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Oh, it would be a disaster for our economy, and it would be a degree of human suffering on a scale that we haven't seen since the Great Depression.

Leaders in Washington raised red flags over the hundreds of billions of dollars in proposed cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

A look at what downsides in the country's health care and social safety net means to Floridians, dependent on those financial resources.

Grounded no more.

Following a year in delays and an additional $340 million in costs.

The terminal expansion is ready to take flight.

And overcoming a criminal conviction How a photo shoot is offering hope for those seeking a better opportunity at life?

Hello, I'm Sandra Victorova.

Thank you for being here.

Well, people who depend on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are voicing concerns that the ongoing cuts to the federal government will impact their lives.

The message in white House statements president Donald Trump will not cut Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security.

It is the same message that we heard repeatedly from the president himself on the campaign trail.

However, the Department of Government Efficiency, or dosage has targeted Social Security for billions of dollars in cuts, with presidential adviser Elon Musk calling Social Security the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.

Already, thousands of employees in the Social Security Administration have been fired and dozens of offices have been closed or are scheduled to be closed.

As Teddy Byrne reports, recipients around the country are voicing their concerns, fearing cuts to their benefits could be on the horizon.

The threat to Social Security right now is very real.

Former Social Security commissioner under the Biden administration, Martin O'Malley, recently traveled across Florida to raise concerns about the DOJ's led changes to Social Security.

At a stop in Naples.

The former governor of Maryland spoke to a packed house.

Southwest Floridians voiced their uneasiness regarding the program's future, as O'Malley issued warnings about the gutting of the SSA.

The agency is being dismantled at a time when it's already been made very vulnerable due to its staffing reduced to a 50 year low.

So they the way they're driving knowledgeable people out of that agency is already creating much higher wait times.

There's already more people dying waiting for initial disability determinations than ever before in the history of the program.

And that's, going to go up as well.

The agency supports 73 million people across the country, not just retirees, but those with qualifying disabilities, widows or widows and orphans.

The Social Security Administration has already announced changes to their identity verification procedures, which includes limiting most services that can be done over the phone.

Another proposal would cut off payments for people without Social Security numbers, which could lead to over 170,000 people losing their benefits, many of those being retirees and low income individuals.

Social security is the greatest anti-poverty program that we've ever enacted as a people.

We did it after the Great Depression, and it was intended to make sure that nobody worked hard their whole life ever has to live out their last years in poverty.

And, so we need to defend it.

For WGCU news, I'm Teddy Byrne.

They contribute In addition to the downsizing efforts at the Social Security Administration, the Trump White House is looking at massive overhauls to Medicaid.

House Republicans want to cut $880 billion from the program over the next decade.

An estimated 72 million people rely on Medicaid, like Stephanie Norden in Naples, her teenage twin sons have autism.

She says Medicaid covers important care, like behavioral and speech therapies that she couldn't get otherwise.

And she says their round the clock care allows her to work.

She knows there could be room for making the system more efficient, but she says she's worried about critical care being cut to her sons and families like hers.

As a parent of somebody with developmental disabilities.

My number one pressing question since diagnosis is what's going to happen to them when I die?

The concern is at the max level, because I want to make sure that these children, who will then turn into adults, have the support they need when I'm not here.

I am very concerned.

I am worried about the lack of clarity in these cuts and concern that if there aren't people at the table that understand how complex this is and how needed it is, then.

The expression is that they'll throw the baby out with the bathwater.

We are now joined by Laura Harker, a senior policy analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit think tank which studies Medicaid benefits and funding.

So, Laura, thank you for joining us.

We appreciate it.

Thank you for having me.

So I want to start with the basics here.

Who benefits from Medicaid in the state of Florida in terms of people and services?

Yes.

Medicaid covers many people in the state of Florida, almost 4 million people.

So about 1 in 5 residents in the state gets their health coverage through Medicaid.

And it's really important in terms of access to care for people with lower incomes who may not be able to afford health care without Medicaid.

And that also helps to infuse the health care system with more money, as those people who otherwise may not have had coverage are able to go see doctors and health care providers.

So we haven't seen the details on the potential $880 billion in Medicaid cuts.

Excuse me.

What areas are most at risk, you think to be cut?

Yes.

The cuts are very large that are being proposed and would have impacts across the Medicaid program.

We're hearing a lot about changing the way the program is funded.

For example, right now it's a state and federal partnership.

So the federal government kicks in about 57% of the cost of funding the Medicaid program, and the state kicks in that remaining 43%.

And the proposals at play would potentially shift a lot more cost to the state by changing the amount of funding that the federal government provides to states to serve people enrolled in Medicaid.

And that's something that would be a burden on states.

They would have to figure out how to respond to that.

It would most likely force the state to cut Medicaid benefits or eligibility, meaning people could lose coverage.

People could lose access to important services that are considered optional, like prescription drug coverage or dental or vision coverage if they have it.

So these are all real risk that people would face as a result of some of these cuts.

Most people may think, well, I'm not on Medicaid.

Maybe they don't have a loved one on Medicaid.

Why should the rest of us care if we're really not directly impacted by Medicaid?

Yeah, I think that there's also some polling and research that does show many people.

Most people have some connection, either having been on Medicaid before or currently or knowing someone.

But even if you don't know someone, the fact that Medicaid is such a large insurance program and that covers so many people and states, it allows hospitals to stay open.

There's a lot of research about how Medicaid helps to support providers and their revenues, and allows them to do more because they're getting paid for services they otherwise might not have been paid for.

And so that is something that makes sure those facilities are available for everyone and keeps those strong for anyone, whether they are on Medicaid or not.

Laura, if I can end on seniors, we know a lot of seniors depend on Medicaid, for instance, to get, home nursing care.

What are your concerns as far as quality of care or even access to care for seniors?

Yes.

Medicaid is really important in helping seniors pay for what we call long term care.

So that's typically nursing home care.

Or it could be home and care in the home for seniors.

And Medicaid is for the largest payer of those types of services.

So Medicaid fills in some of the gaps that Medicare.

So Medicare being the program for people over 65, but some people are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, which is really more focused on people with lower incomes.

And Medicaid fills in by covering those services, that they wouldn't be able to get through Medicare.

So that would be something to really focus on in terms of seniors and their access to the care they need.

Medicaid is also really important for seniors, especially seniors who may not have as many assets or as many, larger or as much income.

Medicaid really fills in the gaps for them.

Laura Harker, we thank you so much for your time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Coming up, keeping southwest Florida safe from dangerous invaders, we go on the hunt to track down cane toads and other poisonous invasive species.

One of the most dysfunctional and costly construction projects in Southwest Florida may be back on a flight path to resolution expansion of the existing terminal at Southwest Florida International Airport is approved for a second time.

As WGCUs Mike Walcher reports, the do over at RSW will require a lot more time and money.

The goal is simple make it easier for ever growing crowds to pass through walls w and give security checkpoints more space.

But work stopped more than a year ago.

The builders said the design plans could weaken the existing terminal, maybe even cause the roof to collapse.

So how to get from this to a badly needed expanded terminal?

First, the Lee County Port Authority commissioners had harsh words for Darren Larsen from Atkins, the design firm.

Atkins has admitted the engineering plans were faulty.

This was a yes lightning strike, almost, catastrophic, if you will.

And they had words for John Ryan, president of Manhattan Construction, the builder that spotted the flaws.

But that still doesn't.

The fact that it was a major mistake.

Larsen said Atkins has new plans, safe ones, using more steel and concrete and adding carbon fiber to make columns stronger.

Ryan said Manhattan likes the plans.

And what about dumping the companies and just starting over?

Here's Port Authority Director Steve Hennigan.

You're probably looking at, you know, six, seven years and upwards of $5 million.

Commissioners voted yes for another $347 million.

That money allows Hopkins and Manhattan to build again with new plans, and includes 12 million for solutions to inspect the engineering and construction.

This comes on top of 331 million from the first agreements in 2021.

The companies by contract must report delays of more than 30 days and cost overruns of more than $100,000.

I can rely on what they told me today, on camera, on record, on any of the contracts that we're signing.

The Port Authority admits there will be more disruption for passengers, as the expansion that was supposed to have been done late last year now won't be finished until late 28 or early 29.

We are to refer all our questions to Vicky Moreland.

She's, She's in there will be here.

So if you.

How do you feel about having another shot at this?

I'm sorry.

Please, see Vicky Moreland.

So you have nothing to say to the traveling public that's going to be interrupted?

Sorry.

No.

Vicki Moreland is communications director for the Port Authority.

She promises to fill us in on passenger reaction.

Once work begins inside the terminal.

For now, some people acknowledge r s w must have more space safely built.

Well.

It's unfortunate.

It's too bad there maybe wasn't better planning involved with that.

But I'd rather have them found out that the plans were not correct.

Early on.

Correct it and then move forward.

It's an inconvenience, but I think it's one of those necessary evils.

Professor long, when chairman of the Whitacre College of Engineering at FCC, you says people from all the companies have to make more effort to solve issues if they can work together now.

Leave the project that improve the passenger experience, improve that capacity, the passenger capacity volume for that, and then improve the economic impacts to Southwest Florida.

That is the projects and that is the long term impact.

Work will start this spring with tearing out some areas that are considered flawed.

That alone will take several months.

The 347 million does not come from property taxes, but rather grants from governments and fees from airlines.

But the airport director notes airlines can increase fees on tickets if and when they want to pass along costs to passengers.

For WGCU news, I'm Mike Walcher It's time now to start paying extra attention to your pets when they're outside.

That's because Cane Toad season is here now through November.

The hotter and hotter time of the year is when we see the toad population grow.

But experts say pets can get in trouble with these invasive species even when it's well outside of breeding season.

As the sun goes down.

Bryson Farrell's work day is just beginning.

He's searching for the secret cozy spots that cane toads call home.

These hedges are like condominiums for him.

Farrell works for Toad Busters, a company hired by homeowners worried about invasive sugar cane toads.

With these big ones.

The glands are just.

I mean, that's all toxin.

The toads are nocturnal.

They are often easy to miss.

Mulch can serve as a great camouflage for their trips.

They'll go as light as they need to or as dark as they need to.

And to blend in.

Farrell says the toads are not aggressive.

Poison in their skin glands are self-defense.

He was agitated from the get go.

He immediately started secreting out poison from his glands on either side.

Cane toads are poisonous to most animals.

Janine Tilford is founder of Toad Busters.

So basically a dog can just actually put their nose on the the toad and the toxin can be excreted out of the glands, and then they'll immediately, within a few minutes, start succumbing to the toxin.

They start vomiting, they will salivate, their eyes dilate, and then eventually go into a seizure.

So small dogs are affected really quick.

It could be a matter of under five minutes that they could be in that seizure and then starting to go into cardiac arrest.

Tammy Yost of Fort Myers hired the company to protect her dogs, Ruby and Ranger, because they love to hunt.

Fits.

They're they're going to go after it, and then I'm not going to have a chance.

The company put up this additional fence to help keep toads out of her yard.

We have an awful lot around the house, especially out front.

And they're just so bold.

They won't even, like, move out of your way.

I had one in the garage, and I had to, like, you know, sweep to chase the thing out.

They just look like I'm not when I don't really care.

Cane toads are native to Central and South America, and were brought to Florida as insect control for sugar cane fields, until Ford says the warming climate has allowed them to multiply.

Florida in itself is a great location for all these animals to to do well here.

So we have a lot of new invasives that are coming in and the toads, because the weather and the plants that we put in our yard are generally from South America.

The toads are at home.

This is a very good climate for them to do well.

Along with many other invasive species, species like the New Guinea flatworm and animal these crews plan to target next also pose a risk.

Yo says she's just glad she's able to better protect her dogs from the toads.

They're a good part of my life, and they're really good for my mom and their family.

And you want to take your family and protect them as best as you can.

She like bugs?

Yeah, you might put.

Well.

Burmese pythons and cane toads are among the most recognized invasive species in southwest Florida.

They are far from the only unwanted presence.

There are dozens of plants and flowers that can take up a lot of the nutrients and beauty from native Florida.

Doctor Jerry Jackson is the host of What the Wild Things, and he is joining us now to talk about some of the lesser known species causing chaos in our backyards.

Welcome, Doctor Jackson.

It's great to be here.

We're excited to have you.

I'm excited to be here and excited to talk about exotic, invasive.

Exotic means it's not native.

It's from somewhere else.

And invasive means that it's growing out of control and spreading out of control.

So why has Southwest Florida become such a hotbed for these invasive plants?

It's because of the climate we have here.

We have a subtropical, almost tropical climate, and things can survive here and do survive from all around the world.

So for 25 years, you've been doing with the wild things here.

You.

It airs at 7:28 a.m. and you have so many fans.

We love listening to it.

I know you did a segment recently on the rosary, so you brought those with you.

I know they're very toxic.

What do you want people to know about them?

Well, first of all, I brought three different species of exotic, invasive plants.

These are the exotic invasive rosary peas, and they're called rosary peas because they used to be used as the beads on rosaries.

And missionaries probably spread a lot of these around because of that.

Not only that, but some people apparently died as a result of making rosaries out of these rose rupees because these are highly toxic.

They have the ability to kill a human.

I know you brought two other species of plants that you wanted to show us real quick.

Okay.

This is the leaf.

This is one leaf of a Queensland umbrella tree.

It's a plant that is native to Australia, Queensland, Australia.

It's a plant that in Australia, it is also invasive.

Why is it invasive?

Because it produces flowers on a stem like this.

That's very long.

And it produces a radiation of several stems out at the tip of a branch.

So they're sticking upwards maybe two feet upwards.

And it produces flowers all along.

Each of those little stems and seeds grow along each of those little stems.

There's another one that we have that is also invasive.

These are the leaves and they are compound leaves again.

So the leaf starts here and goes out there.

These are the leaves of Brazilian pepper.

And I'm holding it by the stem.

Because the leaves of Brazilian pepper are like poison ivy.

You can get a rash from them.

In the early 1800s Christmas decorations became very very popular.

And people were looking for Holly.

They wanted Holly with the nice red berries that you see in the in the winter time.

And holly trees were lost.

They were cut down everywhere for their berries, and they began to run low.

And someone went to South America, and they found a plant that also produced red berries at Christmas time.

And they brought it back, and they called it the Brazilian harbor holly.

And it wasn't a holly at all.

It is a relative of poison ivy.

And they began growing them on farms and selling them.

And people who handle them began to get rashes.

And all of a sudden they realized that, hey, this stuff is toxic, we can't do this anymore.

And those people had to go out of business.

Oh, wow.

Oh, that were selling them.

And so they just let the plants grow and left them alone.

A Brazilian pepper is, on a very, very aggressive, invasive, exotic species.

And.

Yep, we got them growing in our yard, too.

Doctor Jerry Jackson, we thank you so much for your time.

And we love your work on With the Wild Things.

And we'll will keep listening.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

After the break, a snapshot towards a better future.

People who previously found themselves on the wrong side of the law are now looking for a fresh start by striking a pose.

A prior criminal conviction can be a deal breaker for anyone seeking new employment in southwest Florida.

One group is shifting the focus from a person's past in order to help them achieve a better future.

WGCUs Dayna Harpster and Amanda Inscore Whittamore detail how some folks are trading in their mug shots for glamor shots.

Gorgeous.

You are gorgeous.

I feel amazing like this.

I feel like Cinderella.

Yeah.

For me, it's to go from dope to hope.

Beautiful.

I love it.

Heidi White's transformation is more than just a touch of glamor.

She's an addiction recovery.

She recently regained custody of her children.

That she's even sitting for a photo session is hard to believe.

951 days ago.

You know, I was going to take my life.

And I started at Grace church where, you know, I found hope in recovery and I got recovery at 951 days sober.

Heidi sits with the makeup artist for a more professional look before Alma Brophy, a local photographer can capture headshots you can use on resumes, applications and social media.

You look gorgeous though.

I'm so excited to get you in front of the light at the mug Shots to Headshots event.

Heidi and other clients received new clothes for interviews, help with resumé building, and help with housing.

The event was organized by photographer Brophy and made possible through an $8,500 grant from the City of Fort Myers.

Heidi, who has seizures, will also be working with a disability navigator so she can go back to school.

This is a gorgeous like, oh, I told you guys she will appear.

Neil Volz is the deputy director of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.

Yeah, I'd hire you.

He was excited to see people's transformation while preparing for their headshots.

It's just such a wonderful moment to see somebody who wants to move forward in their life and take a tangible step.

You know, you see women getting makeup and clothes and men getting suits like that and then chin down.

He wants the community to help those who have served time or in recovery.

He says that if someone has a conviction, they're 3 to 4 times less likely to get a call for a job interview.

But everyone walking out of here is walking out with hope and a more tangible opportunity to get employment, which we know is the single determining factor for most people's success who are trying to come out of the criminal justice system.

Although Heidi has not had trouble with the law, she has faced difficulties with getting and keeping jobs since she's been in recovery.

The event gave her a big boost of confidence.

Everybody thinks that once you're a junkie, you're always a junkie.

And today, I feel like I'm just I feel amazing.

Like I have hope again.

It's totally exciting because once you have that, that glow about you, once you have that confidence, you know what I mean?

You can conquer the world.

You know, you walk into a job more confident.

You walk in knowing who you are and what you're doing right there.

Stay right there.

Everybody benefits from we can implement second chance at employment policies because the employers get good folks who can work there.

Somebody's life is changed and we see less crime.

For GCU news, I'm Dana Harpster with Amanda and Score Whitmore.

Yeah.

There you go.

Good.

Beautiful.

Come over here.

What a great program.

Well, coming up next week, as seasonal residents head north, some helpful tips to help keep your apartment or house energy efficient while no one is home.

Join us for that story and much more next week.

And don't forget, we would love for you to like and subscribe to our WGCU news YouTube channel, where you'll find all of our stories, including extended interviews and much more.

Have a great week everyone!