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 his...
Apr 18, 2023•52 min•Ep 148•Transcript available on Metacast 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 lo...
Apr 11, 2023•47 min•Ep 147•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Hung...
Apr 04, 2023•47 min•Ep 146•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 28, 2023•45 min•Ep 145•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Visi...
Mar 21, 2023•37 min•Ep 144•Transcript available on Metacast 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 @d...
Mar 14, 2023•50 min•Ep 143•Transcript available on Metacast 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&...
Mar 07, 2023•35 min•Ep 142•Transcript available on Metacast 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 re...
Feb 28, 2023•54 min•Ep 141•Transcript available on Metacast 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 on...
Feb 21, 2023•50 min•Ep 140•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Pod...
Feb 14, 2023•55 min•Ep 139•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Hul...
Feb 07, 2023•53 min•Ep 138•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podca...
Jan 31, 2023•53 min•Ep 137•Transcript available on Metacast 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 gl...
Jan 24, 2023•38 min•Ep 136•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Ameri...
Jan 17, 2023•37 min•Ep 135•Transcript available on Metacast 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? &...
Jan 10, 2023•42 min•Ep 134•Transcript available on Metacast "Welcome to Florida" Season 4 begins with an extraordinary Florida adventure! Warren Richey paddled a sea kayak around Florida . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Jan 03, 2023•41 min•Ep 133•Transcript available on Metacast 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, stum...
Dec 27, 2022•54 min•Ep 132•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by Europe...
Dec 20, 2022•48 min•Ep 131•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 13, 2022•46 min•Ep 130•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Dec 06, 2022•46 min•Ep 129•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Made in Spain Whether you’re an expat chasing the dream, a traveller inspired by European elegance... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify...
Nov 29, 2022•42 min•Ep 128•Transcript available on Metacast 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 susceptibl...
Nov 22, 2022•49 min•Ep 126•Transcript available on Metacast 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 
