NewsNight Conversations

Florida’s growing population and its effect on the political make-up of the state.

Changes to Florida’s election laws and what they mean for voters in November.

The successes and challenges remaining in the work to rejuvenate the Indian River Lagoon.

The work underway to improve resilience in our region’s vulnerable coastal areas.

Jesse Wayles, Northern IRL Community Engagement Coordinator for the Indian River Lagoon Council, talked with NewsNight's Steve Mort about restoration efforts in Brevard and Volusia counties.

NewsNight’s Steve Mort sits down with community members and environmental journalists to discuss the ongoing work to restore the Indian River Lagoon.

Central Florida medics discuss racial disparities in health care outcomes.

Midwife Jennie Joseph, President of Commonsense Childbirth, discusses disparities in the way African Americans, including pregnant people, are treated in the health care system.

Racial disparities in the school-to-prison pipeline in Central Florida.

Jennifer Bellinger from Orange County Public Schools' Minority Achievement Office outlines some of the outside stressors that result in students facing disciplinary issues.

Dr. Larry Walker, a professor of educational leadership at the University of Central Florida, discusses how issues of systemic racism in policing translate into the classroom.

NewsNight spoke to Orange County Sheriff John Mina on the school-to-prison pipeline. 

The Affordable housing crisis in Central Florida’s African American communities.

How do you balance economic development with people's ability to afford rent? NewsNight's Steve Mort and WFTV's Daralene Jones talk to the panel about gentrification in Central Florida.

"This problem didn't happen overnight or with the pandemic. It's been a growing problem for years." Oren Henry, Housing and Community Development for the City of Orlando, spoke to NewsNight about the affordable housing crisis in the city.

An in-depth discussion of Central Florida's affordable housing crisis and the added pressure on families caused by the pandemic.

The second in our three-part NewsNight Conversations series 'Challenges & Changes.' An in-depth discussion around the topics of diversity and racial equity.

The final in our three-part NewsNight Conversations series 'Challenges & Changes.' An in-depth discussion on Central Florida’s transportation infrastructure and efforts to modernize rail, road, and other forms of transit in our growing region.

Experts and journalists examine the mental health fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interviews with local leaders and experts on the coronavirus in Central Florida

Experts discuss how to talk to children about racism and current events.

NewsNight's Steve Mort speaks with Dr. Todd Husty, Seminole County Medical Director; Danielle Prieur, WMFE Reporter; and Marni Stahlman, President/CEO of The Mental Health Association of Central Florida, about the impact the pandemic has had on the mental health in our community from a variety of perspectives.

Dr. Deborah Beidel, Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at UCF and the Executive Director of UCF RESTORES, speaks with NewsNight's Steve Mort about how specific hardships connected to the pandemic, such as unemployment and health concerns, can present trauma-like mental health issues akin to PTSD.

From pre-school to grad school, discussing the struggles youth have faced from the pandemic, social issues, and racial inequities that have been at the forefront in the last year. NewsNight's Steve Mort speaks with Wilkine Brutus, WLRN in South Florida Reporter, and Cassandra Palmer, Seminole County Public Schools Counselor.