Florida Media Conference, Part 2: Katie Sanders and Michael Kelly
Release Date: 08/17/2025
Episode 172: Reporter Roundtable from the Rotunda
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
Four years ago, Deeper Dive with Dara Kam started as a way to slow down the news cycle just enough for frank conversations about what's happening inside the Florida Capitol and around the Sunshine State. This week’s episode does that one more time — and then some. For the final Deeper Dive from the News Service, I sat with a group of reporters for a roundtable recorded right in the Rotunda — the place where so many of our stories began, evolved, and sometimes exploded. We talk shop, swap observations, and reflect on what it’s been like to cover Florida politics during one of the most...
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Episode 171: Chicken and Rice with Senate President Ben Albritton
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
With the 2026 legislative session underway, Dara joined Senate President Ben Albritton in the Capitol for a peek into what lawmakers might deliver over the next 60 days. President Albritton gave Dara an update on plans to slash property taxes, close financial gaps in the state's universal voucher system and address Floridians' affordability concerns. Tune in to hear the latest on the relationships between the state's three most powerful politicos — President Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez and Gov. Ron DeSantis — as the men head into the final stretch of their leadership posts. As...
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Episode 170: Reporter Roundtable with Jason Delgado and Forrest Saunders
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
Happy New Year, Divas! Capitol reporters Forrest Saunders (EW Scripps) and Jason Delgado (Spectrum News) are back with Dara in the Speakeasy to prep you for the 2026 legislative session. Dara and the guys spill the tea on pre-session chaos and power plays already in motion, and dive into a looming showdown over property taxes. Will the friction between Gov. Ron DeSantis and House Speaker Daniel Perez dissipate over the next 60 days and beyond? The sharpest reporters in Tally also dig into the governor's call for a special session on redistricting in April. Forrest dishes up some "talker" bills...
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Episode 169: Mary Mayhew Dives into Health Care
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
Divas! Has a looooong wait for a prior authorization ever held you up on your health care journey? We feel your pain! In this week’s Deeper Dive, Florida Hospital Association President and CEO Mary Mayhew joins Dara in the Speakeasy to dig into the most pressing challenges patients and providers are facing in the state’s evolving health care system. Mary breaks it all down for Dara and the divas in a wide-ranging conversation you won’t want to miss. The duo delve into the complexities of Florida’s aging population, timely access to care, the financial impact of uninsured patients, and...
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Episode 168: AI Data Centers
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
In this week's timely episode of Deeper Dive, we're cutting through the noise to examine the rapid rise of AI data centers. Three experts — Buddy Rizer, Executive Director of Loudon County Economic Development; Dr. David Gattie, Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Georgia; and Kevin Doyle, Florida Executive Director, Consumer Energy Alliance — join Dara in the Speakeasy this week to discuss the hottest topic in the nation. Divas, don't fear! This stellar panel breaks it all down for Dara and others new to the AI space (lots of giggling involved). The guys speak candidly...
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Episode 167: Reporter Roundtable with Forrest Saunders and Jason Delgado
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
Capitol reporters Forrest Saunders (EW Scripps) and Jason Delgado (Spectrum News) are back with Dara in the Speakeasy to break down the biggest headlines from Tallahassee. This week, the trio focus on Florida legislators' ongoing attempts to tackle skyrocketing property taxes for homeowners, the early maneuvering and political dynamics shaping the upcoming Florida governor's race, and the latest on the controversial process of congressional redistricting. Plus, fish sticks, crab claws and sharks!
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Episode 166: Recalling the Recount, Part 2
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
In the electrifying weeks of the 2000 presidential election recount, one voice cut through the chaos: Craig Waters, the Florida Supreme Court's public information officer. The final half of our two-part episode commemorating the 25th anniversary of the recount goes behind the scenes of one of the most intense legal and political dramas in U.S. history. Craig shares insights into the unprecedented challenges faced by the court, including the intense global scrutiny and the critical efforts to maintain order and security around the court's operations. Join us as we uncover how Waters managed the...
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Episode 165: Hanging Chads & Butterfly Ballots? Bush v. Gore, 25 Years Later
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
It's been 25 years since hanging chads, butterfly ballots and dozens of lawsuits thrust Florida into the international spotlight, with the presidency of the country hanging in the balance. In the first of a two-part series, Dara sits down with two key players who were at the epicenter of Florida's Bush v. Gore battle: Craig Waters, who was the Florida Supreme Court's public information officer, and Barry Richard, the lawyer who represented George W. Bush's campaign and managed 47 lawsuits around the state. Craig reveals how he balanced the media's 'need to know' with the deliberative court...
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Episode 164: Olivia Keller Gives the Down-Low on Parking, Permits and the ADA
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
Olivia Keller, a fierce champion for people with disabilities, joins Dara this week for an in-depth discussion about her journey to the state Capitol and beyond! Olivia, a public policy manager for a national nonprofit, gives Dara the down-low on the Americans with Disabilities Act and discusses some of her biggest advocacy accomplishments, as well as challenges. Parking near the entrance to a building isn't a luxury for Olivia, who explains why being able to get her van into a parking spot for disabled people is an absolute necessity. The duo dig into a federal challenge to a state law...
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Episode 163: U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis Dishes with Dara
Deeper Dive with Dara Kam
U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis joins Dara on Deeper Dive this week (from his mamma's living room) in the duo's first visit since his election to Congress this spring. Jimmy gives the Divas an update on the government shutdown and the partisan stalemate in D.C. over health care. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? The congressman also offers some suggestions about the hottest topic in Tally: property taxes. The former Florida chief financial officer also weighs in on his successor's DOGE efforts, what's on voters' minds going into the 2026 mid-term elections, and much, much more. Plus, potato...
info_outlineWe're back in Part 2 with outtakes from this year's Florida Media Conference. This week, Dara chats with Politifact Editor-in-Chief Katie Sanders, and Michael Kelly, owner/publisher of The Herald-Advocate. Katie talks about the Truth-o-Meter and tells Dara how she and her team decide which claims to fact-check in their pursuit of keeping 'em honest online and IRL. Michael wowed Divas last year with the donkey story, and don't worry if you haven't heard it - we get an abbreviated version this time around! Michael discusses how the Herald Advocate serves members of the Peace River Valley and the challenges covering at-times hard-to-hear news in a small community. Loads more in this week's episode with two of our fave return guests, plus haiku!