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 ...
Oct 05, 2021•40 min•Ep 68•Transcript available on Metacast 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 web...
Sep 30, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 thousan...
Sep 28, 2021•40 min•Ep 67•Transcript available on Metacast 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&qu...
Sep 21, 2021•43 min•Ep 66•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Sep 14, 2021•33 min•Ep 65•Transcript available on Metacast 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 .
Sep 07, 2021•45 min•Ep 64•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Y...
Aug 31, 2021•50 min•Ep 63•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Aug 24, 2021•34 min•Ep 62•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Aug 17, 2021•49 min•Ep 61•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ....
Aug 10, 2021•43 min•Ep 60•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Aug 03, 2021•44 min•Ep 59•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Jul 27, 2021•54 min•Ep 58•Transcript available on Metacast 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,...
Jul 20, 2021•43 min•Ep 57•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jul 13, 2021•50 min•Ep 56•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Jul 06, 2021•50 min•Ep 55•Transcript available on Metacast 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 disast...
Jun 29, 2021•50 min•Ep 54•Transcript available on Metacast 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 an...
Jun 22, 2021•51 min•Ep 53•Transcript available on Metacast 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 d...
Jun 15, 2021•50 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast 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, Ex...
Jun 10, 2021•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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 environmen...
Jun 08, 2021•47 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 01, 2021•41 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast 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,...
May 25, 2021•38 min•Ep 49•Transcript available on Metacast 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 p...
May 18, 2021•40 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast 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 mo...
May 11, 2021•58 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
May 04, 2021•53 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast 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 G...
Apr 27, 2021•47 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast 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,...
Apr 20, 2021•49 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast 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 seriou...
Apr 13, 2021•55 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Apr 06, 2021•47 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast 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 (Annihil...
Mar 30, 2021•53 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast 
