Published January 30, 2026 at 4:37 PM EST

‘Yes, in God's Backyard' 

Cities in Florida may allow churches, temples, mosques and other religious institutions to build affordable housing on their property regardless of zoning restrictions.

That’s thanks to “Yes in God’s Back Yard” or YIGBY law, which state lawmakers passed last year.

St. Petersburg is the first municipality in the state to adopt the provision.

We spoke with the lawmaker who sponsored the law and the pastor of a church that’s already built a housing development.

Guests:

• Sen. Alexis Calatayud, (R-Miami-Dade). 
• Oscar Banks, Lead Pastor of Palm Lake Christian Church in St. Petersburg. 

Florida AG’s memo targets racial equity laws

Florida’s top law enforcement has directed the state to stop enforcing dozens of state laws.

Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote that more than 80 state laws giving preferences, quotas and other considerations based on race were unconstitutional in his opinion.

Guests:

• Shaheewa Jarrett Gelin, founder of the Florida Association of Black Chambers of Commerce and the Broward County Black Chamber of Commerce.   
• Melba Pearson, adjunct professor at FIU’s Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. 

PolitiFact on protestors’ rights 

What is legal and what is against the law during protests in Florida? What about if ICE agents approach you?

We checked in with our partners at PolitiFact for clarity on the state and national laws around demonstrations.

Guest:

• Samantha Putterman, Florida government reporter at PolitiFact. 

Weekly news briefing  

There are now three property tax proposals headed to the floor of the Florida House.

Florida will have two open seats in Congress this election year. Vern Buchanan, whose district includes parts of Sarasota and Manatee counties, announced this week he will not run for re-election to Congress. Neal Dunn, the Republican congressman, who represents parts of Florida’s panhandle, has also announced his decision not to run for re-election.

Meanwhile, the roster of Democrats vying for one of Florida’s U.Ss Senate seats grew this week.

As a severe cold snap stretches across the state, we checked in with Meteorologist Megan Browski with the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.