Eddie and Steph welcome Daryl Perritt to the pod this week to discuss Florida's "Free Kill" law. This carve out in Florida's Wrongful Death Act limits the ability of family members to file lawsuits for medical negligence, or malpractice, for adults who are 25 years or older and do not have a spouse of children. Daryl begins by sharing a bit about himself and the business he and his son, Cameron, have run for over a decade (6:07). He then talks about Cameron's medical history and the events surrounding his last visit to the hospital (10:43). They discuss the history and broader ramifications of the Free Kill law (18:38) and round out the episode by talking about Daryl's goals in educating people about the law, and his advocacy efforts to repeal it during this legislative session.  Support Daryl: https://www.floridafreekill.org/Orlando Sentinel: Grieving father erects billboard welcoming motorists to ‘free kill’ Florida Follow Us: Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

Eddie and Steph welcome Liz Barker, School Board Member for Sarasota County Public Schools, to the pod. The topic of conversation is the sneakily named Schools of Hope: the latest rendition of privately owned and operated schools funded by our public tax dollars. Liz begins by defining Schools of Hope (20:17) and shares more information from her recent Opinion Piece in the Herald Tribune titled, Sarasota schools could become rent-free spaces for others. We must act now. (30:07) They discuss the ramifications of Schools of Hope being allowed to co-locate in any of our traditional schools, not just the schools that have been labeled as “persistently low performing,”  and the Hope operators’ stated intention to ultimately take over the entire school. Liz inspires us all to take action and to fight back against these Schools of Hope (50:43). We bring the episode to a close by discussing Liz’s newest neighbor on the dais - the School Board Member she defeated in 2024 (55:10) - and how Liz maintains her mantra of community over chaos even in the most challenging times.    2026 Sarasota Legislative Agenda    Liz’s Op-Ed: “Sarasota schools could become rent-free spaces for others. We must act now.”   Follow us: Liz Barker Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

It’s our post-Yom Kippur edition of Extracurricular and Steph and Eddie are ready to atone (but mostly Eddie).  Steph and Eddie welcome an activist, OCPS parent, and dear friend: Elly Kennedy (14:30). Elly has been supporting students in and out of the classroom since her now-high school daughter was in kindergarten. We begin by explaining the work Elly did to get her a Volunteer of the Year award and why it matters to find the students that the system is missing. Then, we dive into how a parent sees what OCPS is (and isn’t) doing for our students, and how much pressure kids and parents are feeling (35:35). Towards the end, we do a rapid fire round on a range of topics (1:00:43), before having a substantive discussion on the punk and hardcore scene, and how to know when it’s the right time to buy a house (1:21:42). Follow us: Elly Kennedy Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

It's Stephanie's birthday! We celebrate by complaining about food and a certain car manufacturer that shall not be named. And if that wasn't enough to be excited for, we interview two folks from Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Briana Rebello and Erika Spence to talk about food insecurity and the work Second Harvest does (11:11). We dig into why the work of feeding our neighbors is more important than ever (17:04), some not-so-obvious effects from the Big, Ugly Bill (23:15), and the work Second Harvest does in schools and why preventing stigma is such a key part of their job (31:17).  Support or get involved with Second Harvest Central FL: https://feedhopenow.org/Follow us: Second Harvest Central Florida Extracurricular Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

What a week! Eddie and Steph recap their time in Washington, D.C., this week including Steph’s testimony at the Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Subcommittee where she urged the members to invest in public schools, and Eddie’s unexpected sighting at Compass Coffee (3:40). They then discuss the controversy surrounding the discontinuation of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and implications to the First Amendment (18:30). Our resident comedian (Eddie) shares his take on the historical role of comedians in authoritarian regimes, and Steph and Eddie talk about the culture of fear takeover that is being felt from boardrooms to nonprofit spaces to elected officials (25:40). They end with some encouragement and ways to fight back (40:00).   Watch: Opening Doors to Opportunity: The Promise of Expanded School Choice & Alternatives to 4-Year Degrees (Steph @ 46:30) Follow Us: Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

This week, Steph and Eddie begin with some unusually substantive banter. Steph starts off by addressing a recent letter from the State Board of Education threatening teachers and calling into question their First Amendment rights in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination (4:15). Afterwards, Eddie rants about OCPS’s decision to join in the appeal with the Florida State of Board of Education.  But then they get to the heart of the podcast: Making Florida Actually Healthy with Dr. Jaime Candelori. We start by getting Dr. Candelori’s take on Florida’s intention to repeal vaccine mandates, what actually happens when someone gets the measles, and how it all connects to the dangers of MAHA (19:35). They then move on to a discussion of two enormous scourges of the 21st century: social media and gun violence (44:55). Finally, Dr. Candelori makes the affirmative, data-backed case for later school start times (1:08:17).   Follow us: Dr. Jaime Candelori Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller  

In his solo podcast debut, Eddie asks Judi Hayes why she is suing Steph (13:02)! Judi Hayes, a public education advocate and mom of two OCPS students, is the Plaintiff in a lawsuit that sues the State Board of Education and the Orange County and Volusia County School Boards, which includes Steph in her official role (not in her unofficial role as a co-host of this podcast). Judi provides some answers, discusses the importance of having a broad array of books that serve all students on school library shelves, and describes how the State is trying to redefine well established First Amendment law (20:47). Eddie and Judi then discuss the broader implications of banning books and quashing free expression (26:21). Judi relates the State's argument that school library books are "government speech" and therefore not subject to the First Amendment, and how Judge Mendoza thoroughly crushed that argument in his Order. (36:19). Judi and Eddie discuss their thoughts on how OCPS should respond and its options as it relates to this Order (41:03). They end the episode sharing the potential outcomes of this lawsuit (48:20).    Follow us: Judi Hayes Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller Lucero Music

This week, Steph and Eddie bring on Orlando City Commissioner, Shan Rose. Shan was just elected in 2024 but has been working on making Orlando better for many years prior. As we like to do, we began by giving Commissioner Rose an opportunity to explain what she does for the city (13:20). Shan explained why safety is her number one priority but how that doesn't always look the same for every constituent (16:20). We then dove into the ongoing Pulse crosswalk controversy, and how an under discussed aspect is the loss of home rule (25:53). That brought us into how federal directives attacking DEI are hurting communities and businesses (37:07). We end on a discussion of Shan's favorite book, The Color of Law, and all the ways racism is still shaping policies and behaviors (45:10). The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America   Follow us on Instagram: • Commissioner Shan Rose • Extracurricular Podcast • Stephanie Vanos • Eddie Geller

This week, Steph and Eddie had the pleasure of welcoming a dear friend: Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost. If you haven't heard of Rep. Frost, he's one of the most exciting up-and-coming Democrats in the entire nation, and he just so happens to be the Representative for District 10 where Eddie an Steph reside. We start by asking the big question: Are Democrats meeting the moment (16:28)? Rep. Frost then gives us an insight into what Republicans are saying behind close doors and why they're not speaking out (32:14). Finally, after discussing the GOP plan for a national taxpayer funded voucher program (45:32), we ask Frost where he thinks Democrats need to go when they regain power and what's giving him hope for the future (50:29).   Follow us on Instagram: • Rep. Maxwell Frost • Extracurricular Podcast • Stephanie Vanos • Eddie Geller

We did something wild this week—we took our podcast in front of a live audience at the Monday Scaries show at City Arts in Downtown Orlando. What it lacks in audio quality, it makes up for in charm! That said, if you want to skip the less-than-crisp audio, you can jump to 9:16. This week, we sat down with Orange County Commissioner, Kelly Semrad. Kelly recently stood up to the DeSantis administration by voting AGAINST a transportation agreement between Orange County and ICE (14:24). Kelly explains what went into that decision and how it distracts from the actual work her voters elected her to do (25:50). Next, Kelly explains what voters can do to retake power in future elections (39:55). Then, we touch on Orlando’s Vision 2050 (RIP) and why it was so important (47:28). Finally, Kelly has a call to action for residents of Orange County on August 25 (58:30).   FOLLOW US: Extracurricular Podcast Kelly Semrad Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

Extracurricular welcomes a dear friend—and Steph’s former campaign manager—Scott Hottenstein. Scott is a former teacher, former candidate, public education advocate and now campaign manager & consultant. With all those hats, we let Scott walk us through why public education matters (9:44). That leads into a deep discussion on public education funding, why it’s so paltry here in Florida, and why it matters so much (16:50). We then bring some threads together to reemphasize the power of public education in our politics and how candidates should be fighting for schools on the campaign trail (38:07). Finally, Eddie gets the goods and asks Scott about Stephanie Vanos the candidate versus Board Member Vanos (42:37). Follow us on Instagram: • Scott Hottenstein • Extracurricular Podcast • Stephanie Vanos • Eddie Geller

Eddie and Steph open the episode chatting about the entry into their video era. They then welcome local senior policy advisor, Rachael Kobb from Central Florida Public Affairs, to the pod. Rachael works with some of Orlando's great leaders, and she shares how she worked her way up from a secretary at Orlando Health to representing many clients in Orange County in a wide variety of ways (13:55). She talks about a lobbyist's relationship with elected officials and the implications of term limits (20:15), and shares what a day in her life looks like (23:10). We discuss the power dynamics in Tallahassee as well as implications to local communities when federal funding and programs retract (28:00). We round out the episode with Rachael sharing what she wants you to know, meaningful advice we've received, and her fire take (36:48).   Follow us:Pod: @extracurricular_podcastSteph: @votevanosEddie: @gellered

In front of the camera lens for the first time during this show, Eddie and Steph open the pod talking about their week including their takes on the Netflix show, Adolescence (spoiler alert at 15:30-22:00). They get into the podcast and Steph shares her mid-season/mid-year progress report as a new School Board Member (22:00). They discuss highlights from the first few months (25:07) and Steph shares her perspectives on what she has learned (30:50). They then discuss her areas of focus in the upcoming school year and her hope for parents (34:28). Finally, Eddie admits he’s been influenced and shares his newfound perspective on public education (42:50).   Follow us on Instagram: • Extracurricular Podcast • Stephanie Vanos • Eddie Geller

This week’s conversation brings aboard the founder of Statecraft Media, Chris Mitchell. Chris is a consultant and insider—words we successfully put in his mouth—who begins by telling what, exactly, a political consultant really does (10:55). But beyond that, Chris lays out how to be a successful candidate and why authenticity is such a huge part of that. Afterward, Chris gave us some unfiltered takes on the early front runner for the Democratic nominee for Florida’s governor, David Jolly, and why it’s emblematic of a state party in disarray (32:25). Then, Steph and Chris then find their own groove making the case that education is a winning issue in Democratic campaigns (50:26). Finally, Chris lays out what the Mamdani win in NYC means for the Democratic Party going forward (1:00:09).Statecraft Media: https://www.statecraftdigital.com/ Follow us on Instagram: Chris Mitchell Extracurricular Podcast Stephanie Vanos Eddie Geller

Eddie and Steph welcome FL Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith mere days after making national headlines when he and a handful of other Democratic lawmakers were denied entry to Florida's immigrant detention camp, "Alligator Alcatraz." Sen. Smith walks us through the myriad ways that this camp is a dangerous grift and what happened when he showed up at the camp (8:55). Afterwards, we take a brighter turn as Sen. Smith explains how he—a lawmaker in the minority—got his anaphylaxis bill passed and turned into law (33:50). Finally, what is the TDT and why is Orange County uniquely hamstrung when it comes to spending hundreds of millions of dollars each year (50:32)?   Follow us: Pod: @extracurricular_podcast Sen. Smith: @carlosgsmith Steph: @votevanos Eddie: @gellered

Hope Adelson and Brady Warren Graham are two bright, young OCPS high schoolers who joined Steph and Eddie to discuss a wide rage of topics. They shared their excitement over Zohan Mamdani’s win in NYC and what Democrats need to replicate (15:45). We then delved into education issues, including what it’s like to lose a teacher, censorship, and the impact of taxpayer-funded vouchers (26:24). Hope and Brady also shared their divergent takes on AI in schools (50:51) and whether or not we should be eliminating class rank (1:08:37). Oh, and Eddie drops an F-bomb if you want to cover your ears (50:15)!   Email the pod: podcastextracurricular@gmail.com   Follow Hope: @hopeadelson   Follow Brady: @the_brady08   Follow the High School FL Dems: @flhsdems   Follow Steph: @votevanos   Follow Eddie: @gelleredList for books pulled mentioned in the episode: https://www.fftrp.org/addressing_state_actions_in_hillsborough_schools

The podcast welcomes an old friend but new podcast guest: Rep. Dr. Anna V. Eskamani (8:35). Anna gives us a debrief on this most recent legislative session--with an additional focus on education and a massive expansion of charter schools (27:07). Then, Anna talks about using her platform to do the most good (34:52). Finally, we round out by digging into what keeps Anna going during her downtime (41:35) and how she’s thinking about her run for mayor in 2027(54:14). Anna Eskamani on Instagram: @annaforflorida Stephanie on Instagram: @votevanos Eddie on Instagram: @gellered Shoot us an email: podcastextracurricular@gmail.com

Steph and Eddie start off by talking about their experience at the No Kings Protest—plus Steph has some notes on video formatting. After, Steph explains exactly what happened at the Florida State Board of Education and what it means for Florida (10:15). Finally, Steph walks through the disappointment and fear that overtook the latest OCPS board meeting and how it led to books being pulled off library shelves (26:45).

Steph and Eddie begin by discussing two equally dramatic events: obtaining a Switch 2 this week and the recent Florida Board of Education meeting. They then welcome former member of the FL House of Representatives, Sean Shaw, and talk about David Jolly's entry into the race for Governor (7:25), the controversy at the DNC involving David Hogg (35:20), and how Sean predicted Trump's win based on barbershop banter (43:35).  

Congrats OCPS grads! Steph gushes about the graduations she's had the privilege to attend, then we investigate whether Eddie is getting enough protein and the latest on the FL budget process. Next, we get a 101 on charter schools from Steph and why not is all as rosy as it appears (12:22). Then, Texas is on the march to bring the Christian Nationalism into the classroom (27:05), and finally, we delve into the age-old question: Abundance or Anti-Corruption? (34:50)