If your mental picture of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) is still tote bags, New England accents, and politely liberal documentaries, WSRE — Northwest Florida’s homegrown public television station — is here to remind you that not every PBS affiliate fits that stale stereotype.

And now the station is taking a stand: WSRE’s nonprofit fundraising foundation just filed a first-in-the-nation federal lawsuit to stop Pensacola State College from taking control of millions in private donor dollars that have sustained the station’s community service for nearly 60 years.

The lawsuit alleges PSC didn’t just decide to walk away from its decades-old relationship with PBS, it formally terminated the Foundation as its partner and “Direct Support Organization.” It went even further, demanding the nonprofit dissolve and “that funds donated by private citizens be turned over to the government entity, PSC.”

That’s not exactly the “small government” model most Northwest Florida residents imagine when they think about how public institutions should work.

But to understand why this fight matters, you need to understand what WSRE actually is — and what it isn’t.

WSRE is NOT whatever your culture-war uncle thinks PBS looks like. 

This is a station with 1.2 million viewers that is rooted in the Gulf Coast’s true identity: military bases, hurricane seasons, local history, and the families who shape all three.

WSRE’s “Connecting the Community” series has spotlighted veterans, told the story of Air Force Gen. Daniel “Chappie” James Jr., and honored military families and memorials across the region. Two of its signature documentaries — “The 2 Sides Project” and “They Were Our Fathers” — follow Vietnam Gold Star children reckoning with the losses of war.

On the Gulf Coast, this isn’t niche content. It’s the lived experience of the community. It’s why WSRE is beloved by the community for its excellent programming that has informed and entertained for generations

And, as we approach the 250th ‘birthday’ of our American independence, what could be less woke than Ken Burns’ incredible documentary on the American Revolutionary War? 

And when the tropics start to spin, WSRE becomes something else entirely: a public safety asset. It produces long-form hurricane preparedness programming with the National Weather Service, Escambia County Emergency Management, and local school safety officials. Families trust it because it’s local — and because storm misinformation can be just as dangerous as the weather itself.

And then there are old friends like Big Bird, Elmo and the Cookie Monster (whose colors of yellow, red and blue belie the reality that they are completely apolitical). Sesame Street programming and its PBS program cousins have helped all of us raise our children the right way.

So, when PSC cut ties with PBS and then sought to raid the donor-raised funds for itself, the Foundation drew a legal line in the sand.

“This is about honoring donor trust,” Foundation Chair Amy Day said, in announcing the lawsuit. “People gave to support WSRE’s mission — not to bankroll a government entity’s shifting priorities.”

The politics around public broadcasting in Florida have been heating up for some time. Florida Department of Education leadership has made no secret of its ideological distaste for PBS, even though affiliates like WSRE look nothing like the unfair national caricature.

But the legal issue here isn’t ideology — it’s ownership.

When private citizens donate to a nonprofit mission, who controls that money? The donors who gave it? Or a government body that decides it wants to sweep the money and use it for something else?

If PSC prevails, what other ambitious money-hungry entities will see other nonprofits — including those far removed from public broadcasting — as potential treasures to raid?

Northwest Florida donors built WSRE. They funded the veterans programming, the hurricane prep shows, the documentaries, and the early-learning resources. These were gifts from families, not appropriations from a state budget.

PSC made a choice when it left PBS. Donors made a choice when they gave to WSRE. Now, a federal court will decide whether those donor choices still matter — and whether a local station that has been embraced by conservative Northwest Florida for decades can keep serving the community that shaped it.

Many of the people who love and have supported WSRE through the years are also likely fans of Pensacola State College. But this PSC plunder of WSRE’s donor funds provides too much sad irony when the college’s mascot is a pirate. 

President Donald Trump has made it very clear: Americans can be excited about Christmas again.

His policies are feverishly working to fight inflation, which has been a stubborn problem to address, skyrocketing under former President Joe Biden’s stewardship.

He’s making the world safer. Look no further than the ceasefire he has managed to pull off in Gaza and help work towards peace for the Jewish and Palestinian people. He has also sought to end persistent fighting across Africa and Asia.

And here at home, he is seeking common sense deals that make America greater and stronger. Lowering prescription drug costs, bringing investment back into the United States, and fighting to rebalance trade deals that have long put American companies at a disadvantage.

As Americans pull boxes from the attic, string lights, and plan to give their kids a Christmas they’ll remember, they can look forward to a merry Christmas season.

There’s one issue to consider, however, and that is higher prices on seasonal décor, many tied to tariffs, which have the potential of turning a joyful season into a budgeting headache.

According to a recent nationwide survey, 84% of Americans say decorations have gotten more expensive and 63% worry that China’s failure to engage at the negotiation table fully will push costs even higher. When you’re stretching a paycheck between heating bills and a tree for the kids, an extra 10 or 20 dollars to deck the halls isn’t minor. It’s the difference between doing Christmas right and doing without.

There’s a conservative, common‑sense fix: targeted tariff relief on Christmas décor. We can keep pressure on bad actors abroad while easing pressure at home: around the kitchen table, under the tree, and at the checkout line. A timely holiday exemption would honor both our economic interests and our family priorities.

Trump understands this balance. During his last presidency, he delayed certain tariffs ahead of the holidays so American families wouldn’t feel the squeeze at Christmastime. That was smart, pro‑family leadership and it worked. We need him to save Christmas again this year and institute tariff relief on seasonal décor.

Some will worry about “mixed signals” or “policy complexity.” But there’s a clear difference between a narrow holiday exemption and a broader retreat. We can do both: defend American workers, push back on unfair practices abroad, and still give families a little breathing room during the season of giving. Christmas is the right moment to show that balance.

Let’s not make the most cherished season of the year more costly. Christmas should be about family, redemption, and generosity, not sticker shock. As the survey mentioned earlier reminds us, Americans treasure classics like “A Christmas Story,” “Home Alone,” “Elf,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”… stories of resilience, joy, and community. Those values are worth protecting and highlighting this time of year.

I am confident that Trump agrees. We saw him save Christmas in 2019. Rolling back the tariffs on Christmas décor with a targeted holiday can save Christmas by making it more affordable. Turn the lights on, not the prices up.

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Debbie Dooley is a prominent Georgia-based conservative activist and one of the founders of the Tea Party movement.

Days after lawmakers greenlit Republican Rep. Fabián Basabe’s request for a sweeping audit of Miami Beach’s governance, local officials are preparing to denounce what they describe as “false, misleading, and unsubstantiated public claims” he’s made about the city and its leaders.

In a new resolution filed for the panel’s Dec. 17 meeting, Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioners Tanya Bhatt, Laura Dominguez and Alex Fernadnez assert that the city operates with “transparency, ethical governance, responsible public communication, and evidence-based oversight.”

But for years, the resolution says, Basabe has repeatedly undermined public trust by publicly accusing the city of corruption, mismanagement, favoritism, improper contracting and unethical behavior — none of which, the item says, has been backed by evidence.

The resolution highlights Basabe’s initial request in October for an audit of Miami Beach, which, among other things, raised concerns of “financial mismanagement, procurement irregularities,” “inflated contracts, diversion of funds, and questionable budget allocations.”

Basabe has yet to provide substantiation for any of those claims, according to the resolution, which also cites Basabe’s amplification of social media claims alleging that Commissioners are controlled by insiders or engaged in improper dealings, calling those assertions “completely without evidence.”

Similarly, the item says Basabe’s criticism of Miami Beach’s homelessness ordinance has been “factually and legally baseless,” contradicting census data from the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust showing homelessness at “historic lows.” His claims regarding misuse of voter-approved general obligation bond funds are also “categorically false,” according to the resolution.

The Miami Beach Commission is a seven-member body, meaning that if Meiner, Bhatt, Dominguez and Fernandez all vote for the measure they sponsored, it will pass. Commissioner Joseph Magazine, who was traveling when contacted Thursday, said he’d heard the gist of the resolution but won’t decide whether he’ll be supportive until he reads it.

Commissioner David Suarez, who this year lodged accusations against Dominguez similar to those Basabe intimated, responded to a query from Florida Politics about the issue, but did not say whether he’d support or oppose the resolution.

Commissioner-elect Monica Matteo-Salinas, a former Fernandez staffer who is to be sworn in Dec. 15, did not immediately respond.

Meiner, Magazine and Suarez have no party affiliation. Bhatt, Dominguez, Fernandez and Matteo-Salinas are Democrats.

Senators and Representatives in the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee voted unanimously on Monday to direct Florida Auditor General Sherill Norman to examine Miami Beach’s operations.

Norman will now set the scope of the review, and auditors will coordinate with the city in the coming weeks to begin document requests and on-site work. A final report is expected roughly one year after the audit formally begins.

In a lengthy statement, Basabe accused the resolution’s sponsors of “trying to turn a basic oversight measure into a political fight,” noting that the measure was placed on the Commission’s consent agenda, “where it can be passed in a batch without discussion unless a Commissioner pulls it.”

“This alone tells you how uncomfortable they are with transparency. Challenging an independent audit is never in the best interest of residents, and trying to bury a political attack inside a procedural shortcut should concern anyone who cares about honest government,” he said.

“It is defensive and calculated to serve as a shield to their calculated ecosystem of donors, lobbyists and contract-holders who rely on secrecy and confusion to operate. Residents deserve clarity, clean bookkeeping and honest government. They also deserve leaders willing to collaborate in good faith.”

This isn’t the first time Basabe has sought potentially punitive action against local officials in cities he represents. In August, he successfully pushed for Bay Harbor to fire its Town Attorney, Democratic Miami-Dade School Board member Joe Geller. The action, effectuated by a 6-1 Town Council vote, prompted one of Geller’s law firm partners to opine that the number of municipalities Basabe has scrutinized “probably correlates to the number of political enemies he has.”

Fernandez said in a brief phone interview that he welcomes the audit, noting that the city operates at a surplus, has reduced its millage rate in recent years, and enjoys strong bond ratings. Miami Beach also has an independent Inspector General who regularly checks the city’s books for waste and abuse, Fernandez said before accusing Basabe of both.

“We have a public official that is lying to his colleagues about one of his cities, and now we have public resources being dedicated to looking into falsehoods,” he said. “Everything that he has alleged is false and misleading, and now it’s leading to an audit that wastes taxpayers’ money.”

Fernandez added that Basabe may have also engaged in a “criminal misuse of public office” by including his official Florida House letterhead in communications accusing him and Dominguez of wrongdoing and calling for candidates to challenge them.

In one letter addressed to “the Residents of Miami Beach,” he asked, “WILL ANYONE RUN AGAINST FERNANDEZ OR DOMINGUEZ? Step up to and help to save our city!” In another that did not include their names, the lawmaker wrote, “If you vote for any of these incumbents, you’re endorsing deceit and rewarding incompetence.”

Florida Statute 104.31 provides that a public official may not use their authority or influence “for the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination of office or coercing or influencing another person’s vote or affecting the result thereof.”

Miami Beach resident Jo Manning cited that statute and others in September ethics complaints she filed against Suarez, who used the city’s seal and letterhead in communications aimed at defeating Dominguez in the city’s November election.

Fernandez won re-election last month with a record-breaking 84% of the vote, while Dominguez took 61% of the vote to defeat a Republican challenger that Suarez backed.