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&a...
Nov 15, 2022•44 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast 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. &qu...
Nov 08, 2022•43 min•Ep 125•Transcript available on Metacast 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 was born in Russia and currently lives in Miami Beach. Anastasia Samoylova is 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 exhibi...
Nov 01, 2022•39 min•Ep 124•Transcript available on Metacast 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, with brothers Duane and Gregg growing up in Daytona Beach and the band forming in Jacksonville. Bob Beatty is the author of a newly published book highlighting a critical moment in...
Oct 25, 2022•36 min•Ep 123•Transcript available on Metacast 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 b...
Oct 18, 2022•36 min•Ep 122•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Produ...
Oct 11, 2022•34 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast 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 jo...
Oct 04, 2022•37 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast 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 -...
Sep 27, 2022•41 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . "...
Sep 20, 2022•41 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Initiati...
Sep 13, 2022•56 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Sep 06, 2022•40 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Aug 30, 2022•41 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast 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 it...
Aug 23, 2022•50 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast 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, Wor...
Aug 16, 2022•36 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Aug 09, 2022•43 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Jo...
Aug 02, 2022•41 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast 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 pr...
Jul 26, 2022•42 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast 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 b...
Jul 19, 2022•47 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jul 12, 2022•44 min•Ep 108•Transcript available on Metacast 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," a...
Jul 05, 2022•44 min•Ep 107•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 28, 2022•40 min•Ep 106•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jun 21, 2022•47 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast 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 countles...
Jun 14, 2022•45 min•Ep 104•Transcript available on Metacast 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 pl...
Jun 14, 2022•43 min•Ep 103•Transcript available on Metacast 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 t...
Jun 07, 2022•44 min•Ep 102•Transcript available on Metacast 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 t...
May 31, 2022•51 min•Ep 101•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
May 26, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
May 24, 2022•41 min•Ep 100•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
May 17, 2022•42 min•Ep 99•Transcript available on Metacast 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 b...
May 10, 2022•38 min•Ep 98•Transcript available on Metacast 
