{\an2}- [Announcer] This is a production of WEDU PBS, {\an2}Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

{\an2}(bright music) {\an2}- Coming up next, {\an2}we'll discuss the major Florida news stories of 2021 {\an2}as we set the table for a new year and head {\an2}into another round of important elections in November.

{\an2}Our guests are, {\an2}Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, Daniel Ruth.

{\an2}Republican strategist, Adam Goodman.

{\an2}Democratic strategist, Gayle Andrews.

{\an2}And WEDU's own, Earnest Hooper.

{\an2}All coming up now on the new year's edition {\an2}of "Florida this Week".

{\an2}(bright music) {\an2}Welcome back.

{\an2}We're here with our year in review with some of your, {\an2}my favorite panelist to mull over what happened {\an2}during the past 12 months.

{\an2}We'll count down the top 10 stories and local stories {\an2}of the year as voted by our guests.

{\an2}This week our panelists are, {\an2}Gayle Andrews, is a political and media consultant {\an2}and a Democrat.

{\an2}Daniel Ruth is a columnist and a faculty member {\an2}at the Judy Genshaft Honors College {\an2}at the university of South Florida.

{\an2}Ernest Hooper is a journalist and host {\an2}of "That's All I'm Saying" here on WEDU.

{\an2}And Adam Goodman is the Edward R. Murrow fellow {\an2}at Tufts University, a political consultant {\an2}and a Republican.

{\an2}So nice to see you all.

Thank you for coming on the program.

{\an2}We're gonna start with story number 10.

{\an2}Ken Welch is elected Mayor of St. Petersburg.

{\an2}The first African-American to hold that position.

{\an2}Number nine, a massive toxic spill {\an2}at the Piney Point Phosphate Plant of Manatee County leads {\an2}to widespread killing of Marine life.

{\an2}Number eight, there's a record increase {\an2}in Florida property values for 2021.

{\an2}Governor DeSantis says he's going to increase money {\an2}in his proposed budget for affordable housing.

{\an2}Number seven, the school board meetings statewide become {\an2}battlegrounds in the COVID-19 culture wars.

{\an2}Number six, the Capitol insurrection, {\an2}Florida leads the nation in the number of people arrested {\an2}for participating in the Capitol attack.

{\an2}And number five, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win the super bowl {\an2}in Tampa and the Tampa Bay Lightning repeat {\an2}as the Stanley Cup champions.

{\an2}And I want you all to talk about one of those stories.

{\an2}Daniel Ruth, let's start with you.

{\an2}Which is gonna have the most long-term effects here?

{\an2}- I feel like I'm on a Letterman show, you know.

{\an2}Well, I would have to sort of, {\an2}I think the school board issues gonna have {\an2}the more far reaching implications, {\an2}because the decisions school boards make, you know, {\an2}resonate over years and years and effect {\an2}our community's children.

{\an2}And it used to be being on a school board {\an2}was a fairly low drama affair.

{\an2}And now it's turned into this people raging, {\an2}the school board members are being threatened.

{\an2}We've had to have more security.

{\an2}These meetings are getting out of control.

{\an2}It's almost like a, like a Trump family gathering, you know, {\an2}every weekend, it's not good.

{\an2}It's not good for our society.

{\an2}- The (indistinct) say they're gonna run school board {\an2}members and... {\an2}- Yeah, and that's terrifying.

{\an2}And because they might actually get elected.

{\an2}- Adam, what do you think?

{\an2}Of those first six stories, what do you think is gonna have {\an2}the longest term impact on Florida?

{\an2}- Well, actually they're all very good stories.

{\an2}And I'm not trying to be political here, {\an2}they're just really all important.

{\an2}I wanna talk about Piney Point.

{\an2}You know, that was a devastating environmental tragedy {\an2}that was almost a widespread disaster {\an2}of unimaginable proportions.

{\an2}In a state where the environment, Rob, {\an2}has now really become no longer a partisan, {\an2}but a Florida issue.

{\an2}But the bigger thing, the equally big thing about phosphate {\an2}is in America today, there is only one major {\an2}phosphate producer left.

{\an2}That's the Mosaic, which is in the state of Florida, {\an2}headquartered in Florida.

{\an2}And they are up against some of the biggest providers {\an2}of phosphate from around the world.

{\an2}Now in Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, {\an2}who are trying basically, if they had their way, {\an2}to close down America's last phosphate producer.

{\an2}The reason this is important, phosphate sounds like a, {\an2}kind of a tough word for environmentalist.

{\an2}It is the key nutrient in growing America's food.

{\an2}And so this is not just a Florida issue.

{\an2}And one we had to take care of and the gyp stacks, {\an2}we have to figure out a resolution to that.

{\an2}I think there is technology, Rob, {\an2}that actually is out there that we can tap into.

{\an2}But phosphate is a major part of the protection {\an2}of the American food supply.

{\an2}And if we want independence in terms of energy, {\an2}energy independence, {\an2}we sure also want agricultural independence.

{\an2}And like it or not, {\an2}phosphate is one of the most important ingredients in that.

{\an2}- Gayle, what about you?

{\an2}Of those six stories, {\an2}what do you think has the longest term impact?

{\an2}- I think the voting rights, {\an2}because that affects everything we do in our country.

{\an2}And the preservation of voting rights and your ability {\an2}to cast your ballot and speak to the issues {\an2}that are impacting your life in this country is essential.

{\an2}There has just been a concerted effort {\an2}to undermine voting rights.

{\an2}We all know it.

{\an2}And the people that are doing it are afraid of the future, {\an2}future of this country is a much more diverse population.

{\an2}Yes, they're going to, {\an2}regardless of how hard people fight to gerrymander, {\an2}to undermine, to voter suppress, {\an2}to talk about non-existent critical race theory, {\an2}all of these things that the bugaboos that are being thrown {\an2}out by those that are afraid of the future.

{\an2}It's gonna change, none of us like change, {\an2}but changing that hurts people and pushes people {\an2}and segregates people and initiates a very bad, {\an2}bad environment for everyone in this country {\an2}is extremely dangerous.

{\an2}But the people that are initiating this and we know {\an2}who they are, don't give a damn.

{\an2}And I think that it's going to be very hurtful.

{\an2}- All right, well, Gayle, you kind of jumped the gun, {\an2}because we are gonna talk about that in a little bit.

{\an2}But Ernest, out of Ken Welsh being elected Mayor {\an2}of St. Pete, Piney Point toxic disaster, {\an2}housing price increases and battle in school boards, {\an2}the Bucs and the lightning win and Florida leads the nation {\an2}in insurrection, the Capitol insurrection arrests.

{\an2}What do you think is gonna have the long-term impact?

{\an2}- Well, it's going to be really interesting {\an2}to watch Mayor Ken Welch take over in St. Petersburg.

{\an2}He is going to be the first African-American Mayor {\an2}of St. Petersburg, the first African-American mayor {\an2}of any of the three major cities in Tampa Bay.

{\an2}So we're talking about what's going to be a historic tenure {\an2}for the city of St. Pete.

{\an2}And St. Pete is happening right now.

{\an2}There's a lot of thrilling things happening there, {\an2}but there are also a lot of problems that Mayor Welch {\an2}is going to have to address.

{\an2}And one of those will be the rising rental increases, {\an2}as well as climate change, {\an2}as well as what to do about the Tampa Bay rays.

{\an2}And if they're gonna stay on that side of the Bay.

{\an2}So he has a number of issues that he'll have to address, {\an2}but I think figuratively, {\an2}he's going to be such a terrific role model for kids there.

{\an2}I know how it was like for me growing up in Tallahassee {\an2}when we had our first African-American mayor, James Ford, {\an2}and the inspiration and admiration I gathered {\an2}from him as a child.

{\an2}So it's long overdue in St. Pete, {\an2}and it's gonna be great, Rob, to see how mayor Welch does.

{\an2}- All right.

Well, let's count down our final four now.

{\an2}More than a thousand manatees have died in Florida waters {\an2}in the first 11 months of this year.

{\an2}13% of the total Manatee population is now gone.

{\an2}And Gayle, let me go back to you on this one.

{\an2}I mean, this is, {\an2}people are saying that the Manatee population here {\an2}in Florida is on the verge of extinction.

{\an2}- This to me is very frightening, {\an2}only because it reflects the domination {\an2}of our environmental priorities in this state.

{\an2}We used to be the big environmental state.

{\an2}And I speak from experience, my son used to work at DEP.

{\an2}He worked there from when the transition from Charlie Crist {\an2}to Rick Scott and during the Rick Scott years {\an2}and even the DeSantis years, he just recently left.

{\an2}It was a disaster.

{\an2}He used to inspect everything around the state.

{\an2}All exposure, air, and water quality, {\an2}and all these things impact manatees as we know, {\an2}and all of our other eco life.

{\an2}And he went from, and I'm not... {\an2}He went from a $4 million budget that the entire department {\an2}had to do this surveillance, to $50,000 a year.

{\an2}Now we have a problem with this stuff {\an2}and nobody is addressing it.

{\an2}You have a Republican legislature, {\an2}Republican governors that pretend they're interested {\an2}and careful, but they're not.

{\an2}So we need to understand that.

{\an2}- Dan, several environmental groups have told the EPA {\an2}that they're gonna file a lawsuit against the EPA {\an2}for not enforcing clean water standards in Florida.

{\an2}The dirty water is where the sea grasses are, {\an2}and that's what manatees eat.

{\an2}And these environmental groups wanna sue- {\an2}- It's one of the environmental protection agency, {\an2}and you think they would have an interest in protecting {\an2}the environment.

{\an2}The manatees and I know this is a bad pun.

{\an2}There they are the aquatic Canary in the coal mine {\an2}in terms of the Florida's a very fragile ecosystem.

{\an2}And when we start losing these treasured animals, {\an2}and they're beautiful, I mean, {\an2}how can you not love a Manatee?

{\an2}But it also is a horrible sign of things to come.

{\an2}If we can't protect and grow this valuable resource {\an2}in our state, because their food supply {\an2}is just with them in a way.

{\an2}They are literally down to getting handouts {\an2}from humans to survive.

{\an2}And that is, that is tragic.

{\an2}- It is.

All right, let's go to story number three.

{\an2}An academic scandal rocks the University of Florida.

{\an2}School leadership is accused of bowing {\an2}to political pressure.

{\an2}Adam, let's go to you.

{\an2}Do you think that that there's a serious problem {\an2}with academic freedom at the University of Florida over, {\an2}for instance, three professors saying they weren't allowed {\an2}to testify in a voting rights law case {\an2}because they were gonna testify {\an2}against what the state is doing regarding voting rights.

{\an2}- Okay, this is a great question.

{\an2}First of all, you know, it should clearly be looked into, {\an2}'cause academic freedom is practically the best way {\an2}to assure our own.

{\an2}But I wanna stay with academic freedom.

{\an2}Yeah, and this goes into the response that Dan Ruth {\an2}had earlier in the show about school boards.

{\an2}There is a lack of tolerance in academia today.

{\an2}And that I think is threatening, not just K through 12, {\an2}it's threatening all of education system.

{\an2}And until or unless we honestly address that, {\an2}I think we've got major league issues.

{\an2}And we saw that in Virginia and elsewhere, {\an2}and the midterm and the elections during this past year {\an2}where parents rose up and said they wanted {\an2}to be more involved in curriculum and more involved {\an2}in their children's future.

{\an2}And it's even reinforced by academic studies.

{\an2}You can look at things like Anti-Semitism {\an2}and the growth of Semitism on campus.

{\an2}These are the things that mostly, I think, {\an2}threaten our future as much as any other issue {\an2}on the board that we're talking about today.

{\an2}And until or unless we address that ability to speak freely, {\an2}think freely and live freely on an academic environment, {\an2}I think we have a real problem on our hands, {\an2}and I really worry for our children moving forward.

{\an2}- And Adam, you're talking about, {\an2}you're saying that academia here in Florida is left wing.

{\an2}I think that's a fair summation of what you're saying.

{\an2}Gayle, what would you say about that?

{\an2}I mean, the theory is the people that are complaining {\an2}about academic freedom at the University of Florida {\an2}is that the board of governors includes people {\an2}who are campaign contributors to the governor, {\an2}and they don't want the university to do anything {\an2}that would shed a bad light on the governor.

{\an2}- Well, you know where this is going, {\an2}it's you do not interfere with academia.

{\an2}That's why we send our young people to college.

{\an2}To learn, to diversify, to understand, to learn the truth.

{\an2}We also have people in charge of this state {\an2}who don't believe in the truth.

{\an2}For example, they don't believe in science.

{\an2}And so are you're gonna tell them not to tell doctors {\an2}to tell their patients to get a shot?

{\an2}I mean, telling the truth is the problem here.

{\an2}You know, let me just say it.

{\an2}Republicans have talked about the liberal universities.

{\an2}If you don't like what university of Florida is doing, {\an2}send your kid to Liberty University, or someplace like that, {\an2}that's very conservative, that restricts learning.

{\an2}And why don't we just do that?

I mean, I'm not kidding.

{\an2}This is outrageous that people that are contributing {\an2}to the Republican Party and to Ron DeSantis {\an2}are telling people, {\an2}I don't want you talking about voter suppression.

{\an2}I don't want you talking about this very bad bill {\an2}that has been passed.

{\an2}It's incredible to me.

{\an2}University of Florida is our flagship.

{\an2}It's one of the top universities in this state, {\an2}in this country, rather for research and everything, {\an2}just about everything, journalism school, everything.

{\an2}It's about the truth.

It's about learning.

{\an2}And our kids need to know the truth.

Okay?

{\an2}So what are we gonna do now?

{\an2}We've gonna go back and alter everything in history, {\an2}because some people just don't like the truth.

{\an2}I mean, it's so incredible.

I can hardly talk about it.

{\an2}- Let me bring Dan Ruth.

{\an2}And Dan, is there a problem of academic freedom {\an2}at the University of Florida because of the political {\an2}connections of the board of governors?

{\an2}- Oh, I believe there is.

{\an2}I mean, universities have to stand for something.

{\an2}They have to stand for intellectual honesty {\an2}and academic freedom.

{\an2}And a university supposed to be a environment {\an2}where ideas get debated and go back and forth.

{\an2}And that's how... {\an2}Universities are where you go to learn to think.

{\an2}And if you start suppressing the ability of professors {\an2}to express themselves in a variety of settings, {\an2}because they may offend somebody politically, {\an2}well, you might as well just, you know, {\an2}lock the door and throw the key way.

{\an2}- Let's go to our next story.

{\an2}A new voting law, SB 90 is passed by the legislature.

{\an2}The law imposes restrictions on drop boxes, {\an2}voter registration drives and ballot counting.

{\an2}Several civil rights groups should have challenged {\an2}the law in court.

{\an2}The governor wants to establish also, {\an2}a statewide election police force.

{\an2}Ernest, lot of changes in the works for voting {\an2}here in Florida.

{\an2}- Well, there are a lot of changes here in Florida, {\an2}and there's a lot of changes around the nation.

{\an2}And the concern among those who are opposed to these changes {\an2}is that this is setting the stage {\an2}for the next presidential election to be overturned.

{\an2}We saw an effort after the 2020 election {\an2}to overturn those results.

{\an2}And it failed at nearly every point.

{\an2}Now the concern, and Bart Getman of the Atlantic {\an2}has written extensively about this, {\an2}the concerns he expresses that these laws looked {\an2}at the failure of the 2020 effort and will be in place {\an2}in 2024 so that if there is another effort to overturn {\an2}the presidential election, {\an2}it'll succeed where to 2020 effort fail.

{\an2}And Rob, I think that is a legitimate concern {\an2}and something that people in both parties need to care about {\an2}and be concerned about.

{\an2}This is our democracy we're talking about.

{\an2}Adam, people on the liberal side say that you Republicans {\an2}are trying to suppress the vote.

{\an2}What say you?

{\an2}- Let's just start where I think Ernest was leaving off, {\an2}by saying democracy can't survive {\an2}without electoral integrity, can't survive.

{\an2}If we are gonna question the results of an election {\an2}across the board in any one of the 50 states, {\an2}in any locality, what have we got?

{\an2}Democracy cannot survive that.

{\an2}I can tell you from firsthand experience.

{\an2}I mean, I've been right in the middle of the 2000 recount {\an2}with then secretary of state, Katherine Harris, {\an2}the most important thing we were trying to do {\an2}was to maintain that trust.

{\an2}And lose that, you got nothing.

{\an2}And the problem with all this discussion {\an2}is it's not a discussion.

{\an2}It's a one-sided harangue from one side against the other, {\an2}accusing one side or the other of trying to rig elections, {\an2}of trying to close down voting access.

{\an2}I mean, some of the things being advocated {\an2}in all these electoral reforms, like photo IDs to vote, {\an2}that's something that you can debate.

{\an2}But seven out of 10 Americans are in favor {\an2}of having photo ID when you show up at a polling place, {\an2}or you provide a mail ballot at a supervised Dropbox.

{\an2}And sure, the Dropbox has to be supervised and other things.

{\an2}But until we stop shouting at each other {\an2}and try to one up each other on who has the total monopoly {\an2}on how to create electoral integrity, {\an2}we're not gonna get home.

{\an2}And I'm hoping that Republicans and Democrats become {\an2}Americans on this issue and stop retreating to party boxes.

{\an2}Gayle, what do you think about this issue?

{\an2}- You know what, {\an2}I'm fascinated with this electoral integrity business.

{\an2}And let me tell you why, there was no fraud ever found.

{\an2}A lot of people were voting and a lot of those people voted {\an2}against the Republicans.

{\an2}So now all of a sudden we're going back {\an2}and we're trying to find more fraud.

{\an2}We just don't like this business of them.

{\an2}And Florida is the vote by mail, king, queen, whatever.

{\an2}And it's just astounding the propaganda that goes out there {\an2}to tell, and it confuses Republicans so much {\an2}with Donald Trump and in all of his foolishness {\an2}that a lot of their turnout was suppressed.

{\an2}And they didn't know whether to vote by mail {\an2}or vote in-person and risk their lives by voting.

{\an2}But all of a sudden we're worried about integrity.

{\an2}We're trying to suppress, {\an2}the governor has an enforcement army he's trying {\an2}to assemble to intimidate.

{\an2}This is the return of Jim Crow.

{\an2}And this is voter suppression to try to stop people who... {\an2}What the Republicans don't understand that since 2018, {\an2}every time they just suppress vote, try to suppress votes, {\an2}people turn out double and triple {\an2}because they're gonna stand in the rain, {\an2}stand in the storm to vote because they're so angry {\an2}with all this crazy stuff.

{\an2}And people are not fooled by this.

It's mirror clear.

{\an2}You guys didn't like the way it turned out, {\an2}so you just say, oh, we'll just reapportion.

{\an2}It will suppress voters.

We'll try to.

That's where we are.

{\an2}- Gayle, but in 2016- {\an2}- You can say all that.

{\an2}You can say all that and you know that the truth {\an2}is the truth about this.

{\an2}- Adam, Gayle, point quickly, please.

{\an2}- You got it.

{\an2}After 2016 in a major league poll, Florida 10 Democrats {\an2}didn't believe that Donald Trump was the rightful legitimate {\an2}winner of the 2016 election.

{\an2}We got to get off our partisan soap boxes and find a fix {\an2}for this before the entire electoral system {\an2}is gonna be dashed on the shoals of lack of trust.

{\an2}And you lose that, you got nothing.

{\an2}- You know where the American system was dashed {\an2}on the shoal, is January 6th.

{\an2}Those were Trumpsters trying to lead a siege {\an2}on our government.

{\an2}- Okay.

We're almost out of time.

{\an2}- Don't talk about democracy.

{\an2}- Okay, and our number one story of the year, {\an2}Brian, drum roll, please.

{\an2}(drums rolling) {\an2}It is Governor DeSantis handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.

{\an2}The Governor claims that the state's reopened successfully.

{\an2}He's pushed vaccines early on, {\an2}but later he resisted mandates and appointed {\an2}a vaccine skeptic to be the state surgeon general.

{\an2}He sells anti- Dr. Fauci merchandise on his website {\an2}and calls a special session to block mandates.

{\an2}Dan, how do you think the governor's handled {\an2}the COVID outbreak?

{\an2}- Terrible.

Terrible.

{\an2}You know, this is a governor who is a science denier, {\an2}who has selected his chief health officer for the state, {\an2}of science and anti-Fauci critic.

{\an2}It's been, he opposes mandates.

{\an2}It's been just the... {\an2}And we see what this Omicron, {\an2}the infection rates are going up in the state of Florida, {\an2}and then the, the assault on school boards {\an2}who wanted to mandate the wearing of mask {\an2}and denying them their salaries for school board members {\an2}and that sort of thing.

{\an2}It's just been, it's been ridiculous.

{\an2}- Ernest, how do you think the Governor has handled {\an2}the COVID crisis?

{\an2}- Well, I feel like he has received some assistance {\an2}from municipalities, especially early on {\an2}while he was opposed to mask mandates.

{\an2}You know, the city of Tampa, the city of St. Petersburg, {\an2}Manatee county, Sara, all around the state, {\an2}they were putting in mask mandates.

{\an2}And I think that helped initially.

{\an2}So it's been an interesting take.

{\an2}It does seem like Florida may have some type {\an2}of environmental advantage compared to other places {\an2}in the nation.

{\an2}And I wanted to add real quickly, all of these issues, {\an2}Adam was talking about trust earlier.

{\an2}All of these issues are about trust.

{\an2}And there's a lack of trust.

{\an2}And that's why these stories have risen to the top {\an2}of the list, and that's why we're having so much conflict, {\an2}because we don't trust each other when it comes {\an2}to academic freedom, when it comes to elections, {\an2}when it comes to how to deal with COVID.

{\an2}- And this is a governor won't even admit {\an2}whether he'd had the shot or not, or gotten a booster.

{\an2}- Adam, what do you think?

{\an2}How do you think the Governor's handled the COVID outbreak?

{\an2}- All I can tell you is that, I mean, {\an2}everyone have different opinions about it, {\an2}but the Florida story remains America's best seller today.

{\an2}You look at all the 330,000 that moved in {\an2}over the past year.

{\an2}The jobs that are moving in, {\an2}I think freedom is a powerful magnet, {\an2}and you can debate, legitimately debate, {\an2}mandates, lack of mandates, the vaccine policies {\an2}of this particular governor, {\an2}but America is voting with their feet {\an2}and with their pocket books.

{\an2}And it seems to be that they're giving the state {\an2}of Florida a round of applause.

{\an2}- All right.

And Gayle, in the minute that we have left, {\an2}how do you think he's handling it?

{\an2}- A freedom like this, where people are dying, {\an2}where people are dying because of his ridiculous policies {\an2}and the pay to play witness stuff.

{\an2}When the vaccine first came out, you got a vaccine, {\an2}your community got a vaccine.

{\an2}If he made a contribution to the Republican Party {\an2}or to Ron DeSantis.

{\an2}Now that was on "60 Minutes".

{\an2}I know you don't believe in "60 Minutes".

{\an2}And "60 Minutes" is probably one of the few credible {\an2}news operations, news entities that we have in this country.

{\an2}They found out that that's what he was doing.

{\an2}He continued with his foolishness and the deadly policies.

{\an2}These were deadly policies.

{\an2}People of color were dropping like flies.

{\an2}He just turned his head.

He didn't care.

{\an2}He wasn't trying to find out what was happening.

{\an2}He was suppressing the records of deaths.

{\an2}He was firing people.

{\an2}He sent a goon squad in to attack the woman that said, {\an2}"Hey, this guy was trying to get me to change the numbers.

{\an2}And I refused to do it."

It was a whistleblower.

{\an2}This is not good.

{\an2}This is not a game.

This is not a game.

{\an2}And it was poorly handled.

It was atrocious.

{\an2}We were the laughing stock of the nation.

{\an2}And we continue to be because of Ron DeSantis.

{\an2}- I think all these stories are gonna continue to next year, {\an2}except, you know, if Tom Brady keeps, you know, {\an2}we don't know how Tom Brady's gonna do, {\an2}but all these stories are gonna be on our agenda {\an2}next year.

{\an2}Thank you panel for a great program {\an2}and happy new year to all of you.

{\an2}And thanks for watching "Florida This Week", {\an2}you can send your comments to FTW@wedu.org, {\an2}or you can view this and past shows online at wedu.org {\an2}or on the PBS app.

{\an2}"Florida This Week" is now available as a podcast.

{\an2}You can find it on our website or wherever you download {\an2}your podcasts.

{\an2}And from all of us here at WEDU, have a happy new year.

{\an2}( bright music) {\an2}- [Announcer] "Florida This Week" is a production {\an2}of WEDU, who is solely responsible for its content.

{\an2}(upbeat music)