Central Florida: Beyond The Soundbite

Feb. 24, 2022: It was rumored to happen for months, but it finally did.  Russia invaded Ukraine. 

The whole world watched as Russian military vehicles line up for miles, waiting for the orders to go into Ukraine.

And then there was more video of missile attacks and the resulting damage. Thousands of Ukrainians trying to flee the country, however, reports also emerging of Ukrainians fighting back and not just rolling over for Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

This is a situation that’s changing minute by minute, and one of the many questions we have is, what are the local Central Florida effects of the Russia/Ukraine war? 

Dr. Joan Davison, professor of political science at Rollins College, is our guest on this week’s Beyond the Soundbite.

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There is nothing we hate more than getting stuck in traffic, especially on the verge of a weekend getaway to, say, Miami. 

Now, imagine bypassing the Turnpike and getting to Miami, going at points 135 miles per hour, and you don’t even have to do the driving!  That is part of the pitch from the group behind Brightline, the near-high-speed rail service in development right now that will soon link Central Florida with South Florida by rail. 

We talk about the four corners of the project with Brightline Chief Executive Officer Mike Reininger on this week’s Beyond the Soundbite.

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There is no denying it, Central Florida is busting at the seams. Growing rapidly.  At one point Florida was seeing 1,000 people moving to the state every day. 

We’ve talked extensively about housing and affordable housing, but that is one piece of a broader puzzle.  This week, we’re talking about how to get those people around, and what Central Florida needs to do when it comes to transit. 

Our guests this week know the challenges all too well. Naqiy McMullen, co-chair of the grassroots group Central Floridians for Public Transit, and Tim Hayes with Orlando Bike Coalition join us for this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

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This week we are diving into several critical issues in Central Florida. Having a conversation about issues that arguably don’t get enough attention.

Human trafficking, opioid overdoses, and mental health, especially when it comes to law enforcement. 

Our guest is on the forefront of all of these challenges.

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma is our guest for this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

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To partially quote Benjamin Franklin, “… in this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

So, how does the government spend our taxes, and are they doing it in our best interest? 

Our guest this week oversees one of the state’s most prominent, independent, non-partisan nonprofits that helps keep the Florida government accountable.

Florida Tax Watch President and CEO Dominic Calabro is the guest this week and he shares some insightful information.

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Florida is called “The Sunshine State” not only because of its estimated 237 days of sunshine each year, but also for the tradition of keeping a light on government: Making government records and processes public.  

No one knows more about that than this week’s guest, retiring Communications Director for the Florida Supreme Court Craig Waters, who shares his experiences in the latest Beyond the Soundbite.

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It’s been over a year since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, an attack driven by political division. 

Hate is nothing new, and hate in politics is nothing new, either, but every time there is a new incident, we generally wind up saying “this is the worst it’s ever been”, and then of course, the next incident is “the worst it’s ever been” and so on and so forth. 

How do we course-correct before it’s too late?  What should we be looking out for? 

Jonathan Greenblatt is the chief executive officer of the Anti-Defamation League and author of “IT COULD HAPPEN HERE: Why America Is Tipping From Hate to The Unthinkable — And How We Can Stop It”.

He will share his thoughts in the latest Beyond the Soundbite podcast.

RELATED: This Ex-Orlando Cop Survived a Kidnapping in the Congo. Here's How He Saw the Capitol Siege.

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Well, no doubt you know, but 2022 is an election year.  On the federal level, a third of all U.S. senators, as well as all members of the House of Representatives, are up for re-election.

And a bit different on the state level as all seats are up because of redistricting. 

Redistricting, by the way, is top of mind for Florida legislators now as their annual 60-day lawmaking session is underway. 

To talk about all of that and more is this week’s guest, Cecile Scoon, the president of the League of Women Voters of Florida on Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite. 

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One word:  Omicron. Just the latest variant of concern of COVID-19, after last summer’s delta.

In the week between Christmas and New Year’s, the lines for COVID-19 testing were eye-opening. 

At the Barnett Park testing site in Orlando at the Central Florida Fairgrounds, cars wrapped throughout the park, out to West Colonial Drive, back to Mercy Drive, and back up Mercy Drive, all before the testing site opened for business at 9 a.m. 

However, it appears as though deaths and hospitalizations with omicron are not higher than what we would consider normal. 

So why is Omicron pushing more people to testing sites? Is there something special about omicron? 

We find out from Orlando pulmonologist Dr. Fortune Alabi on this week’s “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.”

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The numbers are just heartbreaking. Over the last 30 years, 216,786 hate crimes were reported in the United States. 

And 34% of those crimes were against African Americans. Hate crimes against Jewish Americans placed second, with nearly 13%.

Now, as 2022 gets underway, state lawmakers are looking to pass new hate crime legislation. The question is: Will it have an effect? 

Those are the questions Spectrum News 13’s Ybeth Bruzual puts to Sarah Emmons, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, and Olivia Babis, senior public policy analyst for Disability Rights Florida, on this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

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Check that calendar. Oh yes, 2022 is just around the corner! Can you believe it? Neither can we! 

So what we’re doing this week is to talk about heading into a new year. What’s on tap? What’s on the horizon? 

And, yes, to keep in good standing with the head honchos, what’s going to happen in the political world in 2022? 

Ybeth, Greg, and Gary are consulting the crystal ball on this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Well, you know how that old song goes from your childhood: “Jingle Bells, Batman smells …”

Yes, Christmastime is here, and the whole holiday season is in full force, so for this week, Ybeth, Greg, and Gary are hitting the pause button on politics and instead are heading over to the fireplace with a glass of milk and cookies for Santa. 

We’re getting into the holiday spirit and sharing warm holiday memories on this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

There are some things that transcend everything and become iconic of an area, a region, a state. 

Here in Florida, that is no better defined than by oranges. Just look at a standard Florida license plate, oranges are front and center. And why not? 

Florida has, or at least had, the reputation of being the citrus king for decades.

But now, with so many people moving into the state every year and so much development trying to keep up with growth, is that a formula that’s detrimental to Florida’s citrus industry?

Let’s find out now from our guests, Shannon Shepp, the executive director at the Florida Department of Citrus, and Matt Joyner, the director of Government Affairs at Florida Citrus Mutual.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

No doubt you saw, or at least heard about, the big festivities down Disney way this fall. 

Yes, it was the 50th anniversary of the opening of Walt Disney World, and when you look at Central Florida, so much of the area is tied into Disney and the theme parks. 

Disney, the number one employer in Orange County, with nearly 60,000 workers answer to the Mouse, but for Central Florida, it wasn’t always like that. This week’s guest has a long history with Disney in Florida, dating back to the very beginning.  

Charles Gray, the Chair Emeritus and founding partner of GrayRobinson law firm throughout Florida and in Washington, D.C., is on this week’s “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.”

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

If I asked you what a county comptroller does, you might talk about county budgets, and maybe, especially if you are here in Central Florida, you might know about the tourist tax dollars, the bed tax, but there is a lot more going on in the comptroller’s office than what’s perceived by the public.

In this week’s podcast, we’re peeling back the layers and looking at what else the comptroller does, and who better to explain that than Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond who returns to Beyond The Soundbite?

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and if you’re like a lot of us, you’re probably making that last-minute trip to the store for Thanksgiving dinner supplies, or you might be headed out of town to visit family.

So for this week, Ybeth, Greg, and Gary are hitting the pause button on politics and issues to focus on the holidays, traditions, and family. 

We’re getting into the holiday spirit on this week’s Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

The United States is easing travel restrictions for fully vaccinated visitors from Mexico starting in November, allowing people traveling for nonessential reasons to cross the U.S. borders if they show proof of vaccination.

And in January, the second phase begins: Extending vaccine requirements so that it also includes people traveling for essential reasons.

To find out how the impact that immigrants have in Florida, Agustín Gutiérrez from the Mexican Consul in Orlando shares that information and more in this week’s Beyond the Soundbite.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Affordable housing. It’s a hot topic.

Either the rent is going through the roof or people are trying to find new homes and all of this during a pandemic, where so many families had to deal with income issues. 

Forget toys and gadgets, for some people, it’s a struggle just to have a roof over their head. 

Spectrum News 13 is taking a deep dive into the housing struggles that are pervasive across Central Florida with the special “Uneven Odds: Chasing the American Dream.”  It airs Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., which is also available live on the Spectrum News 13 app and then later on the app for your viewing convenience

And this podcast is sort of like a sequel to last week’s “Making ends meet: The rising cost of renting.”

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

Rental prices in Central Florida are climbing and in some cases, by extremes.

Co-hosts Ybeth, Gary and Greg talk about how expensive renting is in Central Florida, especially in Orlando.

In our latest podcast, hear how difficult it has been for both renters and landlords.

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.

If you’ve been in the market for a house here in Central Florida for a while, you know how it’s been, in a word, insane.  

So many people want to buy, so much building going on, so much money changing hands, but what’s really going on with the market when you pop the hood? 

Angela Jaspon, a realtor with Homewise Realty, discusses all of that and more.

In This Episode

Angela Jaspon's Twitter: @AngelaJaspon

About This Podcast

Political figures and influencers are often heard in brief bites that don’t capture the context of the whole story. “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” expands the conversation with these newsmakers along the I-4 corridor and beyond. Join award-winning Spectrum News 13 anchor and Orlando Woman of the Year Ybeth Bruzual, political reporter Greg Angel, and veteran producer Gary Darling for a must-hear interview each week and learn about the issues affecting Central Florida.