to find out.

We learn about a nationwide clinical trial, funded by the National Institute of Aging, that's trying to determine if high doses of a synthetic form of Vitamin B1 called benfotiamine might be an effective treatment for mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's Disease. Also known as thiamine, Vitamin B1 is important for brain health, and it's known that people with Alzheimer's have a thiamine deficiency.

The Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center’s latest exhibition “Exposed: The Art of Photography” explores the distinctive styles and vision of five different photographers. Ahead of the Sept. 5 opening reception, we talk with three of the featured photographers: Tonya Barnes, Beth Everhart and Brian Tietz.

In a special episode of the Gulf Coast Life Book Club, we welcome legendary Sanibel author Randy Wayne White. Our conversation was recorded live at the Player’s Circle Theater in Fort Myers and hosted by Macintosh Books and Paper of Sanibel.

Back in 2022 we talked to the author of a new book about gerrymandering in America called “One Person One Vote: A Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America.” Dr. Nicholas Seabrook is Professor and Interim Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at University of North Florida in Jacksonville. Today we’re revisiting that conversation to provide some historical context on the recent burst of partisan redistricting that’s happening in the U.S. right now.

The Heights Center’s MOSAIC program provides opportunities for children from low-income households to learn to play a musical instrument and to perform with ensembles of their peers. We learn about the program in an encore conversation with musician, educator, and Director of Arts and Community Programs at the Heights Center, Melissa Barlow, who founded the program.

When Governor Ron DeSantis announced he was using his emergency powers to have the State of Florida build a detention facility on a relatively unused airbase in Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County the idea immediately drew criticisms, including the cost and the environmental impact. But there is another aspect of this camp and the name Alligator Alcatraz that has drawn another kind of criticism: echoes of racist language that bring to mind the trope of ‘alligator bait’ that dates back to the late 1800s and the days of Jim Crow. We explore that history with a reporter from the Miami Herald and a Naples Rabbi whose recent sermon titled “A Fence Around Compassion” went viral on Facebook.

Mahjong originated in China in the mid-to-late 19th century, but its exact origins are debated. It was first introduced to the United States in the 1920s and it quickly became a massive fad. There was a mahjong revival in the 1950s and 60s and in recent years there’s been a resurgence in popularity, with new generations discovering this century old game. We meet three members of Southwest Florida Mahjong to find out what their group is all about, and exactly what it is about this 'old-fashioned' game that resonates in today's world.

Players Circle Theater is mounting a staged reading-style production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s iconic musical “Oklahoma!” featuring the company’s largest ensemble ever assembled. “Oklahoma!” is widely credited with ushering in the Golden Age of American musical theater. Ahead of the opening night performance, we explore this production and the musical’s enduring impact on the musical theater genre.