On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Florida’s Republican leaders press forward with plans to ban abortions in the Sunshine State after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending nationwide protections on abortions. Gomes talks with Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida. She…

On Trimmel Gomes' latest episode of The Rotunda, lawmakers are back in Tallahassee to discuss and reform the state's property insurance market. Lawmakers like Sen. Jeff Brandes said the crisis has been brewing for too long. Governor Ron DeSantis scores another point in the legal saga over his controversial congressional redistricting map. A Florida…

On this edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes, lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a four-day session to pass new congressional maps as part of the redistricting process. Ellen Freidin, CEO and general counsel of Fair Districts Now, who led the campaign in 2010 to pass a constitutional amendment to prevent politicians from doing …

On this edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes, Florida's 2022 legislative is coming to a close. The record-setting $112 billion state spending plan is expected to be voted on Monday. Gomes zeroes in on educators concerned about some of the bills restricting speech, including Pranati "Pranoo" Kumar, founder of Rohi's Readery, social…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes looks at how L-G-B-T-Q advocates are turning their focus to encouraging words for young people who are gay, following the passage of Florida's "Parental Rights in Education" bill. Gomes talks with State Representative Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Winter Park. Plus, a bipartisan bill …

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes follows the passage of the 15-week abortion ban, which now heads to the governor. The Florida Senate also passes a bill to keep ‘unlawful’ migrants from coming to the state. Florida’s Chief Information Officer, Jamie Grant, talks with Gomes about how the state is preparing for any cy…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes features President Biden’s first State of the Union speech Tuesday as he addresses the Ukraine crisis, pledging that the US will close off its air space to Russian flights. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republican leaders are warning Sen. Rick Scott that his agenda for the GOP is pro…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes tracks how some of Florida’s leaders are speaking out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Gomes also covers passionate debate on the House floor as lawmakers approve bills limiting discussions on race and advance the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. New episodes of The Rotunda Podcast are ava…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes explores how millions of Florida children could be in jeopardy of becoming uninsured. Alison Yager with the Florida Health Justice Project discusses new research by Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, which warns children could lose coverage as soon as April, w…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes features Rep. Travaris McCurdy and Rep. Angie Nixon, two Black Democrats who are calling out racism after claiming Republican Rep. Cord Byrd, who is white, shouted expletives at them. The verbal altercation was triggered by protesters erupting in chants as Republicans approved a 15-w…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes follows the money on some big-ticket budget items impacting Florida’s health care industry. The Florida Hospital Association warns that cuts to hospital funding in the House and Senate’s budget could worsen staffing shortages at Florida hospitals. Gomes also talks with Jeff Johnso…

The Monday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes covers the budget process. Some Republican lawmakers are attempting to take $200 million away from 12 school districts that defied the governor’s orders and required students to wear masks to protect against the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has rejected the House pro…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes wraps up a busy week in the Florida Legislature where lawmakers advanced the controversial 15-week abortion bill, poised to become law. Florida’s election officials tell Gomes the state’s elections system is already at its best, and they are concerned about proposed changes that coul…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes tracks the contentious confirmation hearing of Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo as Democrats tried to get the state’s top health official to disclose his vaccination status. Gomes also follows the battle over net energy metering as the solar industry shines a spotlight on SB1…

The Monday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes zeroes in on Florida’s budget as newly proposed House and Senate budgets will get tweaked this week before each chamber votes on the spending plans. The Senate proposal is $108.6 billion, while the House proposal is nearly $105.3 billion. Gomes also continues his conversation with Re…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes tracks the next stage of Florida’s once-a-decade redistricting process as legislative maps are headed to the Florida Supreme Court. Republican Representative Anthony Sabatini, who considers himself the most pro-Trump member of the Florida Legislature, tells Gomes about his ongoing fe…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes examines the bill that would ban public schools and private businesses from inflicting “discomfort” on white people during lessons or training about discrimination. On Tuesday, Florida Republicans also advanced a voting law package that would establish a police unit for election c…

The Monday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes features the newest member of the Florida House, Mr. Daryl Campbell, a 35-year-old mental health specialist. He was elected on Jan. 11 to represent Florida House District 94, and he shares his journey with Gomes ahead of his official swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday on the House Floor…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes follows the crowd which broke in protest during a House committee meeting on Thursday. The audience chanted, “let us Speak; let us speak” after Committee Chairman Bryan Avila announced the end of public testimony on the controversial 15-week abortion ban bill (HB5). Gomes also looks …

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes looks at the history of Florida's revenge porn law as Senator Lauren Book pushes legislation to strengthen the law after personal photos were from her and shared over the internet. Gomes revisited an interview with Carly Hellstrom, a victim of revenge porn who encouraged lawmakers…

The Monday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes explores how local governments fight state lawmakers to maintain local control, similar to how state governments fight the feds. Gomes interviews Miami Mayor and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Francis Suarez. The mayor called on fellow Republicans in Tallahassee to respe…

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast hosted by Trimmel Gomes looks at the Senate's passage of its redistricting plans. Plus, the Miami Herald's state government reporter Ana Ceballos is tracking bills by Republican lawmakers that could allow some political groups to shield funding sources from scrutiny. Gomes visits a kava bar in Tallahassee a…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast, hosted by Trimmel Gomes, follows race and critical race theory debates at the Florida capitol. Republican Senator Manny Diaz defends his bill against arguments from Democratic Senator Shevriin Jones, who argued such legislation would suppress the freedoms of teachers to address certain subject areas. Go…

The Monday edition of The Rotunda Podcast, hosted by Trimmel Gomes, observes the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday focusing on the nation's day of service. Gomes also features a 2016 interview with King's son, Martin Luther King III, and looks ahead to activities around Florida's capitol.

The Friday edition of The Rotunda Podcast, hosted by Trimmel Gomes, wraps the first week of the 2022 Florida legislative session. Redistricting sped forward with lightning speed this week, and the League of Women Voters of Florida president Cecile Scoon gives credit to the Senate for leading a more transparent process than the House. Governor Ron D…

The Wednesday edition of The Rotunda Podcast, hosted by Trimmel Gomes, highlights the first day of the 2022 Florida legislative session. Gomes recaps Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State of the State address and opening day speeches from Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls. Gomes interviews Democratic Senator and gubernatorial candi…

The Rotunda Podcast, hosted by Trimmel Gomes, is back from hiatus with a new episode featuring the Miami Herald’s senior Tallahassee reporter, Mary Ellen Klas, who responds to Florida Power & Light’s unusual public attack against her coverage. The nation’s largest power company launched a webpage accusing Klas of being “a reporter with a historical…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, U.S. Representative Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, reflects on his time in Congress. As he seeks re-election, he fights off accusations from opponents that he’s a special interest candidate. One of Lawson’s challengers, Democrat Albert Chester, tells Gomes that constituents in Congressional District 5 nee…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, the protester at a news conference who shouted and called for the resignation of Governor Ron DeSantis over his handling of the pandemic says he would do it again. Gomes talks with Thomas Kennedy, a longtime Miami-Dade advocate for undocumented immigrants, about his vocal opposition. Also, former Tal…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Governor Ron DeSantis outlines his plan for reopening Florida this week. Gomes talks with Debra Bennett, Florida state organizer for the National Council of Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, who highlights the growing number of COVID-19 cases at the Department of Corrections. Ot…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, former Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum announce he’s entering into rehab to seek treatment for alcohol abuse. Gomes looks back on one of Gillum’s first one-on-one interview about his 2018 bid for governor. As state officials urge citizens to isolate during the Co…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, a look at the ongoing fight for independence between nurses and physicians. David Herbert, the CEO of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, explains why he thinks removing physician oversight from qualified nurse practitioners will help solve the problems of increasing healthcare costs and…

On Trimmel Gomes' latest episode of The Rotunda, Alan Abramowitz, the executive director of Florida's Guardian ad Litem program, discusses policy priorities and tactics by child advocates to ensure lawmakers address the needs of Florida's children in the state budget. In honor of Black History month, Gomes profiles the Rev. C.K. Steele, who led the…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Leon County Republican Party chairman Evan Power discusses his campaign to become National Committeeman for the Republican Party of Florida. Power explains the loyalty-mindset of Trump voters and why he thinks the GOP brand is untarnished, despite critics. Follow on @RotundaPodcast on Twitter and vis…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Melba Pearson with the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida (ACLU of Florida) explains their fight to get a judge to block Florida’s law requiring fees be paid before ex-felons can vote. Plus, educators like Brian Dean of Instruction Partners tells Gomes why he’s urging state officials to improv…

Trimmel Gomes' latest episode of "The Rotunda," features former congresswoman Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Florida governor and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. Last year Graham sought the Democratic nomination for governor but lost to Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. Graham tells Gomes that she was ready to join the Gillum campaign to help him win, bu…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, a closer look at the student-powered enterprise news operation about Florida government making waves in Florida’s capitol. Gomes chats with student journalists Katie Campione and Max Chesnes at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications “Fresh Take Florida” news service. Plus,…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, tech-savvy lawmakers Sen. Jeff Brandes, R- St. Petersburg, Rep. James Grant, R-Tampa, Rep. Jason Fischer, R-Jacksonville, and Rep. Jennifer Webb, D-Gulfport, discuss some of the more ‘disruptive’ issues facing Florida. Gomes spotlights the special roundtable featured in the Spring 2019 edition of INF…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Tampa Bay Times political editor Adam Smith explains his decision to jump from journalism to public relations during what he thinks is an unusually slow time in Florida politics. Also, after Secretary of State Mike Ertel resigned after photos of him in blackface was leaked to the press, Gov. Ron DeSa…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez said Florida’s environment has been neglected for eight years and is excited about the swift change of course with Gov. Ron DeSantis. Martinez also shares his concerns with seeing Florida’s public education system being starved of resources in favor of competition …

Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda previews inaugural events celebrating Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis and Florida’s next Cabinet members. Also, Senator Lauren Book, D-Plantation, discusses policy changes in the Florida Senate to prohibit sexual harassment of employees. Book also talks about her efforts to shift oversight of the state’s conceal…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of The Rotunda, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey pledges to bend over backward to make sure Gov.-elect Ron Desantis will have one of the most successful inaugurations in the history of the state of Florida. Dailey reveals to Gomes why technically this is his second time being sworn in as mayor and his plans to transfor…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” Ion Sancho, a longtime Leon County supervisor of elections, calls for reform in Florida’s election laws to prevent the recurring nightmare of problematic recounts from happening. In an extended interview, Sancho tells Gomes some of the problems that plagued Brenda Snipes, the outgoing supervisor el…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” Florida's election recounts are underway in three of the state’s biggest races — governor, U.S. Senate and agriculture commissioner. The unprecedented review is dredging up memories of the 2000 presidential recount. Gomes talks with legal experts involved who argue frequent mistakes and glitches, p…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” highlights from Ron Desantis and Andrew Gillum’s fiery exchanges during their first national debate on CNN. Plus, in exploring new models for journalism Gomes talks with Florida Phoenix Editor-in-Chief Julie Hauserman about her approach to covering state government and politics. Follow on @RotundaP…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” Governor Rick Scott discusses ongoing response and recovery efforts with Hurricane Michael, how it compares to Hurricane Hermine and he’s asked about the impact of climate change on Florida’s environment. David Hastings, a marine and chemistry professor at Eckerd College, talks with Gomes about Flo…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” John Mills, an attorney for the League of Women Voters explains why he thinks Gov. Rick Scott’s attempts to appoint three new justices to Florida’s Supreme Court defies common sense. Mills tells Gomes that Scott is on the verge of causing a constitutional crisis. After emceeing an awards dinner at …

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” a closer look at the many dog whistles that could lead the Andrew Gillum campaign into the “Trumpian Trap,” according to Brian Burgess of The Capitolist. Burgess claims the racial undertones from the Ron DeSantis campaign are unintended. Gomes also talks with Danny McAuliffe of Florida Politics abo…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” Rep. Shevrin Jones, a Democrat from Broward County shares his ‘announcement of freedom’ that he is gay. Jones chats with Gomes about his decision to step out of the closet and his plans to continue being an advocate for the LGBTQ community in Tallahassee. Gomes also offers up a quick guide to Flori…

On Trimmel Gomes’ latest episode of “The Rotunda,” a discussion about how some Florida candidates are inspired and are trying to replicate the grass-roots success of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s New York primary win over high-ranking Democrat Rep. Joe Crowley. Gomes talks with Anna Eskamani, a Democrat running for Central Florida’s House District 47 …