Stephanie Colombini

Smokable marijuana is already available for patients at some dispensaries just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis legalized its use.

But the new law still requires the state to craft rules about how to obtain it.

State lawmakers are hoping to increase access to health care by allowing nurse practitioners to treat patients without a doctor's supervision.

Florida ranks third in the nation for the number of calls placed to the national human trafficking hotline.

The charges filed against New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft last week for soliciting prostitution in Jupiter have again put a spotlight on sex trafficking in our state.

U.S. Army and Air Force leaders have ordered inspections of housing on their bases amid reports about unsafe conditions. 

Look up "keto cookbooks" and you find a plethora of options: Quick and Easy Ketogenic Cooking, Southern Keto, Ketogenic Cleanse, Keto Comfort Foods… it’s fair to say this is a diet craze. But does it really work?

St. Petersburg is one of 25 cities getting money to go green from philanthropist and rumored presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg.

On a recent afternoon, 71-year-old Milton Malphus walked into the community room of his senior apartment building to get some lunch. Sporting a flat-rimmed hat, basketball sneakers and a T-shirt covered in pineapples, Malphus said he dresses as young as he feels: 17.

Negative experiences with health care have caused some minority patients, particularly African American men, to distrust the medical system.

Local philanthropist and entrepreneur Dr. Kiran Patel has invested $60 million dollars in a medical device company that plans to relocate its headquarters to Tampa.

When it comes to health care, Democratic candidate for Governor Andrew Gillum and his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis couldn't be further apart.

Walking or bicycling the streets of Tampa Bay can be a very dangerous way to get around. Why is that and what can be done about it?

This week on Florida Matters, we talk about pedestrian and cyclist safety in our region and how to balance that with the needs of drivers.

The Sarasota County School Board is holding an emergency meeting Thursday on school security.  It comes after months of debate over whether the Sheriff's Office would help pay for school resource officers.

The news that 17 people, including young teenagers, had been gunned down in Parkland while going about their school day on Valentine’s Day this year sent shocks of outrage, anguish and calls to do something to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

One result is a new law that says schools must have someone carrying a gun, sometimes called a school resource officer, who could respond in the event of a shooter on campus.

Seniors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland recently celebrated graduation, but they had to do so while still dealing with the trauma from the February mass shooting. This week on Florida Matters, we meet one of the graduates and hear about her life since the massacre.

More and more Floridians every week are signing up for access to medical marijuana, and with over 100,000 patients already on the registry, there is clearly money to be made.

Community leaders talked about putting an end to school violence at a town hall in Tampa's Seminole Heights neighborhood Thursday night. The Tampa Bay Association of Black Journalists hosted the event in response to the Parkland shooting last month that left 17 people dead.

Throughout the second week after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left  17 people dead, experts sent by the Israeli government hosted a series of trauma training sessions in Broward County for teachers, counselors and other members of the community who were coping with the violence.

Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School returned Thursday for their second day of classes since the shooting on Feb. 14 that killed 17.

This time around they were not greeted with the same fanfare as Wednesday, when crowds of supporters, police officers and even therapy dogs lined the perimeter of the school to welcome them back for the first time in two weeks.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Tampa Wednesday talking about efforts to combat the nation's opioid crisis.

While across the nation the cultural and political tug-of-war over health care rages on, locally, healers keep on healing. But providing care for people can get complicated when they don’t have health insurance.

Florida Matters recently hosted a town hall event in St. Petersburg about providing health care to the uninsured. We'll hear highlights from the panel discussion and questions from the audience on this week's episode.

What’s The Solution? Delivering Health Care To Uninsured Floridians

For the past six months Health News Florida has told the stories of people without insurance who use free clinics throughout the Tampa Bay area. Now we’re inviting the community to take part in that conversation during a special taping of Florida Matters. Join us for a panel discussion on providing care to the uninsured.

All of Sarasota's emergency shelters have been closed down after Hurricane Irma except one.

The county's Chief of Emergency Management Ed McCrane says as of Monday afternoon, there were about 30 residents with special needs still staying in one shelter.

U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and Tampa Congresswoman Kathy Castor are asking the federal government to step in after thousands of kids were kicked off a state Medicaid program. The two Democrats sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price earlier this week.