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 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 S...
Mar 23, 2021•54 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Mar 16, 2021•54 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast 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, stateswoma...
Mar 09, 2021•39 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast 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.&q...
Mar 02, 2021•49 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast 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 passenge...
Feb 21, 2021•51 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast 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...
Feb 16, 2021•46 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast 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 High...
Feb 09, 2021•41 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast 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 forc...
Feb 02, 2021•44 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast 
