<p>Florida is a state that often feels tangible impacts of climate change, with strong storms and hurricanes making landfall in the state every hurricane season. However, this year is the first time in a decade that the Sunshine State was spared from experiencing a single hurricane. Jessica Meszaros, a climate change reporter at WUSF, joins Kimberly to explain how Floridians are rebuilding a year after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton hit the state. Plus, we’ll play a round of Half Full/Half Empty!</p><br/><p>Here’s what we talked about on the show today:</p><br/><ul><li>“<a href="https://www.wusf.org/weather/2025-11-26/florida-us-spared-hurricanes-2025-storms-still-rapidly-intensifying" class="default">Florida and the U.S. were spared of hurricanes in 2025, but storms are still rapidly intensifying</a>” from WUSF</li><li>“<a href="https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/Missions/Emergency-Operations/Hurricane_Helene/#:~:text=Hurricane%20Helene%20made%20landfall%20in,South%20Carolina%2C%20and%20North%20Carolina." class="default">Hurricane Helene Response</a>” from US Army Corps of Engineers</li><li>“<a href="https://fred.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/economic-impact-analysis-program/disaster-impact-analysis/hurricane-milton-damage-assessments/" class="default">Assessment of Agricultural Losses Resulting from Hurricane Milton</a>” from University of Florida IFAS</li><li>“<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/11/17/nx-s1-5546761/home-insurance-florida-climate-disaster-cop30" class="default">Disaster and insurance costs are rising. The middle class is struggling to hang on</a>” from NPR</li><li>“<a href="https://www.marketplace.org/story/2025/12/11/how-ai-can-be-harnessed-to-sort-trash#sorting-trash-can-be-dirty-and-dangerous-sounds-like-a-job-for-ai" class="default">Sorting trash can be dirty and dangerous. Sounds like a job for AI</a>” from Marketplace</li><li>“<a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/11/disney-openai-sora-deal-what-to-know" class="default">Disney comes to Sora: What you can and can't do with the characters</a>” from Axios</li><li>“<a href="https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/how-fruitcake-became-a-christmas-classic-even-if-it-s-unpopular/ar-AA1RXa3w" class="default">How fruitcake became a Christmas classic (even if it’s unpopular)</a>” from MSN</li><li>“<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/28/raccoons-domesticated-by-us-city-life" class="default">City life is reshaping raccoons – and may be nudging them toward domestication</a>” from The Guardian</li></ul>
