Welcome to Florida: Recent Episodes
Chadd Scott
Best selling author, award winning reporter and Florida native Craig Pittman is joined by radio personality and Florida transplant Chadd Scott to discuss the state's history, people, politics, environment, animals, current events and weirdness. You'll hear great storytelling and have great fun in each weekly episode.
The Florida Department of Environmental "Protection" refuses to investigate a Key West utility company that has been injecting waste water underground only to have it surface elsewhere.
Everyone knows 1980s PBS TV painter Bob Ross, but most people don't associate him with Florida. Ross was born, raised, lived and died in Central Florida. The Bob Ross Art Workshop & Gallery in New Smyrna Beach is open to the public and carries on his legacy. Our guest this episode, Nicholas Hankins, carries on Ross' legacy through a new version of Ross' "Joy of Painting" TV show.
Ross mostly painted woodland and mountain scenes, but he did paint Florida on the show one time.
The state kept an "enemies list" of outspoken environmental advocates with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission using government and law enforcement databases to illegally track and investigate the citizens. This shocking abuse of power demonstrates how developers and industry run this state and the degree to which the ruling party in Tallahassee will go to maintain that power imbalance.
If you'd like to inquire with the state about your DAVID driver's record to see if the state has been investigating you, do that here.
Despite leading the nation in book banning, Florida has wonderful independent bookstores. One of the best is Tombolo Books in St. Pete. Alsace Walentine opened Tombolo Books just before the pandemic and tells us about the business of owning a bookstore.
Ron DeSantis first ran for governor promising to solve Florida's water quality problems. Every day in office since then, up nearly to his last, he has broken that promise.
Kenneth Sulak joins us on this episode to talk about gulf sturgeon. Sulak spent decades researching this ancient and endangered fish in the Suwanee River and Gulf of Mexico.
Craig takes us to the little fishing village of Cortez on the Gulf side for his latest "Florida Phoenix" column.
Tom Gaskins Cypress Knee Museum was a popular roadside attraction in Palmdale during the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The business hung on until 1998, but Disney and the interstates have mostly disappeared these quirky, small, once-cherished tourist stops. Writer Amy Bennett-Williams from the Fort Meyers News-Pressvisited many times and met Gaskins. She shares her memories of the Cypress Knee Museum.
Bennett-Williams mentioned a Florida land conservation program called Preservation 2000. A recent episode of "As Bad As It Is In Florida" details the history of land conservation funding in Florida and how in this millennium, state government has mostly disobeyed the will of the people in defunding conservation land acquisition. Fabulous background for anyone passionate about conservation in Florida.
Craig Pittman surveyed a variety of Florida water experts with advice for the dictator about his algae problem.
In the 1940s, 50's, and 60's, bald eagle populations nationally were collapsing. The poison DDT, widely used in crop dusting, was eventually determined to be the culprit. A retired man in Florida, Charles Broley, banded bald eagles throughout mid-century; his research was essential in establishing that the birds were in trouble.
Barbara Walker from Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue joins us on this episode to discuss Broley's efforts to understand bald eagles.
Volunteer with Audubon Florida Eaglewatch.
Here's a link to our previous bald eagle episode with Jack Davis.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Invasive Burmese pythons continue swallowing the Everglades while the state wastes money on concentration camps.
Ma Barker and one of her sons engaged federal agents in an hours-long gunfight near Ocala in the 1930s. Wayne Hughes is a tour guide at the Ma Barker House and tells us the story.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to your Florida Conservation Newsletter, a weekly roundup of the top conservation stories from around the state.
A species of moth thought to be extinct was rediscovered by researches in Florida.
Florida's role in the American Revolution is little known or discussed. That is our topic for this episode with historian David Head.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Our friend Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" takes a first look at everything wrong with the legislature and governor's proposed property tax break.
Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli joins us on this episode to talk about the old wrecking industry that made Key West one of the wealthiest cities in America at the turn of the 19th century.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
The state is about to miss a critical deadline by which it was supposed to have cleaned up water flowing out of the Big Sugar plantations into the Everglades.
Join Craig, Chadd and Jason Garcia from the "Seeking Rents" podcast for their next live, in-person event June 12th at Happy Medium Books Cafe in the Riverside neighborhood of Jacksonville. The event is free and begins at 6:30. RSVP if you can.
Our guest for this episode is photographer and food writer Chip Weiner. Chip went across Tampa looking for the best devil crab. What is devil crab? We're glad you asked. Chip had so much response to his initial ranking of the 12 best devil crab restaurants in Tampa, he went back for Round 2.
Seafood dealers, commercial fisherman, and conservationists came together to stop the governor's reckless plan to extend the recreational red snapper fishing season.
Independent local journalism is a pillar of democracy. American democracy has evaporated in conjunction with a rapid decline of local media sources in the past 25 years. One of those local media sources in Florida, The Gabber newspaper in south Pinellas County, needs your help to continue its 60-year tradition of local news.
Join Craig Pittman, Chadd Charland, and Jason Garcia from the "Seeking Rents" podcast and Substack newsletter for our next in-person event Friday, June 12th, from 6:30-7:30 PM at Happy Medium Books and Cafe in Jacksonville/Riverside.
Our guest for this episode is CD Davidson-Hiers who recently wrote a story chronicling the history of Gatorade for Flamingo magazine.
Florida didn't always used to be this way. Unregulated development. Runaway sprawl. Developers controlling the state. What happened?
Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (all of Nassau and parts of Duval counties).
"Welcome to Florida's" next live event comes Friday, June 12th, from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at Happy Medium Bookstore Cafe in Jacksonville! It's a free event. Come out and say "hello."
Joining us today are Bob Kealing and Rev. Billy C. Wirtz to discuss the Chitlin' Circuit in Florida. The Chitlin' Circuit was a network of Black live music establishments during the mid-20th century around which all the greats played. Bob and Billy have produced a documentary about the Circuit in Florida.
If you'd like to book a screening of the documentary in your community, contact Bob Kealing at: callingmehomebook@gmail.com.
If this subject interests you, check out our Florida Black History YouTube channel for our previous episodes related to Black History in Florida.
What should be done with the site when the Everglades concentration camp closes?
Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval counties).
Diego Waisman spent years visiting and photographing South Florida's mobile home parks. He produced a book from the experience titled "Sunset Colonies: A Visual Elegy to South Florida's Mobile Home Communities." He shares with us what he found.
Jason Garcia hosts the "Seeking Rents" podcast and writes the "Seeking Rents" Substack newsletter. Both investigate government corruption in Florida. Both are essential for Floridians interested in state government and politics.
This episode was recorded at Tombolo Books in St. Pete in advance of our first co-hosted live event.
Martin County wants to prevent a slaughterhouse from being built there. The state says it doesn't have a say in the matter. Another example of state overreach crushing home rule.
Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval County) on a platform of equity, the environment, and public education.
See "Welcome to Florida" and Jason Garcia from the "Seeking Rents" Substack and podcast in person!
Jamie Holmes is an author and historian. His latest book provides fresh insights into the Seminole War: "The Free and the Dead: The Untold Story of the Black Seminole Chief, an Indigenous Rebel, and America's Forgotten War."
Join "Welcome to Florida" along with Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" for our first in-person event. May 7 we'll be at Tombolo Books in St. Pete and May 9, we'll be at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park. Full details and RSVP here!
Chadd Charland is running for Florida State House in District 15 (Nassau and parts of Duval counties). Follow his campaign.
The Suwanee River has been named one of America's "10 Most Endangered Rivers."
Freelance writer Mike Kane joins us on this episode to discuss his summer trip to the Everglades and the first martyr of American conservation, Guy Bradley.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Join Craig, Chadd, and Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents" Thursday, May 7, from 7:00-8:30 PM at Tombolo Books in St. Pete and on Saturday, May 9, from 3:00-5:00 PM at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park for our FIRST EVER LIVE PODCAST meet-and-greets!
Chadd Charland is running for State House in District 15. Learn more.
Our guests this episode are archaeologists and anthropologists Uzi Baram and Kat Napora. Uzi has joined the show previously to talk about the Angola community. Today we're talking about the manchineel tree, the deadliest tree in the world.
BIG NEWS!
"Welcome to Florida" is hosting our first ever in-person events along with Jason Garcia from "Seeking Rents!"
Thursday, May 7, from 7:00-8:30 PM at Tombolo Books in St. Pete.
Saturday, May 9, from 3:00-5:00 PM at Austin's Coffee in Winter Park.
PLEASE come out and say "hi" if you're in the area.
MORE BIG NEWS!
Chadd Scott is running for State House in District 15. Chadd Scott is a name he's used on radio for 30-plus years; he'll be running under his legal name: Chadd Charland.
This episode begins with good news out of the state legislature, then we head down to southeast Florida to learn about the tiny burrowing owl with Kelly Heffernan and Dr. Brian Mealey from Project Perch.
Not satisfied with simply being a dictator, Donald Trump allowed for the convening of the Endangered Species Committee "God Squad" at the behest of Secretary of War Crimes Pete Hegseth. Hegseth has declared a phony-baloney "national security emergency" that he says should preempt off-shore oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from Endangered Species Act regulations. The regime's "God Squad," a cabal of villains with oil and gas backgrounds, not surprisingly, agreed.
Make plans to join us in person in St. Petersburg May 7 and Orlando May 9. More details to follow.
This episode centers on Florida's greatest archaeological discovery, Miami Circle. The ancient Tequesta Indian site was discovered and researched by Bob Carr who joins us. Learn more about Bob Carr and purchase his novel here.
Craig found a villainous Floridian who thinks his interest in building a home is more important than the survival of Florida scrub jays.
Our topic this episode is guavas. Joining us in guava farmer and historian Jorge J. Zaldivar.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
The state legislature passed laws preventing Florida municipalities from pursuing clean energy.
Mobster Charlie Wall ran Tampa in the 20s and 30s. Author and journalist Paul Wilborn researched Wall's life for a fictionalized version of it he wrote titled " The Everlasting Life of Charlie Wall."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly conservation newsletter for only $5 per month.
Florida U.S. Representative Cory Mills is one of the most unscrupulous politicians and businesspeople in the state, or nation.
Colonial history in what is now Florida typically revolves around the Spanish, but for a period between the 1760s and 1780s, the English occupied the state. Andrew Turnbull tried establishing a British-style plantation in the New Smyrna Beach area with disastrous results. Greg Holbrook, Executive Director at the New Smyrna Museum of History, tells us all about it.
The Florida State Legislature continues breaking state law and disobeying the will of the people by defunding the Florida Forever land conservation buying program.
Our guest for this episode is geologist and author Hilary Flower who has written a new book about Everglades Snail Kites, "The Kite and the Snail: An Endangered Bird, its Unlikely Prey, and a Story of Hope in a Changing World."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
Fifteen miles south of Tallahassee, one of Florida's most magnificent springs can be found: Wakulla Springs. Kellie Keys is a professor in the Communications Department at Florida State University working with FSU researchers at Wakulla Springs to help tell the story about what they're learning.
Big Sugar is leaning on the legislature to make it so people can't badmouth their product.
Big ag is leaning on the legislature to make it ok to graze cows on state land including state parks.
An unscrupulous business owner and lax Department of Environmental "Protection" contributed to a catastrophic fire in Dunnellon.
If you've ever been to Lakeland, perhaps you've seen the Lake Morton swans. Steve Platt works for the City of Lakeland and it's his job to take care of the swans as "swanfather."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Spring Training has marked the end of winter in Florida for more than 100 years. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Mike Schmidt, Greg Maddux, and today's stars have begun their legendary seasons and careers in places like Sarasota, Dunedin, Vero Beach, and Clearwater.
On this episode, longtime southwest Florida newspaperman Glenn Miller, who's attended spring training games since the 1960s and covered the games since the 1980s, joins us to discuss Spring Training's history and characters in Florida. Pinch hitting for regular co-host Chadd Scott is his wife, sports reporter, podcaster, author, baseball fan, and annual spring training in Florida attendee, Kristi Dosh.
Florida continues to promote unfettered growth without paying attention to the water demands of all those new people and businesses.
Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge in Vero Beach was the first site in a program that now features nearly 600 locations. Paul Tritiak was the former refuge manager at Pelican Island and tells us how the refuge came to be.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
The Florida State Legislature continues its rich tradition of doing the bidding of powerful corporate interests, this time - not for the first time - Mosaic mining company.
Carrie Sue Ayvar is a professional storyteller who embodies Dr. Anna Darrow, the 2nd ever female doctor in Florida, in programs around the state. Darrow was referred to as the Swamp Doctor for her work with residents in the Everglades in early 20th century Florida.
Ayvar is one of dozens of speakers available through the Florida Humanities that are happy to speak to your local community group if you have one.
Thanks again to our "Welcome to Florida" patrons who support the show for $5 per month and receive exclusive access to our Florida Conservation Newsletter.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement goons are murdering American citizens in Minneapolis, running concentration camps around the country - including Florida - and increasing their terror campaign in and around Orlando. The mission of ICE is to abuse Brown people, strike fear into their communities, and retrench white supremacy.
Anthropologist and Puerto Rican/Hattian American Simone Delerme spent time studying the Latino community around Orlando, it's remarkable growth over the past 40 years, and how those residents are fitting into and remaking the area. Her book, "Latino Orlando," reveals her findings.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Craig has identified what he believes to be the single worst piece of proposed legislation for the upcoming session of the Florida State Legislature. Chadd's vote goes to the "Blue Ribbon Project" scheme.
Abbott Kahler is an author and investigative reporter. Her September of 2025 "Vanity Fair" article revealed the true identity - the Florida identity - behind an author who had stayed anonymous for more than 40 years. The anonymous author penned a how-to manual for contract murder that ended up being used for a triple murder and at the center of an important First Amendment court case.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for just $5 per month.
The people of Palm Beach County are fighting a proposed data center.
Learn more about data centers by subscribing to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter."
Clarence Earl Gideon was tried and found guilty of burglary in 1961 in a circuit court near Panama City. He was poor, and despite asking for legal counsel, was denied that request. At the time, Florida was one of 13 states that did not guarantee legal counsel for all defendants in state court proceedings regardless of their ability to pay. The right was guaranteed in federal court.
Gideon petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court that he had been unfairly treated in violation of his 14th Amendment rights. The Court picked up his case, ultimately ruling in his favor and requiring that defendants in all U.S courtrooms, including state courts, have access to counsel.
Bruce Jacob represented the State of Florida before the Supreme Court in the Gideon case and joins us to discuss his upcoming book on the proceedings, "The Gideon Case: Inside the Supreme Court's Historic Right to Counsel Decision."
Craig wraps up 2025 with his weirdest Florida headlines of the year.
Our patrons at Patreon have exclusive access to an interview Craig did with the co-curator of "It's Florida, Man," on HBO.
Our guest this episode is Jessica Pate from the Florida Manta Project who tells us all about one of our most remarkable endangered marine species: manta rays.
In the upcoming legislative session, Florida politicians will be considering a bill which would give the biggest Florida land developers and land developments the least oversight and opportunity for public input.
Jason Garcia's fantastic "Seeking Rents" podcast episode about the scheme.
This week's episode focuses on who Craig considers to be the ultimate Florida man: James Weldon Johnson. Johnson wrote the lyrics to "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the Black National Anthem. Joining us to discuss Johnson is Florida State College of Jacksonville English professor, author, and historian Tim Gilmore.
Drawing down the Rodman Reservoir proves how a free-flowing Ocklawaha River would benefit Florida.
Free the Ocklawaha!
Amazingly, a distinct species of whale lives year-round in the Gulf of Mexico that until the last decade was largely a mystery to biologists: the Rice's whale. Former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientist and Rice's whale expert Laura Engleby joins us to discuss this critically endangered species.
Pensacola Gulf Coast Whale Festival.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is proud to acknowledge that it didn't follow science when recommending a black bear hunt.
Our guest this episode is documentary filmmaker Rob Hoovis. In November of 2025, he premiered "Outlaws of the Everglades," a film detailing the marijuana smuggling pipeline from Central America and the Caribbean that flowed through the 10,000 Islands area of rural southwestern Florida during the 1970s and 80s.
Our "Florida Black History" YouTube channel has been updated with our past episodes on Fort Mose, Harry and Harriette Moore, and Reconstruction and Freedmen in the state.
The next state legislative session is weeks away with the groundwork already being laid in Tallahassee. Jason Garcia's "Seeking Rents" and Ryan Smart and Ryan Worthington's "As Bad As It Is" are the two best podcasts to keep you informed on all the treachery.
With the gubernatorial election less than a year away, now is the time to ask the crowded field of candidates about their positions on conservation and the environment.
Three episodes ago, we discussed the impact America's lead-up to World War II had on Florida, bringing hundreds of thousands of servicemen and dozens of military installations to the state. That was the 1930s. In this episode with Florida author and historian Gary Mormino, we discussed what else was going on across the state during the 1930s - the heart of the Great Depression.
If the Jeffrey Epstein scandal interests you, here's the link to our previous episode with Julie Brown, the Miami Herald investigative journalist who would not let the story die, even after Epstein initially got away with it.
Residents in Crystal River are worried about a sand mine disrupting their drinking water and springs.
The smalltooth sawfish is one of the most unusual looking animals in the animal kingdom. Tonya Wiley has been studying the species for more than 25 years, most recently with her Havenworth Coastal Conservation organization. Tonya joins us to discuss this endangered species, how it has hung on in Florida while being wiped out elsewhere, and the latest threat to its survival.
If you see a sawfish, call 844-472-9347 (1-844-4SAWFISH).
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month.
Nature Disturbed
Mother Nature is one weird lady
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Folks in the Panhandle are upset about a scheme to swap 200 acres of National Forest land to build a county recreation area.
Our guest this episode is Patrick Manteiga, second generation owner, publisher, and columnist at the Tampa-based La Gaceta newspaper. La Gaceta is the state's - and the nation's - only trilingual newspaper.
Filling in for Chadd Scott his episode is Florida author, podcaster, and newspaper publisher Cathy Salustri.
Nature Disturbed
Mother Nature is one weird lady
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
The local Audubon Society chapter and residents in Sarasota took on the country's largest homebuilder - and WON!
Florida was an essential training and support location for military operations during World War II. Anthony D. Atwood is a military historian who authored "State of War: A History of World War II in Florida." He joins us to discuss how Florida shaped the War and how the War shaped Florida.
For only $5 per month, you can support "Welcome to Florida" by becoming a monthly patron. Patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter.
Nature Disturbed
Mother Nature is one weird lady
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Former unelected shadow president and super-villain Elon Musk wants to close public beaches and pollute an estuary near Cape Kennedy on the Space Coast so he can play astronaut.
Pulitzer Prize winning author Gilbert King is back on the show to talk about his latest book, and podcast, both focused on an outrageous miscarriage of justice in Lakeland: "Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida."
Nature Disturbed
Mother Nature is one weird lady
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
It's Halloween and "Welcome to Florida's" favorite spooky co-host, Cathy Salustri, is back, filling in for Chadd Scott. Cathy is a Halloween FANATIC and author of "It Came from Florida: The Best of Florida's Worst B-Movies."
Cathy hosts her own Florida podcast, "The Florida Spectacular."
Fort Mose roughly 1 mile north of St. Augustine has the distinction of being the first free Black settlement in what is now America. Despite that august history, the site remains little known inside or outside of Florida.
Kathleen Deagan and Jane Landers have spent the last 40-plus years attempting to uncover and promote the history at Fort Mose. Their book, "Fort Mose: Colonial America's Black Fortress of Freedom," combines history and archaeology to provide as accurate an account of the Fort as exists.
Lake Okeechobee is the most polluted lake in the United States as a result of the governor's inaction on cleaning up the state's water.
Jonathan Dickinson only spent about a year in Florida, stranded here after a shipwreck on his way to Philadelphia from Jamaica, but his name lives on with the Jonathan Dickinson State Park in Martin County. Joining us to detail Dickinson's life and time in Florida is Jason Daniels, editor of "Jonathan Dickinson's Journal or God's Protecting Providence, an Early American Castaway Narrative."
A scam of epic proportions has been perpetrated by the governor upon the people of Florida. Land conservation used an excuse to pay off political bribes.
Robert Rauschenberg is arguably the most influential American artist of the 20th century. He moved from New York to Captiva Island in 1970 and would spend the rest of his life there, more than 30 years. 2025 is the centennial of Rauschenberg's birth year with celebrations being held around the world.
Jade Dellinger is Director at the Bob Rauschenberg Gallery at Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers and joins us to discuss the artist's time in Florida.
In little Arcadia in southwest Florida in the 1980s, two tragedies became national news: the exoneration of a Black father wrongfully convicted in 1968 for the death of his seven children, and three little white boys being ostracized from the community after contracting the AIDS virus through blood transfusions.
Jason Vuic grew up in nearby Ponta Gorda and remembers following these events closely as they unfolded. He dug back into the stories, and the story of Arcadia, in his newly released book for fall of 2025, "A Town Without Pity: AIDS, Race, and Resistance in Florida's Deep South."
If the James Richardson portion of this episode interests you, be sure to visit our Florida Black History YouTube channel with all of our previous shows about Black History in Florida.
This episode centers on music icon and Winter Haven native Gram Parsons. Parsons career took off in California, but his life began in Florida.
Bob Kealing, author of "Calling Me Home: Gram Parsons and the Roots of Country Rock" joins us to discuss. Catch Bob October 9, 2025, at Florida Southern College in Lakeland for a lecture about Elvis' time in Florida.
Gram Parsons' Derry Down music venue.
More incontrovertible evidence of climate change: Florida stone crabs are living in the Chesapeake Bay.
On Christmas Eve, 1951, central Florida civil rights activists Harry and Harriette Moore were assassinated via bomb blast by Orlando members of the Ku Klux Klan in their home. The married couple became America's first civil rights martyrs. Robert W. Fieseler is a journalist, scholar and the author of "American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives," a book published in 2025 with newly discovered details about the assassination.
Visit the Harry and Harriette Moore museum in Mims, FL.
Visit our "Florida Black History" YouTube channel to hear previous "Welcome to Florida" episodes sharing Florida Black History.
Ron DeSantis is using his personal version of a Department of Government Efficiency to harass areas that didn't vote for him; he should turn the magnifying glass on the state's Everglades immigrant concentration camp.
Mark Proctor leads the trust in charge of overseeing the historic Moseley Homestead in Branden. Proctor joins us to discuss the property's history and future.
"Come to My Sunland: Letters of Julia Daniels Moseley from the Florida Frontier, 1882-1886."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons can watch a Labor Day 2025 speech given by Chadd Scott in Fernandina Beach along with accessing our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter.
The villains running British Petroleum - BP - want to drill in the Gulf again. Their last effort in the Gulf resulted in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Our guest this week is Eckerd College professor of environmental science and biology Beth Forys. Forys is also active with the Florida Shorebird Alliance, and that's our topic this episode: shorebirds.
If you'd like to get involved with shorebird monitoring or birding in Florida, look up your local Audubon Florida chapter.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly conservation newsletter for only $5 per month.
A lawsuit seems to be all that now stands between Florida and a lot of dead black bears.
Paynes Prairie Preserve just south of Gainesville has a fascinating ecological history and history of human habitation as well. Lars Anderson guides tours throughout Paynes Prairie and wrote "Paynes Prairie: The Great Savanna: A History and Guide."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter."
A new law purporting to ease recovery from hurricane damage for Florida homeowners may have been a Trojan horse from developers looking to get around local growth ordinances.
"Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber," by Blair and Dawn Witherington, is a fantastic resource for anyone walking on a beach in Florida and wondering "what's that?" Blair joins the show to discuss his inspiration for the book and beachcombing finds. The couple have a new book, "Living Beaches of the Gulf Coast: A Beachcombers Guide including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida's Panhandle."
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Cedar Key is running out of drinking water and wants to take some from their neighboring communities.
Our guest Chad Crawford is a Florida native and creator and host of the popular "How to do Florida" TV Show. He also created the "Flip My Florida Yard" show and "Protect Our Paradise" docuseries. Check out Chad's new podcast, "Sunshine Junkie."
Chad's "Flip My Florida" yard show focuses on using native and Florida friendly plants and landscaping designs to create a lawn that doubles as habitat for insects, birds, and animals, filters and cleans storm water, reduces the need for fertilizers and pesticides, and mitigates flooding. Here are the 9 principles of a Florida friendly landscape. If you can't get Chad to come out and flip your Florida yard, your local Florida Native Plant Society chapter or Florida native plant nursery can help.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Chadd Scott visited DeSantis and Trump's immigrant concentration camp in the Everglades as far as the public is allowed to go. It was worse than he imagined. $5 per month "Welcome to Florida" patrons can watch a video of what he saw.
Jason Garcia's exceptional "Seeking Rents" podcast and website are a great source for more information about the camp.
Our guest this episode is Ann Colby, author of "Wicked St. Augustine," who tells us all about the storied history of prostitution in the city. She also hosts walking tours in St. Augustine.
Find more information here about the Sierra Club Florida Chapter's statewide charter bus program taking people to the August 12 Fish and Wildlife Commission meeting to speak in opposition of a proposed black bear hunt.
How is human waste from Miami ending up polluting the St. Johns River? Craig explains.
The Stonewall Uprising in New York in 1969 can be viewed as the start of the modern gay rights movement. A teenager in Hollywood, FL was inspired and started a small library to recognize the gay community. That effort gradually evolved into Fort Lauderdale's Stonewall National Museum, Archives and Library. Robert Kesten, the museum's director, joins us to discuss its history, and the history of the LGBTQ+ movement in America.
Thanks to all of our $5 per month patrons on Patreon.com who help support the show and receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter.
The Trump regime's attempts to destroy the federal government and sell off the pieces to private business is impacting Florida's public lands.
Our guest this episode is Dalia Colón, author of the award-winning "The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook" and host of "The Zest," a Florida cooking podcast produced by WUSF radio in Tampa. We discuss popular Florida fruits and vegetables and how to incorporate them into your meals.
Friends of "Welcome to Florida:"
Jason Garcia's essential "Seeking Rents" podcast exposes the financial corruption inherent at the Everglades concentration camp.
Ryan Smart and Ryan Worthington's "As Bad as it is" podcast examines the connection between conservation and politics in Florida.
Unsurprisingly, the Florida Department of Environmental Prostitution/Protection continues putting the interests of industry and developers ahead of the interests of our springs.
One expert source in Craig's latest Florida Phoenix article linked above is springs advocate Ryan Smart. Smart co-hosts an essential podcast for Florida conservationists called "As Bad As It Is." Two recent episodes highlighted the damage Florida's legislature has done to environmental causes through defunding conservation projects in the state budget.
Our guest this episode is author, historian, and lecturer Robert N. Macomber. Macomber has studied the Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida, focusing on the state's freedmen, formerly enslaved African Americans emancipated following the war.
The Manatee County Commission did what county commissions in Florida almost never do: it told a real estate developer "no."
Our guest this episode is novelist, playwright, and Cedar Key clam farmer Michael Presley Bobbitt. Michael joins us to discuss Cedar Key history, his Cedar Key novel series, and clam farming in the Gulf of Mexico.
More Florida history can be found at our "Florida Black History" YouTube channel and on Facebook where our friends and fellow Florida podcasters Cathy Salustri and Ryan Worthington have started a Florida history group titled "Submerged Stories" which is free to join.
Remember to sign up for our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter." Just $5 per month gets you exclusive access to a weekly accounting of the state's top environmental stories.
The governor wants to put a concentration camp for immigrants in the Everglades, following in the footsteps of "Florida's Worst Idea."
Previous “Welcome to Florida” podcast episode about "Florida's Worst Idea," the Everglades Jetport, which gave rise to conservation legend Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
Our guest on that episode was Michael Grunwald, author of "The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise," and he joins us again for this episode to discuss his new book about how the global agriculture system is destroying the planet. "We Are Eating the Earth: The Race to Fix Our Food System and Save Our Climate" prominently features a Florida man and a "super tree" that could replace failing Florida citrus.
Florida has a sewerage treatment problem.
Our guest this week is Michael Adno who wrote a beautiful story about the life of north Florida native Ernie Mickler. Mickler became famous in the late 1980s for his offbeat Southern cookbook, "White Trash Cooking," which merged old country recipes with folklore, storytelling, and ethnography.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month. The newsletter is a summary of the most important environmental stories from across the state and those across the nation impacting Florida.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the ghost orchid under the Endangered Species Act. Comment here in support of the proposal.
David Bulit is an urban explorer who visits and documents Florida's abandoned places. He tells us how he got into this unusual hobby and what he's seen.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" rounding up the top environmental stories from around the state and those from around the nation impacting Florida. Your $5 monthly support goes a long way toward helping production of the show.
The Trump administration's tax bill is gutting funding for clean energy, national parks, science, climate resiliency, emergency weather information, and more, but it's increasing support for BIG SUGAR through additional subsidies.
Rachel Silverstein is the CEO for the Miami Waterkeeper and after listening to this episode, you may think she has the most difficult job in Florida.
Developers run Florida and the state legislature wants to keep it that way, even if municipalities would like less construction to safeguard themselves from hurricanes.
Julian Dimock photographed Southwest Florida in the early 20th century. His photographs depict Seminole Indians, African American laborers on Marco Island, and the areas remarkable ecology. Jerald T. Milanich has authored multiple books on Dimock's time in Florida and photographs and joins us on this episode.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month. Thanks to all who support our efforts.
The people of Florida once again united against their governor and state agencies to protect the environment.
"Welcome to Florida" Episode 1 was about alligators. Episode 257 is about crocodiles. Joining us in Frank "The Croc Doc" Mazzotti.
Show patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter." For only $5 per month, you'll be updated on the most important stories impacting the environment around the state.
In Florida conservation, the old axiom holds true: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Our topic for this episode is the Lake Wales Ridge. Our guest is Hillary Swain, Executive Director & CEO, and Senior Research Biologist at Archbold Biological Station.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" for only $5 per month.
Check out our "Florida Black History" YouTube channel!
Anyone inspired by our previous episode with painter Christopher Still to go out and see some art can do so at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville where a fantastic show reassembling the first Modern art exhibition ever presented in Florida can be seen through November 23, 2025.
Our guest is Ken Meyer, executive director at the Avian Research and Conservation Institute. He's been studying Florida's swallow-tailed kites since the 1990s.
Help swallow-tail kites and all Florida birds by incorporating native plants into your yard. Find support from the Florida Native Plant Society and Florida Association of Native Nurseries.
Find swallow-tail kites at sites on the Great Florida Birding Trail and with the ebird app.
The Florida legislature, the best legislature corporate money can buy, has done the bidding of phosphate giant Mosaic, endangering public safety and making the polluting company less accountable for the harm it creates.
Florida artist Christopher Still is best known for his Florida history mural cycle at the State House in Tallahassee. An exhibition of his paintings can be seen at the Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum in a permanent display.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" each week for only $5. The newsletter rounds up the top conservation headlines from around the state.
Don't forget the "Welcome to Florida" Florida Black History YouTube channel where all the content is free.
A federal judge ruled that the State of Florida and its Department of Environmental “Protection” violated the Endangered Species Act resulting in the mass manatee die-off of 2021. This occurred primarily in the Indian River Lagoon.
Before Daytona Beach, auto racing's capital was one beach north, Ormond Beach. Ormond Beach Councilman Harold Briley is a student of this history and shares it with us.
Listen to our previous episode on the birth of NASCAR in Daytona Beach.
Learn more in the book "Beach Racers: Daytona Beach Before NASCAR" by Dick Punnett.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" every week for just $5 per month.
Check out our Florida Black History YouTube channel with edited versions of our podcast interviews related to Black History.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Rodney Barreto appears to have lied under oath during his senate confirmation hearing about a proposed development project he attempted.
Our guest this episode is Kristina Agard from the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center in Key West. Since opening in 2007, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary's Eco-Discovery Center has provided visitors and locals an opportunity to explore the sanctuary without getting their feet wet.
Thanks to all of our patrons at www.patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida who support the podcast for $5 per month and receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter."
Check out the new "Welcome to Florida" Florida Black History YouTube channel with edited episodes from our archives related to Black History in Florida.
The Florida legislature is spending valuable time this session attempting to enact a law preventing chemtrails and human manipulation of the weather, something that doesn't exist except in the mind of loony right-wingers.
Something that does exist in Florida is black bears. Arix Zalace is a long-time Panhandle resident and Co-Founder, Director & Board Member at The Paper Bear nonprofit which has produced a feature film of the same name. The movie is a love letter to the biodiversity of the Florida Panhandle as told through the story of a black bear. The film debuts at the upcoming Florida Film Festival.
Zalace also advocates on behalf of black bears in Florida, attempting to educate the public and politicians. Florida wildlife officials continue to have a crazed obsession with a bear hunt in state, and it looks like this December will be the start.
Remember to visit the new "Welcome to Florida" Florida Black History channel on YouTube.
Every week we send a "Florida Conservation Newsletter" exclusively to "Welcome to Florida" patrons at patreaon.com/welcometoflorida. The newsletter is a recap of the top conservation and environmental headlines from around the state, and those around the nation impacting Florida.
A proposed home development in Alachua County threatens the Floridan Aquifer.
John Quarterman is the Suwannee Riverkeeper working with a group of concerned citizens in north central Florida and south central Georgia to protect a vast, interconnected basin of waterways flowing into the Suwanee River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico.
Check out our new "Florida Black History" YouTube channel with interviews from previous episodes related to Black History subjects in Florida.
Every Saturday morning, "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive our "Florida Conservation Newsletter," a roundup of environmental news and headlines from around the state. Only $5 per month for exclusive access.
And don't forget Craig's latest book, "Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America's Most Interesting State."
A peanut farmer wants to swindle choice gopher tortoise land out of state conservation protection under the guise of a land swap, and Florida officials seem open to the idea. Voice your opposition.
Craig's seventh book, "Welcome to Florida: True Tales from America's Most Interesting State" is now available. His former colleague at the "Tampa Bay Times," Colette Bancroft, and the paper's one-time book reviewer, joins us to discuss. Pick up Craig's book at your local, independent book store if you can.
Thanks to all of our new patrons who are supporting "Welcome to Florida" for $5 per month at patreon.com/welcometoFlorida. Patrons receive our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter."
Craig highlights the WORST bill working its way through the legislature this session. It's a "Christmas wish list" for developers and polluting industries.
Fernandina Beach vs. Rayonier.
Find you state senator and call him/her to oppose SB 1118.
Jason Garcia's GREAT newsletter and podcast about Florida politics.
Our guest this episode is Mark Mustian, founder of Word of South literary festival in Tallahassee. It take place every April and is mostly free to attend.
Thanks to all of our $5 per month patrons at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. Patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officials are again pursuing a black bear hunt for the state. Citizens don't want it, and the last one was a disaster. Read Craig's column and send your comment to state officials in opposition.
The Palace Saloon in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island is Florida's oldest bar. Thea Seagraves from the Amelia Island Museum of History joins us to discuss.
Every week, "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter." For only $5 per month, you too can receive our roundup of the most important environmental news headlines from across Florida and the national stories impacting our state.
Craig wants America's most hated man, unelected shadow president Elon Musk, to keep his hands off our National Parks. (Resistance Rangers)
Longleaf pine once covered an area of over 90 million acres from Virginia to Texas along the Southeastern coast and well inland. Today, only about 5% of that original habitat remains. Karl Etters works at Tall Timbers Plantation in Tallahassee, an organization committed to the use of fire ecology in land management. We discuss the history and biology of the longleaf pine, restoration efforts, and where to see longleaf pine today in Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter." For only $5 per month, you'll stay updated on the biggest environmental headlines around the state and nation.
Alcoholic, womanizing, Islamophobe U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also a climate denier. He has instructed the armed forces to ignore climate impacts and has demanded the Pentagon cut funding on military installations aimed at combating the effects of climate change, including at bases in Florida.
The Montbrook Fossil Site roughly 45 minutes south of Gainesville in Levy County has become one of the most globally significant paleontological digs in the world. Jonathan Bloch runs the site for the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He joins us on this episode to discuss the site's discovery, what it has revealed, and how to volunteer there.
Become a patron of "Welcome to Florida" and for just $5 per month you can support the show and receive exclusive access to our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter."
A combination of increasing and increasingly devastating hurricanes along with skyrocketing property insurance prices have resulted in an amazing demographic event in Florida.
Our guest this week is Michael Sipos from the Florida Sea Grant who joins us to talk about mullet.
Make it a point one year to attend the Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow held each late January at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in Hollywood. While you're in the area, take a Tigertail airboat tour.
Each week "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" which highlights the biggest conservation stories around Florida and those on the national level impacting the state. Just $5 a month to receive.
Donald Trump's threatened tariffs would be another nail in the coffin for Florida's citrus industry.
You can support the "Welcome to Florida" podcast by becoming a $5 a month "patron" at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida.
Greg Asbed from the Coalition of Immokalee Workers joins us on this episode to discuss the history of working conditions for agriculture workers, especially tomato pickers, in southwest Florida. The CIW was instrumental to enacting one of the most effective programs to improve working conditions for agriculture workers in U.S. history, the Fair Food Program.
If you're interested in working conditions for agricultural workers in Florida, the limited edition "Big Sugar" podcast is essential listening revealing the historic and ongoing abuses of workers by Florida sugar companies. The weekly "Seeking Rents" podcast examines corporate power and influence run amok in Florida and our politicians' complicity with corporate power to the detriment of citizens.
Donald Trump signed an executive order seeking to open the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil drilling, potentially endangering Florida's beaches and economy from the spills that inevitably follow drilling.
In 1960, Cuban parents began sending their children, unaccompanied, to Miami on Pan-Am flights to get them out of the country and away from Fidel Castro. This program was called "Operation Pedro Pan" - Peter Pan. Yvonne Conde was one of the Pedro Pan child immigrants from Cuba and has written a book about her personal experience, as well as the experiences of more than 200 other Pedro Pan children she interviewed.
If you want to stay updated on the biggest news stories related to conservation and the environment in Florida you can do so by subscribing to our "Florida Conservation Newsletter" available for just $5 per month at our Patreon page.
The federal government in the closing days of the Biden Administration failed to secure a protection for critically endangered North Atlantic right whales. Stories like this can be found in our weekly "Florida Conservation Newsletter" exclusively available to "Welcome to Florida" patrons at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida.
Marineland opened south of St. Augustine on the Atlantic Ocean in 1938 as a movie studio and roadside tourist attraction. In the decades since, it has seen its mission evolve from strictly entertainment to marine mammal conservation, primarily focused on dolphins. Now named Marineland Dolphin Adventure, the facility focuses on in-water experiences with dolphins for guests. Anyone interested in the park's history can also visit the Marineland History Museum in downtown St. Augustine, located at The Oldest House Complex.
Our guest for this episode is Marineland historian Terran McGinnis.
Ron DeSantis wants the state to assume responsibility of Everglades restoration from the federal government. Terrible idea for the Everglades.
Our guest this episode is Susan Anderson, outgoing executive director of the Apalachicola Riverkeeper. Susan grew up on the river and shares what makes it special and the numerous threats it faces.
"Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida Conservation Newsletter for only $5 per month. Visit www.patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida to sign up and be in the know about the most important conservation and environmental topics from around the state.
The Cape Sable seaside sparrow is one of the most endangered birds in the continental United States, numbering only 2,000 or so individuals, all living in the Everglades. Conflicting water management aims in South Florida pitting Big Sugar against the environment is resulting in the state taking drastic measures to pursue survival of the species.
In 1960, African American equal rights activists in Tampa followed suit along with those in other cities around the South, staging sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in department stores like Woolworth's. Joining us to discuss this little known aspect of Florida history are Steven Lawson, an historian of the Civil Rights Movement and the former chair of the History Department at USF, and Karla Hartley, Producing Artistic Director of Stageworks Theatre, which will be performing a play based on the sit-ins, "When the Righteous Triumph," March 6-9, 2025, at the Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa.
Our previous episode about oysters featured a documentarian working on a film about oyster bed restoration. That documentary is now available on PBS stations and streaming.
Help support "Welcome to Florida" by becoming a $5 a month patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. Patrons receive exclusive access to our weekly Florida conservation newsletter highlighting the top environmental stories around the state.
Buyer beware when it comes to a new organization promoting itself as a gopher tortoise conservation solution.
Miami's Criteria Recording Studios has produced a staggering volume of hit music from James Brown's "I Feel Good" to Eric Clapton's "Layla," Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," the Eagles' "Hotel California," Jimmy Buffett's "Margaritaville," and on, and on, and on. Trevor Fletcher grew up at Criteria Recording Studios - literally - and is now the music production company's vice president. He joins us to detail a story few know about how Miami changed music.
The Criteria Recording Studios Spotify playlist.
Don't miss our weekly Florida conservation newsletter at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. For $5 per month, patrons have exclusive access to a look at the most important environmental news from around the state.
Craig takes a look back at the most amusing and unusual Florida news stories from 2024.
Fred Rogers studied in the Music Department at Rollins College in Winter Park before going on to host "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on PBS. Fred Rogers' nephew, Daniel Crozier, teaches in the Music Department at Rollins and shares stories of his uncle and how the famous TV personality got to Winter Park.
Our Florida conservation newsletter is a concise, weekly look at the top environmental stories from around the state. It's available exclusively to our patrons at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida for just $5 per month.
Craig Pittman has a wish list of gifts he hopes Santa brings Florida's environment.
Our guest this episode is poet, essayist, and professor of English at Florida State University David Kirby. His latest anthology of poems is titled "The Winter Dance Party."
In the episode, Craig quoted an Elizabeth Bishop poem you can read here.
Thank you to all of our patrons at Patreon.com/WelcomeToFlorida. For $5 a month "Welcome to Florida" patrons receive exclusive access to bonus episodes, including our recent "Florida Holiday Traditions" episode, and Chadd Scott's weekly Florida conservation newsletter.
In Port St. Joe, a 62-year-old woman was handcuffed, arrested, and spent a night in jail as part of a politically motivated attack on local residents investigating damage done to a wetland by the city.
The St. Johns River is Florida's longest, flowing south to north along the eastern half of the state. Lisa Rinaman is the St. Johns Riverkeeper, an advocate for the river, and joins us to discuss its importance to the state.
Free the Ocklawaha.
St. Johns Riverkeeper household river friendly actions.
Florida's statewide waterkeepers network.
What should Florida and its residents be doing to prepare for the next hurricane season?
The Orange Blossom Trail was a popular tourism promotion in mid-century Florida to bring newly middle-class Americans with their cars from the Midwest and Northeast to the middle part of the state traversing along U.S. Route 441 running 400-plus miles from the state line with Georgia to Miami. Photographer Joshua Lutz became fascinated with the Trail on a visit to Florida and produced a photographic essay book about what he saw on and near its route, particularly in the Orlando metro area.
Add little Milton in the Panhandle as another Florida town that threw out its pro-development, pro-industry city council in what can now be called a statewide trend.
Famous 20th century "Beat" author Jack Kerouac spent the final years of his life in Orlando and St. Pete. Bob Kealing shares this history in his book, "Jack Kerouac: Where the Road Ends." Kerouac is best known for his novel, "On the Road."
Visit the Jack Kerouac house in Orlando.
Based on his first-term record as the most anti-nature president in American history, Craig sees the Florida environment as a big loser of Donald Trump's second term in office.
In 1983, contemporary artists Christo and Jean-Claude created a massive installation of pink fabric in Biscayne Bay titled 'Surrounded Islands.' The couple's foundation recently donated archival items related to the project to the NSU Art Museum in Fort Lauderdale which will stage an exhibition of the materials beginning in February of 2025. NSU Art Museum Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater gives us the details.
Timber company Rayonier wants to develop a toxic bioethanol producing plant near downtown Fernandina Beach. Explosions at these plants are not uncommon. A local group, No Ethanol Fernandina, is fighting the effort.
Miccosukee Indian John Tigertail leads airboat tours of the Everglades just like his father and grandfather did.
Information on the 2024 Miccosukee Indian Arts and Crafts Festival December 26-29 in Miami. Information on the 2025 Seminole Tribal Fair & Pow Wow January 29-February 3.
Craig and I open this episode discussing a return to the White House of the worst environmental president in history.
Our guest is David Morton, author of "Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry." Florida was an epicenter of film and television production in the early 20th century, and again in the 50s and 60s, but politics has often derailed efforts in the state to create an East Coast Hollywood.
Florida's politicians are bought and paid for by polluting industries: Big Sugar, Big Ag (agriculture), cattle ranchers, gas and oil, developers, phosphate mining.
Kristen Hare traveled across the state researching her book "Hotels, Motels, and Inns of Florida." On this episode, she shares her favorite historic lodgings.
If you'd like to receive an historic hotel postcard from Kristen, email her at oldfloridahotels at Gmail.com.
Ron DeSantis thinks the Florida economy would suffer from fighting climate change; Craig Pittman knows the Florida economy won't exist if we don't.
Cathy Salustri, host of the "Florida Spectacular" podcast and Florida author - and two-time former "Welcome to Florida" guest - fills in for Chadd Scott on this episode focusing on Robert the Doll. Author, historian, and Florida Keys ghost tour host David Sloan joins to discuss the haunted doll.
HauntedKeyWest.com
Back-to-back hurricanes this October have Craig thinking about 2004 when four major hurricanes battered the state in a six week period. What was learned from those catastrophes 20 years ago? Nothing.
Our guest this episode is Florida author Leslie Kemp Poole's whose recently published book, "Tracing Florida Journeys: Explorers, Travelers, and Landscapes Then and Now" follows in the footsteps of famous visitors to Florida, including "Red Badge of Courage" author Stephen Crane. His trip here in 1898 was not a pleasant one.
VOTE "NO" ON AMENDMENT 2, the so-called "Right to Hunt and Fish."
Big Cypress National Preserve in south Florida celebrates its 50th anniversary as the nation's first National Preserve on October 11, 2024. The Preserve will be hosting a variety of events through the end of the year in recognition of the milestone. Lisa Andrews is the education and outreach coordinator at Big Cypress and joins us to discuss what makes it a unique place.
We start by explaining how climate change and increased development have made hurricanes in Florida stronger and more destructive.
Theodore Pratt isn't a name most folks will know, but he was a highly acclaimed and prolific mid-century Florida author who is largely responsible for sustaining the legacy of the Barefoot Mailmen. Taylor Hagood is a professor at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton where Pratt's archive is housed. Hagood had a biography of Pratt published in summer of 2024.
Florida's so-called "law and order" governor isn't concerned about law or order when it comes to the state's freshwater springs. The best way to stay informed on news related to our springs is via the Florida Springs Council.
We've previously featured Marjorie Kinnan Rawling's "The Yearling" book in an episode, this episode will center on the movie adaptation which starred Gregory Peck and won a pair of Academy Awards. Our guest is documentary filmmaker and Cross Creek local Donna Green-Townsend who produced a documentary on the making of "The Yearling."
Visit Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park.
Another secretive, shady deal attempted between a private developer and the state government on supposedly protected public land has been exposed by the media.
Harry Truman spent a remarkable amount of time during his presidency at his Little White House in Key West. The home is open to the public for tours. Clinton Curry, Director of Operations in Key West for Historic Tours America, which operates the home, joins us this episode.
A secret meeting about water policy convened by a Florida congressman allowed polluting industries and state officials to scheme behind closed doors without the public or press allowed in.
This episode takes us to Florida's most remote location, the Dry Tortugas. Ian Wilson-Navarro spent a month there photographing and fishing, and recalls the experience in a new book out this fall, "Dry Tortugas: Stronghold of Nature."
Craig recently turned a story in to "Flamingo" magazine about Miami's Criteria Recording Studios, one of the 20th century's most influential hit makers.
Our guest this episode is social media personality, humorist, and Florida Man OMGitsWicks. Follow him on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Don't believe Ron DeSantis' lies when he says he had no advance knowledge of plans to bring golf courses and hotels into Florida's state parks.
Our guest this week is Florida author Cathy Salustri. She joined us all the way back on Episode 5 to discuss her first Florida book, "Backroads of Paradise," and she's back to discuss her latest book, "Florida Spectacular: Extraordinary Places and Exceptional Lives." We focus on her chapter about Polly Parker.
Craig's column on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's plan to build golf courses and hotels in the state parks. Story update.
Another episode, more politicians lining up with developers to destroy protected natural areas against the wishes of citizens.
Our guest is Florida food, travel, and lifestyle writer Carrie Honaker who took a trip scalloping off New Port Ritchey and wrote about the adventure for Flamingo magazine. Scallops are in trouble across Florida, but remain abundant enough in select locations to allow for a harvesting season.
Florida's estuaries are warming faster than the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean.
Doug Alderson kayaked down the Kissimmee River twice, once in 2007 and again in 2024. He wrote about those experiences as well as the river's historic importance to Florida, it's channelizing in the 1960s, and restoration efforts to renaturalize it beginning in the 1990s, in his book "New Dawn for the Kissimmee River: Orlando to Okeechobee by Kayak."
More information on:
Kayaking in Kissimmee
Florida's designated paddling trails
Florida Paddling Trails Association
The failed community of Destiny, FL
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two experts have fun with two beginners - you'll love this :)
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
When is protected land not really protected? When it's in Florida.
A.E. "Bean" Backus (1906-1990) is one of Florida's most esteemed artists. While best known today in connection to the Florida Highwaymen, Backus was an exceptional artist in his own right.
J. Marshall Adams, executive director at the A.E. Backus Museum and Gallery in Fort Pierce joins us to talk about Backus' life and legacy.
Listen to our previous episode with Kelvin Hair, son of legendary Florida Highwaymen artist Alfred Hair.
Encouraging news for the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow, the most endangered bird species on mainland America.
A pair of notorious Florida villains have died. Norma Padgett Upshaw who falsely accused "The Groveland Four" of rape, and William Calley, Jr. a U.S. Army officer convicted for his role in 1968's My Lai Massacre in Vietnam.
Our guest today is Erica Smith from Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Here's more information about its native plant conservation and research efforts.
The right wing's gameplan for a second Trump administration is laid out in a 900-plus page document called "Project 2025." One of its aims is to privatize weather reports. Craig explains how this terrifying document would impact Floridians.
Our guest this episode is Lynn Smallwood McMillin, owner and operator of the Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee since 1990. She is the granddaughter of the store's original owner, Ted Smallwood, who began operating the business out of his home there in 1906.
This episode begins by discussing Craig's most recent "Flamingo" magazine article about the Florida State Park system.
Our guest is Lauren Ali, Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail coordinator. The Trail is a project of the FWC - Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The New College of Florida has been purged of its academic integrity and set up as an incubator of right wing ideology by Ron DeSantis, now, the school's president has destroyed an environmental preserve to construct ball fields.
Michael Adno is a freelance writer and photographer from Sarasota. He recently visited the Apalachicola State Forest in the Panhandle to investigate worm grunting.
What Donald Trump didn't say about climate change during the presidential debate spoke volumes. During the debate, Trump said, "During my four years, I had the best environmental numbers ever." The exact opposite is true. Trump was the most anti-environmental president in U.S. history, rolling back 100+ environmental protections.
The built environment and "vibe" of Miami Beach are defined by Art Deco, an architectural style popular during the 1920s and 30s. Daniel Ciraldo is executive director at the Miami Design Preservation League and tells us how Art Deco came to Miami Beach, how it has been protected, and the threats it faces.
Solar energy is heating up in Florida no thanks to state government.
Harry Crews grew up dirt poor in south Georgia during the Great Depression before moving to Florida, enrolling at UF, and then becoming a famous writer of novels, essays, reported pieces, and screenplays. He also taught creative writing at the University of Florida for three decades.
Ted Geltner met Crews while working at "The Gainesville Sun" and wrote "Blood, Sweat, and Marrow: A Biography of Harry Crews." He joins us to discuss the legend of Harry Crews.
Eco-criminal Ron DeSantis continues working against Florida's environment.
They exist only in Miami: ventanitas. You'll find the "little windows" attached to Cuban restaurants. Customers can order food and coffee out of them, sometimes, 24-hours a day. This episode's guest Daniela Perez is a Miami native who wrote a book on the subject, "Ventanitas: A Window into Miami’s Coffee Culture."
Two of the ventanitas mentioned in the episode are at Versailles and Mary's Coin Laundry.
Thanks to all our patrons for helping support the show at Patreon.com. We have a new bonus episode for you about Craig's next book project.
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, educate...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
One of the worst bills to pass out of the Florida legislature in the most recent session was supported completely on lies.
Everyone has heard of birder and artist John James Audubon, namesake of the Audubon Foundation. Audubon came to Florida twice while researching his epic "Birds of America." Our guest today, Kenn Kaufman, is one of America's great birders and author of “The Birds That Audubon Missed: Discovery and Desire in the American Wilderness.”
Start you adventures birding around Florida with the Great Florida Birding Trail.
Thanks again to all of our patrons at Patreon.com. For just $5 per month, you can help support production of the show and receive BONUS episodes. Two new bonus episodes published recently about Chadd Scott's May trip to Miami, and news regarding Craig Pittman's next book.
Florida congressman Matt Gaetz wants to bomb endangered whales in the Gulf of Mexico.
One of Florida's great hidden gem cultural and tourist attractions is Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach. As beautiful as the gardens are today, the history of Japanese immigration to Florida and the garden's founding are equally interesting. Curator of education at Morikami Wendy Lo joins us to discuss.
Beach renourishment: ecological necessity or government handout to the wealthiest of Florida's property owners?
Former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham passed away in the spring of 2024 at the age of 87. Joining us on this episode to discuss Graham's life and legacy is S.V. Date, author of "Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham."
Thanks again to all of our patrons on Patreon. For just $5 a month you can help support the show and receive bonus episodes. A new bonus episode was just published related to co-host Chadd Scott's recent visit to Miami.
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, educate...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Ron DeSantis: junkie.
Our subject this episode is the fabulous Mar-a-Lago estate on Palm Beach. We discuss it's history from Marjorie Merriweather Post through Donald Trump and what makes the mansion/private club special. Les Standiford, author of "Palm Beach, Mar-a-Lago, and the Rise of America's Xanadu," provides the expertise.
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, educate...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
The state's Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson wants to sell off public lands to farmers and ranchers.
This week's subject is Betty Mae Tiger Jumper, first chairwoman of the Seminole Tribe in Florida. Our guest is Patsy West, co-author of Tiger Jumper's autobiography, "A Seminole Legend: The Life of Betty Mae Tiger Jumper."
Could golf courses hold a solution for conservation in Florida?
Tampa Bay is surprising young, and shallow, and NOT the name of a city. Our guest this episode is Evan Bennett, author of "Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People."
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, educate...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Our episode begins with a $400 million mystery in the state budget.
Folklorist and musician Robert Stone joins us. He helped bring the steel guitar music popular in the House of God and Church of the Living God communities in South Florida and around the South to greater prominence.
Birds of a Feather Talk Together
A podcast all about birds. Two bird experts, John Bates and Shannon Hackett, educate...
Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify
Former Florida governor Bob Graham wasn't born an environmentalist, he became one.
Our guest this episode is New York Times best-selling author, TIME magazine 100 most influential people for 2024, Gainesville resident, and now bookstore owner Lauren Groff.
Groff's new bookstore, The Lynx Books, opened in late April 2024 with an emphasis on selling banned books and Florida authors.
We begin this week's episode remembering former Florida governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham who passed away recently.
Our guest is Marty Fleischman who worked in the Jai-Alai industry across Florida for more than 40 years. He explains how the sport came to Florida, its rise to incredible popularity in Miami and Tampa, and the factors which have rendered it largely forgotten today.
Did you know there's oil drilling in Florida? Now you do.
Our guest for this episode is archaeologist and professor in the anthropology department at USF Nancy Marie White. White researches ancient Indigenous people and cultures in the Florida Panhandle and has authored a pair of books on the subject. We're specifically discussing Indigenous mounds and middens.
Visit sites along the Trail of Florida's Indigenous Heritage.
Journey along with Craig to Gilcrest Blue Springs.
Our subject today is a giant of 20th century activism and equal rights: A. Philip Randolph. Randolph helped push through federal equal employment legislation, had a hand in integrating the American armed forces, and organized the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, D.C. Our guest is Alan Bliss, CEO of the Jacksonville Historical Society.
Craig has a vision for the Museum of Florida History.
Few people recognize the name Hamilton Disston. Our guest this episode, Josh Ginsberg, explains why Disston is essential to a complete understanding of Florida's history.
The Florida legislature has appropriated $25 million to study a problem it already knows the causes of and solutions for.
Everyone knows Orlando for Disney, even though the theme park isn't inside the city limits, but there's a lot more to the Magic City than rides and tourists. Scott Maxwell has been writing for the Orlando Sentinel since 1998 and joins us to discuss the myths and realities of Orlando.
The Florida legislature is sacrificing outdoor workers to climate change.
Read Florida corporate and government watchdog Jason Garcia's outstanding "Seeking Rents."
The great Dave Barry joins the show this episode. His humor column ran from 1983 through 2005 in the Miami Herald. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his commentary in 1988. He's authored over 30 books, the most recent, "Swamp Story."
Click here to read Craig's favorite column by Barry.
When does "permanent" have an expiration date? When the term is applied to a conservation easement in Florida.
Our guest is Florida historian and author Robert Redd who's written numerous books on Florida, including two on the state's role in the Civil War.
The Florida legislature is attempting to solve climate change by ignoring it.
Florida is the epicenter of right wing efforts nationally to ban books, discriminatory efforts targeting books with LGBTQ+ as well as Black and brown characters. Katie Blankenship is the Director of PEN America Florida, a new outreach effort to combat the government suppression of free expression here.
More information on PEN America's Free to be Florida Network can be found here.
Katie's favorite banned books:
"And Tango Makes Three"
Toni Morrison's "Beloved"
"All Boys Aren't Blue"
Ripley's free book giveaway.
Thanks again to all of our supporters at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida!
Great news for conservation in Florida starts this episode!
Janet Reno is best known as being the first female U.S. Attorney General during the Clinton Administration. She was also a Floridian, born and raised in Miami. Judith Hicks Stiehm has written the definitive biography of Reno, "Janet Reno: A Life." Judith Hicks Stiehm's daughter Jamie Stiehm joins us to discuss Reno.
This episode begins in Estero Bay.
Florida's geology, it's sandy surface soil, abundance of surface water and ground water, and limestone karst bedrock make it the sinkhole capital of America. Ann Tihansky studied sinkholes for many years in Florida with the U.S. Geologic Survey and put together the "Sinkholes 101" guidebook. She joins us to explain why and how sinkholes form.
Graphic of water distribution on, in and above the earth. Another one.
How much water there is on earth.
New York Times article on America's sinking East Coast.
Members of the Florida State Legislature want to protect the rights of single use plastics.
Journalist Ben Montgomery worked as a reporting duo helping expose the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, a facility with a horrifying 100 year history of torture. The story is graphic and gruesome, details we'll discuss in this episode.
Additional reading on the Dozier School:
https://www.quillmag.com/2019/08/05/qa-ben-montgomery-the-reporter-whose-work-led-to-colson-whiteheads-novel-the-nickel-boys/
https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/2013/04/15/search-for-dozier-truth-raises-towns-hackles/29165956007/
https://www.axios.com/local/tampa-bay/2022/06/06/tiger-king-director-dozier-school-documentary
https://www.wmnf.org/floridas-white-house-boys-talk-about-the-promise-of-justice-for-survivors-of-the-dozier-school/
Now that his presidential campaign is over, Craig Pittman has some advice for Ron DeSantis.
Warren Zanes played music with rock icon Tom Petty and was his friend for decades. He also wrote Petty's biography, "Petty: The Biography." Zanes joins us to discuss Gainesville's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
The Florida legislature is attempting to make it more difficult for home inspectors to do their jobs in securing the safety of residents moving into new construction.
The era of the Johns Committee was one of the darkest in Florida's history. Stacy Braukman's book "Communists and Perverts Under the Palms: The John's Committee 1956-1965" details the political witch hunt for Communists and gays centered on the University of Florida in Gainesville. She joins us to discuss.
Developers and state politicians want to cram more homes into the Keys despite state law prohibiting them from doing so.
The inaugural Florida Man Games will be held February 24, 2024, in St. Augustine. Founder Pete Melfi joins us to discuss.
A Levy County resident wants to put a sand mine on his property endangering the University of Florida's planetarium.
We're discussing carnivorous plants this week with Kenny Coogan, owner of Critter Companions by Kenny Coogan nursery in Tampa specializing in carnivorous plants, and author of "Florida's Carnivorous Plants." Follow Kenny on Instagram at @crittercompanionsbykennycoogan.
Anyone interested in plants should look into membership with the Florida Native Plant Society.
Details on Brooker Creek Preserve which Craig mentioned.
Learn more about Eatonville 1887 History Tours.
Legendary Florida author Randy Wayne White joins us for this episode to discuss how he came to Florida, making the transition from newspaper man to charter boat captain, and eventually on to becoming the New York Times bestselling writer of the Doc Ford series of novels.
We'll also talk about his decision to ride out Hurricane Ian on Sanibel Island and the traumas he faced for that choice in the moment and after.
For more information on how Sanibel Island became a favored enclave for ex-CIA operatives, Craig has written about that story with insight from Randy.
Craig has a list of New Year's Resolutions to pass out around the state, starting with our idiot Department of Transportation secretary.
Author Lu Vickers is our guest this episode. She joined us back on Episode 100 along with an original Weeki Wachee mermaid. This time, we're talking about Dick Pope, founder of Cypress Gardens.
If you'd like to support the show as we enter our 5th season, you can do so by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida for just $5 per month.
When did "environmentalist" become a dirty word to Republicans?
Our guest for this episode is author Jack Davis. Davis has joined us twice before to discuss the recovery of the bald eagle and the Gulf of Mexico. Check the archive for those two outstanding shows.
This time, we're discussing a Florida icon, a feminist icon, a conservation icon, and an Everglades icon: Marjory Stoneman Douglas. Douglas coined the term "river of grass" to describe the Everglades, founded the Friends of the Everglades non-profit, and lived to be 108 years old. Davis wrote the definitive Marjory Stoneman Douglas biography, "An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century."
Davis will be one of the Florida literary legends joining Craig at the 2024 Key West Literary Seminar January 11-14.
A pair of proposed mega-developments in southwest Florida would prevent the Florida panther from ever expanding its numbers if approved.
Critical to an understanding of Florida history is its roots as a Spanish colony, not a British colony like Georgia and South Carolina. Kevin Kokomoor is an historian and the author of "La Florida: Catholics, Conquistadores, and other American Origin Stories" published in 2023. We discuss the Spanish origins of what is now Florida.
Global Warming is causing the oceans to acidify creating an existential threat to the ocean food chain and the seafood industry and Florida politician's largely don't care.
Hank Asher is the most important man you've never heard of. He's a Florida man who moved to the Sunshine State in the 70s. His life would intersect with the drug trade, the 2000 presidential election and 9/11, largely because of his work in the field of data mining. McKenzie Funk's 2023 book, "The Hank Show: How a House-Painting, Drug-Running, DEA Informant Built the Machine that Rules Our Lives."
If you'd like to receive exclusive BONUS episodes of "Welcome to Florida" you can do so by becoming a podcast patron at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida where for only $5 per month you can support production of the show. A new episode was released in December 2023 highlighting "Our Favorite Florida," our favorite Florida state parks, books, movies, museums, big cities, small towns, musicians and more.
We begin this episode with sad news and the passing of Florida author Tim Dorsey. Dorsey joined us on Episode 73.
Did you know the longest private airstrip in America is in Florida?
The Brian DePalma-directed 'Scarface' from 1983 starring Al Pacino as Cuban immigrant turned Miami cocaine kingpin Tony Montana alongside Michelle Pfeiffer celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2023. Marking the occasion, movie critic and film historian Nat Segaloff has written "Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface." He's our guest this week.
We have a number of wonderful episodes in our archives related to the drug trade in Miami in the 1980s, as well as Cuban immigration and the Marielitos. If you're interested in this topic, check them out.
If you'd like to celebrate the anniversary alongside Pacino at the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, you can do so here.
Thanks to all of our "Welcome to Florida" patrons at patreon.com/welcometoflorida where for just $5 a month you can help support production of the show. We'll have another bonus episode exclusively for our patrons dropping in December.
"Welcome (back)to Florida" Jeff Bezos.
We're getting wet on this episode and learning about the Atlantic Goliath Grouper. Our guest is marine scientist, researcher and conservationist Sarah Frias-Torres who spent 20 years in Florida studying this magnificent fish. Find her on Twitter and Instagram @GrouperDoc.
In the episode, she mentioned a scientific paper, here is a link to that study.
There is no love affair as strong as the one between the Florida legislature and developers. Politicos in Tallahassee just gave the industry another major gift.
In 2018, Florida voters in overwhelming fashion put a stop to greyhound racing by voting for a constitutional amendment outlawing it. Carey M. Theil helped lead the grassroots effort to ban the "sport" which had murdered and abused hundreds of thousands of dogs in Florida over its 100 year history here.
Theil has co-authored a book published in 2023 offering a behind-the-scenes look at how a small group of animal rights advocates took on, and took down, a billion dollar industry. The book is titled "Brooklyn Goes Home: The Rise and Fall of American Greyhound Racing and the Dog that Inspired a Movement."
Craig has written previously about greyhound racing coming to an end for Flamingo magazine and the Florida Phoenix.
We enjoy every episode of "Welcome to Florida," but enjoyed this one more than most. This story takes us to Fort George Island about midway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island by the St. John's River and Atlantic Ocean. This is the location of Kingsley Plantation, named for its owner Zephaniah Kingsley.
His, however, is not the most interesting story to be told there, that story belongs to Anna Madgigine Jai.
To learn more about Jai, Craig recommends the book "Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley: African Princess, Florida Slave, Plantation Slaveowner," which he quoted from during our interview with Emily Parker, a visual information specialist for the National Park Service specializing in the Timucuan Ecological and Historical Preserve which includes Fort George Island and Kingsley Plantation.
To listen to Johnetta Betsch Cole, direct descendant of Jai and Abraham Lincoln Lewis' great granddaughter - he was Florida's first Black millionaire and the founder of American Beach - visit our Patreon page where our patrons have exclusive access to a presentation she gave about A.L. Lewis in September of 2023.
Was it simple incompetence or something more sinister which cost Florida the chance to receive millions of dollars in federal funding to apply toward residential solar power.
Our guest this week is Rebecca Renner who's new book "Gator Country: Deception, Danger, and Alligators in the Everglades" tells the story of an undercover Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission sting to catch gator poachers.
Rebecca will be featured in this year's Miami Book Fair.
Thanks to Windstorm Products for supporting "Welcome to Florida" as well as all of our Patrons at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida where there's a new BONUS podcast episode exclusively for patrons where we here from a Florida legend about a Florida legend.
Manatees in Florida could be placed back on the Endangered Species List.
One of the greatest miscarriages of justice in America occurred in Port St. Joe, Florida in the case of Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee. The two Black men were convicted of a double homicide despite no physical evidence, no credible eyewitness, confessions forced via police torture, and a subsequent confession shortly after from the actual murderer.
The pair were eventually pardoned after serving 12 years. Spearheading the pardon was a Miami Herald journalist Gene Miller, and our guest this week, Pitts and Lee's defense attorney at appeal, Phillip A Hubbart. Hubbart is the author of "From Death Row to Freedom: The Struggle for Racial Justice in the Pitts-Lee Case" which he will be discussing at the 2023 Miami Book Fair.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products.
Valerie Vande Panne fills in again for Chadd Scott on this episode and she and Craig start off by discussing his latest Flamingo magazine article about airboats.
Find Valerie and follow her work on her Substack page.
This episode's guest is William McKeen, author of "Mile Marker Zero: The Moveable Feast of Key West," which details the cultural, anti-establishment peak of the city in the 1970s which featured an upstart musician, Jimmy Buffett.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products, the No. 1 online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Valerie Vande Panne filled in for Chadd Scott on this episode of "Welcome to Florida." She and Craig began by discussing his latest Florida Phoenix column on airboats.
Keep up with Valerie on Substack.
This episode's guest is Craig Allen, author of "Univision, Telemundo, and the Rise of Spanish-Language Television in the United States." Both networks were headquartered mere miles from each other in Miami for decades.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products.
Why reinstituting a bear hunt, which failed ignominiously in 2015, is not the solution for increased human-bear interaction in Florida.
In this episode we discuss the ghost orchid with longtime Fakahatchee Strand Preserve park biologist Mike Owen.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Windstorm Products and windstormproducts.com the No. 1 online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Ron DeSantis wants MORE fossil fuels and fewer regulations on fossil fuel companies.
The Florida Museum of Natural History on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville possesses one of the largest, most comprehensive and finest collections natural history in the world. Heather Dewar's gorgeous coffee table book, "All Things Beautiful: Wonders from the Collections of the Florida Museum of Natural History" celebrates the collections and shares the museum's history. She joins us to discuss both.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products. Visit windstormproducts.com to learn how to better protect your home from the effects of hurricane wind damage.
This episode begins by remembering a legend in Florida journalism.
Had a development for the Big Bend area of Florida been proposed in recent years, it would have been approved, and the recent hurricane damage there would have been much worse.
Our guest is Paul George from the History Miami Museum who tells us all about the founder of Miami Beach, Carl Fisher.
The biography Craig mentioned is "Castles in the Sand" and the documentary we mentioned is "Mr. Miami Beach."
Here's more information on the Brightline train.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products. Protect your home from the effects of hurricane wind damage with the expertise and hurricane hardware available at windstormproducts.com.
A closed meeting in Israel resulted in Ron DeSantis allowing a foreign company to disperse its supposed miracle cure for blue green algae in waters across the state without the product previously being tested for potential negative environmental or human health effects.
Our guests this episode are Vickie Oldham, president and CEO of the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition and founder of the Newtown Alive trolley tours in Sarasota, and Brenda Watty, a member of the Marvelettes Motown group who lives in Sarasota and performs on the tours. They join us to discuss African American history in Sarasota.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products. Visit www.windstormproducts.com to find the hardware and knowhow you need to protect your home from the effects of hurricane wind damage.
This episode begins by paying our respects to Jimmy Buffett and his conservation work in Florida.
Our guest is Florida Keys historian Brad Bertelli who tells us all about conch, the gastropod, conchs, the people, and the Conch Republic, better known as the Florida Keys. His Florida Keys history Facebook group is a wonderful resource and community for lovers of the Keys.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com, the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Jacksonville used to stink. Literally. Bad. That was a result of paper mills. What turned Jacksonville around serves as a model for how the state can solve its toxic algae bloom crisis.
The Castillo de San Marcos is one of the top tourist attractions in St. Augustine. The Spanish fort at one time served an important military purpose for Spain's colonial ambitions in North America. Our guest for this episode is a historian and researcher specializing in the Colonial period in the Southeast and Spain's presence there, Susan Richbourg Parker.
We mention the Native American prisoners of war sent to the fort, which had been renamed Fort Marion by the United States, and its connection to the tragic legacy of Indian boarding schools. You can read more about that here.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com. Windstorm Products has the hurricane hardware and knowhow to help protect your home from hurricane wind damage.
We begin this episode with county commissioners in Manatee County favoring sprawl over wetlands.
Our guest is University of Florida professor of insect systematics and taxonomy and firefly researcher Marc Branham who tells us all about these fascinating insects.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products the leading online retailer of hurricane hardware at www.windstormproducts.com. Protect your home or business from the effects of hurricane wind damage with Windstorm Products.
Thank you to all of our patrons at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida. For as little as $5 per month you can help support the show and receive exclusive bonus episodes.
While the world burns and Florida scorches as a result of global warming driven by carbon emissions, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is working to prevent fossil fuel power plants from having to clean up their act.
Former "Welcome to Florida" guest Diane Roberts wrote a wonderful column for the Florida Phoenix recently titled, "GOP Death Cult is holding Earth hostage to White Privilege." Roberts' article serves as a wonderful combination punch in conjunction with Jeff VanderMeer's "TIME" magazine article from earlier this summer encapsulating Florida's numerous environmental calamities and how the state arrived at this catastrophe. VanderMeer is also a former "Welcome to Florida" guest.
On this episode, we discuss Florida Humanities with the group's Executive Director Nashid Madyun. The mission of Florida Humanities is to preserve, promote and share the history, literature, cultures and personal stories that offer Floridians a better understanding of themselves, their communities and their state. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Florida Humanities is publishing a coffee table book anthology of the state's history.
Thanks as always to Windstorm Products for its support of the show. WindstormProducts.com not only has the "stuff" you need to protect your house from hurricane wind damage, it also has the expertise to let you know what you need and what you don't.
Thanks also to all of our patrons at patreon.com/welcometoflorida where for as little as $5 per month you can personally support the show and receive regular bonus content.
This week's episode begins with Florida's connection to the Endangered Species Act.
Our guest is Josh Liller, historian and collections manager at the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Josh edited the Florida Lighthouse Trail book and is a member of the Florida Lighthouse Association, which you can join as well.
We discuss the history of lighthouses and lighthouse keepers in Florida.
Thanks for Windstorm Products for helping sponsor "Welcome to Florida." Use Windstorm Products helpful 800-number to ask the experts about what you need to do to protect your home or business from hurricane wind damage.
Thanks also to the growing group of "Welcome to Florida" patrons supporting the show via our Patreon link at www.patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida. For as little as $5 per month, you can help us put the podcast together each week and receive regular bonus episodes.
We begin our episode with a Florida location we've not discussed previously: Alva.
Our guest is JB Miller, a Mennonite who grew up in Pinecraft next to Sarasota in the 60s and 70s. A community of Mennonite and Amish farmers started coming to the area to farm in the 1930s and has persisted ever since. No longer farming, tourism is now the top draw.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com, a Florida company and the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware to protect your home from hurricane wind damage.
We begin with a follow-up to last week's episode in which we talked to legendary Florida conservationist Jack Rudloe.
Our guest this episode is author and historian Robert Bucellatto whose book "Rumrunners and Moonshiners of Old Florida" recalls the Prohibition era in Florida.
If you'd like to personally support the production of "Welcome to Florida," you can do so by visiting patreon.com/welcometoflorida and for as little as $5 per month receive access to exclusive bonus episodes of the show.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a locally owned Florida company which has grown to become the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware - the stuff that protects your home from hurricane wind damage.
What is "environmental racism?" It goes on all over Florida (BIG SUGAR). Craig Pittman explains.
Jack Rudloe has been observing marine life on the Gulf of Mexico around Panacea, FL since the 1950s. He's an author. An environmental activist. And founder of the Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratory.
We mention Jack's abuse at the hands of law enforcement; here's more information regarding local efforts to protect Wakulla Springs from development.
Thank you PATRONS! For as little as $5 per month you can personally support our production of "Welcome to Florida" and receive regular bonus episodes. Visit patreon.com/welcometoflorida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com, protecting your home from hurricane wind damage.
Not only is climate change adversely impacting those of us on land, it's warming waters around Florida taking a toll on marine life.
Our guest this episode is Kevin Sheilley, president and CEO of the Ocala Metro Chamber and Economic Partnership. Ocala is "the Horse Capitol of the World." Kevin explains how the city earned that moniker, when Florida became a horse destination, and we discuss the jewel in Ocala's horse crown, the World Equestrian Center.
World Equestrian Center offers a non-stop schedule of free horse competitions and events open to the public. If you're interested in visiting Ocala and Marion County to explore Florida Horse Country, start your planning here.
Former "Welcome to Florida" guest and best-selling author Jeff VanderMeer wrote a magnificent and thorough article for TIME magazine detailing the variety of environmental calamities in Florida and Ron DeSantis' complicity in exacerbating them.
"Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by WindstormProducts.com, the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware.
This week's episode begins with a look at the series of disastrous bills signed into law by Ron DeSantis that will imperil Florida's environment for decades to come, if not forever.
Our guest this week is author Michael Tougias who's book "Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission" centers around the Cuban Missile Crisis. His most recent book, "Extreme Survival," shares lessons learned from individuals who survived the most perilous of situations.
We regularly discuss the ruinous effects of Big Sugar on Florida, if the topic interests you, an exceptional podcast series titled "Big Sugar" has been released investigating the industry from the perspective of its abused employees. You can, of course, also learn more from our "Big Sugar" episode. Lastly, Alec Wilkenson's book, "Big Sugar," is a great exploration of the industry's atrocities.
Another recommendation, "Invisible History: Middle Florida's Hidden Roots" is an eye opening look at the founding of Tallahassee and its connection to slavery. It can be seen free of charge on Amazon Prime.
Thanks, as always, to Windstorm Products for supporting "Welcome to Florida." Windstorm Products is the world's largest supplier of hurricane hardware.
Thanks also to our patrons at Patreon.com/welcometoflorida. For as little as $5 per month you can help support our production of the show and receive access to bonus content.
We begin today's show with some shady developer dealings in Captiva.
Florida is as well-known as a haven for retirees as anything. Helping people make that transition is the American Association of Retired Persons - AARP. Jeff Johnson is the state director for AARP Florida and he joins us to discuss AARP's work in Florida.
Thanks again to Windstorm Products for supporting the podcast. Windstorm Products is a small Florida company that has grown into the largest online retailer of hurricane hardware. Protect your home or business from hurricane wind damage with Windstorm Products.
We have hit the 3rd anniversary of the "Welcome to Florida" podcast and we want to thank you for listening. If you'd like to take your support of the show further, you can do so by becoming a patron at www.patreon.com/welcometoflorida.
For as little as $5 a month you'll help us continue producing the show and have access to exclusive bonus episodes.
Our guest this week is Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates. We discuss the current abortion laws in Florida and Planned Parenthood's efforts to challenge them on privacy grounds. If you'd like to know more about the privacy clause in Florida's Constitution, read this.
Here is where you can find the petition to force a ballot measure demanding an amendment to the state constitution protecting abortion rights in Florida.
Thanks as always to Windstorm Products for supporting the show. It's hurricane season, is your home protected from effects of hurricane wind damage? Probably not, but Windstorm Products can help you be safe and secure.
What's weird? A Florida city council suing its citizens over the topic of clean water.
Eliot Klineberg is the father of "weird Florida." In 1998, he published "Weird Florida," a compilation of Florida oddities which would eventually spawn the weird Florida and Florida man genres.
Eliot joins us this week, his second appearance on the show.
Thank you "Welcome to Florida" patrons! Another exclusive bonus episode of the show will be coming your way soon. If you'd like to help support our production of "Welcome to Florida," you can do so for as little as $5 a month at patreon.com/welcometoflorida.
Thanks also to longtime show sponsor Windstorm Products. Protect your home from the effects of hurricane wind damage with the hurricane hardware available for purchase online at www.windstormproducts.com.
"What the f*uck happened here!?!"
If you're a nature lover in Florida, chances are you've said - or screamed - these words upon discovering a beloved tree or beach or meadow destroyed without warning by your city or county, a developer or a resident. We begin the episode exploring "what the f*uck happened here" in Port St. Lucie.
Our guest is writer John Birdsall who joins us to discuss one-time America's sweetheart and Florida orange juice spokeswoman turned anti-gay villain Anita Bryant.
You can find John on Instagram at @john_birdsall.
This week's episode is presented by Windstorm Products, a family-owned Florida small business that has evolved into the world's largest online supplier of hurricane hardware - all that stuff which protects your house from hurricane wind damage.
You can't tell the story of Florida without the story of Hurricane Andrew. That's what we're doing on this episode with the help of longtime University of Miami professor, Hurricane Andrew survivor, and author of "In the Eye of Hurricane Andrew," Eugene Provenzo.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a Florida small business and the world's No. 1 online retailer of hurricane hardware products.
We start the episode discussing the "Path of the Panther" documentary which you can see now on Disney+.
Our guests are authors Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal whose book "A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save our Vanishing Birds" takes special interest in the Florida Seaside Sparrow. Follow the Gyllenhaal's on their blog, flyinglessons.us.
On this episode, we mentioned White Oak Conservation in Yulee, Project Principalis and the Ivory Billed woodpecker and the Recovering America's Wildlife Act.
If you're interested in this topic, check out previous episodes on flamingos, the Florida scrub jay, the bald eagle, Florida Panthers, North Atlantic right whales, the Florida Wildlife Corridor, Ed Ball and native plants.
Hurricane season is here and that means it's time to get serious about securing your home or business from hurricane wind damage. The best people to do that are at windstormproducts.com.
At "Welcome to Florida" we love celebrating Florida's ecology and wild animals as well as educating and introducing people to the same. That is much the same mission as the Florida Master Naturalist program. If you love this podcast, chances are, you'd be interested in taking one or more of their courses.
Jeanne Murphy from Sensing Nature ecotours in Pinellas County is a long time Florida Master Naturalist instructor and tells us all about the program.
Thank you to everyone who has visited patreon.com/welcometoflorida and supported the program at $5 per month. Craig and I deeply appreciate your help. Since we've reached our initial 20 patron goal, we'll be releasing an exclusive to Patreon bonus "behind the scenes" episode only for Patreon supporters on June 1, 2023 describing the origins of the show and how we put it together each week. You can sign up any time to enjoy member benefits.
Lawn "care" giant TruGreen used its bought and paid for Florida legislators to sneak through a provision in the state budget forbidding cities and counties from regulating the use of fertilizer in summer months, fertilizer often spread by TruGreen, fertilizer which contains phosphorous and leads to blue-green algae blooms and the poisoning of Florida's water.
Our guest this week is Roben Farzad, Miami native and author of "Hotel Scarface: Where Cocaine Cowboys Partied and Plotted to Control Miami." Miami in the late 1970s and early to mid-80s was a wild, violent, tropical paradise and horror show flush with drug cash, killers, CIA and superstars. Roben takes us there in the book.
Follow Roben on Twitter @RobenFarzad and the book across social media using the hashtag #hotelscarface.
Hurricane season is here and to secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage, look up windstormproducts.com.
Another episode, another example of trouble with the water in Florida.
Our guest is Florida native, author, historian and professor Sara McNamara whose recently published book, "Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South," details how the enclave of Cuban migrants evolved through the years and how it is distinguished from Cuban communities in Miami.
If this subject interests you, previous episodes on early Cuban exiles to Miami and the Columbia Restaurant will be worth your while.
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to support "Welcome to Florida" through our Patreon page. We have reached our goal of 20 Patron supporters at $5 a month and will be releasing a bonus "behind the scenes" episode of the podcast exclusively to our patrons in June. Of course, we'd love to have you be involved as well and you can sign up to support the show at any time.
"Welcome to Florida" is additionally supported by Windstorm Products, the largest supplier of hurricane wind protection hardware in the world. Hurricane season starts in June, visit windstormproducts.com to find out if you're prepared.
This week's episode takes us back to 1998 when wildfires ravaged Florida.
Our guest is Florida State professor, journalist, author and 8th generation Tallahassee resident Diane Roberts. Her book, "Dream State: Eight Generations of Swamp Lawyers, Conquistadors, Confederate Daughters and other Wildlife" details her family's history across the backdrop of the state capital. She is also the author of a book about college football based on her experience as a lifelong Seminole fan.
Remember to become a patron of "Welcome to Florida" if you enjoy the show and would like to support us for $5 a month at Patreon.
The state's elected officials continue ignoring the causes of climate change to the peril of everyone living in Florida.
This week's episode focuses on oysters and a new documentary from a pair of native Floridians about the collapse of oyster reefs globally, Apalachicola Bay in particular.
We mentioned the Chiles Hospitality Group's conservation efforts including its oyster shell reuse program.
Oyster Brewing Company in Apalachicola, FL.
We discuss Florida's water quality problems in almost every episode of the show. Here's a new one: lead pipes.
Did you know Florida receives only 5% of its electricity from solar power? Not good for the Sunshine State. That's why we receive an "F" from the Center for Biological Diversity when it comes to solar generation.
Our guest this episode is James Fenton, Director of the University of Central Florida’s Florida Solar Energy Center. James will tell us about the history of solar power in Florida, where efforts stand today, and how you can pursue solar energy for your house with Solar United Neighbors.
Don't forget to support "Welcome to Florida" through our Patreon page if you're able to. We're close to our 20 patron threshold at which point Craig and I will release a special bonus episode to our supporters through Patreon. Visit patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida.
Following the terrible manatee die off in 2021, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to take the drastic measure of supplementing the mammals' diet with human provided lettuce. How is the program working?
Speaking of manatee, the reason they're dying is because blue green algae blooms are preventing the seagrass they feed on from receiving sunlight, which is essential for growth. The seagrass beds die off, the manatees lose their food source, and the manatees then starve to death. What's causing those blue green algae blooms, largely, is phosphorus runoff from agriculture in the form of fertilizer and manure.
Our guest on this episode, Dan Egan, has a new book out for spring of 2023 entitled "The Devil's Element: Phosphorus and a World out of Balance." Not only is Florida ground zero for the negative effects of phosphorus, it is also the nation's leading supplier of the mineral.
"Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Windstorm Products. Visit windstormproducts.com for hurricane hardware and secure your home or business from the effects of hurricane wind damage.
What is ESG? It's Florida Republicans latest effort to distract from the spiraling living conditions in the state created under their watch by scaring white voters into believing a "woke agenda" threatens their way of life.
This week's episode centers on Eatonville, the first all-Black town in America, incorporated in 1887. Craig recently focused one of his Florida Phoenix columns on efforts by residents there to fight off a development project for what is known as the Hungerford property, land Eatonville residents believe was stolen from them by the Orange County Public Schools.
Our guests are Julian Johnson, founder of the 1887 First brand, and John Beacham, owner of Eatonville 1887 tours.
SPOILER ALERT: John, Julian and the Eatonville residents have prevailed for now, forcing the developer of the Hungerford property to back out of the deal with Orange County Public Schools.
You can support "Welcome to Florida" by becoming a monthly patron at Patreon.com/WelcometoFlorida. For just $5 per month you can take ownership in assuring the continuation of this podcast and once we've reached 20 patrons, Craig and I will release a special "behind the scenes" episode to our Patreon members.
Runaway, reckless development in Florida not only threatens the state's beautiful land, but its sky as well.
Our guest is Julie Albert, right whale conservation program coordinator for the Marine Resources Council.
To volunteer for whale watching, contact the Marine Resources Council above, or the Blue World Research Institute here.
Information on the Right Whale Festival in Fernandina Beach, each November.
If you'd like to support "Welcome to Florida" through our Patreon page, you can do so here.
A state legislator wants to take away the ability to manage water quality from local governments and give it to the state because the current law disadvantaged his nephew. Seriously.
Our guest this episode is Zach Zacharias, history curator at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach. He recalls for us the story of the discovery of The Daytona Beach Mastodon. Journey with us to Ice Age Florida.
This episode of "Welcome to Florida" is brought to you by Windstorm Products. Visit windstormproducts.com to protect your home or business from hurricane wind damage.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s time in St. Augustine, and St. Augustine's central place in the Civil Rights Movement, are among the most important and least discussed aspects of Florida history and civil rights history. There are obvious and surprising reasons for that.
Flagler College history professor and civil rights author Michael Butler helps us understand what happened in St. Augustine during 1963 and 1964 and its critical role in the Civil Rights Movement. Follow Michael on Twitter @dr_mbutler.
Advocates for Florida Springs had to take the state Department of Environmental Protection to court for the terrible job its been doing protecting the state's drinking water from polluters.
This week's guest Bob Kealing has joined us before to talk about Tupperware and Elvis. His latest book, "Good Day Sunshine State: How the Beatles Rocked Florida" takes us back to 1964 and the group's monumental visit to Florida and its various intersections with history.
Chadd Scott's latest "My Favorite Florida" columns include Ron Jon Surf Shop and Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge.
Florida's State Attorney General is a villainous political hatchet queen.
As Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried was the last Democrat elected to a statewide office in Florida. We discuss the role of the state Agriculture Department from concealed carry firearm permits to state forests, invasive species, gasoline and Big Sugar.
Fried was elected on February 25, 2023, as chair of the state Democratic Party.
Thanks to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota for hosting Chadd Scott to record this episode of the podcast.
This episode begins in Eatonville, home of Zora Neale Hurston, where, not surprisingly, developers are up to no good.
Our guest is lifelong Pensacola resident and longtime Pensacola newspaper reporter and editor Carl Wernicke. We discuss Pensacola's past, present and future, Matt Gaetz, what he loves about Pensacola, and how the city is, and isn't, changing. Craig's from Pensacola as well!
This week's episode is sponsored by WindstormProducts.com, the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware, as well as a retailer of the Quick Dam flood barrier, a fantastically helpful product if your home, garage or business is prone to water inundation.
You can find Chadd Scott's writing about the Environmental Learning Center in Vero Beach and the A.E. Backus Museum in Fort Pierce at Rovology.com.
This episode tackles one of the most confusing eras in Florida history, a critically important series of events, but one little acknowledged or studied: the Seminole Wars. There were three Seminole Wars, the first in the 18-teens and the final in the 1850s.
Our guest is Joe Knetsch, historian and author of numerous Florida history books with an emphasis on the Seminole Wars.
A treat today as Miami born, bred and based documentary filmmakers Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman join the show. Corben is the director and Spellman the producer for Rakontur, their company which has produced such favorites as "Cocaine Cowboys" and "The U." Their latest project, "God Forbid" begins with a pool boy at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach and ends with the election of Donald Trump and the collapse of the evangelical Falwell family. Watch it on Hulu.
This episode begins with a rare conservation win in Florida against development. Savor the flavor.
Our guest is author, historian and professor emeritus in anthropology at Florida A&M University John Foster. Foster has written numerous books on early Florida tourism and Harriet Beecher Stowe's role in it.
We discussed Harriet Beecher Stowe at the Mandarin Museum.
This episode of "Welcome to Florida" begins in Stuart.
Our guest this week is author and historian Gary Mormino. Gary's most recent book, published in 2022, is titled "Dreams in the New Century: Instant Cities, Shattered Hopes and Florida's Turning Point."
The book covers Florida in the first decade of the new millennium where an extraordinary sequence of stories from Elian Gonzalez to the contested Bush v. Gore election, 9/11, hurricanes, the housing bubble and global economic collapse, Barak Obama's election and the state's bend toward right wing politics dramatically altered Florida, the nation and the future of both.
The governor is touting his environmental record again, to which Craig Pittman cries foul.
Follow Chadd Scott's travel writing at "My Favorite Florida."
Our guest this week is Marshall Jon Fisher, author of "Seventeen and Oh: Miami, 1972 and the NFL's Only Perfect Season." Fisher was a 9-year-old living in Miami in 1972 following the Dolphins success week-by-week with his father and brother. He recalls the games, and looks at the societal backdrop of Miami and America at this time which included Nixon's presidential re-election and the early phases of Watergate along with the late stages of the Vietnam War.
Craig's dad died recently and he shares a story about his father's work which would eventually dovetail into his own.
Our guest this week is author and historian Jim Clark whose book "Red Pepper and Gorgeous George: Claude Pepper's Epic Defeat in the 1950 Democratic Primary" introduces us to a giant of 20th century Florida history. State rep, U.S. Senator and House member, Medal of Freedom winner, namesake of the FSU Library... how come Pepper is so little known today?
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products a Florida family-owned business that is now the world's No. 1 online supplier of hurricane hardware. It's not hurricane season now, but it's coming, and Windstorm Products can help your home or business be secure from hurricane wind damage when it comes.
"Welcome to Florida" Season 4 begins with an extraordinary Florida adventure! Warren Richey paddled a sea kayak around Florida.
On January 1, 1923, dubious claims of a sexual assault from a white woman against an unidentified Black man in the small community of Rosewood between Gainesville and Cedar Key set off a sequence of events that would leave untold numbers of people killed and Rosewood burned to the ground.
The event was completely forgotten and erased, except by those who experienced it and lingering myths and rumors in the area.
Then Gary Moore visited in 1982, completely unaware of what had happened there, stumbled on the story, and began reporting for the St. Petersburg Times, reporting which eventually led to his book, "Rosewood: The Full Story."
Our episode begins with a trip to Warm Mineral Springs.
Our guest is Kathryn Ziewitz, co-author of "Green Empire: The St. Joe Company and the Remaking of Florida's Panhandle." The St. Joe Company, a legacy of the Dupont empire, at one point possessed 5% of all the land in Florida along with banks and railroads. It was run from Jacksonville with an iron fist by a true Florida villain: Ed Ball.
Craig Pittman is ON YOUR SIDE!
Our guest is Florida Times-Union columnist Mark Woods. Find Mark's book, "Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks."
In the episode we discuss:
Jacksonville consolidation
Axe Handle Saturday
Norman Studios
Mandarin Museum
One of America's worst polluters resides in Escambia County in the Panhandle.
Florida has a rich tradition of surfing which we're focusing on in this episode with Tom Warnke, a longtime Florida surfer and founding member of the Surfing Florida Museum.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by WindstormProducts.com the world's leading online retailer of hurricane hardware. Now is the time to prepare your home or business for next year's hurricane season. WindstormProducts.com has the hardware and the knowhow to protect your property from the inevitable.
Looking for (more) undeniable proof of climate change and how Florida's current approach to "resiliency" is inadequate? Look to sea turtles.
Our guest this week is the former longtime food critic at the Miami Herald, 1st generation Cuban and now host at WLRN radio in South Florida, Carlos Frias. Our subject: croquetas.
This episode's subject is Trapper Nelson, the Wildman of the Loxahatchee, the Tarzan of Florida. Our guest is historian and author James Snyder who lives on the Loxahatchee River not far from where Trapper Nelson did. Snyder wrote a book about Nelson, "Life and Death on the Loxahatchee," which he describes as "part biography, part murder mystery."
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products and no matter where you live in Florida, you are susceptible to damage caused by hurricanes. That's where windstormproducts.com comes in, the world's largest online supplier of hurricane hardware with shipping, of course, available anywhere in the state. Whatever you might need to secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage, chances are, windstormproducts.com offers it and can additionally provide the know-how to help you install it.
What environmental problems would Craig Pittman like to see Ron DeSantis address in his second term as governor? These ones. Craig's not holding his breath.
Our guest this week is Clay Henderson. His new book, "Forces of Nature: A History of Florida Land Conservation" details the century-plus effort to conserve land in Florida for nature, recreation and human health.
Another hurricane just hit Florida and if you managed to elude damage from both Ian and Nicole, chances are, you're next. Preparing for the unknowable, but inevitable is a major pain in the neck, but you know it has to be done. Windstormproducts.com has the hardware and know-how to help you secure your property from hurricane wind and flood damage. Check them out online and give them a call if you have questions about how to protect your home or business from hurricane damage.
This week's episode publishes on election day so if it takes you a while to get around to listening, we understand.
Founded in 1947, Everglades National Park celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Our guest this episode, James Kushlan, is a former Everglades researcher and author of the book, "Everglades National Park." He's also written books about birdwatching in South Florida, Key Biscayne, the Dry Tortugas and other titles of interest to anyone who loves Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a Florida company which started small and grew into the largest online retailer of hurricane hardware in the world. Windstormproducts.com has the hardware and knowhow to help you secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage.
You can't see it, but you can smell it, and the problem is becoming worse with each successive storm in Florida: wastewater and sewage discharges.
Our guest this week is Russian national and current Miami Beach resident Anastasia Samoylova. She's a photographer who traveled the state recording what she saw and has shared those images in a new book titled: Floridas: Anastasia Samoylova & Walker Evans.Ana will be participating in this year's Miami Book Fair (as will Craig). An exhibition of prints from her book can be seen at Dot Fifty One Gallery in Miami.
Much of today's episode focused on flooding and if water inundation is a problem you're facing with your home or business, check out the amazing Quick Dam water barriers which do the work of dozens of sandbags without the mess, strain or hassle. Learn more about Quick Dam water barriers from our friends at windstormproducts.com.
Craig Pittman was recently invited by the New York Times to write an opinion column regarding Ron DeSantis' approach to combating climate change. It's a topic he has covered regularly at the Florida Phoenix.
While better known for their connections to Macon, Georgia, the Allman Brothers were a Florida band, forming in Daytona Beach. Bob Beatty is the author of a newly published book highlighting a critical moment in the band's rise to popularity, the recording of its live album in 1971. The book is titled, "Play All Night: Duane Allman and the Journey to Fillmore East."
Find Bob on Twitter at @LongLiveTheABB
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products. Visit windstormproducts.com to make sure your home or business is secured from the next hurricane.
When it comes to homeowners in Florida and hurricane damage, it's buyer beware.
Our guest is Ralph Krugler, historian at the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse and Florida barefoot mailman historian. The Barefoot Mailmen operated in the late 19th century walking the mail to residents along the Florida frontier on the east and west coasts of the state.
Here's a great Sunshine State "did you know:" the official seal of the city of Hypoluxo in Palm Beach County features an image of a barefoot mailman.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products, a family business in Florida which has grown to become the largest online retailer of hurricane hardware. When the next hurricane comes, and it will, have your home protected from wind and flood damage by using the products and expertise available at windstormproducts.com.
A vote for Ron DeSantis is a vote for more Hurricane Ian's. Craig explains.
This episode's guest is Samantha Chapman, a professor of biology at Villanova University and a researcher of mangroves around the world, but particularly in Florida. Craig relied on her expertise in a previous story he wrote about how climate change is increasingly allowing mangroves to migrate into areas they haven't traditionally been seen.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Windstorm Products. Hurricane Ian has come and gone, but if you put off your hurricane preparedness, windstormproducts.com is still there for you as the world's largest retailer of hurricane hardware to secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage. You can also purchase the amazing and convenient Quick Dam water activated flood barriers from the. This product will save you hours of dirty, sweaty, backbreaking work filling sandbags to secure your home from hurricane flooding, and it's also a great solution to water intrusion from storms if you're in low lying areas and constantly worried about water getting into your basement or garage.
Developers and road builders want to plow through a state forest in the Panhandle to bring more people to the Gulf Coast.
Patrick Smith wrote "A Land Remembered" in 1984. The historical fiction novel followed a Florida cracker family as it entered the state in the 1850s and successive generations went on to build a fortune here through ranching, citrus and land development. Countless people consider it the greatest piece of Florida fiction ever written.
Patrick Smith's son Rick joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss his father and the timeless book. Rick mentioned a video of Patrick Smith speaking, you can find that video here.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented, as always, by Visit Sarasota. Discover Sarasota's rich literary history and community and be sure to visit Bookstore 1 in downtown Sarasota for readings, signings - including Craig Pittman - and a full selection of Florida titles.
Windstorm Products also supports the show. This small, family-owned Florida company has grown into the largest online retailer of hurricane hardware in the world. From bolts and screws to wingnuts, drill bits and whatever else you may need to protect your home from hurricane wind damage, Windstorm Products has it - including expertise. If you run into a question, give them a call, toll free, at the number right on the website, windstormproducts.com.
How do land developers almost always get what they want in Florida even if state law or local residents don't support them? Bribes.
Our guest this episode is David Sloan, Key Lime pie researcher, author, baker and founder of the Key Lime festival in Key West. David's newest Key Lime book, "Key Lime Pie: An Intriguing History of Key West's Native Desert," was released this summer. We discuss the pie's origins, it's controversies - meringue or whipped cream - and where to find the best Key Lime pie in Key West.
This week's episode is sponsored by Windstorm Products. Homeowners, business owners, contractors, municipalities – if you are responsible for protecting a structure from hurricane wind damage, you’re going to want to visit windstormproducts.com and see what they have to offer. Windstorm Products is a family-owned Florida company that has grown to become the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Fall in Florida is BEACH SEASON for the locals with crowds and temperatures down. Find your favorite among the many wonderful beaches in Sarasota. Thanks to Visit Sarasota for its continued support of "Welcome to Florida."
County officials in Sarasota have amended their COMP plan to allow for greater development into rural areas.
Our guest is historian and Miami native and resident Paul S. George. George wrote the definitive account of the wild environment of land speculation which took place in Miami during the early 1920s, resulting in the first of many Florida land "busts."
George leads a variety of bus, boat and walking tours around Miami, sharing the city's history via HistoryMiami.org.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. Good news from Sarasota thanks to a variety of local conservation groups, Crowley Museum and Nature Center is now permanently protected! Part of a farmstead originally established in 1878, this 191-acre slice of Old Florida has served the community as a natural and cultural museum for more than 40 years. Crowley Museum invites people of all ages to discover Southwest Florida’s nature and history.
"Welcome to Florida" is further supported by windstormproducts.com. Homeowners, business owners, contractors, municipalities – if you are responsible for protecting a structure from hurricane wind damage, you’re going to want to visit windstormproducts.com and see what they have to offer. Windstormproducts.com is a family-owned Florida company that has grown to become the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware.
Florida's history of racial violence is examined in this episode. Our guest is Tameka Hobbs, Executive Director of the A. Philip Randolph Institute at Edward Waters University. She authored the book "Democracy Abroad, Lynching at Home: Racial Violence in Florida" and lectures on this topic through the Florida Humanities.
Among the numerous critical discussion points you may want more information on are redlining, Harry T. Moore, the Ocoee Massacre and the Equal Justice Initiative.
For a full list of publications by Dr. Hobbs, visit https://tamekabradleyhobbs.com/.
To learn more about the A. Philip Randolph Institute at Edward Waters University, visit https://www.ew.edu/apri/.
You can follow Dr. Hobbs on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tameka-bradley-hobbs-7064395.
Follow Dr. Hobbs on social media: @dr.tamekahobbs on Instagram, Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs on Facebook, and @tamekahobbs on Twitter.
To learn more about the South Florida People of Color, please visit https://southfloridapoc.org/.
Dr. Hobbs can be reached by email at t.hobbs@ewc.edu for questions regarding today’s discussion or for inquiries about booking.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota and Windstorm Products.
Twelve years of work attempting to find common ground between developers and conservationists in southwest Florida goes down the drain because the developers cheaped out.
Our gest this week is Moni Basu who visited the Spiritualist community in Cassadaga and wrote about her experience for Flamingo Magazine. What Basu found differs greatly from advertisements popularizing Cassadaga as the "Psychic Capital of the World."
Now is the time to visit the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Pete to see it's latest temporary exhibition, "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West." On view through January 8, 2023, "Black Pioneers" explores the path of Black history in the West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts. The timeline begins in 1528, which marks the arrival of Africans in the American West, and continues through the Civil Rights Movement. Dispelling the myth that Black people in the old West were mostly cowboys, the exhibition shows rich diversity in their occupations and achievements in society, religion, education, and the arts. Choosing quilts as the visual medium for this exhibition accentuates the intersections of African Americans in the Western Frontier while informing others about the art form and its important role in African American history.
"Welcome to Florida" is also presented by Windstormproducts.com, a Florida company which has grown to become the largest online supplier of hurricane hardware in the world. Beyond the hardware needed to protect your home or business from hurricane wind damage, Windstormproducts.com also sells the amazing Quick Dam water activated flood barrier, an inexpensive, easy to install, lightweight product which does the work of dozens of sandbags. If you've ever had to fill sandbags, you know what a pain in the neck that is. Never again. Check out how the Quick Dam water activated flood barrier works.
As always, "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota which features its own distillery! At Siesta Key Rum in Sarasota, you can take a distillery tour, enjoy tastings and purchase your own bottle of its toasted coconut, coffee and spiced rums.
The Gas and Oil Party (GOP), wants Floridians to believe that it's possible to both promote drilling in the Gulf of Mexico AND protect Florida beaches from the inevitability of oil spills which is, of course, ridiculous.
This week's guest is Jamin Wells a professor and researcher at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. Wells is helping lead a project analyzing the deep involvement of one of Pensacola's most prominent historic citizens, T.T. Wentworth, in the Ku Klux Klan. Craig Pittman wrote about the subject in the summer of 2021 for Flamingo Magazine.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Visit Sarasota and if you love seafood, there's no better place in the state to find it than Sarasota, particularly its seafood markets which bring in fresh Gulf seafood daily. Across Sarasota County you'll find fresh catch seafood to take home and prepare yourself at these exceptional seafood markets.
Windstormproducts.com is a Florida-owned small business that has turned itself into the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware. From bolts and screws and wingnuts to the drill bits required to anchor them into concrete, sidewalks, wood, masonry or stucco, Windstormproducts.com has the professional tools you need to secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage AND the expertise to make sure you have the right product for your job.
Opening September 3, 2022, at the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in downtown St. Petersburg is "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West." This exhibition, the first of its kind, explores the path of Black history in the West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts. The timeline begins in 1528, which marks the arrival of Africans in the American West and continues through the Civil Rights Movement. Dispelling the myth that Black people in the old West were mostly cowboys, "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West," shows rich diversity in their occupations and achievements in society, religion, education, and the arts.
Craig Pittman is taking after Ron DeSantis and "firing" people in state government he doesn't think are getting the job done.
Our guest this week is flamingo researcher Tony Pernas. Pernas recently helped found the Florida Flamingos Working Group to help determine if flamingos are a native bird to Florida, or purely an exotic escapee and occasional migrant.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which debuts its newest temporary exhibition, "Black Pioneers: Legacy in the American West," on September 3, 2022. The first of its kind exhibition explores the path of Black history in the West with a timeline of original pictorial quilts beginning in 1528 which marks the arrival of Africans in the American West and continues through the Civil Rights Movement.
The show is also supported by Windstorm Products, the largest online supplier of hurricane hardware in the world. This Florida-owned business not only helps home and business owners prepare for hurricane wind damage, but flooding as well. If you experience occasional flooding on your property, check out the Quick Dam Water Activated Flood Barrier which does the work of dozens of sandbags with a fraction of the effort.
As always, we want to thank Visit Sarasota for its support of "Welcome to Florida." Sarasota was named by the "New York Times" one of its "52 Places to Travel in 2022" for its unrivaled collection of Modern architecture on the East Coast.
The annual state python hunt which is open to the public wrapped up recently; Craig took a look at the efficacy of these contests for his latest "Florida Phoenix" column.
This week's guest is Richard Gonzmart, fourth generation owner of the Columbia Restaurant with its original location in Ybor City. Richard explains how the two sides of his family - one from Cuba, one from Spain - came to America and opened the restaurant which has survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars and, most recently, COVID.
From the original, the Columbia Restaurant has branched out to open locations across the state including St. Armond's Circle in Sarasota. The Columbia Restaurant is the oldest eatery on St. Armand's and is part of a perfect day spent exploring this unique shopping, dining, history attraction.
Welcome once again to our newest partner windstormproducts.com, the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware. Windstormproducts.com sells the screws, bolts, wingnuts and supplies which will secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage, and like the Columbia Restaurant, is a family owned Florida business.
Our episode begins with Craig's latest Florida Phoenix column on how state Republicans are trying to connect fighting climate change and transitioning to clean energy with the culture wars in order to delay action.
Our guest is Florida woman Deb Rogers, author of the book "Florida Woman." The novel uses the escaped monkeys of Central Florida as a plot device. Rogers researched the monkeys, how they got here, how they escaped, and what is being done to control them.
We welcome new sponsor Windstormproducts.com to the podcast. Windstorm Products is a Florida small business which has become the world's largest online retailer of hurricane hardware. Hurricane hardware is the bolts and anchors and products you need to secure your home or business from hurricane wind damage. Learn more by visiting their website, windstormproducts.com.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is sponsored by Visit Sarasota which has a surprisingly robust mid-century modern architecture history. "Garden & Gun" magazine recently featured Sarasota as an architecture "hotspot" and Architecture Sarasota is a new group working to preserve, interpret and provide tours around that history.
Florida isn't serious about water quality, if it were, it wouldn't keep allowing developers to install septic tanks.
Our guest this week is Jennifer Lemmer-Posey, an author of two books about the circus as well as a curator at the Circus Museum at The Ringling in Sarasota. Jennifer tells us how the circus came to Sarasota for its winter quarters and what the future of the circus is.
This episode of "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota, home to The Ringling. John Ringling's presence and incredible wealth are a big reason why Sarasota has such an outsized arts community for a city its size from performing arts, to visual arts and museums. Explore Sarasota's cultural offerings and begin making plans for your next visit.
Every see that "King Ranch" decal on the side of a Ford pickup truck? King Ranch is a real thing and up to no good in Florida.
Our guest this week is a longtime collector of Florida related memorabilia and material culture and promoter of the annual Floridania Fest - which celebrates such things - Ken Breslauer. The Floridania Fest just passed its 30th anniversary and Ken joins us to discuss the event and the ongoing interest in collecting Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota where St. Armond's Circle offers circus history, art, dining and shopping in a world class gorgeous setting all overlooking the Gulf.
This week's episode begins with a look at how the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision prohibiting the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants will impact Florida.
Our guest is historian and author Cesar Becerra who published an historical novel, "Orange Blossom 2.0," about Mary Brickell and the founding of Miami in the summer of 2021 to coincide with the city's 125th anniversary. Becerra's research has led him to believe that Brickell deserves at least as much credit as does Miami's more well-known founding mother, Julia Tuttle, when it comes to establishing the city. Why has Brickell been overlooked? What about the Tuttle-Flagler Orange Blossom myth? Cesar introduces us to a fascinating female Floridian.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota where Discover Sarasota Tours offers a variety of trolly excursions around town highlighting the area's circus history, Amish influence and arts, as well as ghost tours, psychic tours and murder mystery tours to name a few. Take a seat and take a ride to experience Sarasota in a fun and engaging way on a Discover Sarasota Tour.
This week's episode is all about the St. Petersburg Pier where Craig Pittman was married! That was 30 years ago and took place at the "old" Pier, the inverted pyramid pier. This week, we're talking to Raul Quintana, St. Pete's city architect, who was instrumental in overseeing the planning, design and project management for the fabulous new St. Pete Pier which opened in summer of 2020.
The all-new attraction features 26 acres of park, playground, beach and market on the city's picturesque waterfront. Visitors will find endless adventures and experiences from walking and biking to sunbathing and swimming at Spa Beach, shopping, dining (Doc Ford's Rum Bar and Grille!), enjoying native plants in the Coastal Thicket and educational opportunities at the Tampa Bay Watch Discovery Center and St. Petersburg Museum of History.
There's a splash pad for kids along with a "destination" playground completed at a cost of $1 million, family park and picnic area. Fishing. Public Art. Concerts. Guests never run out of things to do and see at the new St. Pete Pier.
An innocent mistake or a devious plot to sell 18,000 acres of conservation land from under the nose of Florida residents without anyone noticing? You be the judge.
Our guest this week is Florida author Rick Kilby whose latest book, "Florida's Healing Waters: Gilded Age Mineral Springs, Seaside Resorts and Health Spas," details an era from the state's history where wealthy northerners would visit seeking the restorative powers of our springs.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Visit Sarasota where 99 Bottles Tap Room and Bottle Shop serves real deal New York bagels - from NYC - every Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning!
This week's episode begins with details regarding the capture of the largest ever Burmese python found in Florida. To learn more about Florida's efforts to eradicate - or control - invasive pythons, search the archives for our pythons episode.
A new movie about Elvis Presley hit theatres this weekend. Our guest is Bob Kealing, author of "Elvis Ignited: The Rise of an Icon in Florida" which details Elvis' time in Florida including the critical period between 1955 and 1956 where a young Elvis was transforming from nobody to the biggest start in the world.
Visit Sarasota presents "Welcome to Florida" and if you're looking for great seafood in Florida, try Walt's Fish Market Seafood Restaurant!
The focus of this week's episode, John Muir, was well-known for getting outside. Taking long walks. Communing with nature. In a recent column, Craig Pittman encouraged state education officials and teachers to get kids in Florida outside, introduce them to the natural places around this state so they can better understand them, more deeply care about them, and, ultimately, more passionately protect them.
One of the fathers of the conservation movement, John Muir, set out on a nearly 1,000 mile trek across the South in 1867. He started in Indiana, entered Florida at Fernandina Beach, and concluded his adventure in Cedar Key.
Dan Chapman has lived in Atlanta since 2000, covering environmental issues for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution." He decided to follow in Muir's footsteps to personally experience the ravaged ecological condition of the region. His book detailing the experience is titled, "A Road Running Southward: Following John Muir's Journey Through an Endangered Land."
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is sponsored by Visit Sarasota and there's no better place to get outside in Florida than Sarasota. From Myakka River State Park to the world's best beaches, nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts have endless options for exploration in Sarasota.
Fitting for this week's episode, Craig's latest article for Flamingo Magazine centers on a fiction writer highlighting Apalachicola.
Our guest is Florida historian and author Jim Clark whose latest book details Florida's astonishing literary history which dates back to the 1500s and includes Earnest Hemmingway, Robert Frost, Tennessee Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Hunter S. Thompson, Jack Kerouac, John Grisham, Michael Patterson, Carl Hiasson and countless others. The book is called "Florida Literary Luminaries: Writing in Paradise" and was published in May of 2022.
Thanks as always to Visit Sarasota for sponsoring this week's episode. Summer in Sarasota means beaches and the Visit Sarasota website can help you find your favorite Sarasota beach.
With the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in upon us - an event which would lead to a fundamental change in American politics, society and media - we take a look at the numerous and surprising ways in which the Watergate scandal connects to Florida.
Helping us do so is Garrett M. Graff, author of a new book released in 2022 sharing the full story of Watergate which goes back much further than the break-in.
"Welcome to Florida," as always, is presented by Visit Sarasota. Start planning your perfect beach getaway in Sarasota at www.visitsarasota.com, and be sure to follow Visit Sarasota on social media @visitsarasota / @visitsarasotacounty.
What "resiliency" and Florida's fight against rising sea levels and climate change means to you and what it means to Ron DeSantis are likely two very different things. Craig examined the governor's narrow, contractor-first approach to "resiliency" in a recent column.
Our guest today is Panayotis (Paddy) League, Assistant Professor of Musicology and Director of the Center for Music of the Americas at the Florida State University School of Music. He specializes in the traditional music of the Greek islands and spent part of his boyhood with the Greek community at Tarpon Springs.
in 2019 was named a Master Artist by the Florida Folklife Program for his work performing and teaching the traditional music and oral poetry of Kalymnos in the Greek immigrant community of Tarpon Springs.
He is a performer, composer, recording artist and has written numerous papers, books and commentaries about Greek culture and history, including its connection to the American South and Florida.
This week's episode is presented by Visit Sarasota where you'll find one of the state's best native plant nurseries.
Yes, Florida has black bears, and yes, people are the greatest threat to their survival. We begin this week's episode with Craig Pittman's latest column which digs into bears, and bear poaching, in Florida.
With hurricane season starting June 1, our guest this week is Eliot Kleinberg, author of "Black Cloud: The Great Florida Hurricane of 1928." The 1928 "Okeechobee Hurricane" remains the deadliest storm in Florida history... and little known about.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. For fine dining at an affordable price, visit Sarasota for Savor Sarasota June 1-14.
Summer may be the off season for tourists in Sarasota, but that doesn't mean there isn't a great deal to see and do. The Summer season in Sarasota begins with Savor Sarasota restaurant week were the county's best restaurants showcase their most adventurous items at deeply discounted prices.
All of the restaurants, attractions, activities and events mentioned in this episode can be found at VisitSarasota.com, the best place to start planning your next getaway.
For our 100th episode of "Welcome to Florida" we finally discuss perhaps the most Florida thing of all, the Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids. Now a state park, Weeki Wachee Springs has a colorful history we learn all about from one of the very first class of mermaids at the park, Mary Fletcher, and mermaid historian and author, Lu Vickers.
This week's episode is presented by Visit Sarasota where Marie Selby Gardens is making history with an upcoming Patti Smith artist in residency.
As much as Florida is recognized nationally and internationally for our tourist attractions and cities - Disney, Universal, Miami, Orlando - an equally important, and increasingly imperiled part of the state is rural, natural, farmland and small towns. That part of Florida is our focus this week.
Our guests are Bridget Bihm-Manuel, Collections Coordinator for Florida History, and Hank Young, Principal Cataloger, at the Smathers Libraries at the University of Florida. The two recently wrapped up an exhibition at the library focused on Florida's lost communities which can now be found online. Their research continues and they join us today to discuss what they've found.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota which offers Florida's sweetest attraction just 13 miles from downtown, Mixon Fruit Farms. Welcoming visitors and locals alike for 80 years, Mixon Fruit Farms has citrus groves, Florida wine, homemade fudge and much more to satisfy your cravings, plus a wildlife care and education center. Find them online at Mixon.com.
This week's episode begins with the love/hate relationship present day Florida inspires.
The 70th annual Florida Folk Festival takes place this Memorial Day at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs. Panama City Beach native Del Suggs has been performing at the Festival for almost 40 years and visiting longer than that. We discuss Florida folk music, Jimmy Buffett the festival and how it's changed over the years.
"Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Visit Sarasota which reminds you May through October is sea turtle nesting season in state and offers these tips for beachgoers to help protect the turtles during this time.
The 2022 season of "Welcome to Florida" has been about uncovering forgotten stories. We continue today as the anniversary of the Tampa Bay Skyway Bridge collapses approaches. On May 9, 1980, a container ship was blown off course by a freak weather system and into a piling of the Tampa Skyway Bridge. The collision caused a span of the bridge to collapse, sending 35 travelers over the edge and to their death below.
Bill DeYoung wrote the definitive book on the tragedy, "Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay's Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down." Bill, a St. Pete native who now works at the St. Petersburg Catalyst, a local news source, joins us to discuss the accident and the ship's pilot.
This week's episode is brought to you by Visit Sarasota where polo season has just wrapped up! That's right, Sarasota has polo. Sunday matches are open to the public mid-December through April. Learn more at www.sarastoapolo.com and begin planning your next getaway at VisitSarasota.com.
Craig got into with the governor and his press secretary on Twitter over Ron DeSantis' refusal to appoint African American candidates to the state's Water Management District Boards.
Before the famous Mariel Boat Lift, 600,000 Cuban exiles immigrated to Florida following Fidel Castro's rise to power in Cuba in 1959. David Powell sought out these immigrants and allowed them to tell their stories in their own words. The result is his fascinating book "Ninety Miles and a Lifetime Away: Memories of Early Cuban Exiles."
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota, home to Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, a cutting edge marine research facility and public aquarium offering education and experiences with manatees, sharks, sea turtles and more. Mote Marine is one of the top attractions in all of Florida and a must-see in Sarasota. Visit Mote Marine online and start planning your next getaway at VisitSarasota.com.
Another week, another proposal for a new toll road tearing through a protected natural area to service a new housing development.
This week's guest is Steve Carr an authority on The Ashley Gang which operated in the Palm Beach County area during the 1910s and early 20s. The Elliott Museum in Stuart recently opened a permanent exhibition detailing the exploits of The Ashley Gang with the help of Carr's collection of materials related to the group.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by VisitSarasota.com where Marie Selby Botanical Gardens welcomes an encore performance by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Patti Smith as part of its ongoing exhibition devoted to Smith and her dear friend and collaborator, Robert Mapplethorpe.
The show is also supported by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which presents the landscape photography of Ansel Adams and Florida's Clyde Butcher side-by-side through July 31, 2022.
We start this week's episode exposing a developer with close ties to Ron DeSantis - uncomfortably close - wanting to use his political connections to force new roads and houses in Volusia Country, right over top of a protected wetland.
Our guest this week is Michael Phillips, Keeper of the House at the House of Refuge in Stuart, the last House of Refuge still standing in Florida.
This week's episode is presented by Visit Sarasota where a surprising diversity of wildlife experiences await visitors, including one with elephants! Start planning your next weekend getaway or week's vacation at VisitSarasota.com.
"Welcome to Florida" is additionally presented by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which presents two exhibitions of landscape photography by Ansel Adams and Florida's own Clyde Butcher now through July 31, 2022. Learn more about this remarkable presentation.
When developers in northeast Florida couldn't buy their candidate onto a conservation board, they conspired to do away with the boards all together, statewide. Another remarkable example of democracy rolling back in Florida.
Our guest this week is University of North Florida in Jacksonville archaeologist Keith Ashley who is leading an effort to "rediscover" the Timucua/Mocama community of Sarabay on Big Talbot Island halfway between Jacksonville and Amelia Island on the Atlantic Coast.
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is presented by VisitSarasota.com which boasts the first authentic Neapolitan pizza restaurant in the state and The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which is debuting a new photography exhibition featuring Ansel Adams and Florida's Clyde Butcher.
This week's episode begins with Craig discussing a failure on behalf of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to do its job and protect our springs.
Our guest is Florida author Tyler Gillespie who's 2021 book, "The Thing About Florida," attempts to answer that unanswerable question: "What's with Florida?" Gillespie is gay and grew up in the Southern Baptist Church in Pinellas County; we discuss his writing, "don't say gay," and growing up gay in Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. Begin planning your next weekend getaway for outdoor recreation, shopping, dining or relaxing on the most beautiful beaches in the world at VisitSarasota.com.
Our episode begins with a takedown by Craig Pittman of the Governor and state legislature for their inaction on protecting manatee.
Our guest is recently retired Florida Supreme Court Director of Communications Craig Waters. Waters was the public spokesperson for the Court during its most high profile cases including the recount of 2000 presidential election.
Follow the Florida Supreme Court on Facebook and Twitter.
This week's show is presented by Visit Sarasota. Soak up the sun along Sarasota's white sand beaches. Treat yourself to diverse dining, enriching arts and culture, shopping districts of all sorts and natural Florida fun. Begin your exploration at VisitSarasota.com.
This week's episode begins with a look at the political forces manipulating the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and how Trump Administration minions nearly cost the Key Deer its protection under the Endangered Species Act.
Our guest this week is Mary Powell, former president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national organization, and currently an official with General Federation of Women's Clubs - Florida Federation of Women's Clubs. Mary will tell us all about May Mann Jennings, a key figure in Florida's early conservation movement who was responsible for Everglades protection by the way of Royal Palm State Park which eventually became Everglades National Park.
This week's episode begins with a success in the battle of conservation vs. development in Florida and a blueprint for how to do the same in your area.
Our guest this week is Raquel V. Reyes, author of the Miami-based cozy mystery "Mango, Mambo and Murder (A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery)." We talk to Raquel about the popularity of the "cozy" genre, how her writing is shaking up the genre, and what she loves most about Miami.
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. Begin planning for your next weekend getaway or family vacation at www.visitsarasota.com and remember to include Sarasota Jungle Gardens and the Celery Fields in your activities.
The most dangerous time of the year in Florida is whenever the state legislature is meeting. More proof of this came recently with a bomb tossed into years of careful planning for Everglades restoration by the Senate president who is bought and paid for by Big Sugar. Craig Pittman explains.
Our guest this week is Jack Davis who joined the show about a year ago to discuss his Pulitzer Prize winning book about the Gulf of Mexico. Look through the archives for that one which is a favorite. His new book discusses the successful efforts to restore the bald eagle population to North America and the critical role Florida played in this project. "The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird" is available everywhere for purchase.
This week's episode begins with the disturbing news that the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has marked a Florida panther for death or capture after the complaint of one rancher.
Our guest is Sam Carr, president of the Bartram Society of Florida. William Bartram was a British naturalist who explored northeast Florida, and much of what became the southeastern United States, in the late 1700s. The Bartram Society of Florida is working to establish "Bartram Trails" throughout the state and region to interpret and protect sites Bartram visited. Much of the group's work has been focused in Putnam County around Palatka.
This week's episode is sponsored by Visit Sarasota. Start planning your next weekend getaway or family vacation by checking out all the wonderful things to do at VisitSarasota.com.
The humanitarians in the Florida legislature are again providing more relief to the state's struggling and needy developers - sarcasm intended - now seeking to make it easier for developers to displace gopher tortoises. That's where we begin this week's show. Search the "Welcome to Florida" for an entire episode devoted to gopher tortoise.
Our guest is Peggy Bulger, author of "Stetson Kennedy: Applied Folklore and Cultural Advocacy," a biography of one of Florida's most interesting, if little known, characters. His obituary shares stories of a life fully lived.
Mentioned in the show: Billy Bragg and Wilco's cover of the Woody Guthrie song about Stetson Kennedy.
Beluthahatchee Park.
Braver Angels.
This week's episode begins with threats to Florida's most famous and mysterious flower, the ghost orchid.
Our guest is Berlynna Heres, statewide coordinator for the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch. We learn all about this prehistoric creature and its essential role to human health during this conversation. If you'd like to volunteer with the Florida Horseshoe Crab Watch, click here.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota and on this episode we discuss just a couple of the more popular beaches you can visit throughout Sarasota County. Check them out online and start making plans to visit at VisitSarasota.com.
Disaster was predicted when the Florida Department of Environmental Protection was given oversight of wetland development permits in state, taking that responsibility from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Disaster has occurred. That's where we begin this week's episode.
Our guest is Matthew Frick, curator at the St. Augustine Pirate and Treasure Museum. Matthew is a pirate historian who tells us all about piracy off the coast of Florida, with an emphasis on St. Augustine.
This week's show is sponsored by the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which hosts the special exhibition "Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories" through March 16 and by Visit Sarasota.
Manatees in Florida are dying in record numbers from starvation due to a decrease in the seagrass beds on which they feed. Republicans in the state legislature want to make it easier for developers to destroy those beds. That's where we begin the show.
This week's guest is Florida wildflower expert Craig Huegel. In this episode we mention:
Craig Huegel's wildflower books which you can find here.
Craig Huegel's wildflower blog.
Criag Huegel's landscaping blog.
Florida Wildflower Cooperative.
Florida Wildflower Foundation.
Florida Association of Native Nurseries.
Florida Native Plant Society.
Florida friendly wildlife habitat certification for homeowners.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota which features endless activities and attractions including the Circus Arts Conservatory.
We'd like to welcome a new sponsor to the podcast, The James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg which presents the special exhibition "Away from Home: American Indian Boarding School Stories" from January 28 through March 16, 2022.
This week's episode begins with a multi-hundred million dollar theft committed by the Florida state legislature.
Our guest is recently retired director of the Florida State Parks Eric Draper. Craig Pittman recently featured Draper in his Florida Phoenix column and the threat climate change presents the parks. We discuss our favorite parks, other challenges facing the system and how the parks are funded.
If you're interested in helping out at a state park in your area, there are numerous "friends" groups you can contact. The Florida State Parks Foundation is another citizen-run organization dedicated to helping the parks.
Exciting news for "Welcome to Florida" as the James Museum of Western and Wildlife Art in St. Petersburg will be coming on as a sponsor this year. Additional thanks go out to Indian River County which hosted Chadd Scott on his first visit to the area last week. Check back through the archives for our Spring of 2021 Indian River County BONUS episode.
This week's episode begins with a chilling disaster from Florida's environmental history and hopes for long overdue resolution.
Our guest is John Capouya, author of "Florida Soul: From Ray Charles to KC and the Sunshine Band." Florida has a surprisingly robust history of Soul Music which we discuss.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. For Soul Music in Sarasota, check out the calendar of events at the Van Wezel performing arts hall.
Congratulations to Sarasota County's Siesta Key which has been named the #1 beach in the United States for 2021 by TravelAwaits.com.
This week's episode begins with a hippo, and Craig's recent column on the outgoing head of Florida's State Parks.
Our guest is Jack Coffey who leads the tours and educational programming for Florida Southern College's Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center in Lakeland. How did the famed architect end up in Central Florida? Let's find out.
This week's episode begins with our annual holiday tradition: Craig Pittman's favorite wacky headlines from the year gone by across Florida.
Our guest this week is dolphin researcher Randy Wells who works for the Chicago Zoological Society out of offices in Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Randy has been studying dolphins in and around Sarasota for over 50 years! Craig and Randy go way back as he has written about Randy's work previously.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Visit Sarasota. For ecotours and dolphin watching out on Sarasota Bay, head to visitsarasota.com and check out the "sports and outdoors" section under "things to do." Here you'll find information about eco-tours, outdoor adventure, wildlife viewing and all of the wonderful outdoor activities available to visitors in the area.
This week's episode begins with foolishness from the governor in the state's efforts to combat climate change where he's more concerned about "left wing stuff."
Our guest this week is Erin Thursby, author of "Florida Oranges: A Colorful History." From the Spanish colonizers through the Harriet Beecher Stowe, the Ku Klux Klan, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Bing Crosby and citrus greening, we discuss the enormous impact oranges have had on Florida.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman telling us how the CIA took over Sanibel Island!
Our guest this week is Pamela Marsh, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation in Tallahassee, a non-profit group working to secure and enforce open government in the state of Florida. Our topic this week is the state's Sunshine Law which requires official government meetings be open to the public.
In the episode, we mention a story from Madeira Beach you can read more about here, and a story from Sebastian you can read more about here.
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Visit Sarasota. Be sure to follow Visit Sarasota on Twitter and Facebook at @visitsarasota and on Instagram @visitsarasotacounty for inspiration ahead of your next trip to Sarasota.
This week's episode begins with discussion on a potentially unprecedented effort to sustain manatee populations through Florida's winter months.
Our guest is civil rights activist Desmond Meade. Meade spearheaded the effort to restore voting rights to felons in Florida, an effort which resulted in the passage of Amendment 4 in 2018, restoring voting rights to some 1.5 million Florida residents.
Meade is the author of "Let My People Vote: My Battle to Restore the Civil Rights of Returning Citizens."
He has been the subject of a documentary.
He serves as executive director for the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.
You can follow him on Twitter @desmondmeade and he has recently been awarded the MacArthur Fellowship for 2021.
Nate Sweetman from VisitSarasota.com rejoins us to discuss the top winter and holiday events and activities to enjoy in Sarasota County.
We discussed:
St. Armond's Circle
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Selby Gardens
The Ringling
The Celery Fields
MLB Spring Training
Sarasota's architectural history
Sarasota Trolly Tours
If you thought the "Roads to Ruin" were dead, think again. This week's episode begins with Craig's fabulous column from the Florida Phoenix which alerts us to how the Florida Department of Transportation, at the behest of developers and the road construction industry, wants to force another unwanted, unneeded, expensive turnpike extension in north Florida. As background to this story, an explanation of how roads can be racist.
This week's guest is Scott Satterwhite, author of "A Punkhouse in the Deep South: An Oral History of 309." Satterwhite, who now teaches at the University of West Florida, didn't just write the book on the 309 Punkhouse, he is a former resident. Learn more about the 309 Punkhouse here and follow them on Instagram and Facebook @309PunkProject.
This week's episode begins by discussing how Florida's lack of a clean energy plan is costing the state federal infrastructure dollars.
Our guest is Dr. Jaret Daniels who leads the lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) research efforts at the University of Florida. Daniels' team can be found working at the world's most prestigious lepidoptera research facility in the world, the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity inside the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus in Gainesville. The McGuire Center houses 12 million butterfly and moth specimens from around the world.
We discuss collapsing monarch populations, butterfly rescue efforts in Florida, and what you can do to help sustain butterfly numbers in state.
Helpful links to learn more:
Florida Native Plant Society.
Xerces Society, the world's foremost conservation group working to save butterfly and pollinator populations.
Why you should NOT use tropical milkweed to attract monarchs to your landscape.
Discover the power of backyard pollinator habitats using native plants and their potential to protect biodiversity.
This week's episode is sponsored by VisitSarasota.com. Here is a link to the best places to find butterflies across Sarasota County.
If this topic interests you, listen back to Episode 41 where we spoke to Florida author Jeff VanderMeer who's rewilding his Tallahassee yard and offers suggestions for how you can do the same.
This week's episode begins with a conversation about a state law little-known to the public that further stacks the deck against conservation and sustainable growth in Florida in favor of developers. Meet Bert Harris.
Our guest this week is Florida author Tim Dorsey. Tim will soon have his 25th novel in a series of wacky crime thrillers about a Florida-obsessed serial killer, Serge A. Storms, that use outlandish humor to pass along tidbits about the state's history and culture. Tim will be appearing at this year's Miami Book Fair.
This week's episode begins with cowboy Craig telling us about a recent trip to a Florida ranch he took as well as introducing us to a new Florida acronym: earwig.
This week's guest is part of the annual Miami Book Fair, author James Grippando whose written almost 30 novels, 17 of which focus on the adventures Miami criminal defense lawyer Jack Swyteck. Grippando is a practicing attorney and professor at the University of Miami.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by VisitSarasota.com. From camping at Miakka River State Park to beach combing along Longboat or Siesta Keys, Sarasota is a nature lover's paradise. It also has an artsy side with the Ringling Museum, Sarasota Art Museum, an opera, Marie Selby Botanic Gardens and much more. Start planning your next getaway to Sarasota today at www.visitsarasota.com.
This week's episode begins with some Florida myth-busting from Craig Pittman.
Our guest is author and Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie Brown. Brown's book "Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story" helped bring some measure of accountability to Palm Beach resident Jeffrey Epstein following his years' long, worldwide sex trafficking ring which saw him rape dozens of underage girls.
Brown continues to report on the case and ongoing legal proceedings for the Herald. Find her writing and insights on Twitter at @jkbjournalist.
With Halloween around the corner, we begin with a truly scary story: Giant African Land Snails.
Our guest this week is Richard Foglesong, author of the definitive history on Disney coming to Florida, "Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando."
If Disney World isn't your particular cup of tea, how about Sarasota? With one of Florida's largest and oldest state parks, a pair of wonderful art museums, leading research facilities open to the public for botany and marine life, plus shopping, dining and fabulous hotels - AND THE BEACH - VisitSarasota.com will help you explore and plan for your next weekend getaway or week long vacation.
This week's episode begins with more reasons to support the removal of Kirkpatrick Dam and a return to a free-flowing Ocklawaha River.
Time is running out for you to voice your opinion to the St. John's Water Management District in favor of removing the dam and supporting the river. The comment period closes October 22, 2021. CLICK THIS LINK TO SUPPORT THE RIVER.
Our guest this week is Andrew Ross who's followed up his 1999 book about Celebration, Florida, "The Celebration Chronicles: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Property Value in Disney's New Town," with a look at central Florida's homelessness crisis, "Sunbelt Blues: Failure of American Housing."
Andrew will be participating in this year's Miami International Book Fair; this is the first of two episodes we'll be producing to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Disney World in Florida.
This week's episode begins with Craig taking us to South Florida where Ron DeSantis has contradicted himself on the subject of Everglades restoration.
Our guest this week is Jennifer Carr, president of Florida Defenders of the Environment, and granddaughter of Marjorie Harris Carr and Archie Carr, two of Florida's greatest conservationists. Marjorie stopped the Cross Florida Barge Canal while Archie was a powerful advocate for sea turtles.
Jennifer joins us to discuss the movement to remove the Kirkpatrick Dam and free the Ocklawaha River, an effort her grandmother led for many years. Now is a critical time in this quest as the St. John's River Water Management District which controls the dam has opened a brief public comment period through October 22, 2021, where citizens can voice their opinion in support of removing the dam and freeing the river.
The Free the Ocklawaha coalition has put together this simple, step-by-step set of instructions which allows you to tell the state to remove the dam and free the river.
We also want to welcome our newest sponsor, Visit Sarasota, to the podcast. Whether you're looking for outdoor recreation like camping at Myakka River State Park, arts and culture at the Ringling Museum or Sarasota Art Museum, beach life at Longboat and Siesta Key, dining, shopping or education at Mote Marine Lab and Marie Selby Gardens, Sarasota offers an experience for everyone. Learn more at VisitSarasota.com.
During this BONUS EPISODE of "Welcome to Florida" we learn all about the various activities available to visitors of Sarasota this fall from arts markets and eco-tours, to dining, art exhibitions and water sports. One of Florida's largest state parks, great apple pie, and the state's only Amish community welcome guests to Sarasota County for outdoor recreation, shopping, history, culture and more.
You can learn about what Sarasota area has to offer by visiting its tourism website.
This week's episode begins with good news on the conservation front and increasing numbers of a once critically endangered Florida butterfly.
Our guest this week is Tom Portuallo, founder and CEO of Iguana Control. Tom has spent more than a decade removing invasive iguana from South Florida homes and yards.
The best action you can take for Florida today is raising your voice in support of removing the Kirkpatrick Dam and allowing the Ocklawaha River to again flow freely, restoring thousands of acres of critical plant, animal and fish habitat in northeast Florida. The St. John's River Water Management District is taking public comments from Florida residents about the future of the dam and Ocklawaha River and the advocacy group Free the Ocklawaha has put together this simple link for you to make your voice heard in support of removing the dam and restoring the river.
This week's episode is devoted to Craig Pittman's new non-fiction book, "The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women, and other Wildlife."
Joining Chadd Scott this week to talk to Craig about the book is environmental journalist and author of The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans. Also: Mirage; Blue Revolution; and Rain: A Natural and Cultural History, long-listed for the National Book Award.
Cynthia was our guest on "Welcome to Florida" episode #55 all about her seashell book.
These week's episode begins with an update on efforts to save the Florida Reef - North America's only coral reef - and how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has habitually damaged the resource.
Our topic this week is sinkholes and we're joined by USF researcher Philip van Beynan to learn all about them.
This week's episode begins with a familiar topic: the dangers of phosphate mining in Florida.
Our guest is gopher tortoise biologist George Heinrich. If you'd like to do more to support gopher tortoise, look into the Gopher Tortoise Council.
This week's episode begins with a recent conversation Craig had with a former Florida governor.
Our guest is Dr. Kate Mansfield who runs the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. We discuss the five species of sea turtles found nesting in Florida.
In Florida, if you find a dead or stranded sea turtle, here's the number to call for the Fish and Wildlife Commission hotline: 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922).
Coastal Connections was the sea turtle experience group in Vero Beach we mentioned. You can learn more about Coastal Connections by listening to our Vero Beach BONUS episode in the archives.
This week's episode begins along the Tamiami Trail and a discussion of Craig's latest Florida Phoenix story.
Our guest today is Holly Shaffer who's going to tell us all about the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford winter estates in Fort Myers.
This week's episode is all about the Florida Manatee. We start the show discussing how Craig came to write his second book, "Manatee Insanity," and are then joined by Florida Manatee researcher, Bob Bonde, who along with his wife, Cathy Beck, studied the animals for 40 years.
Bob co-authored the most authoritative book on the subject of Florida Manatee, "The Florida Manatee: Biology and Conservation," which was updated with a second edition in the summer of 2021.
This week's episode begins with a discussion of Craig's latest Florida Phoenix column investigation the damage the state's latest red tide outbreak has had on seagrass.
Our guest is Andrew Huse, author of "From Saloons to Steak Houses: A History of Tampa," and an upcoming title about the history of the Cuban Sandwich.
Andrew's recommendations for a great Cuban sandwich: The Boozy Pig in Tampa and Sanguich in Miami.
This week's episode begins with some budgetary chicanery linked to the Florida Wildlife Corridor that could mean more trouble to the state's diminishing wetlands.
Our guest is filmmaker Oscar Corral who's new documentary, "The Fellowship of the Springs," examines Florida's best in the world freshwater springs resource and the various threats they face. Visit the film's website to find out when you can watch it on your local PBS station.
This week's episode begins with a tale of governmental treachery - at the behest of developers - from Santa Rosa County.
Our guest is Helen Hartley, the former business reporter at the St. Petersburg Times. She uncovered a massive insurance and investment scam orchestrated by Lou Pearlman in the mid-2000s. Pearlman was the driving force behind the development of boy bands Backstreet Boys and NSYNC which, for a brief period, turned Orlando into one of the music industry's hotbeds.
This week's episode begins with Craig's latest article for the Washington Post looking at the history of Seminole oversight of gaming in Florida. With a new gambling compact agreed to between the tribe and the state, the Seminole are expect to reap an even greater financial windfall due to the introduction of sports gambling in Florida.
Our guest this week is Florida author Bob Kealing. Bob wrote a book all about one of Florida's most underappreciated entrepreneurs, Brownie Wise, who in the 1950s helped the Tupperware company build an empire by staging in-home Tupperware sales parties. Tupperware moved its corporate headquarters to the Orlando area in the 1950s and continues to be located there today.
The book is titled, "Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire."
Turkey hunting, off road vehicles and drones in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge? Maybe.
This week's guest, Carlton Ward Jr., has been instrumental in casting a vision for the Florida Wildlife Corridor. The Florida Wildlife Corridor imagines a contiguous linkage of undeveloped land from the Everglades to the Okefenokee Swamp. As a nature photographer, Carlton helped promote the idea by traversing the entire route and sharing his stories with politicians and in the media. In late June 2021, as a result of his efforts and those of many others, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act was signed into law.
Follow Carlton on line at carltonward.com and floridawild.com. Learn more about the Florida Wildlife Corridor at floridawildlifecorridor.org. Find him on Twitter and Instagram at @carltonward.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman and his wife encountering red tide near their home in St. Petersburg.
Our guest is Cynthia Barnett, author of the newly published book, "The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans." Cynthia has written numerous books about Florida's freshwater, but dives into the salt for the first time here. She is also an environmental journalism professor at the University of Florida living in Gainesville.
This week's episode begins with Craig's investigation of the MURDER of a Florida river.
Our guest for this episode is Punta Gorda native Jason Vuic, author of the recently released book, "Swamp Peddlers: How Lot Sellers, Land Scammers, and Retirees Built Modern Florida and Transformed the American Dream." Jason tells a Florida origin story of sorts about how land speculation, unethical developers and lack of regulation wrought upon the state the numerous environmental disasters we're currently facing.
Why is Florida so screwed up? This book has A LOT of the answers. Find it at your local bookstore or anywhere online.
This episode marks the one year anniversary of the "Welcome to Florida" podcast. Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott look back at the first 52 episodes, highlighting some of the most memorable. All previous episodes, and the "Preview" episode which explains how "Welcome to Florida" came to be can be found in the archives.
This week's guest is Miccosukee tribal elder Betty Osceola. Osceola works as an environmental advocate on behalf of her tribe and the Everglades and owns Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours in the Glades. You can find Betty Osceola on Facebook as well as her Walk For Mother Earth project.
This week's episode is sponsored by Eco-Pathways. Eco-Pathways is a Florida company working with property owners building better dune walkovers, beach boardwalks, docks, piers and other water access. Eco-Pathways' engineered product has a 50+ year guarantee, won't fade or crack like wood, requires almost no maintenance, is easy to install and isn't full of chemicals like pressure-treated lumber.
This week's episode begins with good news for conservationists in Florida from a most unlikely place: the Florida state legislature.
Craig also updates on a scary development regarding Florida's coral reef.
Our guest this week is Dr. Cynthia Heil, Director of the Red Tide Institute at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota.
In the episode, Heil mentions resources available for Florida residents and tourists regarding the health of our beaches including:
visitbeaches.org (updated twice daily with current beach conditions)
myfwc.com/redtidestatus (current sample/cell concentrations of Karenia)
ore info on the Mote Marine website: mote.org/redtidefaq
With the Indian River Lagoon - North America's most biodiverse estuary - two National Wildlife Refuges and miles of critical sea turtle habitat along the Atlantic Ocean, Indian River County boasts remarkable natural beauty, even for Florida.
This bonus episode of "Welcome to Florida" focuses on Indian River County's ecotourism opportunities from sea turtle and manatee experiences, to hiking, biking, kayaking, birdwatching and much more.
Our guests are Barbara Schlitt Ford, Executive Director of the Environmental Learning Center in Vero Beach, and Kendra Cope, founder of Coastal Connections.
We'll learn about what there is to see and do for nature lovers in Indian River County. To begin planning your next long weekend or family vacation in Indian River County, check out VisitIndianRiverCounty.com.
This week's episode begins with Craig throwing his hat in the ring for a new job! Don't worry about him leaving the podcast, the chances of him landing this job are low.
Our guest is Calvin Branche, a leading historian on Florida author John D. MacDonald whose 21 Travis McGee novels captivated readers for decades. His novels have been turned into successful movies including "A Flash of Green" and "Cape Fear." MacDonald is also likely America's first environmental novelist, incorporating conservation themes into his work as far back as the 1960s.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Eco-Pathways, a Florida company which has developed a long-lasting, environmentally friendly, engineered material to replace wood and pressurized lumber in dune walkovers, boardwalks, docks and piers. Learn more at Eco-Pathways.com.
This week's episode begins by discussing a puzzling decision by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to recommend opening a fishing season on goliath grouper.
Our guest is Jono Miller, author of "The Palmetto Book: Histories and Mysteries of the Cabbage Palm." The Cabbage Palm is Florida's state tree and essential to understanding its history. What makes this tree unique? How has it influenced Florida history? What does it have to do with Elvis and gangsters? We get the lowdown from Jono who you can find online, here.
At the end of the episode, Craig mentioned the Gizella Kopsick Arboretum in St. Petersburg which has examples of every palm species growing on Earth. You can learn more about them here.
This week's episode is presented by Eco-Pathways.com, a Florida company that has developed an engineered material for use in dune walkovers, boardwalks, docks and piers that will stand up to our harsh conditions for decades longer than plain wood or pressurized lumber. Eco-Pathways modular design makes it easy to install and the engineered material doesn't splinter or fade like wood, there are no rusty nails sticking up like wood has, and it doesn't contain the toxic chemicals of pressurized lumber.
This week's episode features Buck Island Ranch manager Gene Lollis. Buck Island Ranch is unlike any cattle ranch you've heard of. Buck Island Ranch is working in part to protect the environment and wildlife.
Take a look for yourself.
Ranching and agriculture are both major causes of and solutions for climate change, biodiversity collapse, clean water and clean air. If you'd like to learn more about this connection, regenerative agriculture and our national food production system, listen to "The Doctor's Farmacy Podcast" with Dr. Mark Hyman.
Want to buy more sustainably and ethically raised beef? Look into the Audubon Society's conservation ranching and certified beef program.
This episode is again brought to you by Eco-Pathways. Eco-Pathways creates dune and beach walkovers, boardwalks, docks and piers that are longer lasting than pressurized lumber, require a fraction of the maintenance and don't contain any of the many toxic chemicals pressurized wood does. Learn more at Eco-Pathways.com.
This week's episode begins with Craig's latest "Washington Post" article where he writes about Miami making history in hiring the nation's first Chief Heat Officer.
Our guests are Susan Fernandez and Bob Ingalls, authors of "Sunshine in the Dark: Florida in the Movies." We'll trace Florida's history in film from the silent area when Jacksonville was Hollywood, all the way through 2016's "Moonlight" which won the Academy Award for best picture.
We'd like to welcome Eco-Pathways as our latest sponsor. Eco-Pathways is a Florida company that designs and constructs beach walkovers, boardwalks, trail bridges, docks and piers out of a proprietary engineered material which lasts longer and requires none of the maintenance of wood while not containing any of the chemicals found in pressurized lumber. Visit eco-pathways.com to learn more.
This week's episode begins with a takedown of the Florida Legislature (both parties), Ron DeSantis and Agriculture Secretary Nikki Fried, all of who bowed down to BIG SUGAR in allowing them to continue poisoning residents of western Palm County through pre-harvest sugar cane field burning.
Our guest is New College of Florida anthropologist and archaeologist Uzi Baram. We discuss Florida's surprisingly robust history of ancient inhabitants along with the emerging researching shining more light on the maroons of Angola and Florida's connection to the Underground Railroad.
If you find these conversations interesting, our previous episodes on the Everglades and BIG Sugar, along with our episode on Florida's forgotten cemeteries should be on your play list.
This week's episode begins with Craig's concerns Florida could be facing another "Summer of Slime" due to blue green algae and red tide (cow tide) outbreaks. We also talk about corruption in the state legislature and the death - mostly - of M-CORES (Roads to Ruin).
Our guest is author Mike Grunwald who wrote "The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida and the Politics of Paradise." Our conversation focuses on the worst idea ever in Florida: the Everglades Jetport.
If these topics interest you, be sure to listen to back episodes on the Floridan Aquifer, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Everglades and Big Sugar.
To order a signed copy of "Cat Tale" in paperback from Tombolo Books in St. Pete, go here.
"Welcome to Florida" thanks Hipcamp for its ongoing support. Hipcamp is a growing community of outdoor enthusiasts looking for authentic connections to Florida's natural environment. That's where you come in. If you own property anywhere around Florida that connects people to nature, Hipcamp would like to hear from you about paying you to open your property to Hipcamp members for camping, glamping and RV stays. You don't need much land and Hipcamp handles all the details. Visit Hipcamp.com/land for more details.
Amelia Island would like "Welcome to Florida" listeners to consider visiting for your next long weekend or family vacation. From the natural beauty of our beaches, dunes, salt marsh and maritime hammock, to Civil Rights and Civil War history, and the magnificent Victorian Downtown, Amelia Island makes for a perfect Florida getaway mixing small town charm with Southern Hospitality and Florida beach life. Visit AmeliaIsland.com to see more.
This week's episode started with BIG news from the Everglades and a look at a VERY important Florida woman whose job it will be to protect the state's environment.
Our guest is author Ann McCutchan who has written a new biography of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a Florida transplant and author of "The Yearling." The book is titled "The Life She Wished to Lead" and details Rawlings' time spent in Cross Creek, Florida.
This week's show also mentioned Bok Tower Gardens conservation efforts, Craig's book "The Scent of Scandal," and Marie Selby Gardens.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Amelia Island. Learn more about the four state parks in the Amelia Island area and the world class outdoor recreation, dune system, tree canopy, the boutiques along Centre Street, bed and breakfasts, Southern cuisine and why Amelia Island is the perfect destination for your next long weekend or family vacation by visiting AmeliaIsland.com.
And by Hipcamp. Hipcamp is a growing community of respectful people looking to get outside for camping, glamping and RV stays on private land. Anyone with a property that helps people connect with nature can be a Hipamp host. Learn more by visiting Hipcamp.com/land.
This week's episode begins with discussion of Craig's latest Florida Phoenix column and the "solution" for what to do with all of the toxic waste from the Piney Point phosphorus plant.
Our guest is Nancy Klingener, Florida Keys reporter for WLRN - South Florida's Public Radio - and a 30 year Key West resident. We dig into the history, culture and weirdness that is Key West with stops along the way talking about Conchs, Earnest Hemmingway, Bum Farto, Jimmy Buffett, cats, chickens and Fantasy Fest.
Consider Amelia Island for your next long weekend or family vacation. The picturesque barrier island in the northeast corner of Florida with the state's best protected natural dune system, miles of uncrowded beaches and a historic Victorian downtown welcomes you for beachcombing, fishing, camping at Fort Clinch State Park (one of four state parks in the area), birdwatching, Southern food and hospitality and relaxation from the mania often associated with Florida vacations. Learn more at www.AmeliaIsland.com.
Property owners across Florida are earning up to $1,000 a month listing their spots with Hipcamp. Hipcamp is a growing community of members looking to enjoy outdoor experiences and Hipcamp wants to help connect them to those experiences, but they need property owners willing to share their places. If you own land - even a little - anywhere in Florida that helps people connect with nature, Hipcamp wants to hear from you. Visit Hipcamp.com/land to get started.
This week's episode begins with Craig's ongoing reporting of the environmental disaster at the Piney Point phosphate plant where hundreds of millions of gallons of toxic wastewater has been diverted into the Tampa Bay estuary to avoid a collapse of the gypsum stack there. Craig has reported on this coming apocalypse for decades, highlighting how the Florida Department of Environmental "Protection's" history of favoring industry over the environment and its lack of serious regulation put us here.
This week's guest is Florida's state climatologist David Zierden. We talk about our state's climate, how it's changing, what can be done to protect the state from climate change, hurricanes and... machetes?
"Welcome to Florida" welcomes our newest sponsor, Amelia Island! Located in the very northeast corner of the state, Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach is a nature lover's paradise with miles of beaches, four easily accessible state parks, the state's best protected natural dune system and an extraordinary tree canopy of Live Oaks. Amelia Island makes for the perfect destination for you next family vacation. Learn more at AmeliaIsland.com.
"Welcome to Florida" is also sponsored by Hipcamp, the growing community of respectful people looking to get outside for camping, glamping and RV stays on private land. Anyone with a property that helps people connect with nature can be a Hipcamp host. Learn more by visiting Hipcamp.com/land.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman's latest Florida Phoenix column highlighting the disastrous environmental impacts of the widely used herbicide/poison glyphosate, commonly known as Roundup.
Our guest is author, veterinarian and professor Mark Jerome Walters whose latest book, "Florida Scrub-Jay: Field Notes on a Vanishing Bird" was released in March of 2021. Mark has also authored "Six Modern Plagues and How We Are Causing Them" and "A Shadow and a Song: The Struggle to Save an Endangered Species," both of which are referenced in the episode.
For more information about the effort to save birds in Florida and what you can do to help, visit Audubon Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Hipcamp. Consider Hipcamp Airbnb for campers. If you have a piece of land in Florida that would be good for pitching a tent or parking an RV, then Hipcamp wants to hear from you. They take care of all the details, you collect side income. Learn more by visiting Hipcamp.com/land.
If you or your business would like to sponsor "Welcome to Florida," email Craig and Chadd Scott at welcometofloridapodcast@gmail.com.
This week's episode begins with more "bigfooting" by the state legislature, once again in the pocket of developers, attempting to curtail the amount of impact fees local municipalities have accessed homebuilders in order for them to build the infrastructure necessary for all the new residents.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott are joined this week by Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. The married couple live in Tallahassee. Jeff is the best selling author of the Southern Reach Trilogy (Annihilation, Authority and Acceptance). His new book is a thriller, "Hummingbird Salamander."
In a wide ranging conversation, we discuss:
St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge
VanderMeer Creative and the couple's philanthropic efforts
How to rewild your yard
Florida Native Plants
Keep Tallahassee Wild Facebook Page
Jeff's virtual book tour for "Hummingbird Salamander"
Follow Jeff and Ann on Twitter.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Hipcamp. Start using your property in Florida to generate side income by listing it on Hipcamp. Hipcamp members around the nation want to visit Florida and Hipcamp needs more properties to welcome more guests. Hipcamp takes care of all the details. Contact them today at Hipcamp.com/land.
This week's episode begins with a look at why Florida's manatees are dying this winter at a rate which threatens the survival of the species. Craig Pittman's latest column for the Florida Phoenix digs in deep on the reasons, which are preventable.
Craig's 2010 book "Manatee Insanity" goes even further in detailing the decades-long conservation effort in Florida to protect manatees, as well as calling out the people working against manatee protection.
Our guest is Stephen Leatherman who you probably know as Dr. Beach. Each year he compiles a list of the 10 Best Beaches in the U.S. which leads to a tremendous amount of pride for those named, jealousy for those not named, and arguments among everyone.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by HipCamp. If you are a landowner in Florida with a flat spot large enough to pitch a tent or park an RV, HipCamp needs you to help host its growing community of nature-lovers looking to find quiet spots across the state. You can begin earning side income adding your property to the HipCamp portfolio and HipCamp will take care of all the details, including insurance. Learn more and start earning money today at Hipcamp.com/land.
If your business would like to help sponsor "Welcome to Florida," reach out to Craig and Chadd Scott at welcometofloridapodcast@gmail.com.
This week's episode starts with Craig Pittman sharing some of his favorite Florida Women from the state's history in recognition of Women's History Month. Follow Craig on Twitter and Facebook @CraigTimes and on Instagram @CraigPittman78 for more.
Our guest this week is Amy Green, author of "Moving Water: The Everglades and Big Sugar." Amy's book, which published in March of 2021, takes a look at Big Sugar's influence on Everglades pollution and degradation, as well as Big Sugar's influence on Florida and national politics and efforts to repair the Everglades.
If this topic interests, you, Craig suggests further reading of Michael Grunwald's "The Swamp," and, of course, Marjory Stoneman Douglas,' "Everglades: River of Grass."
To keep up to date with conservation efforts for the Everglades, visit the Everglades Trust and the Friends of the Everglades. Florida Conservation Voters works to hold state politicians accountable for our environment. Additional information about pre-harvest sugar cane field burning can be found here.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Hipcamp. Landowners across Florida are earning up to $1,000 per month by placing their properties on Hipcamp where Hipcamp's growing community of campers, glampers and RVers are renting those properties when they visit Florida to enjoy the state's natural beauty. Hipcamp handles all the details including book and insurance. To learn more, visit Hipcamp.com/land.
If you or your business is interested in sponsoring "Welcome to Florida," send Craig and Chadd Scott an email at welcometofloridapodcast@gmail.com.
This week's episode begins with an update on the disastrous "Roads to Ruin" M-CORES toll road proposal and efforts in the state legislature to adjust it.
Our guest this week is historical reenactor Ersula K Odom who has been portraying Mary McLeod Bethune at events across Florida for many years. Odom's performances see her dress in period appropriate costumes and take on the personality of the famed educator, voting rights advocate, civil rights activist, feminist, stateswoman and humanitarian, Mary McLeod Bethune.
To book Odom to perform for your group or event, contact her at this link.
This week's episode is presented by Hipcamp. Hipcamp has members across the country looking to visit Florida to experience our natural beauty. That's where you come in. Hipcamp needs landowners in Florida willing to open up their property to welcome visitors to camp, glamp or RV. All you need is a flat spot where someone can pitch a tent or park an RV. Hipcamp takes care of the rest. Reach out today for more information about turning your property into side revenue with Hipcamp at Hipcamp.com/land.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott discussing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's unanimous ruling to ban the possession of a large number of non-native snakes and lizards in the hopes of avoiding their introduction into the state's ecosystem like as happened with the Burmese python and tegu lizard.
Our guest is Jack Davis who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for nonfiction with his book, "The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea." Craig and Chadd discuss Jack's time on the Gulf, his perspectives on the uses and abuses of the Gulf, what causes the Gulf Dead Zone, why he's optimistic about the Gulf's future, his favorite Gulfside restaurant and much more.
If you're interested in this topic, be sure to listen to previous "Welcome to Florida" episodes on Tarpon Fishing in Homosassa Bay and how industrial agriculture is destroying Florida's water supply.
If you'd like to help support Gulf of Mexico conservation, the Audubon Society's Gulf Restoration program is a great place to start.
This week's episode begins with a song from Zora Neale Hurston, "Shove it Over." Throughout this week's show we'll be hearing songs from Hurston which can be found in the State Archives of Florida.
Up next: cruise ships. Craig Pittman wrote recently how Republican state legislators are contradicting their so-called principles of "home rule" and "small government," trying to take away Key West's ability to limit the number of cruise ship passengers it receives in the future. In their haste to bow to the cruise ship industry's big money, however, they forgot one key point.
To learn more about Zora Neale Hurston, Craig and Chadd Scott talk to Kristy Anderson, writer and director of the documentary film, "Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun," which you can watch on Amazon. Zora Neale Hurston was a Florida author and anthropologist. While a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, she spent little time there, Her novels explored the lives of ex-slaves living in the Deep South.
Although she died penniless with her books out of print in Ft. Pierce, Florida in 1960, Black feminists resurrected her work, particularly the 1937 novel, "Their Eyes Were Watching God."
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Hipcamp. Hipcamp is a growing community of outdoor enthusiasts who want to experience the natural side of Florida. That's where you come in. Hipcamp needs landowners in Florida to open their property up to Hipcamp members for camping, glamping and RV stays. If you have a flat piece of land large enough to pitch a tent or park an RV near a natural setting anywhere in Florida, Hipcamp wants to help you turn that property into side income. Contact them today at Hipcamp.com/land.
If your business would like to learn more about a sponsorship with "Welcome to Florida," email Craig and Chadd at: welcometofloridapodcast@gmail.com.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman's latest story for the Florida Phoenix about the remarkable discovery of a new whale species in the Gulf of Mexico. The whale was washed up on a beach near the Florida Everglades allowing scientists to study the animal. In doing so, they determined it had died as the result of a piece of plastic cutting through its stomach.
Single use plastics have become one of the greatest threats to the environment and animals globally, particularly fish and marine mammals. Learn more about the growing epidemic of plastic pollution and what is being proposed at a federal level to combat it. Make your voice heard. Amazon.com is increasingly coming under fire and being pressured to reduce the amount of plastic it uses.
Oceana is a conservation group doing good work globally to protect our oceans.
This week's guest is Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida.
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Hipcamp! Consider Hipcamp Airbnb for campers. Hipcamp members around the country want to visit Florida to experience our mild winter climate and beautiful natural scenery. If you are a landowner in Florida, Hipcamp would like to work with you to generate extra money by hosting Hipcamp members on your property. Hipcamp takes care of all the work and details. All you need is a flat spot large enough to pitch a tent or park an RV. Visit Hipcamp.com/land to learn more.
If your business would like to help sponsor "Welcome to Florida," email Craig and Chadd Scott at welcometofloridapodcast@gmail.com, or reach either of them on Twitter @CraigTimes or @ChaddScott.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman putting Ron DeSantis in the crosshairs over the governor's big talk and small action on protecting the state's water. If you'd like to learn more about the state's water quality problems, what causes them, what can be done to fix them, a previous episode all about the Floridan Aquifer does so in depth.
This week's guest is artist Kelvin Hair. Kelvin is the son of Alfred Hair, one of the original, legendary, Florida Highwaymen painters. The Florida Highwaymen are the subject of an exhibition on now at the Tampa Museum of Art through March 28. Chadd Scott reviewed the show previously when it was in Orlando.
During the interview, Kelvin mentions a book titled, "The Highwaymen Murals: Al Black's Concrete Dreams." You can find that online here.
As always, this week's episode is brought to you by Hipcamp which is looking for landowners across Florida to welcome its members for experiences in natural Florida. Do you own property on or near a natural or scenic place around the state? If so, Hipcamp wants to hear from you. A flat piece of property large enough to pitch a tent or park an RV is all you need to start earning side income by welcoming Hipcamp members to your property, and Hipcamp takes care of all the details. Visit Hipcamp.com/land to learn more.
This week's episode focuses on two of Florida's - and the nation's - most endangered species. First up, Craig Pittman tells us about recovery efforts for the Florida grasshopper sparrow which he detailed in a recently released story for "National Geographic."
From the very small to the very big, Craig and Chadd Scott are then joined by Florida panther biologist Deborah Jansen, a key figure in Craig's book about the heroic efforts to save the panther against the forces of development and government in "Cat Tale."
"Cat Tale" was the genesis for the "Welcome to Florida" podcast and if you'd like to go back and hear that story, you can do so here.
This week's conversation also references episode three about Burmese pythons, which you can listen to here.
Learn more about the disastrous "Roads to Ruin" M-CORES project threatening Florida.
You can become personally involved in helping to protect natural and wild Florida through groups like the Florida Conservation Voters, Free the Ocklawaha, and Friends of the Everglades.
Here's a look at the cover art for Craig's upcoming book, "The State You're In: Florida Men, Florida Women and other Wildlife."
"Welcome to Florida" is presented by Hipcamp. Consider Hipcamp the Airbnb for campers. Hipcamp users are looking to experience natural Florida and Hipcamp is recruiting land owners across the state to help them find it. If you have a flat piece of land large enough for someone to pitch a tent or park an RV, or have accommodations you're willing to share with Hipcamp's respectful community of nature lovers, Hipcamp wants to hear from you. Landowners across Florida are earning up to $1,000 a month renting their land through Hipcamp. Visit them to learn more.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode discussing Craig's hope for a modern-day Richard Nixon (???) to save Florida from the disastrous M-CORES project, better known as the "Roads to Ruin." He explains the connection.
Chadd highlights a project working to secure American Beach's historic character and how you can help.
This week's guest is Neal Thompson, author of "Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR." Neal talks about Bill France, how France organized NASCAR in Daytona Beach in 1947 from its bootlegging roots, and how it's evolved since then.
"Welcome to Florida" is sponsored by Hipcamp which needs your help welcoming guests to our state. If you are a landowner in Florida, Hipcamp can put extra money in your pocket while using your land to host visitors. Hipcamp features simple plots of land, developed cabins, and everything in between. No matter what you have, you’re ready to get started today. Host when you want, get paid every week, and Hipcamp takes care of all the details, including insurance. Learn more today by visiting Hipcamp.com/land.
In what is sure to be the grossest episode of "Welcome to Florida" yet, Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin by discussing Craig's latest story for the Florida Phoenix which focuses on a toxic sludge disposal facility in Lakeland, aptly called the BS Ranch, that has neighbors upset and is looking to renew its permit to handle 5,000 tons of sludge PER DAY!
From there, Dr. Roberto M. Pereira joins us. He specializes in urban entomology, conducting research on different aspects of the biology and control of cockroaches, ants, bed bugs, flies, mosquitoes and other insects that live in and around houses and other human structures. He earned a Ph.D. in entomology from the University of Florida.
As always, this week's episode is sponsored by Hipcamp!
Hipcamp is a growing community of respectful people looking to get outside for camping, glamping, and RV stays on private land. Anyone with a property that helps people connect with nature can be a Hipcamp Host! Whether you have an acre of raw land near the Emerald Coast, an RV park on the way to the Everglades, a yurt in your backyard, or a farm outside of Daytona Beach, odds are our community can’t wait to visit!
Find out if your property is a fit to become a Hipcamp host.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode talking briefly about the history of con men in Florida, the attempted overthrow of the federal government last week by white nationalists which prominently featured a Florida Man, and Craig's latest Florida Phoenix article about ecological catastrophe caused by a paper mill on the Fenholloway River in Perry.
This week's guest is Jeff Testerman, a now-retired former investigative reporter at the St. Petersburg Times (before it became the Tampa Bay Times) whose background as a mortgage banker gave him a unique ability among reporters to follow a paper trail and discern dirty deeds from a batch of documents. Exposing the Bobby Thompson scam was his finest hour, That story is told in his new book, "Call Me Commander: A Former Intelligence Officer and the Journalists Who Uncovered His Scheme to Fleece America."
"Welcome to Florida" is now sponsored by HipCamp. If you have property in Florida which will help campers, glampers or RV vacationers connect with nature, HipCamp needs your help as a host. Hosts in Florida are earning up to $1000 a month by offering their property through HipCamp. HipCamp allows you to rent your property on your schedule, pays via PayPal or direct deposit, and even handles the insurance.
Learn more by visiting HipCamp.com/host.
This episode begins with exciting news about "Welcome to Florida's" first sponsor, Hipcamp. Hipcamp is a growing community of respectful people looking to get outside for camping, glamping, and RV stays on private land.
Anyone with a property that helps people connect with nature can be a Hipcamp Host. Landowners across Florida are earning up to $1,000 a month.
It’s free to list and Hipcamp takes care of everything including liability insurance! All you need is a flat spot where someone can pitch a tent or park an RV.
Got a place to share? Get started today at www.hipcamp.com/land or call (917)-563-2616.
Craig Pittman is sharing his weirdest stories of the year from across Florida.
This week's guest is Gilbert King who won the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America," which featured a depiction of one of the most evil sheriffs in Ameircan history, Willis McCall. McCall also features in King's most recent book, "Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race and Justice Lost and Found," another harrowing Florida account.
Craig and Chadd Scott close the show discussing the death penalty in Florida and Craig explains why the state has more overturned death sentances than any other.
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" begins with great news for Florida's critically endangered grasshopper sparrow. Being Florida, the story of course involves a long and twisty road with no shortage of "colorful" characters who Craig Pittman introduces us to.
Craig and Chadd Scott's guest this week is Les Standiford, author of "Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean."
Standiford provides the definitive account of an essential Florida story featuring one of the state's most prominent figures, an engineering marvel and a deadly natural disaster. Les is the founder of the writing program at FIU and the author of more than 20 books, including the recently released "Palm Beach, Mar-A-Lago and the Rise of America's Xanadu."
Merry Christmas everyone. Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" with unusual ways in which the holiday has been celebrated around the state.
20 years ago, a multi-billion dollar, bipartisan, multi-agency, decades-long plan to restore the Everglades to a more natural water flow and ecology was signed by President Bill Clinton and hailed as a fix for what ailed the 'Glades and a model of future ecosystem-scale conservation and environmental restoration globally. Since then, hardly a fraction of what was envisioned has been completed. Craig wrote about this in the Florida Phoenix online and we discuss.
Today's guest is Michael Ray FitzGerald, author of Jacksonville and the Roots of Southern Rock. Michael had a front row seat as a rock music fan living in Jacksonville when the musicians who would make up the Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet came through Jacksonville on their way to superstardom. Why Jacksonville? Why that name? How does an undercurrent of racist imagery haunt their work? We discuss all of this and more.
This week's episode begins with Craig Pittman offering advice to Governor Ron DeSantis.
Craig and Chadd Scott are joined by Nicholas Griffin, author of, "The Year of Dangerous Days: Riots, Refugees and Cocaine in Miami 1980." Griffin's book shares the remarkable, harrowing and history-altering interconnected stories of Cuba's Marielitos, the largest mass migration event in U.S. history, the explosion of the cocaine trade, and the race riots spawned by the acquital of four Miami-Dade police officers following their beating to death of Black resident Arthur McDuffie, all of which shook Miami to its foundations over a matter of weeks in 1980.
The episode closes with two noteworthy museum exhibitions worth your time, "Yesterday, This Was Home: The Ocoee Massacre of 1920" at the Orange County Regional History Center in Downtown Orlando, and an exhibit of the work of Ft. Myers resident Marcus Jansen at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College in Winter Park.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode talking about the return of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to public view following a month in hiding. Craig and Chadd discuss the governor's handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
This week's guest is renowned Florida landscape photographer Clyde Butcher, Clyde has been photographing the state for 30 years and shares his favorite spots to shoot, tips for hobbyist photographers, and how his career led him into environmental activism.
Craig Pittman shares good environmental news with Chadd Scott to begin this episode and the two discuss a quirky feature of Fernandina Beach's local government.
This week's guest is best-selling author Monte Burke whose latest book, "Lords of the Fly: Madness, Obsession, and the Hunt for the World Record Tarpon," dives into the tarpon fly fishing craze around Homosassa in the early 1980s. From Flip Pallot, to Ted Williams, Jimmy Buffett to a hardened gangster, everyone wanted to take a crack at landing a world record tarpon on fly tackle.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this Thanksgiving Week episode discussing their favorite holiday traditions before engaging in a conversation with historian and author Gary Mormino about the influence immigrants have had, and continue to have, on Florida.
Mormino is the author of "The Immigrant World of Ybor City: Italians and their Latin Neighbors in tampa, 1885-1985."
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott take a break from the anxiety of 2020 to discuss their favorite Florida TV shows and the shows which have shaped the state's image. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans joins to discuss everything from "I Dream of Jeannie" to "Miami Vice," "Golden Girls," "Dexter" and "Siesta Key."
Remember to follow Craig on Twitter and Facebook @CraigTimes and Chadd on Twitter @ChaddScott.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this episode of "Welcome to Florida" discussing the 2020 election in Florida, why Trump took the state, where the Democrats failed and what it means moving forward.
This week's guest is Mitchell Kaplan, co-founder of the Miami Book Fair which begins November 15, the most prestigious litterary event in the country. Mitchell is a long-time Miami resident and owner of Books and Books bookstore. We discuss Miami's turnaround, why the fair and his shop have done so well in Miami, and he shares stories of Hunter S. Thompson and Judy Bloom.
Here's more information about the Miami Book Fair, and if you're interested in books, check out Mitchell's podcast, "The Literary Life with Mitchell Kaplan."
This week's episode of "Welcome to Florida" releases on Super Tuesday! As Floridans go the the polls and await the outcome, Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott share their voting experiences from this year and years previous.
This week's guest is UCF historian Jim Clark. Jim has authored several books on Florida history, including "Presidents in Florida." That's what we're talking about this week. From Andrew Jackson to Donald Trump, Harry Truman's "Little White House" and the seeds of Watergate, we trace Florida's history from presidential afterthought to presidential essential.
Throughout election week, Craig will be covering developments in Florida for the "Washington Post." Follow him on Twitter @craigtimes to stay updated!
On this week's Halloween-themed episode, Craig Pittman shares Florida ghost stories before Craig and Chadd Scott talk with Tampa Bay Times reporter Paul Guzzo who has done outstanding work finding lost cemeteries in the Bay Area.
The episode wraps up with a discussion of Craig's recent "National Geographic" article surrounding the end of greyhound racing in Florida.
This week's episode, unfortunately, begins with bad news as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to begin water releases from Lake Okeechobee. Why does this happen and what makes this decision so environmentally ruinous? Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott explain.
Gary Fineout from Politico.com is this week's guest. He has covered government and politics in Florida for almost 30 years. Gary discusses many of the key issues impacting how the presidential race in Florida will turn out focusing on Florida's ever-evolving demographics.
Finally, Craig and Chadd share the story of their first in-person meeting which took place recently in St. Petersburg on Chadd's trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg. The MFA, St. Pete is reinstalling its collection galleries with fabulous items spanning 5,000 years of human creativity. Also in St. Pete, check out the elegant and historic The Don CeSar hotel, on the beach, which has also undertaken a major renovation.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode talking about a strange obsenity case from Florida's past which is back in the news. They also help you make sense of the proposed amendments to the state constitution on this year's ballot.
They're guests this episode are Sandra Friend and John Keatley. Sandra has written numerous guide books to hiking throughout Florida, she's logged almost 10,000 miles across the state on foot herself, and is the founder of FloridaHikes.com. John's a former NASA employee who's a Florida resident and has hiked, biked and paddled extensively around the state. He's also the author of numerous books on hiking in Florida.
Hiking season in Florida begins in October and we'll learn the best places to do just that.
In 2007, astronaut Lisa Nowak drove 900 miles to confront her lover's new lover in the parking lot of the Orlando airport. Then things really got weird, especially with the discovery of used diapers in her car.
This episode of "Welcome to Florida" features Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott discussing the NASA love triangle which fed the tabloids and legitimate media for weeks, cast a harsh spotlight on NASA, and changed the way it psychologically profiles astronauts with Kimberly Moore, author of "Starcrossed: The Story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak."
Craig and Chadd also discuss NASA's history in Florida, more chicanery from the state regarding how it approaches clean water and we show love to one of Florida's great historic, luxury resorts, the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club.
One of the many histories explored in Craig Pittman's great book on the state of Florida, "Oh, Florida!," is Florida's checkered history of religion. Billy Graham found his calling here. Martin Luther King was arrested here. Jim Bakker visited Florida for illicit sexual affairs.
Craig and Chadd Scott discuss these events on their way to being joined by this episode's guest, Lyn Millner, author of "The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp and a Renegade Prophet." Millner's book recalls the Koreshan cult, which, among other things, believed the earth was hollow and that their founder, Cyrus Teed, was immortal.
Spoiler alert: he wasn't.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this week's episode discussing the latest environmental nightmare Floridians, and Florida Panthers, have to worry about.
This week's guest is Scott Deitche, author of "Cigar City Mafia" and numerous other books about the mob. He shares details and stories about the Mafia's involvement in Florida politics and gambling. The Mob was big in Tampa and South Florida, starting in the 1930s when they moved in on the locals who were bootlegging and running the bolita racket during Prohibition. In the 1950s, when the Kefauver Committee held hearings here, Senate investigators found mob influence in everything from the dog tracks to the sheriffs and even the governor's office.
This episode of "Welcome to Florida" was recorded hours after the attempted murder of Jacob Blake by police officers in Chadd Scott's home state of Wisconsin. Chadd and Craig Pittman discussed the shooting and their reactions to it, how Trayvon Martin's murder was the catalyst for Craig's book "Oh, Florida!" and why the Florida Department of Environmental Protection doesn't protect Florida's environment.
This week's guest is Diana Beckman, executive director at the Florida House, Florida's embassy in Washington, D.C. Florida is the only state with an embassy! Why does it need one? What takes place there? Find out on this episode of "Welcome to Florida!"
The Floridan Aquifer is one of the most amazing natural resources in the world, producing eight billion gallons of fresh water daily! Julie Hauserman joins Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott to discuss her book, "Drawn to the Deep: The Remarkable Underwater Explorations of Wes Skiles," which examines the aquifer, one of it's greatest champions - Wes Skiles - and the threats it faces.
Multi-time best-selling author, Florida native and resident, Carl Hiaasen, joins us to discuss his latest book, Squeeze Me, a satire not-so-loosely based on Donald Trump.
We also shout out another of our favorite Florida-focused podcasts, "Wait Five Minutes," great work being done to restore coral reefs by the Mote Marine Laboratory & Acquarium and Craig shares exciting news on his writing career.
This week, Craig and Chadd discuss Florida's state symbols with Mark Lane, Daytona Beach News Journal columnist and author of "Roaring Reptiles, Bountiful Citrus & Neon Pies."
Did you know Florida has a state song and a state anthem? A state reptile, state mammal, marine mammal, saltwater fish, freshwater fish, tree (which is actually a grass) and a remarkably unremarkable state bird due to the lobbying efforts of one of Florida's most villianous influence peddlers. And a state soil too.
Oh, and there's a state play with an outrageous history.
The seemingly mundane becomes contentious and provocative with regularity in Florida and the state's symbols are no exception.
Craig and Chadd begin this week's episode discussing a recent list of Florida's "secret" tourist destinations.
This week's interview is with Colette Bancroft, editor and contributor to Tampa Bay Noir, a collection of fictionalized crime short-stories set in the Tampa Bay area.
This week's episode begins with a conversation surrounding the loss of a great fall tradition in Florida before transitioning into a recent story Craig wrote in the Florida Phoenix about Governor Ron DeSantis' failure to fill vacant positions on the state's five water management districts. What are water management districts? Why are they critically important to life in Florida? We discuss.
This week's guest is Erich Schutthauf, Executive Director of the American Association for Nude Recreation. We talk all about how Florida became America's capitol for nude resorts, what to expect when visiting one, and common misconceptions about nudism.
Craig and Chadd begin this episode looking at Florida's checkered history of hosting political conventions. Craig wrote about the topic for Politico.com earlier in the summer as the Republicans were supposed to nominate Donald Trump in Jacksonville in late August before the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 health concerns.
This episode's guest is author Sarah Gerard who penned a series of essay's collectively titled "Sunshine State: Essays." One of the essays shares the story of the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary and its founder Ralph Heath. Heath oversaw the Tampa-area wildlife rehab facility from its heights as the largest nonprofit wild bird hospital and sanctuary in the United States and tourist attraction, to run down and under investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Every Florida story seemingly has a bright side and a dark side, this one brighter and darker than most.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott recall the story of former Florida governor "Walkin'" Lawton Chiles and how he helped inspire author Kent Russell to similarly walk across Florida. Russell shares the story of his journey in the new book, "In the Land of Good Living: A Journey to the Heart of Florida."
This episode also features Craig explaining old-time Florida lingo such as "Florida cracker," "he-coon," and "worm gruntin.'"
Craig and Chadd begin this week's episode discussing the collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster fishery which is likely to prevent the harvesting of any oysters there for the next five years.
This week's featured guest is Cathy Salustri, author of "Backroads of Paradise," a book detailing her 5,000 mile road trip across Florida highlighting the strange, kitschy and wonderful roadside attractions throughout Florida including Weeki Wachee Springs and the Skunk Ape Research Center.
The episode concludes with an update on Chance the Snapper at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm.
Craig and Chadd begin this week's episode with follow ups to Episode 3 on invasive species and Episode 2 regarding American Beach and Evan's Rendezvous. Also discussed was Craig's recent story from the Florida Phoenix about the Stillwright Point neighborhood in Key Largo and how Florida continues pushing for more development in areas especially prone to flooding.
This week's guest is Andrew Blechman, author of "Leisurland: Adventures in a World Without Children," which is all about the famous/notorious Florida planned 55+ community The Villages. The Villages has been in the news recently for fiesty Trump vs. Biden protests - from the comfort of golf carts of course - one of which led to Trump retweeting a video of a supporter shouting "White Power."
A conversation that was expected to be amusing takes a seriously dark turn as Blechman recalls stories of his time spent living in The Villages.
This week's episode begins with Craig discussing his recent Florida Pheonix column about an experimental program releasing genetically modified mosquitos in the Keys. Also from the Florida Phoenix, Craig has a story about the longest running environmental battle in the state, the fight over the Kirkpatrick Dam.
Most of the episode, however, is spent with Burmese python hunter Donna Kalil who shares her harrowing adventures of python encouters in South Florida. For more than 10 years, Donna has been hunting these invasive snakes which have devastated the Everglades ecosystem. How many are there? How do you kill them? What do you get paid for killing them? What do they taste like? Oh, yeah, Donna cooks some of her catch. All of these questions and more are answered in this expansion of Craig's Flamingo Magazine article on female python hunters.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott begin this episode discussing a personal experience with white supremacy as Black Lives Matter protests and the nation's history of racial inequality fill our consciousness.
Craig shares stories of Florida's Civil Rights past including details about the arrest of Martin Luther King Jr. in St. Augustine.
The episode concludes with a conversation with Marsha Dean Phelts, author of "An American Beach for African Americans." Marsha grew up in Jacksonville visiting American Beach as a child. Why is American Beach important? Because the beach and community on Amelia Island was the first beach and resort in Florida set up specifically to welcome black visitors. Marsha has lived in American Beach for over 30 years now and shares stories of its past, present and future.
J.R. Greene enjoys taking "Sweetie," the blind, 6-foot rescue alligator he cares for at Jungle Adventures wildlife park in Christmas, Florida to the Florida Key Lime Pie Store in Cocoa Beach. Despite her name, Sweetie does not eat pie.
A photo of Sweetie and J.R. at the Pie Store went viral recently as a classic, "only in Florida" sighting.
Craig Pittman and Chadd Scott talk to J.R. about how citizens in Florida share the state with alligators, safety tips for dealing with alligators, alligators' surprising comeback story in Florida and what to see and do at Jungle Adventures.
Meet best selling author, award winning reporter and Florida native Craig Pittman who is joined by radio personality Chadd Scott for the preview episode of "Welcome to Florida." In this series, Craig and Chadd will explore Florida's history, people, politics, environment, animals, current events and weirdness.
Meet Craig and Chadd as they discuss what they love most about Florida and how they came together to create the "Welcome to Florida" podcast.