High utility bills and local pushback

Florida is a state that often feels tangible impacts of climate change, with strong storms and hurricanes making landfall in the state every hurricane season. However, this year is the first time in a decade that the Sunshine State was spared from experiencing a single hurricane. Jessica Meszaros, a climate change reporter at WUSF, joins Kimberly to explain how Floridians are rebuilding a year after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton hit the state. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!

Here’s what we talked about on the show today:

• “Florida and the U.S. were spared of hurricanes in 2025, but storms are still rapidly intensifying” from WUSF
• “Hurricane Helene Response” from US Army Corps of Engineers
• “Assessment of Agricultural Losses Resulting from Hurricane Milton” from University of Florida IFAS
• “Disaster and insurance costs are rising. The middle class is struggling to hang on” from NPR
• “Sorting trash can be dirty and dangerous. Sounds like a job for AI” from Marketplace
• “Disney comes to Sora: What you can and can't do with the characters” from Axios
• “How fruitcake became a Christmas classic (even if it’s unpopular)” from MSN
• “City life is reshaping raccoons – and may be nudging them toward domestication” from The Guardian