A transplant from tar-heel country, Scott Maxwell has spent the better part of the last two decades reporting for the Orlando Sentinel as the Taking Names columnist. In his 20 years of reporting, Maxwell has seen it all – describing the Florida political reporting scene as “addictive.”

Maxwell is Fluent in Floridian. From covering the last several election cycles to documenting natural disasters, Scott has earned a masters in Floridian Fluency, all while peppering his writing with his patented wit and astute perception. Some of his best stories are about Florida politicians, but also his readers’ reactions – which range from enthralled to disenchanted.On this episode of Fluent in Floridian, Scott Maxwell discusses the changing landscape of the print media industry, his time as a Florida journalist, and his social media presence.

Check out Scott’s Orlando Sentinel column, Taking Names!

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Ashley Moody was elected Florida’s Attorney General.Growing up in Plant City during the 1980’s, Ashley Moody’s life was surrounded by family, faith, community, and the town’s singular McDonald’s restaurant.

Who would have guessed that in 2006, the woman with a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Florida would go on to be the youngest circuit court judge in the entire state (besides Ashley herself)? Moody’s experience with the law is drawn from many wells — her first job as a business litigator, her time as a federal prosecutor, being the daughter and granddaughter of judges, and even the experiences of her husband, a federal agent.

On this episode, Moody discusses her vision for Florida as a safe, strong, and prosperous state. She also reflects on the role of Attorney General as the ‘guardian of justice,’ the ability of the attorney general to be proactive in shaping policy, and issues like the opioid crisis, elder abuse, and human trafficking.

Some kids grow up wanting to be an astronaut or a firefighter, but as Sean Shaw grew up in Tallahassee, his vision of the future was shaped by his after-school hang out spot: the Florida Supreme Court.

After integrating the Jacksonville bar association, Leander Shaw, Sean’s father, spent 20 years on Florida’s Supreme Court, becoming the first black Chief Justice in the court’s history in 1990. Sean says it would be “impossible” to say he doesn’t feel pressure to live up to his father’s legacy. Having been elected to Florida’s House of Representatives in 2016, Shaw is now running to be Florida’s Attorney General. He didn’t see himself jumping into the race until he saw the changing political landscape in the wake of the 2016 national election. Shaw wants to bring back decency to politics.

On this episode, Shaw discusses his reputation as a consumer advocate, following his father’s footsteps, and his campaign’s focus on common sense gun laws, medical marijuana, immigration, and protecting the Affordable Care Act.

Since the early 1800s, Matt Caldwell’s family has had roots in Florida. Today, Matt is staying true to those roots and running for Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Before deciding to run for Agriculture Commissioner, Matt Caldwell was your average, everyday, pocket constitution carrying member of Florida’s House of Representatives.

The man who once tweeted that he’d rather engage in fisticuffs with a coyote rather than an alligator (any Floridian would), decided to jump into a statewide election to shift the focus to the issues he sees as most important: “jobs, water, and the second amendment.”

In this episode, you’ll hear him talk about his background growing up in Fort Myers, his experience as one of the trailblazers in Florida Gulf Coast University’s inaugural years, and his love for the natural beauty of the state.

Love and family. Devoted Health, a start-up launching Medicare Advantage plans in 2019, aims to connect those words with healthcare.In this episode, Dariel Quintana, the Florida market president for Devoted Health, talks about what’s changed with healthcare in his two decades in the industry, what’s remained the same, and why choosing a healthcare plan needs to look more like online car shopping.

Listen in to hear how Florida stacks up with other states’ Medicare Advantage options, tips for people approaching age 65, and find out how Devoted Health is using world-class technology – and love – to change the way we think about healthcare plans.If you enjoyed this interview, you might enjoy our episode with Former Director of Florida’s Office of Medical Marijuana Use Christian Bax.

Born in Oklahoma, raised in Alaska, attended high school in Miami and college at Duke: not the path you would expect from the twelfth president of the University of Florida, but Kent Fuchs is far from an ordinary university president. In college, Kent had his sights set on engineering, then business, and eventually the ministry before turning to a life of higher education. In his third year as UF’s president, he is reflective of the experiences he has had that led him to the University of Florida.

Even though he grew up in the culturally vibrant 1960’s, President Fuchs witnessed minimal culture growing up with no television. Now, as the president of a preeminent research institution, President Fuchs is having to make decisions about free speech and social media.

It isn’t often someone can go from executive assistant to executive director, but since starting with the Florida Police Chiefs Association in 1999, that’s exactly what Amy Mercer has done. As executive director of one of the largest policing association in the country, Amy is on the cutting edge of police technology and technique, but the job has continued to develop new challenges over the nearly two-decades.

Mercer is fluent in Floridian. One of the hardest parts of her job is addressing the negative glare cast on law enforcement by a select few. Mercer says, “I know the type of commitment and dedication that the majority of our law enforcement members have. They’re truly individuals that’s wanting to make a difference to better their communities and the citizens that they serve better their lives, but I do recognize that unfortunately in all industry there are some bad apples, and law enforcement is no different.”

Although she doesn’t have personal experience as a member of law enforcement, Mercer does have inspiration for her new career, stating “my great-grandfather on my mother’s side, he was in law enforcement. Years ago, he was in Ripley’s Believe it or Not, as the longest acting living sheriff in Georgia, where I’m originally from.”

Since this episode of Fluent in Floridian was recorded, Ken Lawson was tapped as the Director of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.Bringing with him his Marine background and homegrown Florida story, Ken Lawson has taken VisitFlorida in a bold, refreshing, and transparent direction. Appointed by Governor Scott to right a sinking ship, Lawson has been fundamental in revitalizing the state’s tourism bureau, however he still has to fight against hurricanes, national and international competition.

Ken is fluent in Floridian. Ken takes advantage of social media to innovate the way tourists are ‘sold’ on Florida, he informed us, “We have a program called Share A Little Sunshine where people send their video clips of their experience. And when you see it on Facebook, on Instagram. It’s like, “No. No one’s selling me anything. They’re sharing with me.” And then I’m going to put myself in the shoes of that person and it’s just after the hurricane for a live camera showing that, “Hey, it’s 1:10 here in Destin and the sky is clear. The air smells good. Feel the sand underneath your toes.” In fact, Facebook told us that after the hurricane our campaign on Facebook was basically the second most popular, successful campaign they had and this is after Visa.”

As one of Florida State’s three Heisman trophy winner, Charlie Ward left Tallahassee to play professional basketball with the New York knicks as their starting point guard, only to return to the city that saw the birth of his two-sport superstardom as the newest head basketball coach at Florida High. But if you ask him, it’s all about the love of the game. His star-studded journey has brought high, lows, and lots of lessons.Ward is fluent in Floridian. Winning his Heisman as FSU’s quarterback, his life outside of sports holds a deeper meaning, “I want to be known as a giver, whether it’s giving back to a high school, giving to a charity, whether financial or time, just want to be a giver.” One way he practices giving back is by having his Heisman trophy on display at the Thomasville Public Library for the children of his hometown.During his time in New York, Ward had the chance to learn under the tutelage of NBA legends such as Derek Harper, Herb Williams, and even Doc Rivers. Rivers has his own Florida story, beginning his coaching career with the Orlando Magic, he maintained residence in Central Florida after leaving the Magic, raising his children there, including son Austin Rivers. Austin went on to play basketball at Winter Park High School, and eventually under his father’s coaching for the Los Angeles Clippers.