Can you hear me?

That spotty cell service can be annoying on your drive home, but for some South-West Floridians it's a constant problem.

Today a look at where our region's communications infrastructure is struggling, from the digital divide to the lack of cell towers.

Plus holiday dinners and political debates.

Can they mix expert advice and keep things civil at the table?

That's next.

On Southwest Florida in focus.

You're watching Southwest Florida in focus.

Coming up, bridging the gap in southwest Florida, the digital divide leaves thousands of Southwest Floridians disconnected.

And it's not just a problem in rural communities.

We explore the challenges and the billions of federal dollars being invested to make things better.

And how much of a future does farming have in Florida?

We show you how farming and ranching in the state are adapting to survive, plus expert advice on navigating political conversations at holiday gatherings, coming up strategies to help keep discussions constructive and respectful.

Hello, I'm Sandra Viktorova.

Thank you very much for joining us today.

We begin with a problem that the federal government is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in Florida to fix a problem you might not have experienced.

That's because most of us can send an email from our cell phone or watch videos on a laptop at home and not think twice about it.

But for tens of thousands of Floridians, the digital divide is real.

And for others, the struggle is cell service.

And we're not talking about remote communities.

In many cases, our communications infrastructure hasn't kept pace with our region's booming growth.

He was trying it on.

There wasn't much Krishna.

Movie night is no fun at Veronica Allen's house in Lehigh Acres.

Get to the cliffhanger.

And here's what happens.

And sometimes it.

Buffering has been a constant problem ever since Allen moved to Southwest Florida about two years ago.

She says she never even thought about internet access when she lived in Broward County.

I come home and my phone automatically connects.

Turn on the TV, you watch whatever you want to watch.

No problem.

You know, it just seems like normal things, like it's supposed to happen, right?

And then you come here and nothing works.

It doesn't work because her internet provider doesn't offer her neighborhood faster internet speeds.

She and her neighbors only have access to older DSL or phone lines, which can't keep up with their digital devices.

Despite searching, she couldn't find a company that would provide home broadband or fiber technology, and so she has to find a piecemeal solution.

I have through Verizon, hotspot for work and then for my son and brother to be able to play video games.

I have a different, internet box for them.

This piecemeal approach is taking a toll on her budget.

She spends about $400 a month just to get the internet.

She needs.

And so it's very surprising that nowadays it's not kind of being built into the communities.

Because you would think that is something that is almost like you needing to go and get groceries, so why wouldn't it be available to everybody?

Allen is not alone.

While the number of people without home internet access has fallen, the state of Florida says an estimated 200,000 locations still have limited digital access, which can mean they are unserved or underserved.

The problem is growth.

While areas like Lehigh Acres are booming, they're still substantially east of more populated cities, and communications companies need enough customers in an area for it to make financial sense to build that infrastructure.

Homeowners aren't the only ones struggling with a lack of communications infrastructure.

You've got more than one over here right now.

It's a safety issue, and we're trying our best to do everything we can to solve the problem with the resources that we have.

Deputy Fire Chief Joshua Bower, with the Greater Naples Fire District, says the lack of this technology can be a problem for dispatching crews to exact locations and maintaining communication in some parts of East Collier.

So we need internet and we need radio coverage.

There's areas in this county where we don't have you either one of those, so that puts a burden on our responders.

Bauer worries about communications with parts of Goldengate and other Marina, as well as more remote areas.

Paper maps are on hand to help find locations when all else fails.

And Bauer says Starlink, a satellite internet service, has been a big help, but it's still not a quick fix, and that can put colleagues and the community at risk.

So when these brushfires happen and we get into areas where there's no cell coverage and no internet and no radio coverage, we're relying on bringing out technology.

In Veronica Allen's case, a permanent fix to her internet problem is coming soon.

Comcast will be delivering fiber internet service to her neighborhood within the next few months.

It will be a game changer.

Michele Oyola McGovern, a vice president with Comcast, says Allen's internet speed will be 1000 times faster than it is now.

McGovern says the federal investment of $1.5 billion to the state of Florida has also been a game changer.

Those dollars are aimed at getting digital access to all Floridian.

The digital disparity in this country is really something that makes a difference in people's lives.

And when you have access to the internet, that opens up possibilities for jobs that you may not be able to otherwise have.

That opens up the possibility of your kids being able to have access to online school.

It opens up possibility to telehealth once they have access to this broadband, the sky's the limit.

Comcast is just one of several providers tasked with connecting Floridians.

A mission McGovern says could not have happened without government investment.

Allen is thrilled a solution is finally on the horizon.

Can you imagine?

How would you feel in my shoes?

Would you be excited?

I think everybody would.

But for Chief Bauer, there is no quick fix.

We had a situation not too long ago where we lost a toddler out on the interstate for a little while, and there was a section of the interstate that had no coverage whatsoever.

There was no cell coverage.

There was no radio coverage.

There was no nothing until that tower got replaced.

So when when it goes down, there's no backup.

So if somebody had called for help from 911 at that moment, it's very likely they wouldn't have gotten through.

While the fire department waits and hopes that private companies will improve cell and radio coverage at some point, there is ongoing federal investment of money to improve digital connectivity statewide.

We spoke with Florida Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly about government funding for this issue.

He says in the last seven years, adding state moneys to the huge federal investment means about $2 billion overall have gone to improving connectivity.

Kelly says sharing the cost with private companies to get things like fiber lines to homes is the only way to combat the digital divide in an effective way.

The connectivity of people who are more remotely located, or maybe or maybe even if they're an urban area, but the infrastructure is just older infrastructure.

The connectivity for those people really could take quite a long time, could take years.

So this kind of Public-Private partnership, it really accelerates that connectivity.

This investment means about 95% of buildings in our state now have adequate connectivity coverage.

They hope to get that number to 100% by 2028.

You know, you should.

The nation is seeing a record breaking boom in small business applications with Florida leading the way.

That story next on Southwest Florida in focus.

but.

The white House recently announced a record number of new small business applications being filed during the Biden-Harris administration.

That's 20 million applications, more than any presidential term in U.S. history.

The data also shows our state leading this nationwide small business boom.

Florida had nearly 2.5 million small business applications these last four years.

So what do these numbers mean?

Joining us now is deputy director of the National Economic Council, John Don Enberg.

Thank you, director.

We appreciate your time.

Good to be here.

So let's start with this.

How significant are these numbers?

You know, I think these numbers are quite significant.

And they indicate that the Biden Harris small business boom that we've been experiencing is really powering the economic comeback that we've seen here in the United States.

You know, 20 million new business applications.

Just to put that in context.

That's the three strongest years on record.

And we are on track for a fourth.

So this is the single best presidential term for new business applications in history.

And that is both across the country and also in every single state of the Union, including in Florida.

And what does that mean in practical terms?

It means, you know, business ownership is way up, business creation is way up.

And we're fighting for entrepreneurs and Americans across this country to be able to take those ideas and turn them into reality and start generating real wealth for themselves and for their families.

So Florida leads the country in the number of applications.

I would imagine that Governor Ron DeSantis here in Florida would take credit for, for for that success.

Who does should get credit?

Well, you know, I think it's instructive that the success that we've seen in Florida has been repeated in every state in the Union.

You know, the Florida numbers are very impressive.

We have seen more than 2.4 million new business applications in Florida alone.

It's worth noting that is more than, 1 million.

More than the total new business applications we saw during the first term of President Trump.

So, you know, I think the big takeaway here is that policy really matters.

You know, this president and vice president came into office, committed to providing support for small businesses, providing capital through government where necessary, providing additional technical support to people trying to start their businesses.

You know, working to lower things like energy costs and health care costs, which every business owner knows or new business owner knows.

You know, it can be a real killer when you're starting to get off the ground.

And we've had an all hands on deck kind of all of the above approach to supporting those businesses.

And it's borne out in the numbers across the country.

When we see numbers like this, some might say, you know, perhaps the Biden-Harris administration wasn't successful in communicating this success in the recent election.

Your thoughts?

You know, I mean, I'm not in a position to comment on the election, but what I will say is that, you know, as President Biden often says, every small business creation is an act of hope, right?

It's a belief in the ability for you to build something with your own two hands that will improve the sort of economic situation of yourself and your family and your community.

And so when we see millions and millions of people taking those steps, those acts of hope at rates that we have never seen before in the United States, it makes me very optimistic for where our economy is headed over time, because small business dynamism is really the engine that powers our economy.

You know, I will say, though, you know, the future is not guaranteed.

And, you know, while it is clear that these great successes come in large part due to the support of, you know, particular policy decisions this administration has made, you know, there's no guarantee those things will continue.

And the incoming administration and Republicans in Congress are going to have to make some decisions about that.

So, for example, you know, we've seen record awards, and capital provided by the Small Business Administration to small businesses under this president.

Meanwhile, congressional Republicans have talked about cutting support for the Small Business Administration, in terms of their funding by a third.

So that will mean less money going into companies and less money, you know, generating those small businesses.

In addition, we have had a number of initiatives legislative and otherwise, you know, to try to lower costs, for energy, lower costs for health care, and invest in industries of the future.

Here, Republicans have largely opposed or even voted against those measures.

So, you know, we'll have to see what happens.

But I think we are hopeful that folks will see the results and make the correct determination, which is that we should continue those policies which are really generating economic value in communities across the United States.

You know, the proof is in the data.

The proof is in the actual experience.

There's no shame in admitting that you are wrong and accepting, you know, these new policy changes going forward to make sure we're supporting our businesses.

Director Burke, we thank you so very much for your time.

We appreciate it.

Thanks for having me.

Here's a twist on a famous line from Mark Twain.

Rumors of the death of Florida agriculture may be exaggerated.

It's true.

Farming and ranching are changing, and available land for crops and livestock is shrinking.

But agriculture remains a vital part of the state's economy.

What does the future hold?

WGCUs Mike Walcher went afield to get some answers.

Jim Strickland knows cattle ranching in south central Florida.

He owns 1600 acres and manages another 7000 in parts of Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties.

I have been blessed to be able to get up almost every morning of my life and know that what I'm doing makes my heart full on this land at 1860.

Strickland's ancestors started raising cattle.

The heat are survival.

Well, he says, it's innovation.

An example.

Strickland has hung cell phones around the neck of 500 of his cows.

Then he uses GPS to locate them and round them up.

Especially after a hurricane.

Or if fences go down and it's kind of where old meets new.

My cows have cell phones, but we still use horses.

But even the most creative people have run headfirst into development of land for uses other than farming.

The American Farmland Trust says the state has lost at least 500mi of farmland in the past 20 years.

The University of Florida estimates the loss could grow to more than 3000mi in the next 45 years.

After WGCU Professor Fritz Roka has completed an 18 month study of agriculture in Florida, where land sells at top dollar and the Montrose is doing more with less and less land, but also less fertilizer, less water, and less people.

And that's because the technology will be there to help augment that production.

Florida Gulf Coast University recently hosted Agribusiness Day students from ten high schools around the region, and Fgcu students checked out potential careers.

Lexi Luevano says she's inspired by her father, a citrus crew leader in Highlands County.

And so I think it's going to be fine, especially with leaders such as myself showing others that it's important to keep this in our lives and to to get the knowledge and get the resources.

And then we have an actual ag scholarship program.

People got to eat and can't eat money.

That's Brant Whann and Fgcu graduate who works for Krill Tractor Company.

He represented Creole on Agribusiness Day.

We got a lot of factors like this from the state of Florida as far as cost, land and real estate goes.

So it does definitely take a passionate group of people to come together and produce the agricultural commodities that we as a whole population need.

Citrus used to be the crown jewel of Florida agriculture.

But greening and canker have devastated citrus.

And the harvest now is small compared to 30 years ago.

Lately, disease resistance.

Citrus is showing promise thanks to research by the University of Florida.

And vegetable growing remains strong in many parts of South and Central Florida.

So what about the future, Professor Rocha?

Well, maybe we can evolve more into urban style agriculture.

So more hydroponics.

Aquaponics.

Back on the ranch, Jim Strickland recognizes climate change and has bred as herd with Brahman cattle.

They can withstand hotter and more humid weather.

He acknowledges the pressure to build on the land.

We're not going to stop development.

I'm not anti-development.

We just need to make sure we balance development and balance that development along with water storage areas that we can provide.

We can store water for those developments.

We can purify water we can provide.

If you like wildlife, we're the ones that are going to protect your wildlife.

Strickland and those like him have one burning desire to put food on your table.

They hope that drive carries to future generations.

Look at food security for the state of Florida.

Look at food security for our nation and everything that's happening in the world around us that I would encourage anybody.

If you have a passion for agriculture, get into agriculture.

For GCU news, I'm Mike Walshaw.

should.

Do.

The holidays should bring loved ones together, but they can also bring heated political debates to the dinner table.

Doctor Nolan Higdon, a professor and author on civil discourse, joined us to share strategies for fostering respectful conversations.

Even in our polarized environment.

Doctor Higdon joins us now.

Welcome.

Thank you.

So a lot of us get stressed out during the holidays knowing we've got the whole family together.

A lot of folks feel very, you know, well, are often on opposing sides politically about what happened with the election and where the country's going.

Do we avoid those or try to avoid those conversations?

I found myself stressed out about, oh my goodness, do I need to like, shut down this conversation?

What are your thoughts?

I think I think we need to have a sober sense of what the holidays are about, right?

They're about getting together with people we love and being able to to share a moment together.

The Thanksgiving table is not a good place to try and solve.

Like the immigration crisis, for example.

So I think setting some limits on what we can and can't do.

I imagine most families, we probably know how each other are voting, so we don't need to rehash that at the table necessarily.

So I do encourage folks to yeah, talk about politics.

As long as it stays constructive and stays in good faith.

If it starts to become divisive or it's, you know, possibly a topic that would ruin the day, I would stay away from it.

I think lot love your family members are more important than staking out your hard positions on some political policy.

So I know that you travel the country educating people, especially young people, about having constructive dialog with people who don't agree with us.

How do we do that?

You said as long as it's respectful, it's okay to have these conversations around the holidays.

What's your advice to people on on having those conversations when you know, in advance?

Okay, we have very different views on a lot of things.

I find it helpful to try and put on, like, almost a researcher hat.

What I mean by that is listen, listen to who the other person is.

Where are they coming from?

You know, sometimes generational differences can be huge.

You know, if you came from 1930s, 1940s, you probably see 20, 24 radically different, you know, than folks who were born, say, in 2001.

And so I think trying to understand where that person is coming from can be, very helpful as well.

Keeping it to asking questions, if it's a divisive topic that this person decides they want to speak on it, or family of that, maybe keep it asking them questions rather than trying to argue against them.

Things I like to ask, are where did you hear that?

I've never heard that before.

It's a good way to find out.

Is there evidence behind it?

Or perhaps there's not.

If there's not evidence behind it, hopefully it'll alert that person to the fact they're sharing something they don't have any evidence for.

I think those are ways to to keep it more constructive.

But once we start judging, shaming, name calling and accusing, that's where we tend to get into destructive dialog.

I know you've talked a lot to, especially young people about, you know, really taking a second look at where they're getting their information.

What's your advice to all of us, as we all want to have, you know, positive.

Come vacations?

You know, as we approach a new year, what is your advice to, to all of us about how we decide what news and where to get news from?

Like you said, all of us there.

I think that's really important.

There's, been this kind of, generalization that that young people are getting their news media online and they're misinformed.

Actually, the studies show it's happening to all age groups.

So this is something all age groups need to be, concerned about.

But as far as where you get your information, when I'm collecting information on a, on a research topic or a story I'm interested in.

I try to spend less time worrying about the bias of other people and more about my personal bias.

So is this article true?

Because I want it to be true, or is it true because it has enough evidence to support it?

So I encourage people to be even more, judgmental about themselves than others.

Because we the internet is a great job of confirming biases we already have.

And then we take that out and we argue from that position when we don't actually have the evidence to defend it.

So when somebody, at the holiday party says something, you're like, oh, that is so not true.

Do you touch that?

I'll ask him, like I had never heard that.

Where did you hear that?

Try and get them to show the evidence.

Put the burden on them since they're the one making the claim.

So it's possible to have happy holidays and still not totally avoid politics.

Yeah.

Conversations involve more than one person, so if it gets destructive, it's not just the person who brought up the topic.

It's also how we react.

And so if we want to create a more inclusive and calm environment, I would, really think before I speak, to make sure I'm maintaining that constructive dialog.

All right, Doctor Higdon, thank you so much.

Thank you.

The sand is back.

The American Sand Sculpting Championship is returning to Fort Myers Beach for the first time since Hurricane Ian.

A look at what it means to our community.

Coming up.

As the season of giving approaches, a local philanthropist has stepped up in a big way.

Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex, recently announced a series of major gifts totaling $85 million to 41 nonprofits in Southwest Florida.

The awards are being given for a range of causes meaningful to call of Sano.

They span health care, education, disability services, and animal welfare.

Golisano says he chose to award the nonprofit's now instead of leaving them in his will.

Just about a few months ago, I started to think.

Why am I making these organizations?

Wait.

It doesn't, there's no real tax.

This advantage you give it to them early, and they certainly can use it.

And especially since, it's getting a little harder and harder for nonprofits to raise money.

Golisano says the gifts were a surprise to the area nonprofits.

In September, Golisano gifted $360 million to nonprofits in his home region of upstate New York, including the Golisano Foundation.

The American Sand Sculpting Championship is back at Fort Myers Beach after a five year hiatus.

The pandemic and Hurricane Ian's devastation had kept the festivities away.

Sculptors from around the world are transforming 200 tons of imported sand into stunning art.

Visitors can also enjoy food and live music at the Vendor village.

Jackie Liszac with the Fort Myers Beach Chamber, says the return of the competition is a big financial as well as spiritual boost because it shows the community is recovering.

We have people coming from all over the world.

We have 18 sculptors there from ten different countries coming in, and then we have guests flying in just for this event.

So obviously tourism coming to Southwest Florida, coming to see this event, coming to stay in our hotels and our vacation rentals and to mingle with us and help to uplift the community economically.

But of course emotionally as well.

And the event ends on Sunday.

Coming up next week on Southwest Florida.

In focus is hurricane season changing.

An expert from the National Hurricane Center shares what scientists learn from this past season.

Plus, horseshoe crabs have been around for 445 million years.

And they still play a vital role in our coastal ecology.

They also provide a critical ingredient for life saving medical products.

We'll learn why a citizen science program is tracking these living fossils.

Be sure to join us for that story and much more on WGCU.

Have a great week everyone!