Author

Ray Roa

A photo of an elected official Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, dressed in a black t-shirt speaking to a protest crowd during a summer protest in Ybor City, Florida. There's a Pride flag in the background, and he is holding a microphone and notes.

Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith talks Pride, Florida’s rainy day fund and more

Florida’s legislative session is in overtime and coming up on 100 days as the House and Senate are back in Tallahassee to try and hammer out a budget. Orlando’s state senator Carlos Guillermo Smith—who was...
Congressman Maxwell Frost in a white collared shirt holding a microphone

Rep. Max Frost talks Musk, public media, more—and thanks for supporting WMNF

Trump’s self-appointed “First Buddy” is leaving the office today, as Elon Musk marks his last day leading the president’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (aka DOGE). “The legacy will be a dark legacy,” Orlando-based Rep....
A man in a blue collared shirt, with rectangle glasses and a black hat. He has a short beard and is talking into a radio microphone with his left hand raised like a cobra.

Talking Florida’s rule changes on mushrooms and weed, with a side of strip clubs, too

For three sessions now, Carlos Hermida, who owns two hemp shops in the Tampa Bay area, has watched the Florida legislature attempt to pass different regulations that directly affect his industry. Legislation from 2023 didn’t...
A state legislator, Rep. Anna Eskamani, standing in the Florida state capitol, smiling, an wearing a lavender suit

Orlando Rep. Anna Eskamani talks taxes, the governor, labor, and more

Florida’s 2025 legislative session is going to overtime, but as of Friday morning, even legislators didn’t know when they’re actually going to get to work. “There has been no internal communication to lawmakers,” Eskamani told...
A man in a tweed sportcoat, wearing studio headphones and eyeglasses. He's speaking into a radio microphone. Luis Viera

‘It’s not my time right now’: Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera discusses mayoral race, storm recovery and more

Everyone now knows that—despite his popularity and presence in local politics since 2016—Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera will not run to be the next mayor of Tampa. “It’s not my time right now,” Viera, who...
A photo of two white men (the one of the left bearded) both holding thumbs up signs on their right hands.

Joe Gruters and Ashley Gant talk DeSantis, immigration, as Florida legislature and governor square off

Led by its Republican supermajority, Florida’s state legislature gaveled in for a special session last Monday and managed to pass an immigration bill that aims to help President Donald Trump make good on his agenda....
A woman standing in a radio studio, holding a Taylor acoustic guitar. She wears a black longsleeve shirt and has long black hair with red and white hair wraps on the end of a few strands.

Egmont Key is more fascinating than we could ever imagine

You probably don’t know five people who’ve set foot on Egmont Key, a roughly 250-acre island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The rapidly-disappearing land mass is visible from the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, but only...
A young man in a radio studio, lit by fluorescent light from above. He wears rectangular glasses and has brown skin and is dressed in a navy button down with small white dots,

Meet Alan Henderson, the first candidate in 2027’s Tampa mayoral race

There are 721 days left until 2027. That’s when Tampeños will vote on a successor to Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who won re-election in 2023 and is term-limited. Alan Henderson would like a shot. Last...
A woman in a green jacket speaking into a microphone. She has headphone on and is seated inside of a radio station studio where a background that says "WMNF 88.5 FM" in the background.

Pinellas State Rep. Lindsay Cross talks hurricane recovery, a holistic approach to conservation, and more

“You can’t underestimate the toll it takes on people’s mental health,” Rep. Lindsay Cross said on WMNF's The Skinny.
A man in a white long sleeve dress shirt, with headphones on his head

Talking Cuba with Al Fox, and Florida maternity homes with Laura C. Morel

After South Florida, Tampa’s population of Cubans is larger than anywhere else in the United States And still, the Bay area feels closer to the Caribbean island than almost anywhere else in America. Albert A....
A white barrier stands in a grassy field that says "We The People" and "Vote."

Tampa Bay’s electeds, candidates and politicos check in as Election Day approaches

This is it, the last episode of The Skinny before the end of the 2024 General Election. For a packed show dedicated to what the country—and our own counties and cities—might look like come Wednesday,...

Let’s talk about Hillsborough’s school tax, and Florida’s fight for recreational weed

The 2024 general election is on, and outside of candidates, voters in Hillsborough County will decide on whether to renew a Community Investment Tax, plus make a decision about a 1% millage increase that would...
The Dorm Room
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