On this week's episode, Ryan is joined by the founder of FloridaPolitics.com (and former boss) Peter Schorsch. It's their first real conversation in years, and they get right into it. Peter offers his thoughts on the current state of Florida journalism and its shortcomings. After years of tense silence, their conversation represents a détente between the two old collaborators.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

This week, Jamil Davis joins the show to talk Black voting power in North Florida. He and Ryan go through some of the biggest issues facing Jacksonville, and how Florida's following the gerrymandering lead of Texas. And on the cusp of John Cena's retirement, producer Abdelilah hops on to ask the burning question of our time: is politics just professional wrestling?

Huge thanks to Jamil for coming on! Check out BLKFLA: The Podcast, the cultural archive for the Black political movement in Florida. You can follow on IG at @blkflathepodcast.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

This week Ryan sat down with Nathan Taylor Pemberton, contributor to The Baffler, New York Magazine and most recently the New York Times.

Ryan and Nate talk about what could be the definitive turn in MAGA’s political realignment for the next century and what it means for everyone else, plus a dispatch from Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s New York City.

Nick Fuentes, Tucker Carlson, and what the American Right could look like after Trump… all this and more on the new Tropical Depression.

Follow us on social media at @TropDepPod, subscribe, and let us know if you’re enjoying our conversations in anticipation of the once and future Other Florida.

Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe returns to discuss the seemingly endless assault on local government coming from Meatball Ron's administration. Whether it's paving over colorful crosswalks, threatening local officials at the behest of developers, or a state takeover of a community hospital, just remember -- every culture war is a class war.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? ⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

Trimmel Gomes finally joins the show and reminisces with Ryan over recording a podcast in the side room of a smoke-filled bar in 2016. In between talk of government at the local, state, and federal levels, Trimmel offers his thoughts on what it means to participate in democracy and hold elected officials accountable. We also remember Rob Lorei, a Florida icon who departed this world too soon from cancer.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? ⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

On the latest segment of Reading RAYnbow, Ryan catches up with an old friend: critically-acclaimed author Sarah Gerard. Her 2015 novel Binary Star was listed as a best book of the year by NPR, and her second book – a collection of essays called Sunshine State – was named as a New York Times Critics’ Top Book of 2017. Sarah gives her insights on how being from Florida shaped her writing, the Tampa/St. Pete sister dynamic, and just what it is about the state’s relatively new cruelty that stands out today.

Check out Sarah’s latest book, Carrie Carolyn Coco: My Friend, Her Murder, and an Obsession With the Unthinkable.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? ⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

It’s been a busy Florida summer, and intrepid WUSF reporter Douglas Soule joins the show to go over some of the biggest stories from the last few weeks: Will Florida follow Texas’ example of extreme gerrymandering? What was it like on the ground as Ghislaine Maxwell was being deposed in downtown Tallahassee? And are people really hitting the penjamin in the Florida Capitol?

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

Fan of the show? ⁠Support Tropical Depression on Patreon!

With democratic norms and institutions weathering a storm at the federal level, Ryan catches up with Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida. Amy had a lot to say about the latest attack from gerrymandered politicians on citizen-led amendments and how to ensure that every eligible voter can vote after a disaster. After all was said and done, this fan of the show – yes, a bona fide Depressionista – did leave us with some good news for democracy do-gooders, we believers in the Sunshine State: a better Florida is possible.

You can learn more about Common Cause at commoncause.org and follow them on social media at @CommonCause.

Follow Tropical Depression on all social platforms at @TropDepPod!

If you’re enjoying the show, support Tropical Depression on Patreon!