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Meet Ron DeSantis’ inner circle

Yet DeSantis has relied on a remarkably small coterie of aides to help guide all that political activity. The dozen confidantes he leans on most — to shape his agenda in Tallahassee, assemble an extensive fundraising operation and devise his political future — include his chief of staff, well-known lobbyists and especially his wife.

Now he’s leaning on this group of insiders as he plots his next move toward 2024 and a collision with former President Donald Trump.

Iarossi and other members of his firm, including fellow Capital City lobbyist Scott Ross, played a huge role in DeSantis’ early 2018 campaign, and have been among the lobbyists closest to the governor since. Iarossi backed DeSantis early in the 2018 election cycle when few thought he could beat then-Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who was the heavy favorite to win the GOP primary and the pick of nearly all of Florida’s Republican establishment and donor class. Iarossi remains both an informal adviser and fundraiser for DeSantis’ political efforts.

Hillsborough's new Republican Party head on the GOP's image and reaching out to minority voters

Dana Galen was recently named the new head of the executive committee of the Hillsborough County Republican Party. She is also the first black woman to head the local party.

Galen, who lives in Wimauma, came to politics late in life, having performed as a jazz musician in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. WUSF's Steve Newborn asks her about the image of the party in the minds of many African-Americans — and her plans for increasing membership in the local party.

Tell me a little about yourself how you got involved in politics. And you started out as a musician?GALEN: I came from a musical family, my parents were both jazz musicians. So I followed in their footsteps. And I lived in Los Angeles for 32 years, and performed and toured and so forth and had a pretty successful career. And then, at one point, though, I just wanted to settle down, I didn't want to tour anymore. So I decided that I just wanted to work in music on the weekends. And I became a paralegal during the week, which is the other side of my brain, which I really loved using. So I became a paralegal and I worked in criminal law firms for eight years, and then I worked in real estate law.

State home-hardening grant program clarifies eligibility rules for roof, impact window reimbursements

Yes to reimbursements for roof replacements. No to money for impact windows if your home already has hurricane shutters.

Those two answers to frequently asked questions about what improvements will qualify for state home-hardening grants of up to $10,000 should finally provide clarity for applicants confused by their inspection reports and information on the My Safe Florida Home program website.

The $150 million program, authorized by state lawmakers during a special legislative session last May, offers $2 for every $1 spent by homeowners on wind-mitigation improvements that helps to lower their home insurance costs.

That means that applicants approved for grants can receive up to $10,000 from the state if they spend $5,000 or more on qualifying improvements.

A Miami museum is set to return over 100 remains from indigenous burial sites to the Seminole Tribe

After more than 30 years, a major Miami museum is in the process of returning remains from Native Americans in Florida back to an indigenous tribe.

But while the partnership between the museum and one of Florida's largest tribes is a step in the right direction, the process of reclaiming ancestral remains has highlighted deep wounds and conflicts between Native people and Western archaeology.

In 1990, Congress passed a law requiring museums, universities, and federal institutions to return Native American remains and funeral artifacts to their rightful owners. Many tribes are still waiting to get their ancestors back, despite the law.

“When your relatives are put to rest … it's never with the intention of them being excavated, stored on shelves for someone to cut up and research or put on display,” said Tina Osceola, Tribal Historic Preservation Office director for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. “It’s directly correlated to the health of our people.”