Top of Mind Florida

The Next Generation of Florida Journalism | CB Hanif & Mikala Graham

Who's going to cover the cities, school boards, and water plants that Florida's shrinking newsrooms have left behind? CB Hanif spent more than two decades at the Palm Beach Post — as editorial page editor, ombudsman, and columnist — before spending the last 11 years teaching multimedia journalism at Inlet Grove Community High School in Riviera Beach. His students cover real government meetings, write for the Stet News Community Voices team, and get paid for their work. One of those students is Mikala Graham, an 11th grader who caught the journalism bug and started covering Riviera Beach city government — including a water plant issue that directly affects her neighborhood. She shows up, takes notes, asks questions, and understands why it matters that someone from the community is in the room. Veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley explore what's lost when local reporting disappears, why TikTok isn't the enemy of good journalism, and what it looks like when the next generation actually gets it. 🌐 grovewatch.com [http://grovewatch.com] | stet.news [http://stet.news] 🎙️ New episodes every Tuesday at 4 PM on YouTube and 5 AM on all major audio podcast platforms. 📺 WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@TopOfMindFlorida [https://www.youtube.com/@TopOfMindFlorida] 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] ▶️ RSS Feed / All Platforms: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

Florida's Redrawn Map: DeSantis, Gerrymandering, and Your Vote

Florida's congressional map was redrawn in a matter of hours — with almost no public input — and Governor Ron DeSantis signed it into law before most voters knew the special session had even begun. The new map shifts Florida's House delegation from a 20-8 Republican advantage to a projected 24-4 split, reshaping districts across South Florida, Tampa, and Central Florida. Veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley break it all down: which incumbents are most vulnerable, what happens to Jared Moskowitz, Lois Frankel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, and the shattered CD 20, and whether a redrawn map can hold up when Florida voters are paying $5 a gallon for gas and can't afford housing. Courts will challenge this. The pocketbook will challenge this even harder. New episodes drop every Tuesday at 5am. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TopOfMindFlorida [https://www.youtube.com/@TopOfMindFlorida]

Florida Voices | The Next Generation Speaks Out — FAU College Democrats and College Republicans

They drove to the studio together. One Democrat, one Republican — same campus, very different politics, and a shared belief that the system is failing young people. Nicholas Ostheimer, President of the FAU College Democrats, and Joseph Semprevivo, President of the FAU College Republicans, join veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley. Both students relaunched their organizations at Florida Atlantic University. Both lead hundreds of members. And both agreed to sit down together — which, in today's climate, is remarkable enough on its own. They talk affordability, representation, immigration, foreign policy, the Iran war, and whether their generation can actually compromise where older ones have failed. They also deliver a direct message to elected officials: show up, hold town halls, and face the people who pay your salary. Refreshing. Frank. And worth your time. Top of Mind Florida is hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley. New episodes every Tuesday at 5 AM. 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] 🎙️ RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

Boca Raton Has a New Mayor. Now What?

Boca Raton Mayor Andy Thomson won his race by just five votes — one of the closest margins in the city's history. Veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida veteran journalist/political analyst Brian Crowley sit down with Mayor Thomson for a wide-ranging conversation about the explosive development referendum that dominated the election, the steady erosion of local government authority by the Florida Legislature, the looming threat of property tax cuts that could gut city budgets statewide, and what affordable housing really means in one of South Florida's most expensive zip codes. Mayor Thomson also gets personal — sharing why this issue hits home, literally, through his own family's experience trying to afford life in the city he grew up in. Whether you live in Boca or anywhere in Florida, the forces shaping this city are headed your way. Top of Mind Florida is hosted by veteran broadcast journalist Michael Williams and Florida political analyst Brian Crowley. New episodes every Tuesday at 5am Eastern. 🎙️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/top-of-mind-florida/id1818339119] 🎙️ RSS Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/ [https://rss.com/podcasts/top-of-mind-florida/]

Your Right to Vote Is Under Attack — League of Women Voters President Dianna Wynn Says Watch Out

Think your vote is safe? Think again. Michael Williams sits down with Dianna Wynn, National President of the League of Women Voters, who says her organization — 106 years old — has declared a constitutional crisis for the first time ever. She explains exactly what the SAVE America Act could do to your ability to vote, why millions of women could be locked out at registration, and why mail-in voting is in the crosshairs. Brian Crowley joins Michael to cut through the noise — who's really behind these voting changes, what Florida's own history with mail-in voting tells us, and what happens if November's results get challenged in court. New audio episodes every Tuesday at 5 AM.