Dave Dunwoody

After an eight-year virtual drought in the Florida Legislature, there's a host of environmental protection bills in the 2020 session.

During his two terms, Gov. Rick Scott banned the phrases “global warming” and “climate change” from being uttered, written, or hinted at. Scott has denied this, but one state employee begged to differ.

“You could just say ‘the water’s getting hotter,’” said the unidentified employee. “We couldn’t talk about why the water’s getting hotter. At some point it was mentioned that sea level rise was to be referred to as ‘nuisance flooding.’”

A centennial celebration, and an update on gun violence and police training highlighted Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson’s Monday news conference.

After some preliminary remarks on other matters, the mayor honored Frances Johnson on her 100th birthday, including a chorus of “Happy Birthday” by the assemblage and members of Johnson’s family.

Robinson spoke of Frances’ and her husband’s involvement in Pensacola’s black business community, having operated a paint store for decades.

Defense Sec. Mark Esper toured Naval Air Station Pensacola on Wednesday, his first visit overall and the latest in official visits in the wake of last month’s shooting that left four dead, including the gunman, and eight other wounded. WUWF’s Dave Dunwoody reports.

After finishing the tour, Esper met with the media to talk about the decision made by the Department of Defense in vetting foreign military trainees in the U.S.

A law compensating people released after time in prison for crimes they didn't commit could be expanded, under a bill now moving through the Florida House.

Currently, state law enables wrongfully incarcerated prisoners to receive $50,000 for each year behind bars. But it prohibits the filing of claims by those previously convicted of an unrelated violent crime – the so-called “Clean Hands Provision.”

Pensacola Mayor Grover Robinson’s urging those in, or contemplating, a life of crime to explore other options – including with one growing company.

Speaking at his weekly news conference, Robinson based his remarks on last week’s shooting involving four men who fired gunshots at each other near the intersection of East Cervantes Street and North Ninth Avenue. Police are searching for them.

Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered his State of the State address to the Florida Legislature Tuesday, on day one of the 2020 regular session.  

Lawmakers are getting an early start – January rather than March -- because it’s a presidential election year, and the Florida primary is set for March 17.

“For everything there is a season, and this is Florida’s season of opportunity,” said the governor. Speaking to the joint legislative session, the governor began by quoting the Book of Ecclesiastes -- and the Byrds.

Attorney Gen. Bill Barr and the FBI’s second-in-command are out with the findings of the investigation into last month’s shooting at Pensacola Naval Air Station, which left three U.S. servicemen dead.

For the attorney general, one thing is cut and dried:

After 16 years as state attorney for the 1st Judicial Circuit in Florida, Bill Eddins will not seek a fifth term in office this year.

The 73-year-old Eddins makes one thing very clear.

“I still love my work; I’m healthy, I feel like I could continue to do it, but after 16 years it’s a very difficult job and I feel that this is an appropriate time for me to turn over the reins to someone else.”

Forecasters continue to track a line of severe weather moving across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, part of which is taking dead aim at the Florida Panhandle and south Alabama.

The tracking has been going on for the better part of a week by the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, where Jeff Huffman is chief meteorologist.

Residents in the Florida Panhandle and South Alabama are being advised to stay alert this weekend, as a powerful, organized storm front approaches from the west.

This will be a powerful front, according to Meteorologist Jeff Huffman at the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, and will catch a lot of attention on Friday with the severe weather developing – especially Friday night across Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas.

The squall line will be capable of producing widespread swaths of wind damage, along with rainfall amounts of 1-3 in.

Experts on the front lines in the fight against human trafficking gather in Pensacola Friday, for a summit sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce.

Human trafficking has no boundaries at all; it doesn’t matter what gender you are, it doesn’t matter what age, orientation, or tax bracket.

It’s a new year, and the bad guys are busy dreaming up new scams and updating old ones. The Better Business Bureau is offering consumers some advice on beginning 2020 on a positive note.

Basically, the earlier that you detect something that is not something you purchased, or your account’s different, then the earlier you can get your banking institution – or with whom you have the account – to get on  it and to stop it, says Tammy Ward in the BBB’s Pensacola office.

Work continues on plugging up the remaining leaks in the city of Pensacola’s computer system, one month after being hit with ransomware.

Mayor Grover Robinson, at his first news conference for 2020, said moving forward is the prudent thing to do.

“We’ve see nothing that has been, I guess, internally problematic or personal in nature for employees, pensioners, customers or people that we’re dealing with in housing,” said Robinson. “At the same time we just thought it was the right thing to do to protect people.”

While the future of the Port of Pensacola isn’t cast in stone, the trend appears to be away from the traditional industrial businesses. WUWF’s Dave Dunwoody has part three of his look at the facility, focusing on a space-age firm.

Some of the so-called “niche” organizations already at the port may provide a blueprint. Port Director Amy Miller recently held an open house to display their tenants, and discuss the future. Before the walking tours, she delivered a pep talk of sorts.

In part two of our look at the work aimed at converting the Port of Pensacola into a “niche port,” WUWF’s Dave Dunwoody looks at a growing seafood company housed there.

Pensacola Bay Oyster Co. was founded in 2013, by Pensacola native Donnie McMahon.

“These are the first-ever Pensacola Bay–spawned oysters; we spawned them a few weeks ago,” said McMahon shortly after their opening six years ago. “The oyster is really an amazing creature; it can filter up to 50 gallons [of water] a day.”