Florida’s Fourth Estate

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**Florida’s Fourth Estate**

Florida’s Fourth Estate looks at everything from swampy politics to a fragile environment and even the crazy headlines that make Florida the craziest state in the Union. Ginger Gadsden and Matt Austin use decades of experience as journalists to dissect the headlines that impact Florida. Each week they have a guest host who helps give an irreverent look at the issues impacting the Sunshine State. Big influencers like Attorney John Morgan, renowned Florida journalists and the scientists protecting Florida’s ecosystem can often be found as guests. Look for new episodes every week, and visit ClickOrlando.com for the latest WKMG News 6 coverage of Orlando and beyond.

Latest Episodes:

Florida teen goes from ‘Iron Man’ fame to gridiron star Sep 11, 2023

Show notes

Alex Pring was born with one arm.

His other extends to his forearm and stops.

As he started growing up and going to school, he had some questions about his limb difference.

“I kinda asked the question, ‘Why can’t I have an arm? Everyone else has an arm, why don’t I,’” Pring said.

He said his mom loves solving problems, so she reached out to the University of Central Florida and a student helped to create his very first arm.

Then, that student, Albert Manero, went on to launch Limbitless Solutions, a company that makes prosthetics for children.

Manero then upgraded Pring’s arm, giving it an “Iron Man” design, and invited Robert Downey Jr. to present it to him in 2015.

The moment went viral.

Pring said the experience, “was probably the biggest time for any 7-year-old possible.”

The first version of the arm helped him to hold a pencil, and the “Iron Man” arm helped him to build confidence, but because he is growing so fast, he said he needs to be resized regularly and sometimes he goes without his prosthetic.

That includes when he is doing football conditioning.

Pring said he power cleans 135 pounds with one arm.

He said his teammates at South Lake High School are often surprised at what he can pull off.

And, his opponents often underestimate him.

“In one of our games, the seniors told me all the players were trash-talking me saying, ‘There is no way this one-armed kid can do it.’ Next play, I destroyed the running back,” Pring said.

It’s not always easy, but he said he gets his confidence from his parents.

“They have taught me every single day of my life, work hard and you will be rewarded at the end of the day,” he said.

Pring said he would love to eventually play football professionally and that he looks up to Shaquem Griffin, the former University of Central Florida, football player who also has a limb difference and went on to play for the NFL.

But, if football doesn’t pan out, Pring said he would like to go UCF to pursue aerospace engineering, the same degree Manero pursued.

To learn more about Pring and how he is making an impact on and off the field check out Florida’s Fourth Estate.

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‘It’s not that contagious:’ Doctor says not to worry about leprosy in Florida Sep 08, 2023

Show notes

In June, the Florida Department of Health issued a statewide mosquito-borne illness advisory after four confirmed cases of malaria in Sarasota County.

They were the first cases in the state in 20 years.

Then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 159 new cases of leprosy in the U.S. in 2020, with Florida among the top reporting states.

“Some Biblical diseases started making a comeback in the state of Florida,” Florida’s Fourth Estate host Matt Austin said. “Leprosy and malaria, these are two things I never thought we would be talking about again on the news.”

Austin and his co-host Ginger Gadsden invited Dr. Elizabeth Borrero with Health First to discuss the diseases that still have a lot of people talking.

When it comes to leprosy, Borrero said it is an old disease that has never been able to be eradicated and that most of the new cases are likely spread by people who are traveling out of the country to areas where leprosy is endemic.

Borrero said that list includes Nepal, India, Brazil and Malaysia.

The disease can be contracted via the nine-banded armadillo or through soil.

Borrero said you likely won’t catch it from someone else.

“As long as the person doesn’t have prolonged contact with another individual, you’re OK. You’re not going to acquire it immediately from somebody who has leprosy,” she said. “It’s not that contagious really.”

More is known about Malaria.

Borrero said it is spread via infected mosquitoes and symptoms include night sweats, nausea, vomiting and headaches.

“The majority of patients that come into the hospital system have a high fever — fevers of over 103 lead them to seek medical attention, which is a good thing.”

Borrero also suggested travel as a way that malaria is spread. She said if you are traveling to a country where it is endemic to see a travel medicine specialist.

She said the World Health Organization has done a lot to help stop the disease from spreading including a vaccine, though it is not available in the U.S. yet.

To learn more about leprosy and malaria and their impact on Florida check out Florida’s Fourth Estate.

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Florida theme parks continue growth despite waning attendance Aug 21, 2023

Show notes

Even though theme park attendance is down this year, the companies are investing more than ever.

According to the International Association of Amusement Park and Attractions, which is the global association for the theme park industry, American theme parks are expected to invest $1.5 billion in attractions this year alone.

IAAPA’s CEO Jakob Wahl spoke with Florida’s Fourth Estate about some fascinating trends taking place across the industry.

He said parks are creating rides less focused on being the biggest and fastest. Instead, companies like Disney, Universal and SeaWorld are honing in on new technologies and intellectual property.

“Delivering the same services to the same people is stagnation. The theme park industry is huge about innovation,” Wahl said.

Last Year at IAAPA’s big convention in Orlando, SeaWorld announced a new idea for a ride. The rollercoaster called Pipeline would allow riders to feel like they’re surfing a wave. The ride keeps guests in the standing position instead of the standard strapped-in coaster. The roller coaster is now open at Sea World.

Disney used IP and technology fused together to create the new Tron ride, which uses a new seating position and some serious technology to give a new experience. Universal used a motorcycle and sidecar in Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure to make muggles feel like they’re experiencing Harry Potter’s magical land in a whole new way.

But, with all the new technology, questions have arisen about safety. In 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson tragically fell from a ride at Orlando’s Icon Park putting ride safety at the forefront of the national conversation.

“I can guarantee you safety is the number one priority for our industry,” Wahl said.

Wahl claims engineers make safety decisions early in the process of creating a ride, but, questions about how theme parks police themselves when it comes to ride safety have crept in.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has questioned whether Disney should be put under the microscope of state inspectors. Wahl didn’t want to speak on the political battle.

“I prefer not to comment on that individual case between Disney and DeSantis, but I can tell you Disney has an excellent safety record. Disney has always been on the forefront of safety globally. I think the industry today is a better place in terms of safety thanks to the efforts of Disney and many others. I’m not sure how that would help the already excellent safety records of Disney,” he said.

Either way, with tourism cutting back in Florida it will be interesting to see if theme parks continue making these huge investments in the coming years.

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‘This is going to be a very strange year:’ Florida politics’ impact on the classroom Aug 15, 2023

Show notes

From book bans to changing classes and educational requirements, what children are learning in the classroom will be different this year.

“I think this is going to be a very strange year, simply because people do not know what’s happening,” University of Central Florida history professor and News 6 Political Analyst Jim Clark said. “Teachers are unsure. Administrators are unsure. You have one district doing one thing and another district doing another thing and I think there are just so many red flags flying that it’s going to be a strange year.”

One point of difference this year focuses on AP Psychology. There was a battle over the coursework and any potential focus on gender identity which encouraged some schools to drop it right before classes began.

Matt Austin shared on Florida’s Fourth Estate that his daughter was supposed to be in the class and was stuck in the middle wondering what the school district would decide.

“My kid has been like, ‘Oh, I’m in the class, I’m out of the class, I’m in the class, I’m out, what am I gonna do?’ and this is after the schedules have already come out,” Austin said.

This isn’t the first class caught in the middle of the political debate over education.

“Earlier we had the controversy over the AP History exam, which is still going on, so for students that want to take these, this is a troubled time,” Clark said.

In addition to focusing on coursework, lawmakers are also working to rid school libraries of books that “depict or describe sexual conduct.”

That means librarians must now inspect over a million books.

Ginger Gadsden pointed out it’s not just Florida politicians focused on the classroom.

“There are a number of states, led by Iowa, that see Florida as the role model, and the governor there is an admirer of Gov. Desantis and has been copying much of what goes on,” Clark said,

To learn more about the political impact on Florida’s schools check out Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.

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‘Opportunity for a better life:’ UCF students share emotional trip to US-Mexico Border Aug 11, 2023

Show notes

Instead of vacationing or partying, a group of students from the University of Central Florida set out for the U.S.-Mexico border this summer.

They wanted to learn more about the people working to call America home and bring those stories back to students at UCF.

Amy Diaz and Ian Rodriguez both said they brought a unique perspective to the trip.

“Even though we are in Florida and we are far away from the border we have family that crossed, or we have family that has come here from Central America, or from other countries,” Rodriguez said.

They both also speak Spanish, so it made it easier to learn the stories of those working to gain citizenship in the United States.

Diaz said some of the conversations he had were “hard to think about.”

That includes one he had with two fathers at a shelter in El Paso, Texas.

“They told me they started in Venezuela and walked up into Mexico and it’s just with kids, with a family, walking up there. It’s hard to even imagine that happening,” she said.

Diaz said experiencing the process from their point of view was gripping.

She said when the group of students and professors went into a stock room where clothes, baby shoes and toiletries are kept everyone got quiet.

“It just put it into perspective that thousands of kids and parents are going through these, just as a stop in their journey, but this is making such an impact on them,” Diaz said.

Rodriguez said he has never experienced anything like standing at the border wall.

“You are just separated by this man-made marker, but it’s just like lack of opportunity on the other side, but you know being in university and having the privilege to be able to get a college education that many people literally a stone’s throw away from you don’t have, it’s interesting,” he said.

He said being able to “touch the fence” and to learn the stories of the people trying to cross it has made him feel more connected to his father’s journey to America and appreciative of his own American experience.

Now, the stories he and Diaz helped gather will be turned into a multi-phase documentary called “A Break for Impact.”

“In addition to that it’s going to be used in several classes for Criminal Justice, for Human Trafficking, for Immigration law and for Journalism, and it’s going to be used to teach students in a more immersive way what it’s like out there,” Diaz said.

To hear more about their journey to the U.S.-Mexico border, what they learned and how it will be used to teach others check out Florida’s Fourth Estate.

You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.

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‘This thing vice grips me:’ Florida python hunter describes close call with snake Aug 04, 2023

Show notes

Amy Siewe goes out at night, sometimes alone, to hunt pythons.

She said it’s a passion that started when she was a child, but it’s not without risk. The python huntress talked to Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsdenon Florida’s Fourth Estate about her mission to rid Florida’s Everglades of the invasive reptiles.

Siewe has bagged several Burmese pythons and knows how to “work the animal.”

“They could easily crush us in a second without even thinking about it,” she said.

She said she “really had an appreciation for their power” when she caught a 9-foot python and it wrapped its tail around her leg for leverage.

She described it as “no big deal” because “that’s what they always do.” But, then things took a turn.

“This thing vice grips me, vice grips my calf and it felt like either my calf muscle was going to explode or my bone was going to break. I have never felt anything like it in my life and it was only a nine-foot python,” Siewe said.

She added that it usually easy to deal with a python when an encounter goes wrong.

“All I have to do is let go and it will take off,” she said. “It will probably bite me a couple times, but it will take off.”

Aside from this unexpected encounter things are a bit more quiet when the Python Huntress heads into The Everglades. She even describes the experience as cathartic, but she is always paying attention, ready for the next takedown, even if it’s not her own catch.

Recently she was driving down the road when she happened to come upon Jake Waleri wrestling a 19-foot, python. It was the largest documented Burmese python ever captured in Florida.

“I saw him go on the ground which was a little risky,” Siewe said.

Then she hopped into action.

“So I told two of the kids to pull the tail, I got the coil off of his shoulder, I came around and told him to sit all the way on top of her, and so then I wrapped her mouth up,” she said.

Waleri also talked to Florida’s Fourth Estate about the experience.

“It felt incredible. I thought this was just a big snake at the time. I thought it would maybe be 16 or 17 feet. I never dreamed that it would actually be the record holder,” he said.

Waleri donated the snake to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida.

But he kept the skin for himself.

“I’m going to turn it into some leather and make a nice trophy out of it,” he said

If you are interested in being part of the solution, you can join the Python Elimination Program or learn the ropes from Siewe, who also teaches people the basics of Burmese python hunting, and make some big money along the way by taking part in the Florida Python Challenge.

Learn more on Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts.

You can also watch anytime on News 6+.

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‘It was very powerful:’ Shark tooth collector recounts alligator attack in Florida river Jul 28, 2023

Show notes

It was a typical spring afternoon in southwest Florida’s Myakka River.

Jeffrey Heim strapped on his mask, fins and head-mounted GoPro and eased into the murky water to begin his favorite hobby: hunting for massive megalodon shark teeth.

The hobby would later become a career for Heim, who now owns a company called SHRKco which collects and sells the ancient shark teeth and donates profits for ocean research organizations.

“I did know the dangers but I don’t think I took them seriously enough back then,” Heim told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on the latest episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate.

While sifting through sand on the river bottom, Heim says he felt what seemed like a boat strike his head.

“It was very powerful. It seemed a lot larger than it actually was,” Heim said. “I saw her. She did bite me twice before I knew what was happening.”

The GoPro strapped to his head was recording at the time and the footage shows a large jolt and bubbles in the cloudy water as the camera sunk to the bottom of the river.

Heim then realized a large female alligator bit a section of his scalp and his hand — and was coming back for another strike.

“You never want to thrash or splash or act like prey, so I stayed calm,” Heim said.

After avoiding two more attempted bites, Heim managed to make his way onto the riverbank and call for help.

He was rushed to the hospital where nurses put 34 staples into his head and treated severe puncture wounds on his hand where the gator chomped down.

Heim believes his injuries could have been much worse if it weren’t for the waterproof camera strapped to his head.

“I still don’t think I felt the full force of that bite. And if I did, my head would’ve exploded,” he said.

It has been over two years since the attack and Heim’s scars have healed while his passion for megalodon tooth collecting has only grown.

“Eventually someday when I’m old I want to have a museum of my best finds... and then pass that story on when I’m no longer here as well,” he said.

Heim’s most well-known megalodon tooth find came about two months after the gator attack when Heim uncovered a “miracle” 6 inch megalodon tooth.

Watch the full interview on Florida’s Fourth Estate at the top of this story to learn what happened to the 8-foot alligator that bit him and Heim’s advice for finding ancient megalodon teeth in Central Florida.

You can download the podcast from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.

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8 years ago 2 Florida teens disappeared during fishing trip Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

On July 24, 2015, Austin Stephanos and Perry Cohen left on a fishing trip.

The two 14-year-olds took off from Jupiter Inlet on a 19-foot fishing boat. When they didn’t return, the Coast Guard started a massive search but never found them.

Both of their families were left devastated.

Perry Cohen’s Dad, Phil Cohen, recently discussed how he has dealt with the grief of losing his only child in a Ted Talk.

Now he is sitting down with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate to talk about how he is using this devastating experience to help others.

“Losing a child has been known by and said by many to be arguably one of the most profound and painful things that a human being can endure,” Phil Cohen said.

The father said he didn’t know how to cope.

“At one point I actually went online, and I Googled ‘How to grieve,’” he said.

He said the results were dominated by The Five Stages of Grief. Then he realized those were actually created for people diagnosed with life-ending cancer, not for those grieving the loss of a loved one.

So, he decided to focus his Ted Talk on what he calls The Grief Continuum.

He said it suggests navigating grief is different for everyone.

“We don’t all start at the same place, graduate through the same stages to eventually arrive at the same destination. Rather that grief would be more accurately represented on a continuum with acceptance in the middle and negative emotions on this side and even positive things that can happen after acceptance,” Phil Cohen said.

“I believe grief is something that we move back and forth through forever; from good to bad, to good to bad, this never-ending cycle of back and forth as opposed to going from one step to another to reach this place where you’re like ‘Alright I made it,’” he added.

Phil Cohen said he also leans on his faith to deal with losing his son, an experience he calls “indescribably painful.”

“God is good. He has brought me through it. Quite honestly, I don’t even know how people make it through something like this without God. It’s ultimately my relationship with Jesus Christ that really helped me break through this,” Phil Cohen said.

To hear more from Cohen and how he is helping others to cope with loss listen to Florida’s Fourth Estate. You can download it from wherever you listen to podcasts or watch anytime on News 6+.

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‘Chewing is a waste of time:’ Championship eater Miki Sudo coaches hot dog competition Jul 14, 2023

Show notes

It’s been a week and a half since Miki Sudo dominated the Nathan’s hot dog eating contest, downing 39.5 franks in 10 minutes.

Now she is coaching two fellow Floridians, telling them what it takes to rise to the top of the competitive eating circuit.

Sudo talked about her craft with Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden during an episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate.

“You want to minimize chewing,” she said. “Chewing is a waste of time and signals to your brain that you are getting full.”

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That squirrel can waterski: Twiggy back to work after retirement Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Twiggy the waterskiing squirrel got her start in Sanford in 1979. Since then she has appeared in several movies and a music video and performed at the X Games.

She retired in 2018, but not she is back.

Chuck Best Jr. told Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden on Florida’s Fourth Estate it all started when someone gave his mom and dad, Chuck and Lou Ann Best a baby squirrel.

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