It’s time for some REAL journalism on the podcast. This week, Steph and Eddie welcome veteran independent journalist, Jason Garcia. We invited Jason to give us an overview of some of the most enraging scandals to come out of the DeSantis administration starting with Hope Florida (12:45). But things get more juicy—just a few days before recording the podcast, another shoe dropped with an incredible investigative piece from the Tampa Bay Times, which we spent some time digging through (25:13). Afterwards, we explore its impacts, why DeSantis was so desperate to beat Amendments 3 & 4, and then we touch on the $84 million dollar land purchase blessed by the Florida legislature (47:10). Finally, we asked Jason about what’s coming ahead in the 2026 legislation session, and listener, we were not happy about what we heard (58:10)!

Tampa Bay Times: DeSantis admin diverted child welfare and medical funds for consultants, ads

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This week, our duo starts off by discussing Steph’s exploits at the FSBA (Florida School Board Association) Conference and who got booed during their speech. Eddie and Steph also share their (wildly differing) athletic exploits. Then, we get to Steph’s first solo interview (!) with Hillsborough County School Board member, Jessica Vaughn. Jessica and Steph follow up on a thread from a previous episode: Does Florida want public education to fail (20:09)? Then, on an incredibly related topic, they discuss the disaster that is Schools of Hope, and importantly, what it means when schools are under-enrolled (30:26). Jessica then addresses her latest thinking on running for Governor of Florida, along with a discussion of the top two candidates in the race (43:47). Finally, Jessica lays out the one thing she would do to improve public schools in Florida if she had the chance (55:33).

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We’re back after digesting our Thanksgiving dinner and ready to pod! Before getting into the interview, Steph and Eddie discuss the latest with school start times and where we think the community stands (8:40)—and then also a discussion on whether Trump is cooked (15:07).

After the initial chatter, we bring on Eddie’s favorite guest ever to join the pod—Eddie’s dad, Richard Geller (21:22). Born in the Silent Generation, Richard has seen a lot both in America and in Florida. We delved into his time as a history teacher, and then what he sees as the similarities and differences between what’s come before, and where we’re at now (37:06). And finally Richard explains why the Trump administration is indeed the most frightening administration he’s ever lived through (45:48).

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Before getting to today's interview, our tenacious podcasters answer the burning question on everyone's mind: What is the Phoenix Declaration? Steph and Eddie share some thoughts about the Florida Board of Education’s recent adoption of this Declaration (5:40), followed by a warm welcome to Rebecca Thompson, a School Board Member in Broward County, Florida. Rebecca fills us in on the current state of affairs in Broward and the (12!) town halls she has recently hosted (12:55). She talks about what it means to live in a state that consistently handicaps public education and the efforts districts and boards are taking to ensure our students continue to thrive in this climate (27:25). The group discusses how to be an advocate in your community (41:11) and Rebecca shares her vision for what our public schools could look like outside of survival mode (48:00).

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Steph and Eddie open the pod talking about a wide range of issues, from pumpkin dates, to whether yoga causes flat tires, to a brief explanation of Florida’s Sunshine Laws (7:55). They then welcome Chris Mitchell of Statecraft Media to the pod again to discuss his thoughts on the recent election (13:41). He noted that this was the first election in several years where candidates did not overly focus on President Trump’s actions and rhetoric and instead put forth solutions and a resonant vision for the future (25:43). They talked about what this may mean for Florida in 2026 (34:09) and the entry of Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings into the Governor’s race (45:46). They concluded the conversation by highlighting the importance of elected officials standing strong against the attempts by the federal and state governments to usurp power and trample laws and rights (54:20). A special guest discusses a few missing items and brings the episode to a close (1:06:13).

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The government may be shut down but Steph and Eddie are still podding. This week, Steph and Eddie bring Stephana Ferrell to the pod (12:25). Stephana is the Director of Research & Insight at Florida Freedom to Read Project and a tireless public school advocate. Stephana was one of the first to flag the new Florida standards for teaching the evils of communism coming to public schools across Florida (18:01). The new standards have been called "propaganda" and a “rewriting” of history. After going through an overview of the new proposed standards and how they came into being, Steph outlines what can be done on a local level to fight back against this indoctrination (32:07). Finally, Stephana gives us the most recent update regarding book bans in Florida (44:31).

Head here to leave a comment about the communism standards: https://flrules.org/gateway/View_Notice.asp?id=30130642

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Eddie and Steph welcome Daryl Perritt to the pod this week to discuss Florida's "Free Kill" law. This carve out in Florida's Wrongful Death Act limits the ability of family members to file lawsuits for medical negligence, or malpractice, for adults who are 25 years or older and do not have a spouse of children. Daryl begins by sharing a bit about himself and the business he and his son, Cameron, have run for over a decade (6:07). He then talks about Cameron's medical history and the events surrounding his last visit to the hospital (10:43). They discuss the history and broader ramifications of the Free Kill law (18:38) and round out the episode by talking about Daryl's goals in educating people about the law, and his advocacy efforts to repeal it during this legislative session.

Support Daryl: https://www.floridafreekill.org/ Orlando Sentinel: Grieving father erects billboard welcoming motorists to ‘free kill’ Florida Follow Us:

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Eddie and Steph welcome Liz Barker, School Board Member for Sarasota County Public Schools, to the pod. The topic of conversation is the sneakily named Schools of Hope: the latest rendition of privately owned and operated schools funded by our public tax dollars. Liz begins by defining Schools of Hope (20:17) and shares more information from her recent Opinion Piece in the Herald Tribune titled, Sarasota schools could become rent-free spaces for others. We must act now. (30:07) They discuss the ramifications of Schools of Hope being allowed to co-locate in any of our traditional schools, not just the schools that have been labeled as “persistently low performing,” and the Hope operators’ stated intention to ultimately take over the entire school. Liz inspires us all to take action and to fight back against these Schools of Hope (50:43). We bring the episode to a close by discussing Liz’s newest neighbor on the dais - the School Board Member she defeated in 2024 (55:10) - and how Liz maintains her mantra of community over chaos even in the most challenging times.

2026 Sarasota Legislative Agenda

Liz’s Op-Ed: “Sarasota schools could become rent-free spaces for others. We must act now.”

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