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 effor...
Aug 06, 2024•49 min•Ep 216•Transcript available on Metacast 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 hom...
Jul 30, 2024•36 min•Ep 215•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Jul 23, 2024•37 min•Ep 214•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance......
Jul 16, 2024•40 min•Ep 213•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Cirald...
Jul 09, 2024•37 min•Ep 212•Transcript available on Metacast 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."...
Jul 02, 2024•41 min•Ep 211•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Jun 25, 2024•36 min•Ep 210•Transcript available on Metacast 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 birdin...
Jun 18, 2024•38 min•Ep 209•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by...
Jun 11, 2024•39 min•Ep 208•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jun 04, 2024•45 min•Ep 207•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
May 28, 2024•42 min•Ep 206•Transcript available on Metacast 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." Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
May 21, 2024•42 min•Ep 205•Transcript available on Metacast 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." Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
May 14, 2024•48 min•Ep 204•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
May 07, 2024•47 min•Ep 203•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... L...
Apr 30, 2024•42 min•Ep 202•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen o...
Apr 23, 2024•38 min•Ep 201•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream,...
Apr 16, 2024•47 min•Ep 200•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegan...
Apr 09, 2024•51 min•Ep 199•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Apr 02, 2024•32 min•Ep 198•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by Eu...
Mar 26, 2024•40 min•Ep 197•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in ...
Mar 19, 2024•48 min•Ep 196•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Mar 12, 2024•38 min•Ep 195•Transcript available on Metacast 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 boo...
Mar 05, 2024•44 min•Ep 194•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Liste...
Feb 27, 2024•36 min•Ep 193•Transcript available on Metacast 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 e...
Feb 20, 2024•39 min•Ep 192•Transcript available on Metacast 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-bo...
Feb 13, 2024•54 min•Ep 191•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Feb 06, 2024•46 min•Ep 190•Transcript available on Metacast 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....
Jan 30, 2024•44 min•Ep 189•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Jan 23, 2024•28 min•Ep 188•Transcript available on Metacast 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 So...
Jan 16, 2024•39 min•Ep 187•Transcript available on Metacast 
