Steve Newborn

Adam Putnam was seen as a rising star in Republican circles. But as WUSF's Steve Newborn reports, his path to the governor's mansion ran into a train conducted by President Donald Trump.

During a recent debate, Congressman Ron DeSantis and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam took opposite sides of the claim that leaky septic tanks are contributing to the algae polluting Lake Okeechobee and the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. 

The worst of the red tide in Sarasota County may have passed. That's the word from county officials, who say fewer dead fish washed ashore Thursday.

A candidate for a state House seat in Manatee and Sarasota counties who admitted she posted a fake diploma on her website is dropping out of the race.

Melissa Howard, a candidate for House District 73, told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune she won't participate in the upcoming Republican primary.

Was a former CIA director really a card-carrying member of the Communist Party? And is state agriculture commissioner and candidate for governor Adam Putnam partly resposible for all that green algae oozing out of Lake Okeechobee and fouling the coastline?

Democrats are disparaging Putnam with the name "Algae Adam,"  saying he backed a water bill in 2016 that gutted water quality regulations. WUSF's Steve Newborn gets to the bottom of these claims with Allison Graves of PolitiFact Florida.

Did Florida U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson really vote to hike taxes nearly 350 times while in Washington D.C.? And did he really  stop oil drilling off Florida's Gulf coast? WUSF's Steve Newborn gets to the bottom of these claims with Allison Graves of PolitiFact Florida.

Gov. Rick Scott has spent millions over the airwaves in his quest to take over the U.S. Senate seat held by "career politician" Bill Nelson. Here's one snippet:

"And besides reading speeches, what's Nelson done all those years? 349 times, he's voted for higher taxes."

A study seven years in the making by University of South Florida researchers has created a map of how many species live in the Gulf of Mexico. This will give experts an idea of how much damage would take place from a future oil spill.

Has there really been more students killed in schools this year than U.S. troops killed in war zones overseas? And just how "independent" is Florida's Democratic Senator, Bill Nelson? WUSF's Steve Newborn looks into these claims with Allison Graves of PolitiFact Florida. 

Will a bill recently signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott result in making more of Florida's beaches off-limits? And does U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson really have an anemic record of getting bills passed in Congress, as his opponents allege? WUSF's Steve Newborn gets the lowdown on those claims with Allison Graves of PolitiFact Florida.

Three environmentalists with the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition have wrapped up seven days trekking through Florida's urban midsection. Their mission - paddle and hike through a narrow funnel of wild land to see how animals survive the journey. 

Members of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition emerged from a swamp south of Interstate 4 late Thursday and crossed underneath the busy highway.

It was tough going, but members of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition finished their "mini-trek" over the weekend, traversing a green corridor between Tampa and Orlando. The explorers say they saw the most wildlife once they got past their biggest barrier - Interstate 4.

Members of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition twice embarked on 1,000-mile treks across the state in the past seven years. Their mission: to bring attention to the need to protect corridors between preserved areas so wildlife can migrate through Florida.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Tampa Congresswoman Kathy Castor spoke at a forum of high school students and school board members in Tampa Monday. He told the students to keep on demonstrating for gun control -- but be prepared if little happens.

Do just one percent of licensed gun dealers supply more than half the guns recovered in crimes? And is Florida one of the only states that prohibits a gun registry? WUSF's Steve Newborn gets the answers from PolitiFact Florida's Allison Graves.