We've had some very interesting conversations on Florida Matters with newsmakers across the greater Tampa Bay region. Here's a sampling of some of our favorites, from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor talking about her priorities for a second term, to Tarpon Springs resident Chris Powell reflecting on environmental changes to his favorite island.

Florida Matters revisits some favorite episodes from 2023, including conversations about hurricanes and political storms, education, population growth and baseball.

State lawmakers start the legislative session soon. They will be working alongside Ron DeSantis, the governor and presidential candidate, crafting new laws on education, the environment, business and much more. On this episode we talk about how presidential politics might shape Florida’s legislative session. We discuss the governor’s budget request and examine bills on the environment, child labor, education, health care, and talk about the continued consolidation of power in Tallahassee and what it means for residents in the greater Tampa Bay region. Joining Florida Matters are political journalist and Tampa Bay Times correspondent William March, WUSF politics and environment reporter Steve Newborn and investigative journalist and publisher of Seeking Rents, Jason Garcia.

A shooting in Ybor City the weekend before Halloween killed two people: 14-year-old Elijah Wilson and 20-year-old Harrison Boonstoppel, and injured 16 others. So far, two people, a 22-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy, have each been charged with second degree murder. Police say the investigation is ongoing. The charges against the 14-year-old highlight a grim fact in Florida: more kids are getting their hands on guns. In a series airing on WUSF this week - Growing Up with Guns - Health News Florida’s Stephanie Colombini examines the consequences: from deaths and injuries to children, to the trauma of losing a loved one to a shooting or being a witness to gun violence. The series also highlights the work being done to push back against gun violence, help kids arrested on gun charges to turn their lives around, and support victims of gun violence. On this episode we sit down with Colombini to talk about what her reporting reveals. Joining the conversation is Freddy Barton, executive director of Safe and Sound Hillsborough, who's working to turn the tide of youth gun violence.

The mission of Florida Humanities is to help Floridians make sense of this complex, dynamic state by elevating stories about its culture, history and literature. A new book, "Once Upon a Time in Florida," celebrates the organization's golden anniversary. Florida Matters sat down with Dr. Nashid Madyun, executive director of Florida Humanities, and Jacki Levine, the editor of "Once Upon a Time in Florida" for a conversation about what went into the creation of this book. They talk about what Florida stereotypes are wrong, how much we don’t know about this vast, complex state, and how the humanities can provide a more complete picture of Florida during a time of rapid change. We also hear from some of the contributors to "Once Upon a Time in Florida": NPR TV and film critic Eric Deggans talks about how the stylized image of Florida in shows like Miami Vice affects the way others see the state, and how we see ourselves. WUSF’s Dalia Colon reads from her profile of former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros Lehtinen, whose family sought refuge in Florida after fleeing Communist Cuba. Historian Gary Mormino muses on the demise of the once mighty citrus industry, and Pulitzer Prize winning author Jack Davis describes the "beauty and bluster" of the Gulf of Mexico and its impact on the state.

The public’s trust in the news media is slipping. It’s not just a problem for newsrooms: researchers say trust is also dropping for science, higher education and government as well. According to a recent Gallup poll, a record 39% of Americans say they have no trust in the media at all. Declining trust in the media is an existential problem for newsrooms, as they try to figure out how to stay relevant - and solvent. But it's not just media organizations fighting declining trust. Pew Research Center has found declining levels of trust in government and science too. And with another consequential presidential election looming, the role of journalism has never been more important. On this episode we talk about how journalists can win back trust and help the public be better informed, Taylor Swift, the school kitty litter conspiracy, teaching people to think like fact checkers, and understanding the places where misinformation thrives. Joining the conversation: Joy Mayer, the founder and director of Trusting News, a project that researches news consumers and then helps journalists earn trust and demonstrate credibility, and Alex Mahadevan, director of Mediawise at Poynter.

Black Friday, the traditional start of the holiday shopping season, is just days away. The National Retail Federation expects consumers to spend a record amount this holiday season: between 3% and 4% higher than last November and December, or up to $966 billion. Still, the Retail Federation notes holiday spending is not growing as fast as it did the past three years. Many residents in the greater Tampa Bay region, and statewide, are feeling the pinch of inflation, the high cost of homeowners insurance and rent, and other financial pressures. On this episode of Florida Matters, we discuss consumer confidence and the economic challenges facing Floridians as retailers gear up for their busy season. And, it’s been called the "Super Bowl of shopping." Shopapalooza happens the weekend after Thanksgiving along the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg. It's a place where people can get their in-person shopping fix, and this year there are more than 350 vendors. We talk about what this event means for small businesses, and where it fits into the holiday shopping environment, where big box and online retailers are competing fiercely for people’s attention and dollars. Joining the conversation are Michael Snipes, economics instructor at the University of South Florida, and Pat Largo with Shopapalooza.

It’s open enrollment for Medicare. For people who are eligible for the federal health insurance program, picking a plan and making sure it’s affordable can be a challenge, especially paying for medication when you’re on a fixed income. On this episode, we sit down with a volunteer who’s spent the last six years guiding people through the process of signing up for Medicare. And we explore how Medicaid unwinding has dropped hundreds of thousands of Floridians from their health insurance. Joining Florida Matters: Stephanie Colombini, who has been reporting on Medicaid unwinding for Health News Florida. And Fran Oberne is a volunteer for SHINE, which stands for Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders. That is a program offered by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs, which provides health insurance information for Medicare beneficiaries.

Lawmakers are back in Tallahassee this week for a special session. Up for discussion among other bills are measures to provide relief for ranchers affected by Hurricane Idalia and help homeowners struggling with high insurance premiums. A precarious insurance market, combined with hurricanes, the looming threat of climate change and our booming population, is creating a perfect storm of challenges for our state. But in Southwest Florida, a solar powered town offers a vision of how to build a sustainable community in the face of these challenges. In this episode of Florida Matters, we sit down with Babcock Ranch developer Syd Kitson and talk about planning a resilient town and building for an uncertain future.

While a recent shooting in Ybor City may put the Tampa neighborhood in the spotlight, Ybor has a long and rich history and was instrumental in shaping the city of Tampa. The cigar industry was lured from revolutionary Cuba and became home to the city's economic and power base. In this episode of Florida Matters, we talk with Sarah McNamara, the author of a new book called "Ybor City, Crucible of the Latina South." She's an assistant professor of history at Texas A&M University. In the book, McNamara explores how cross-border exchanges over three generations influenced what Ybor and Tampa would become. It's also personal to McNamara, whose family is from Ybor City.