The FLORIDA Channel

Florida Crossroads
Farm to Fuel: A Florida Initiative, Part 2

Florida Crossroads continues its series on Florida’s Farm to Fuel initiative with a closer look at the citrus peel to ethanol process as well as how one North Florida company plans to turn wood waste into fuel.  Fuel distributors weigh in on the use of biofuels and a dairy farmer talks about the process of turning manure into electricity.

Florida Crossroads
Farm to Fuel: A Florida Initiative, Part 1

Move over corn…sugar cane, citrus peel and wood waste could become the key ingredients used to make a new kind of biofuel called cellulosic ethanol. Florida’s agriculture industry is banking on new technology that could help farmers turn crops into fuel for the farm or fuel for your automobile. Florida Crossroads travels from Florida’s farmland to the local gas pump to show how cellulosic ethanol is made.

Florida Crossroads
The Internet: The Danger Within

A/S/L?  LMIRL?  Do these acronyms look familiar to you?  Chances are if you ask any teenager, they will know the answer.  “Age/Sex/Location” and “Let’s Meet in Real Life” are common phrases seen on internet chat sites.  They are also commonly used by online predators seeking to solicit children for sex.  The Attorney General’s Child Predator Cybercrime Unit is on the front lines, fighting to protect children from Internet predators. In this Florida Crossroads, some of the online threats to children are explored to find out how the Cybercrime Unit is combating The Internet: The Danger Within. 

Florida Crossroads
All in a Day's Work:
We The People:
The Property Tax Amendment

On January 29th, 2008, Florida voters decided if changes needed to be made to the state constitution as it relates to property taxes. Florida Crossroads examinies the four issues contained in the proposed amendment drafted by lawmakers: doubling the homestead exemption, portability, tangible personal property tax changes and a cap on assessments of non homestead property in the future.

Florida Crossroads
The Making of a Band:
The FAMU Marching 100

Florida A & M University’s Marching 100 is known for its size, its sound and its unique ability to move a crowd whether at home or abroad.  The students and staff agree membership is a privilege. They say those who step up to the challenge quickly experience the true grit behind the glamour of a college band that’s played for a Prince, a President and audiences worldwide. Those who proudly wear the uniform speak candidly about what it takes to be a part of the FAMU Marching 100 tradition.

Florida Crossroads
Florida's Historic Places:
Fort Mose & Fort Gadsden

Perhaps Florida’s first mention in the history books came when Spanish Explorer Juan Ponce de Leon set foot on the shores of “la florida”. Since then, Florida’s role in American History has been an important one, and its land has often been a place of refuge for many. In the first part of an ongoing series, Florida Crossroads visits the sites of two historic forts that you won’t find on a road map today.  

Florida Crossroads
Gang Related

Florida has reportedly seen more growth in gang activity than any other state over the last 25 years. According to law enforcement, there are over 1,000 gangs with over 65,000 members. See what local police and state leaders are doing about this dangerous and growing problem.

Florida Crossroads
Lake Okeechobee: Ebb and Flow

Florida’s Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in the United States.  Its drainage basin covers 4,600 miles that includes a maze of canals, streams and rivers in the bottom half of our state. Florida Crossroads explores Lake O’s history, its management, its benefits and its threat.

Florida Crossroads
Learning from a Distance:
Florida's Virtual Schools

Florida has a school where "take home tests" are the norm, school bells aren't heard, and overcrowded classrooms are never a concern. It's a place where the class clown no longer has an audience and there are no halls for bullies to roam. It's a free public school that receives zero construction funds, yet in the past decade it has quietly increased its student body to become the largest school in the state. Florida Crossroads takes a tour of the Florida Virtual School for a look at the successes and challenges of Learning from a Distance.

Florida Crossroads
All in a Day's Work:
Barbers, Cigar Masters and Harbor Pilots

More than one million Florida professionals are licensed and regulated by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. In this ongoing series highlighting agencies of state government, Florida Crossroads follows DBPR’s Secretary Holly Benson for a day as she meets some of Florida’s licensed professionals, each with a story to tell.

Florida Crossroads
Trafficked: Florida's Modern Day
Slave Trade

Imagine a life where men are forced to work around the clock with little to no pay… women and children are forced into the depths of prostitution… Imagine being Trafficked. In this program, Florida Crossroads takes a close look at what can only be described as modern day slavery. The program explores Florida’s underground world of human trafficking and how it has become the second largest human trafficking state in the nation.

Florida Crossroads
All in a Day's Work:
Florida Corrections Officers

Florida Crossroads goes behind bars to see what life is like for individuals who work in Florida's all female and all male prison facilities in the ongoing series, All in a Day's Work.

Florida Crossroads
Withstanding a Storm

History has proven that Florida's coastline is vulnerable to hurricanes, and it is only a matter of time when another storm will make landfall. In this program, find out what you need to know to stay safe and protect your home during hurricane season.

Florida Crossroads
On the Trail: The 2006 Florida Cattle Drive

In 1995, about 700 people celebrated Florida's 150 years of statehood by leading cattle on a 70 mile old fashioned cattle drive. And in 2006, history repeated itself on a much shorter path. It was a cattle drive winding through Florida ranches that face extinction because of development. The Florida Crossroads team goes On the Trail for the 2006 Florida Cattle Drive.

Florida Crossroads
New Leaders: The Florida Legislature

In 2006, the Florida Legislature welcomed a new Senate President and its first Cuban-American House Speaker. Florida Crossroads continues its look at the new leaders in Florida Government with part two of the New Leaders series - the Florida Legislature.

Florida Crossroads
New Leaders: The Florida Cabinet

In November, 2006, Florida voters changed the face of leadership in Tallahassee when they elected a new Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer and Agriculture Commissioner. We take a more personal look at the new and familiar faces of the Florida Cabinet in part one of the New Leaders series.

Florida Crossroads
How a Bill Becomes a Law

Floridians have a unique opportunity to get involved in state government through the legislative process. This documentary takes a look at how state laws are created and how all citizens are encouraged to participate in the open "bill to law" process.

Florida Crossroads
Life or Meth

Methamphetamine goes by many names: speed, crank, crystal or ice. But no matter what you call it, authorities consider meth to be the most dangerous and most destructive drug of the millennium, taking a direct hit on Florida. What's being done to curb the problem and who is most at risk? Florida Crossroads travels to areas where members of law enforcement say the drug is part of everyday culture, where it's become a matter of Life or Meth.