Immigration in Trump’s first year
It’s been one year since President Donald Trump took office and launched a mass deportation campaign of migrants living in the U.S.
Tens of thousands of Floridians have been impacted by the administration’s swift changes to immigration policies such as canceling humanitarian parole and ending temporary protected status that gave hundreds of thousands of people legal status.
First, we heard from three immigrants who have been navigating their immigration journey over the past year. Then, we looked at the recent rise in ICE arrests in Central Florida and the possibility of a new detention facility in Orlando.
Guest:
- Joe Mario Pedersen, health reporter for Central Florida Public Media.
Lawmakers tackle housing affordability
Concerns over affordability are a major theme for the 2026 Legislative Session.
State lawmakers are debating several bills they hope will increase the number of affordable homes in Florida. Some measures could result in less local control over what gets built and where.
Guests:
- Sam Staley, director of the DeVoe Moore Center at Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
- Douglas Soule, ‘Your Florida’ state government reporter.
Weekly news briefing
Gov. Ron DeSantis launched the Department of Government Efficiency, a task force to “identify and report unnecessary spending within county and municipal governments.”
The Legislature passed a spending bill last year to fund the effort. The law required the group to submit its initial findings by January 13, 2026.
This week, The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times reported that no such report had been turned into legislative leaders.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier released a letter on Martin Luther King Jr. Day announcing that he would no longer enforce dozens of state laws that call for race to be considered in such things as government contracts, advisory councils and education.
In his letter, Uthmeier cited a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling race-based college admissions are unconstitutional.
Florida House committees this week advanced two property tax proposals that could go before voters later this year.
Broward County’s school district, which is the second largest in the state, will close six schools next year.
In Brevard County, the school board voted unanimously this week to close an