Bradenton and Palmetto are joining forces to put on fireworks over the Manatee River Saturday, capping the Independence Day celebrations of each city. We speak with Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Florida has been embracing the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, putting up statues of many of the Founding Fathers ahead of July 4th. But in 1776, those same Founders likely would have been hanged if they had shown up in Florida. St. Augustine hung several of them in effigy when word of the Declaration arrived. What is now the Sunshine State made up the British colonies of East and West Florida. But unlike the Original Thirteen, Florida stayed loyal to King George. Florida's British era is featured in an exhibit opening July 3rd and running into November at the Tampa Bay History Center. We speak with the center's Rodney Kite-Powell about "The 14th Colony" , when Florida was on the other side of the Patriot cause. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Manatee County lifeguards saw an unusual amount of rip current activity last week at the beaches they guard along the Gulf Coast. Around 125 between July 17th through 19th. They made a lot of rescues and worked to head off more trouble. We speak with Captain Marshall Greene with the Manatee County Beach Patrol about conditions since then, and how to stay safe in the water. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsborough County is holding its annual hurricane preparedness event Saturday (June 13th). The Disaster and Recovery Expo is taking place at the Feeding Tampa Bay facility at 3624 Causeway Boulevard, from 9 a.m. to noon. We speak with Hillsborough Fire Rescue's Public Safety Chief, Rob Herrin, about what's going on there. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bradenton is hosting a groundbreaking Tuesday (9th) for its City Park project. It takes its name from the original name of the century-old spring training baseball stadium now called LECOM Park. It's intended to turn the area into a year-round hub of activity and connect to the rest of downtown, the riverfront and East Bradenton. We speak with Bradenton Mayor Gene Brown about the planning and potential impact. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flagler County is on the verge of becoming the second Florida county certified as Tsunami Ready by the National Weather Service. While virtually the whole state is considered Storm Ready, officials say there's a non-zero chance that an earthquake in places as far away as the Canary Islands could send a wall of water toward Florida. In addition to awareness, the tsunami-ready designation has other advantages, including the potential to lower flood insurance rates. We speak with Flagler County's emergency management director, Jonathan Lord.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After months of drought, Florida is turning the corner into rainy season. Hurricanes could add to the total as well as an El Niño phenomenon forecast for later this year. Those are conditions that could contribute to leaks. We speak with James Fleming of UWRG Pinellas, an emergency restoration company. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a new state law taking effect July 1st requiring all high school athletes to receive a heart screening before their first tryout. Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the number one killer of student-athletes and the leading cause of death on school campuses. Most students don't know whether they have a heart condition. We speak with Sara Goodrich, who oversees screenings for whoweplayfor.org to talk about why screenings are needed and where to find them in June. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1st. It's time to review your homeowner's insurance policy and prepare in case you have to file a claim. We speak with Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hillsborough County is updating its hurricane evacuation maps. We talk with Katja Miller at the county's Office of Emergency Management about what that means for your hurricane plans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.